The Stevenage Old Town Business and Community Partnership

I went along last night to my first meeting as a member of the Stevenage Old Town Business and Community Partnership (SOTBCP).

I had no idea what to expect. How many would be there? Who would they be? Was it an ‘open’ meeting that anyone could attend, or was it just members? (I’d once, many years ago, attended an “Old Town Local Forum” meeting, organised by the Local Authority, that was ‘open’ and well attended.)

It turned out to be more a committee meeting than a public meeting, but very useful none the less. There were sixteen people (or thereabouts) present, including representatives from business small and large (Waitrose!), three churches, the local newspaper, a community magazine, and a couple of other residents like myself. Much of the meeting was allocating some funding following a grant from the local authority, and reviewing some recent events the SOTBCP has organised.

I was given a small slot in any other business where I introduced myself, and the project, and I had mounted prints to show around. These are the notes I’d made for myself to use as a guide, and which I broadly stuck to:

Notes for Stevenage Old Town Business and Community Partnership meeting

Introduction

• I’m a life-long Stevenage resident, member of the Partnership, and a photographer
• I’ve grown to cherish the special community feel of the High Street
• The people who run businesses on the High Street are major factor
• I’ve embarked on a project to record something of that atmosphere by photographing retailers and traders inside they premises

Why tell the meeting?

• I’ve been approaching retailers individually, and will continue to do so
• Wanted to make it more generally known
• Would like to be able to say I have ‘support’ from the SOTBCP

What next?

• May be a long term project
• Eventually hope to hold an exhibition
• Possibly make a publication of some sort

Other notes

• Currently self-funded
• May need to source some sort of funding/sponsorship later

Close

• Thank you for your time
• Please come and look at the test prints so far.
• Also mention website

I’d say it was pretty well received. People liked the idea and certainly don’t mind if I say I have the support of the Partnership. A couple of people suggested possible venues for exhibition (though I did point out that would be many months ahead!) and of other people it might be worth involving.

No idea how quick or efficient the (new!) secretary will be at distributing the minutes of the meeting, but when he does I’m hoping there will be mention of my project website so other members will be able to take a look, and because of that I spent the rest of the evening updating the website to tidy up and update the wording and, more importantly, to feature my own photographs taken so far, removing the page of other projects I’ve been influenced by. You can see the new version by clicking on the screenshot below.

All in all, I’m glad I went – not just for the project but as part of the community.

A thought about permissions and stuff.

My wife mentioned something yesterday. She recalled that when I’d used her as a model for a portrait assignment last year I’d got her to sign a model release form, and asked if I was getting my shopkeepers to sign something.

I haven’t.

As I understand it from various lectures from various tutors and professionals and other sources I’ve read, because this is an art project rather than a commercial one, I don’t actually need a release form from my subjects. I have explained to them all that I’m planning to put on an exhibition and possibly produce a publication of some sort, so they knew that before agreeing to be photographed.

But even so I do wonder if it would be good form to seek some kind of approval before exhibiting or publishing. I plan to give all my participating retailers a print (probably only a smallish on like a 6×9 in a ‘school photo’ mount)  so I’m currently thinking that delivering these might be the time to also take a release form of some sort. Not thought about wording yet, but I’m imagining a series of tick boxes allowing the photo to be used (a) in a exhibition (b) in  a publication and (c) in  an online gallery. (Maybe better the other way round: make the form allow all three by default, but allow specific uses to be declined.)

Or am I just making trouble for myself?

 

And so it continues…

Just about everyone locally I’ve spoken to about this project has said “The Choc Box will do it”. I’d assumed so to, so I made a point of approaching the proprietors in my first tranche of visits; and sure enough they were immediately keen.

Umish and Shila Sachania, Proprietors, Choc Box. © Trevor Coultart 2014

Umish moved to Stevenage with his family in 1970 at the age of seven, and has always lived in the Old Town. The took over this traditional newsagents on 1988 and quickly established themselves as part of the High Street community. Changes in retail habits – in particular the fact that supermarkets started stocking newspapers – have affected them hugely (when they started out, they would sell 300 copies of the News of the World; by the time the paper closed in 2011 they would barely sell 50) and after 26 years in business they are, at the time of photographing, well into the process of selling up shop. Shila is retraining as a care assistant at the local hospital, while Umish plans to take on private gardening and jobs. I for one will be sad to see them go.

By contrast, the coffee shop in Flower Box is a relative newcomer, having opened up in 2011, but its story also involves changing retail habits. Jill and Alan Street established Flower Power in 2002 as a luxury florist, Jill having a background as head florist for Claridge’s in London. Business was going well, but was hit hard when the recession took hold in 2010. As Alan explained to me, when budgets get cut, flowers are one of the first things people stop buying. It was when corporate contracts started getting cancelled that they realised they would need to need to diversify., and that’s when they converted half of their shop into a delightful coffee bar.

Alan Street, Proprietor, Flower Power Coffee Shop. © Trevor Coultart 2014

Pretty pleased to have photographed six shops already within my first week of shooting. I’m going to have 10×15 prints of these six to take to the meeting of the Stevenage Old Town Business and Community Partnership on Tuesday.

Two more shops. And a couple of (hopefully minor) concerns.

Visited another few shops today, and photographed two of them.

Jo Sorrell, Proprietor, Cardies. (With Jack!) © Trevor Coultart 2014

Jo was a delight to chat to, and had loads of information about the High Street and its traders. She opened Cardies in 1988, but her High Street connections go back further than that: her father (Roy?) opened a kitchen design and fitting business right back in 1979 and settled in its final location when Jo was just eleven. The family lived “out the back”, and so for Jo this isn’t just her shop, it’s her family home, and she believes herself to be the only High Street retailer still living on her premises. Her knowledge of her customers was evident while I was setting up to photograph: more than one customer who came in was greeted by name and given very personal assistance choosing an appropriate card for their loved ones. Jo’s Labradors have always been a popular feature of her shop, starting with Poppy who was resident for sixteen years, then a succession of rescue dogs. Jack, pictured, has been in the shop for the past eight years.

Alan Cawthorne, Partner, A & D Framing. © Trevor Coultart 2014

This was the first time I’d walked in to introduce the project to a new subject and ended up taking the photograph on the same visit. Alan seemed a touch suspicious at first, asking if I had any ID as he gets “all sorts of people in here asking all sorts of strange things”. I gave him one of my trusty letters of introduction and that was enough for him to say I could do it straight away seeing as I had my kit with me. Result! I think this one might be my favourite so far. The shops full of contrast and interest and there’s a tantalising glimpse into Alan’s workshop: the world behind the scenes. Alan learned his trade in East London before marriage brought him to Stevenage twenty years ago and he set up his own shop with his new wife.  He’s seen an increase in the number of people who seem to want “something for nothing” these days, but doesn’t try to compete with mass market off the shelf frames, sticking to his core business of quality bespoke craftsmanship.

Two more shoots lined up for tomorrow!

I did call in to a few more new businesses today, too, where I either had to leave details with staff or, in one case, had my third straight refusal. (On the grounds that “I don’t know where it might end up.”)

Now, to my concerns.

Okay, this one’s more a conundrum. As I’m seeing this as primarily a sort of documentary/editorial project, should I be ruling out any re-touching beyond colour balancing, sharpening and the like? Look at the ceiling of the Framing shot above. See those white bits of cord dangling down? Should I let myself remove them? Or is that altering reality?

To remove, or not to remove?  

In the Alta Image shot I posted before, I have removed a trailing electrical wire, and wondered whether I ought to have. Any thoughts?

Next, a technical concern. I’m really not convinced about the sharpness and focus of the shots I’ve taken so far, and I’m planning to print fairly large so this is important.  This is where I blame my tools (though focusing isn’t my strong point!) but I’m shooting with a Canon 600D, which is a 1.6 crop sensor, and I’m using a Tamron 10-24 zoom lens. Now, I love the lens and have been delighted with it since I’ve had it. It’s become my general purpose lens for most shooting. But here I’m using at at the very extremities of its range, shooting at 10mm, and I know that zooms aren’t at their best at the extremes. But what alternative do I have? Shoot medium format? That’s a whole additional dimension to the project. I’m not confident enough with film and exposures, nor do I have any kit, and medium format digital is way beyond any budget I could conceive. Find a prime lens I could use instead of my 10-24? Well, Canon do a 14mm prime. Retail price £2809.99. Cheaper on Amazon, but still. That’s not happening. (Yes, I’ve looked on eBay. Still beyond my budget.)

And my last concern? Well, that’s just me. With all the time spent on this module, the other three modules are getting increasingly behind. I’ve still done virtually nothing about finding a work placement, and that’s worrying me.

A note about text.

Whilst I hope my photographs will be, in themselves, utterly fascinating (!) I’m assuming that I’ll want to present them with a gallery-type information panel saying a a little about the shopkeepers and their shops. Not too much, of course – it’s a photographic project rather than a written one – but a little something to set the context. In yesterday’s shops, for example, I gleaned the following…

So Unique. Proprietor Kelly Stevens
Kelly was born and raised in Stevenage, and loves being part of the High Street community. She worked for the shop’s original owner for seven years before taking over in August 2013, rebranding the shop to reflect the unique range of goods she stocks.

Alta Image. Proprietor Jonathan Ellam.
Although Jonathan established Alta Image 24 years ago, he still sometimes feels like the ‘new boy’ among some businesses twice his age. Working in a technological sector he’s seen astonishing changes in his time – his first eight years in business were solely analogue, and now the fastest growing source of business is youngsters popping in to get prints directly from their smartphones.

Project UNDERWAY.

It feels great to have actually made a start on shooting for this project. I’d made arrangements with Kelly from So Unique to pop in Monday morning to shoot what would be my first photograph of – I hope – many over the coming weeks and months.

Kelly was very welcoming and accommodating, which made it a pleasure. It didn’t take to long to decide on an angle, positioning Kelly behind her (beautiful!) counter while I shot from the front of the shop straight on towards the back wall. After the first shot, I asked her to remove her red cardigan as I thought it would clash with the pink walls, so the rest were taken without it, but, surprise surprise, that very first shot was the best one, and I think the red top is actually one of the things that makes it work.

Kelly Stevens, Proprietor, So Unique. © Trevor Coultart 2014

Can’t deny I’m really pleased with this. The composition has worked, the lines all lead the eye straight to Kelly and the shop looks busy and interesting. In post production all I’ve done is tightened the crop a little, and increased the exposure on her face. (Note: one of those spotlights is a touch distracting; I may tone that down a little.) 

So Unique was my only confirmed appointment, but tree were a couple of others who had indicated I could pop in any time. Of those, one looked very busy, and another the proprietor was out doing some deliveries, but Jonathan in Alta Image was uncharacteristically calm for a monday morning; he told me he’s often dealing with issues that have cropped up over the weekend in his other branches. (Stevenage being one of three branches he owns.)

Jonathan Ellam, Proprietor,  Alta Image.  © Trevor Coultart 2014

Set up was not as obvious here: the shop’s long and thin, with the counter on the side. We tried another position but it didn’t really work, and we had to consider some issues regarding branding and identity for his Kodak Express licence. You’ll see I’ve placed him behind the counter again; it’s not my plan to stick with this throughout the project, but it seemed to work for these two. It will always be informed by the shape and style of the shop premises.

There’s no denying that this just doesn’t seem to have worked as well as So Unique. Maybe it’s just not as ‘interesting’ a shop visually, maybe the yellow is two distracting, or the ceiling lights. Certainly your eye isn’t drawn straight to Jonathan like it is to Kelly. But, hey, if they all end up looking the same I’d have failed.

Next shoot is Thursday is a card shop, even longer and thinner than Alta Image but with a nice archway half-way down that I hope to get the proprietor to lean on. And maybe the newsagents. And maybe the hardware store. And maybe a coffee shop.

And then next Tuesday I’ll take a couple of prints along to the meeting of the Stevenage Old Town Business and Community Partnership.

Another shop tour

Popped in to a few more shops this afternoon. Not quite the success of yesterday – the proprietors of most of those I visited were not present so I had to leave letters with staff. But then, an unqualified success: a very enthusiastic response from the owner of So Unique, and I’m going in on Monday morning to do my first shoot.

 

While I’m there, I may manage a couple of others, too, as some I spoke to yesterday pretty much said I could pop in any time. We’ll see what response I get. 

I’ve also joined the Stevenage Old Town Business and Community Partnership as a private individual, and emailed the chairman to request a short slot on the agenda to introduce the project. The next meeting is 4th February, so hopefully by then I’ll actually have a couple of sample photographs I could show as examples.

An encouraging morning!

Well, that feels good. Just spend a couple of hours in the High Street speaking to a range of retailers – and getting a generally very positive response. I’ll not detail every one on here (am keeping a notebook for that purpose) but here’s a summary.

After a slightly faltering start (confidence, Trevor!) I spoke to twelve different retailers. And got a positive response from nine of them. Whoop! Feel like I’ve really made a start. Had some great conversations with several people who asked questions about the project and what I was planning to do with the photographs. I explained I was hoping to stage an exhibition of some sort, but exactly when and where was to be decided later in the project.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure I have confirmed involvement from

• a card shop
• a newsagent
• a photography processor
• a hardware shop (current proprietor confirmed as third generation, almost certainly one of the oldest business in the town)
• a coffee shop/florist (a combined family business, would probably result in two separate photographs unless I do this one outside)
• an estate agent
• another florist

…and possible involvement from

• a carpet shop
• a trophy shop
• yet another florist
• a fireplace shop.

And I’ve even made arrangements to pop into at least one of those next Thursday to get my first photographs taken.

Also chatted to another of the committee of the Old Town Business and Community Partnership, who recommended I actually join as a member and gave me an application form. It’s only a fiver for a private individual so I think I will to show commitment to the project. He also recommended emailing to get a proper slot on the agenda at the next meeting. Yes, I’ll do that.

One disappointment; one of the businesses I’d really hoped to involve gave me a straight refusal. The Cobbler in Middle Row has been there 55 years and he’s a real character. Straight-talking when it comes to shoes  (he’s told me in the past that shoes I’ve taken in are ‘not worth wasting any money on’) and so it proved with this: “Not my sort of thing. No, I don’t do anything like that, don’t give interviews or anything.”

Oh well.

Mr Andrews Jnr has sadly ruled himself out. 

I had a similar response in an independent computer shop, the proprietor of which told me “we keep a low profile”, but on the whole it was way more positive than negative, and I got some suggestions from a couple of folk as to others who they thought would be keen to get on board.

Onwards and upwards!

Comfort Zone BREACHED. Phew!

After this morning’s nerve-inflicted frustration I realised that as this is Friday,  if I didn’t get back down today it would be next week before I made a start, putting me behind my schedule. (I don’t think it’s appropriate to interrupt the businesses at the weekend.)  So, I jolly well made the effort to get myself back down to there this afternoon on route to collect my son from school.

I started by popping into a card shop. I started there because I know the owner is a long-term old town shopkeeper, having launched her shop 25 years ago, and had a feeling she’d be more than happy to get involved. Well, it wasn’t a perfect start, as she wasn’t in today, but I left a letter with the shop assistant and went on my way pleased to have  made a start.

Next stop, a pharmacy. And not one that’s part of a chain, but a one-off independent. This one, in fact (although he’s had a new modern sign put up since I took this photo)

This time, the owner – the pharmacist – was in, and happy to chat about the project. He understood and supported ‘this sort of thing’ but was clearly somewhat reticent about being in it himself. Again, I left the letter and he said he’d discuss it with his staff.

Undeterred, I went further down the street to a tiny, very old-fashioned, ladies clothes store. A shop I’ve been in just once before, with my mother, possibly about 30 years ago.

And this was interesting; like the card shop, the owner wasn’t in, but the lady behind the counter was very happy to chat about the project. The interesting thing though was that she asked about who else I’d spoken to, and was very insistent that for ‘this sort of thing’ the approach should be made through the Old Town Business and Community Partnership. So I was very pleased to be able to say I’d already spoken to Andre Etienne from the partnership and was hoping to get the their support. Again, I left a letter.

And prompted by that conversation I popped straight across to Andre Etienne, who was there in his carpet shop with his wife, both key players in the partnership. They’d remembered my previous visit, and I asked about coming along to the next meeting.

It’s on the 4th february, and I shall be there.

Now of course having got that far, I could easily have carried on, as I’d overcome those petrifying nerves of this morning, but as I said I was on route to collect my son so I had to leave it there. But still – I feel like I’ve made a start.

Comfort Zone. Well and truly in it. How to break out?

Today I was on Stevenage High Street. Nothing unusual about that; I’m there frequently. But today was to be different. I  had in my bag a bunch of ‘letters of introduction’ and a notebook. And I was planning, after a haircut, to go in to at least a first few shops to introduce myself and this project. You’ll see on my production plan that this week I plan to “pluck up courage and approach first tranche of shops”.

But do you know what?

Nerves got the better of me. I spoke to no-one, and came home very disappointed with myself.

Maybe I hadn’t realised just how “out of my comfort zone” this was going to be. Of all my university projects this is the one I’m most excited about. I’m really looking forward to getting on with it, and full of hope and aspiration for how it’s going to turn out.

But I’ve got to do something to get started or I’ll end up with nothing.

At least I came home with a decent haircut.