Nottingham through my lens: a photographic journey in the UK
I have to admit that in the beginning, I wasn’t that excited about going to Nottingham. I had initially applied to a different Global Short Program program which was cancelled, and the Photography and Heritage subject at Nottingham Trent was the next best thing. But after two weeks capturing iconic British landscapes through my camera and indulging in pub feeds, England might have captured my heart after all.
Instead of the uni accomodation, I chose to sub-let a room in a local student share house. So when I arrived on a rainy Saturday evening, my new housemate picked me up from the bus station. This accomodation choice allowed me to be able to immerse myself in the student life that Nottingham is famous for, enjoy walks through the beautiful Nottingham General Cemetery to class every day, and learn all the tips and tricks on cheap UK living (like the Tesco meal deals – a small meal, snack and drink for only £3!). It was quite exciting to live in a share house with Nottingham Trent students, and I had so much fun getting to share all the funny similarities and differences between Australia and England.
The two week photography course kicked off with a walk through Nottingham City, familiarising ourselves with the streets and learning all about the historical quirks. The week that ensued was jam-packed with excursions, lots of walking (I hit my step count goal every day!), and countless photos taken. We visited Newstead Abbey, Matlock Bath, and Sherwood Forest; immersed at every location in the mystical ambiance of the British countryside.
Whilst photographing at each location, we would hear the voice of our tutor telling us to capture ‘within’ life instead of ‘of’ life. He wanted us to seek strange, unique perspectives; to look deeper than surface level instead of capturing the literal. In those two weeks I felt my love for photography re-flourish, and my eyes instinctively wandering for little moments of magic to capture.
After a week of outdoor classrooms with cameras in our hands, it was now time to edit, develop, and curate. Whilst I had thrived being snap-happy on our excursions, my favourite part of the program was the three days straight spent in the dark room. Our tutor’s passion for film photography and the developing process was palpable in the way he explained and supported us through this new medium.
I really enjoyed the intentionality and slowness of the developing process, editing images not with Photoshop – but with light and our hands. This time in the film lab was the perfect time to experiment and make the most of resources that I normally wouldn’t have access to.
With all of our film images developed, and our digital pictures edited, it was time to curate them into a photography book. We ideated a concept, selected our images, hand-cut each page, and hand-bound the book. We all finished our pieces on the last day of class at Nottingham Trent, and spent time flicking through the whirlwind of memories we had captured in the past two weeks. This book now sits on my shelf at home, a special souvenir from my photographic journey in the UK.
Victoria Fernandez Jones
Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication and Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation
Nottingham Trent University Summer School
Global Short Programs Travel Scholarship recipient
For more information about the UTS Global Short Program please visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal
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