The North Tyne project

Today I visited Haydon Bridge High School to photograph their steel panners rehearsing. This was for the project I'm involved in where a group of us photographers from the North Tyne area are capturing Northumberland musicians in photographic form. There will be a touring exhibition in a few months time.

It's all part of a Lottery funded project to restore an organ in the Mitford family church in Redesdale. I think we are the community part of the project.

The young people were delightful and put up with me welcomed me with great openess.  If there was any reluctance they did not show it and they were very, very tolerant of the instrusion.

It was technically very tricky indeed because the light was so low. High ISOs were required. Then there was bright light creeping in around the window blinds.  I have a lot of images that are just not good enough as a result.

I used flash only once and that was to illuminate all the group in my main image. I balanced precariously on a chair to take this.

Your challenge is to guess which of the group is the teacher. No prizes I'm afraid but I'll tell you tomorrow.

The teeshirts were bought in Jamaica when the group went there to perform. They all donned them for me. They all have to be carefully handwashed because they were hand painted!

I had a terrible job choosing extras; there were too many to show you.