Old Jewellery Factory - 10 Shots!!

[condyk]

Ok, a lot of shots but I love this old, crafty, nitty gritty, urban reality stuff. Hope some others do to ;)

I live right in the old industrial heart of Birmingham and it's an area that became famous for its craft jewellery making. After recession it's now an industry that is thriving again, tho' more on the wholesale side than the craft side I suspect now, alongside the 'new media' companies and wine bars. It's a great place for shooting.

Just 5 minutes from me is an old factory that once housed up to 35 craftsmen and women. It suddenly closed its doors one Friday in 1981. The owners, three siblings, all met up the weekend before and decided after 80 years or so of family business on the site the time had come to close the place down. They announced their decision to the workers on the monday morning and so at 5.00pm Friday everyone downed tools and went home for the last time. The place remained locked, just as it was left that day, for almost ten years.

A project started to turn the old factory into a 'living' museum. Walking around it has a very Marie Celeste feel. You can see the history of 80 years of jewellery making everywhere. Even a workers chewing gum stuck under their work bench and lying around are things like the final sale receipt copies of that Friday and umbrella's that were left. You can almost hear the sounds of people working and chattering away. It was a fascinating hour wandering around but the doors began to close again before I had chance to finish, so I will go back another day.

All shots taken in available light ISO 800 I think, using my trusty Pentax-M SMC 50mm 1.7.

[01] http://www.buzzdns.com/JQMdockets.jpg

[02] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmpress.jpg

[03] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmbunsen1.jpg

[04] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmtools3.jpg

[05] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmsign.jpg

[06] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmstools.jpg

[07] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmtools.jpg

[08] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmstamps.jpg

[09] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmtoolsonbench.jpg

[10] http://www.buzzdns.com/jqmseatsbench.jpg

Any questions, fire away :D

[Double Negative]

Ya done good, Davie. Wonderful shots. That place looks very interesting indeed.

That ol' lens seems to be working alright. :razz:

[MazerRakhm]

There are some really neat shots here, I'm particularly fond of #4.

[cmpowell125]

I think i visited there when I was at school. Pictures look very familiar. Can't remember the name of it though.

Some nice shots there, really portray the atmosphere.

Chris

[sprinkles]

fantastic shots! the mood in them are great. :D love the first one especially.

[Jamey S.]

WOW, I haven't seen tools like that in a long while! Thanks for sharing these. My Wife deals in gemstones and makes jewelry, I help her as well, so these images are a nice trip into the past/history of the art. Amazing to see the difference between what was used then and what is used now!

[LuckyRobJ]

Wow, those are great shots! There's just something so neat about old tools... so much history and character. I bet these would look great in black & white as well.

Good job!

[Claire]

I really like these photos. They tell a story. :)

[condyk]

Cheers lads and lady ... Mr Negative-Negative, the 50mm 1.7 has a great feel about it. I have the 1.4 too and it is excellent but something about the 1.7 makes me reach for it more often than not. Kevin, number four is great in the TIFF version because the red is such a nice contrast to the rest of the 'scene'. Chris, this place is now called the Jewellery Quarter Museum but when the project first started they called it something else like Discovery Centre or something. First one is a favourite of mine too Sprinkles. A couple of other shots around that area were OOF (this is a MF lens and light was a tad dim) which is a shame as the desk was the bookkeepers desk and next to it was a tiny kitchen area where they made tea and served cakes to customers. The old cups and stuff were very interesting, as well as all the bookkeepers receipts showing what they'd sold and for how much. James, this same set up is still current in some of the old workshops around here, ie the wooden benches with the leather 'catches' for the gold filings. Apparently, the 'sweepings' of gold fillings at the end of the day from all the work were enough to buy a small family car back then. Mr Lucky I did a couple of B&W's and they look great but I didn't save them. I like the colour in these because they are so subdued. Nouna man, thanks for the comment. I know you love a good story ;-)

[michael_]

amazing photos i had to look at them atleast 3/4 times they are superb any chance of some hi-res versions?

[Sean-Mcr]

British industry has been slowly dying a death along with true craftsmanship for far too long Dave. The past resonates in some of the shots, number 5: Can't help But picture people sat there

Very well exposed mate

[Double Negative]

Mr Negative-Negative, the 50mm 1.7 has a great feel about it. I have the 1.4 too and it is excellent but something about the 1.7 makes me reach for it more often than not.
I can understand that... The images are gorgeous.

[Dan_S]

Cracking photo's and great little story. I've never been myself and only live around 15-20 mintues away :rolleyes:

[condyk]

Cheers Cider ... I'll sort a bigger B&W for ya when I get chance! I have a few more to PP so I'll see if any worth converting.

Seany ... it's all 'service' industry now son. A bit crummy eh, but there is still some of this stuff around. Plenty going on behind numerous closed doors around here anyway.

Double and Dan ... very kind lads. Ta! Dan, worth a look this place if you're bored with an hour to kill sometime. Free too ;-)

[Sean-Mcr]

Aye lad, all the old mills round my town are on their way to being the next des res. The industrial revolution is now just an echo. British industry's on a slow boat to china

[kevin_c]

Very nice shots Condyk, they seem to portray a feeling of warmth, in an age when we as a country actually took pride and hand-made things of quality rather than mass production and making things to a price...
I love the texture of the well worn wood in No.3. but I think Health & Safety might have something to say about the exposed belts and discs in No. 6 :-)

[condyk]

Very nice shots Condyk, they seem to portray a feeling of warmth, in an age when we as a country actually took pride and hand-made things of quality rather than mass production and making things to a price...
I love the texture of the well worn wood in No.3. but I think Health & Safety might have something to say about the exposed belts and discs in No. 6 :-)

Agreed ... and it still happens in many places of course, but generally so much 'craft' is now automated or imported :confused:

There is lots of open machinary in this place, worn electrical flexes, bare wires, multiple plugs in sockets, etc. :lol: :lol: I worked in a weaving factory from aged 16-21 and very skilled and even tho 'low wage' there was a strong sense of belonging and community. Similarly, health and safety not so much on the agenda. I got hit several times with a flying shuttle :lol: and have several small scars from those days.

[Choderboy]

Cool series.
I'm intrigued by #3 - tring to work out what it is.
(actually don't know what lots of things are :) )

And most people I have spoken to (that I take notice of) say the 50 1.7 is better than the 1.4. (And the 50 1.2)

[MagicallyDelicious]

really like these shots.

love series like this when a story is told

[Derbyshire Weddings]

I'm only in Lichfield some 15 miles or so away. You tend to forget exactly what's on your doorstep. Shots are great. For the West Midland (UK) folks, Carl Chinn on Radio WM is constantly bringing the past life of Birmingham to the fore. The man is a wealth of local history, the shots here illustrating our fading manufacturing base.

[kevin_c]

Cool series.
I'm intrigued by #3 - tring to work out what it is.
(actually don't know what lots of things are :) )


Looks like some kind of gas tap to me ???

[condyk]

Davey ... number three is a bunsen burner. I think one pipe for gas and one for compressed air or something. All of the workers would have their own on their bench.

Cheers Magically ... I used to live in Hesketh Bank, near Southport and go shopping every Saturday there. I was there from 9 to 20.

My 'doorstep' has lots to shoot Derbyshire. I prefer wildlife shooting but while I am stuck in the UK again my little area keeps me amused most weekends. 'Target rich' as some say!

House point for you Kev. It is indeed a gas tap of 'some kind' ;-)

[BottomBracket]

Dave, these are excellent shots and they do work well together in a series. I like the way you capture details of the place. Somehow, with the subject matter and the characteristics of that lens, your pics have a Leica feel to them. I do have the 1.4 version, and a gaggle of other 50mm lenses, but you're making me want that 1.7 version. Good work.

[JMAS]

Very refreshing photos, Dave.
I like them a lot, for diferent reasons. The light in them is great and the particular aspects singled out by the DOF you choose are very interesting. Also the rugged textures are a plus here.

Very nice series.

[condyk]

Cheers BB and Jaime, very kind. Funny thing about the 30 minutes I stayed there is that I got nearly 80% keepers, not just this ten but another 5 or so I've PP'd since. I think a blend of sweet glass with great Bokah'd qualities, atmostpheric light and the Haoda split focus screen went a long way to achieving that. Only 3 OOF at the start when I was getting my eye in. The screen really makes a big difference to the MF stuff.

[BottomBracket]

I think a blend of sweet glass with great Bokah'd qualities, atmostpheric light and the Haoda split focus screen went a long way to achieving that. Only 3 OOF at the start when I was getting my eye in. The screen really makes a big difference to the MF stuff.

Indeed it does, and having static subjects certainly helps. The nice thing about MF lenses is that you don't complain about back or front focussing. If it is messed up, it could only be your fault.

[Bu Yao]

Excell work. Light look professional. Very nice. Is it window light?

[JaertX]

Nice work Dave...very good with the vignettes, but did you get any overall to complete the story? I dig these quite a bit actually, but am wondering what the overall look of the place was.

[condyk]

Cheers as always BB ... got to agree on the lack of 'issues' with MF. All my fault ;-)

Cheers too Mr Bu Yao ... it was mainly available light via windows and skylights.

Jason, I have been meaning to go back for a second visit. The first time was very rushed as they were closing soon so I just tagged on the end of a group and whizzed around. I also think I only had the 50mm with me that day. I need to take something wider.

[::John::]

Absolutely fascinating stuff. Well done. Thanks for showing it to us. Perfick :)

[mrclark321]

Aye lad, all the old mills round my town are on their way to being the next des res. The industrial revolution is now just an echo. British industry's on a slow boat to china

Sean it's not just British industry, it's big time here in North America also!
Damn politicians have to wake up and stop selling out to slave labour with no regulations. :evil:

Dave these are great shots....I really enjoyed them.

Dan