Rex Features Internship. Weeks 1-3

Rex Features Internship

On the 12th of November i started my first day of interning at Rex Features in London. I have a 6 week placement of working 9-5, monday to friday in the Rex Features office based between Farringdon and Holborn.

Week 1

Tuesday - The first day we met Rick who introduced us to most of the team and gave us tutorials on how to use lightbox, the software they use for key wording and organising images they receive. I had an email address made for myself which would receive stacks of photos which would need to be key worded and sorted out and then send them on to the next stage. After a few hours of that, we were then lead down to the basement by ex falmouth student, Emily, who showed us the other thing we would be doing for a few hours everyday. The task was to down size the files of alphabetically arranged transparencies that filled the basement. I was informed that it has been going on for close to a year now and they are only half way through the letter B. This was my favourite part of the job, being able to see old photos of actors and rockstars that haven't been seen by others.

Wednesday - We're told that even morning when we come in we will have emails with stacks of photos for us to run through in Lightbox, which took us up to around 12 or 1 o'clock. Then after lunch we spent the rest of the day in basement de-duplicating transparencies.

Thursday - After finishing the morning task i was given the job of scanning newspaper tear outs. They are usually pages with photos of celebrities which Rex have been sent in by photographers and then bought by the newspapers. So the reason for scanning these 'tear sheets' is for referencing and invoicing. Every page i scan has code on it which when im putting it into lightbox it saves it under the photographers name who took it. When they were all done it was time for lunch and then down in the basement to de-dupe.

Friday - Completed my morning stacks, scanned a pile of tear sheets and then de-duped.


Week 2

It gets a little repetitive here.

Monday -- Completed morning stacks, scanned tear sheets and a few magazines and then de-duped.

Tuesday - Completed morning stacks, scanned tear sheets and magazines and then de-duped

Wednesday - After we completed out morning stacks we were introduced to something else we had to do. we would download DVD's with still images from movies into Lightbox and then use a tool called Sub head Magic to link up actors names to faces, add details of the movie and then register it. After we went to the basement and de-duped.

Thursday - It was really quiet as it was thanksgiving, so no morning stacks. I started the day by downloading and key wording film stills, scanning a small amount of tear sheets and then de-duping.

Friday - Still no more stack sheets as it's Black Friday in America. So scanned the tear sheets that were already at my desk, worked on the film stills and then de-duped


Week 3

Monday - Back to normal now, a few stack sheets in an email, so worked on them until about 12, scanned some tear sheets and then de-duped

Tuesday - More stack sheets, this time all of photos of bands and music festivals for Metal Hammer Magazine, which i was quite happy to as i was at most of those concerts that were on my screen. Scanned some tear sheets then de-duped.

Wednesday - Stack sheets for Metal Hammer again, tear shett scanning then de-duping.

Thursday - Completed morning stacks, scanned tear sheets and a few magazines and then de-duped.

Friday - Completed morning stacks, scanned tear sheets and a few magazines and de-duped

Documentary Landscape - Porthtowan, abandoned tin and copper mines

Part of my first project involves documentary landscape. After my shoot in Porthtowan with Julia I decided to take a walk around and explore some of the fine cornish coast. There was a lot of old broken down buildings which were used as tin and copper mines, some of which opened as early as 1752, so i thought i would experiment a bit as i have not done much landscape work.

Here are a few photos i took

Porthtowan Beachcomber - A series of portraits

Now in my 2nd year of Press & Editorial photography and underway with my new my project. 

For my project i have decided to portray alternative ways of living and working in small cornish towns, where jobs are scarce and there are financial difficulties, through a series of portraits.

My first shoot was in Porthtowan with Julia, a beachcomber, who collects driftwood, rocks, nets and anything she finds from the beach down her road, brings them back to her hand built studio shack and creates stunning pieces of furniture and household accessories for clients all around the world. I chose Julia because she is a good example of a person who makes a unique living in a place where jobs are hard to come by and she is someone who genuinely enjoys her job.

Here is a small edit of my shoot from today...

Observed portrait

Julia collecting and packing driftwood from the beach.

Julia sanding down a table that she is making for a client in South Wales.

Detailed Portraits

Environmental Portrait

The front of Julia's house.

Julia walking onto the beach with an empty bag...

...and leaving with a bag full of driftwood and rocks,

Formal Portrait

Julia on the beach with a few of her finds.

Julia in her studio shack which she built herself out of driftwood from the beach down her road.

Cape Air Flight Boston to Massena

On the 21st June i flew from London Heathrow to Boston where i got a connecting flight to Massena, New York. It was a 9 seater plane, absolutely tiny, and flew at 8000 feet. It was a fantastic and slightly scary experience and i sat up in the co-pilot seat right next to the pilot. 

The Steering wheel right in front of me. Quite tempting.

Freezing the propeller 

The captain flying the plane 

Getting off at Albany to get on another Cape Air flight to Massena.

Flying from Boston to Upstate New York. I'm not 100% sure where this is exactly

Gorgeous view from my window

Such a clear and perfect day to fly in one of these planes

Massena Classic Car Show

 Yesterday i went to the Massena Classic Car show in North New York. Massena is a small town located just on the border of Cornwall, Ontario in Canada. It's very different compared to what I'm used to and the pace of life is much slower than England. These are some photos of old classic cars, main street and the people.

Clowns provide entertainment for the young children making them balloon animals.

Ford Model T-Bucket

Plymouth, Barracuda 

1976 Corvette

SS Camero

1967 Cadillac DeVille

1967 Cadillac DeVille engine

This was one of my favourite cars. A 1966 Pontiac Firebird.

Throughout the evening bands played, mainly classic rock 

'66 Firebird

"I CAN'T DRIVE....65!!!!"

Ford Mustang

1967 Cadillac DeVille

The view from the bottom of Main Street, Massena.

Children getting their face painted.

Sloan Gleason poses from behind her stall where she is selling food and drinks to people attending the Car Show.

The Massena Volunteer Fire Department trucks