Wharfe and Westfield

Posted on February 27, 2013 by sarasiobhan

Went to Imperial Wharfe today for the first* steering group meeting of the British Sociological Association (BSA) Disability Study Group. The BSA have a meeting room right next to the London Overland Rail (another first for me). I got there a bit early and wandered around to take some photos. But there were no people. The Wharfe was deserted. It was odd and eerie. Just an enormously renovated space of emptiness. And “no” signs (skating, running, cycling, paddling, ball games, ~~people~~).

Luckily the bus stop home is next to Westfield. I could have a people wallow on my way back.

Wonderous. As usual.

*Still astonished there hasn’t been a group up to now.

Colour streets…

Posted on February 26, 2013 by sarasiobhan

…and movement. In Hythe Bridge Street. On the way back from another meeting in Jericho.

Bit of a departure for me. Colour pics. Not sure what I think about them, being a black and white kinda gal, but good to mix it up.

Private public spaces

Posted on February 24, 2013 by sarasiobhan

Had an interesting discussion with a mate on Facebook last week around the ethics of taking photos of people in public places and putting ’em on a blog. She said that she wouldn’t like it if a photo of her was posted online and discussed without her knowing.

What is ‘public’ and what is ‘private’ is a chewy philosophical area. And I’m always struck by the ‘private’ activities people do in ‘public’ spaces (see below). To be honest, I was surprised and pleased to find out there are no rules about permission/consent (unless you want to use the photos for commercial purposes – slight qualifications outlined here). Basically you can crack on happily.

This is so unlike academic research which is subjected to such scrutiny by ethics committees that it can be unproductively constraining, frustrating and time consuming. But going back to the Facebook discussion, just because there are no rules about this, should I photograph and post images of people without consent?

Well I’ve decided to set my own ethical standards in addition to those outlined in the above link;

If someone wants their photo removed from this blog, I’ll remove it straightaway.
If I’ve photographed someone and they would like a copy, I’ll email a high res version or send a print.

Job done. (As long as a train is considered a public space…)

Waiting for the train

Posted on February 22, 2013 by sarasiobhan

Cheeky little ~~number~~ tableau at Oxford station today…

The London bus stop

Posted on February 20, 2013 by sarasiobhan

The London bus stop, Headington. A regular gathering space for all sorts of people. Today this man who looked straight out of an old black and white British film.

Style council

Posted on February 19, 2013 by sarasiobhan

Dipped into Jericho today for a meeting, then back to central Oxford. Not so much realist quirky but stylish all the same.

Local streets

Posted on February 18, 2013 by sarasiobhan

Mmm. Returned to snapping closer to home. Our neighbourhood on the edge of Oxford. This is one quirky neighbourhood. Not like trendy quirky. But real quirky. In the best sense of the word. Peculiar and unexpected.