Who Took My Picture?

I'm hunting for the person who took a picture of me…ten years ago…in an airport…
#whotookmypicture

   This is an extreme long-shot, but given the global nature of the internet I hope that, eventually, someone who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone else, may be able to tell that person about this blog and they can get in touch. 

   Around ten years ago (late August/early September 2002 or 2003) I was sitting in the departure lounge of Stanstead Airport in the UK, awaiting a RyanAir day-time flight to Nîmes, in Southern France. An American/Canadian accented woman, in early middle age (possibly), approached me and my sister as we sat on a bench, and asked if she could photograph us. Being a young teenager at the time, I didn't know what to say and pointed her to my father who was sat nearby. They had a brief discussion about what the photograph was for, what type of film was being used (possibly black and white?), the type of camera etc, before she took the photograph of us and, I presume, boarded the flight and disappeared into France and the rest of the world. 

   I've never forgotten this random moment in time and have often wondered where the photograph is, if it developed well, what it looks like and so on. So, this is pretty straight forward, really; was this you, or someone you know?

To recap the main points:

• Stanstead Airport 

• United Kingdom 

• August/September in 2002 or 2003

• departure lounge for a day-time RyanAir flight to Nîmes, (southern) France

• a teenage boy and slightly younger girl photographed sitting in the departure lounge by an  American/Canadian accented, middle-aged (roughly) woman

If you think this was you or someone you know, then get in touch or ask them to contact me via the comments section on this blog, or on Twitter at @HenryWRWhite

Please share this blog and help me find this mystery photographer. #whotookmypicture

Below is a particularly charming (see 'embarrassing') picture of myself in that very departure lounge (from 2003, so possibly the same seat and clothes as the photograph the woman took), rocking double denim, Led Zeppelin inspired hair and one half of my pair of teeth-braces in my lap. 

So, did you take my photograph? 

#whotookmypicture

Updates will be posted below as the search continues

The Market

Documenting the Midland markets

   The following text is the introduction to my monograph documenting the traditional markets of the English Midlands. I completed the project in December 2012 and it is now possible to order your very own copy, as an ebook or printed book, by clicking on the link at the bottom of this blog or visit my website: HenryWRWhite

The metropolis of Birmingham and its neighbouring towns and cities have some of the largest and most vibrant markets in the UK. Unlike the cattle and livestock markets and fairs which had been driven out of most large town and city centres by the 1960s, trade markets have generally managed to remain in their central locations. But throughout the first decade of the 21^st century the rising popularity of online shopping, due to convenience and perceived cheaper prices, has applied new pressures on these high-street traders to entice customers into their markets. This, coupled with the financial crash of 2008, has created an increasingly difficult trading climate. Add to this the exponential growth, dominance and expansion of the “big four” supermarket chains (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons) who’s national (and indeed global) stores enable them to sell products at much lower prices and broker better deals with their suppliers, and the financial situation is bleak for the traditional local market. In fact, in 2011, just these four supermarket companies alone made up over 75% of all grocery sales in the UK, driving many smaller grocers and retailers out of business through monopolisation of suppliers and the high-street. In the square mile of Birmingham’s City Centre alone, there are over a dozen “big four” supermarket stores, many within 100 metres of each other.

With such significant competition, the ‘traditional markets’, as they are often now referred to as, have to constantly adapt to remain a relevant and viable alternative for consumers. Failure to do so leads to the closure of the market. It was witnessing such a closure, Sidmouth’s International Indoor Market, in January 2010, which gave me the initial idea for this project. That market ceased trading because it couldn’t compete with the near-by high-street stores. Diversification to attract customers has led to some imaginative solutions to maintain a relevant and competitive stall. Many of the markets I visited had stalls and traders dealing in technological accessories and gadgets, alongside more traditional rag and food stalls. But many I visited were also clearly struggling to survive in the modern era, with very few customers and stallholders left.

Local Markets are a link to the past. They are a central part of the community they serve and have been for generations, with many stalls and companies being run by the same family for decades. Yet, these markets are now under threat from the superstores and new technology more than ever, and many won’t survive much longer into the ‘digital era’. The faceless, homogenous chain-stores lack the personality, the vibrancy and the life that markets possess, but this may not be enough to save these traditions from their fate. 

Although the Midlands comprises a large part of central England, with many towns and cities located within the region, Birmingham is the largest and contains the most markets. For this project, I wanted to avoid the more specialist farmers’ markets or festive markets which occasionally take place, likewise the livestock markets found in the out-lying rural towns. Instead, I visited a range of city markets which regularly trade several times a week and thus offer a glimpse into the life of a 21^st century market.

Bilston Indoor and Outdoor Markets, in the Black Country, are two general markets that take place several days a week in a purpose built market square and building, located in the town centre next to the bus and Metro station. It is popular and receives a lot of customers per week, although the majority were from older generations whilst I was there.
Birmingham Bull Ring Indoor, Outdoor and Rag Market are three markets situated in the centre of Birmingham, alongside the 21^st century Bull Ring Shopping Centre. Trading from the same site for the last 800 years, these are some of the largest markets in the country (the nearby Wholesale Market is the largest in the UK) and specialise in food and clothing among other things. The central location means these markets are always busy and have a wide demographic, reflecting the multi-cultural make up of the city. 
Blackheath Indoor Market is a small market in the heart of the Black Country, open several times a week it sells everything from sofas to hair cuts from inside the barn-like, corrugated iron shed. Considering it is in the heart of Britain’s industrial lands it had a very rural atmosphere. It now faces competition from a supermarket opposite, and also the decline of local the industries, which has pushed many workers into Birmingham. 
Coventry Indoor Market has been voted Britain’s best market and is housed in a purpose built, octagonal building in the city centre. Somewhat ironically, it is filled with hundreds of stalls laid out in aisles radiating from the centre, almost resembling a supermarket. It was busy and vibrant with a range of trades all under one roof, although due to Coventry’s destruction by the Luftwaffe, the city was rebuilt with numerous shopping centres in close proximity, which directly compete with the market.
Kidderminster Market regularly takes place along the high-streets of the small Worcestershire town, famous for its carpet trade. The recession has affected the area quite badly, closing many local businesses and leaving a lot of empty shops behind the equally empty market stalls. The market curls around a small shopping centre, although this was also empty when I visited. 
Lichfield Market trades from a square in the centre of the Staffordshire cathedral city, selling everything from DVDs to plants. The picturesque Georgian town benefits from tourism and having a wealthy population. Despite this, the market is small in comparison to other cities in the area.
Sutton Coldfield Indoor Market, actually called ‘InShops’, is a specially built market building in the town centre. It was largely unoccupied, with most of the units vacant, their former businesses gone. This is probably due to the shopping centre and high street a few metres away.
Walsall Market stretches along the high street of the city centre and trades several days a week. Being in the centre of the town means it is reasonably busy, although the recession has had an impact on many businesses and the stalls didn’t seem to be attracted that many passers-by.
West Bromwich Indoor Market is a purpose built market building filled with cafes, butchers, rag merchants and cobblers, among many other trades. It is open most days of the week and is connected to the shopping centre. Despite this, it was relatively quiet and there were a few empty stalls, indicating tough trading times.
Wednesbury Outdoor Market trades from a windswept market square in the town centre. Very few traders were left on the overcast day I photographed it. This is probably due to the enormous Morrisons superstore which opened a few years ago and sits a matter of metres away; a very visible cause of the market’s decline, it looms over the dilapidated stalls that have survived to this point in time. 
Wolverhampton Indoor and Outdoor Markets are located in a specially built square and market hall on the edge of the city centre. It has a tan coloured, vaulted roof lined by Edwardian-esque oil lamps, although electric bulbs flicker inside them. Many of the companies are still trading, although a noticable proportion of the units were vacant. The outdoor market sells a wide range of produce, from vegetables to baby clothing and was more popular, if somewhat chaotic, even for a market.

Whilst this list is by no means comprehensive (Brierley Hill, Cannock, Cradley Heath and Erdington, for example, all have regular markets too) these markets vary in size and geographical area; from the large, wealthy, central markets of the Bull Ring and Coventry to the small, blustery market at Wednesbury. My aim was to photograph each market as it was, from the traders and their stalls to the customers and visitors who were using them. Some were exceptionally busy, some were exceptionally empty, but each was unique in its appearance and atmosphere. 

You can order your copy of "The Market" below:

The Market by Henry W R White | Make Your Own Book

Photographs With A Box Brownie

What happens when you put incorrect film in a 60 year old camera…

  Images overlapped due to the film not winding on enough

   (Click on images to enlarge them)

   Over the Christmas period I have been out and about attempting to breathe life into an old Kodak Box Brownie 127 camera I acquired (see this previous post: Film Photography). The 127 film this camera originally used went out of production in 1995 so I bought some Ilford HP5 400 35mm black and white film. The trouble with 35mm is that it is smaller than 127 and the cartridge doesn't sit in the brackets of the camera (it also means the image area is larger than the film surface area, so you get 'widescreen' style images where the width is recorded but not the height). After some experimentation I managed to fix the film's position by taping the end of the film to the winding spindle, so that I could wind it on, and by using some metal tap washers to wedge the cartridge in place. Then I just had to hope it would stay put and wind on. 

   Before closing the camera to use it, I wound the film on a few frames to try and gauge how many turns of the dial would equate to one image frame. Whilst my estimation was correct, as can be seen in some of the images later on, as more of the film was used the winding mechanism struggled to turn completely and thus didn't move the film as much as required, producing a series of strange, overlapping, panoramic images as seen above (I will explain how these images were digitised later).

   Finally, the camera has a small red window in the back of it which is designed to show what frame number the 127 film was on. Obviously, without 127 film this is a pointless feature, so I covered the window with silver duct tape to prevent light affected the 35mm film, before sealing the camera up completely and heading into Birmingham city centre for the day.

   I didn't have anything specific to photograph, but I thought it would be fitting to capture elements of the city which still existed from the camera's manufacturing period, and earlier. Thus I wandered along the canals and around the former manufacturing areas trying to capture photographs of these areas in the 21st century, using machinery from their 'period'. 

Stephenson Street, with New Street Station on the right

   One particular feature of Birmingham, and indeed the British rail network, is Birmingham New Street Station. The current, much maligned station, was built at the same time as the Box Brownie camera, after Nazi Luftwaffe bombs destroyed the original structure. However, 60 years on Network Rail are rebuilding the station once again, and I thought this would be worth a photograph. The image on the left is Stephenson Street, at the bottom end of Corporation Street. On the right is the new, highly polished, metallic exterior of New Street Station slowly being put into place (the project still has another two years to go). Stephenson Street will eventually see trams running along it again…after they were also removed 60 years ago in favour of cars and lorries. 

   Although the camera recorded this all as one image, when it came to digitising the film I had to scan the film as two separate photographs due to the film scanner only being able to scan 35mm negatives. 127 has a larger area than 35mm, so one 127 frame is equal to about 1.5 35mm frames, thus it required scanning two 35mm frames to get one 127 photograph. This explains why the photograph at the top of this page looks more like a collage than a single photograph, as it is a combination of three  35mm scans which have then been stitched together in Photoshop to restore the original 127 frame format (the photographic overlapping is caused by the film not winding on correctly). There is no overlapping in the image on the left because the film wound on correctly. (Box Brownie cameras also have no aperture, focus or shutter controls).

   The complications with scanning in 127-sized images using 35mm equipment meant a lot time was spent in Photoshop re-joining images together to recreate the photograph captured on the negative. This was made more complex due to overlapping and double exposure, which had occurred on the latter half of the film as the winding spindle had clogged up and stopped winding the film on enough to separate each image. Below is another example of the film double exposing and overlapping. This is actually a single strip of film but the collage effect (uneven edges) has come from the individual scans, and the rejoining of them in Photoshop, which has broken up the 'flow' of the image. However, as you can see, each image links seamlessly with the next, creating an intriguing panoramic view of Birmingham which is entirely impossible in reality due to the scenery being very varied and from different areas of the city. From left to right the image shows: Summer Lane, Old Snow Hill looking towards Constitution Hill (double exposed with Summer Lane) and Digbeth High Street seen from the Bull Ring Shopping Centre.

  Overlapping and conjoined images of Birmingham, re-joined using Photoshop after being scanned as individual 35mm frames 

   Earlier photographs on the film worked perfectly and are shown below, having been edited and re-joined in Photoshop:

    Chamberlain Square. The Town Hall is on the right with the Art Gallery and Council House directly in front

  The Christmas Market and Fairground in Centenary Square, with The Rep Theatre behind

  

       Passengers on a train outside Moor Street Station

   The photograph above was taken on a train just outside Birmingham Moor Street Station. The 'rippling' and distortion comes from the film being stretched tightly as more and more was wound onto the winding spindle. These stretches where then amplified during processing as the light hadn't fallen evenly onto the film surface. It creates quite a strange effect on the image, which coupled with the ghostly figures, makes this quite an odd photograph. More rippling is seen below on some of the last photograph taken with this film. 

    

Finally, below are some of the constituent images of many of the photographs shown above, to highlight the overlapping and double exposing caused by the film failing to wind on or getting stuck. 

Barge on the Grand Union Canal. Note the droplet of rain on the lens, appearing just below the bike on the boat's roof

A double and overlapping exposure showing Constitution Hill (right) Digbeth High Street (left) and Summer Lane (covering entire image)

Lower Loveday Street with the overlapped image of the Digbeth Branch Canal (right)

Public Right of Way

The on-going battle of who owns the street…

   On my way to buy some lunch from Tesco, sadly the only option I have thanks to its monopolisation of the British High Street, I witnessed something which I have experienced quite often and even been the victim of. The temperature has dropped significantly today and there is a windchill factor too. As a result, the Big Issue seller who stands in this part of the street, everyday of the year, had moved about four feet closer to the exit of this particular Tesco Metro store to benefit from the huge fans which churn warm air pointlessly out into the street.

   As I approached I saw the manageress of the store shooing away this seller, barking at her to "move" because "customers were complaining," whilst the homeless woman whined that it was cold and she was cold and that the heat from the doorway was better. ("It's coooolldd." "Well, I'm sorry but you can't stand their, the customers are complaining, you'll have to move." "But it's cold." And so on). She wasn't actually blocking the exit to Tesco and was stood on public land, on the road she holds a licence to sell the Big Issue on. As far as I could see, she was legally entitled to stand where she was. Of course, Tesco probably don't want vagrants stealing their enegry, warmth and carbon they are so kindly donating to the atmosphere and so the manageress clearly felt this potential damage to the company image had to be dealt with promptly, and thus she made the Big Issue seller move out into the wind and open street. Every little helps. 

   Anyway, this reminded me of several situations I have found myself in whilst taking pictures, where over-zealous and officious individuals, who clearly have no knowledge of the Highway Code or the legal parameters that govern public rights of way, seem to think they can decide who can stand where and do what. Whilst working on my last film project (A Second City) I was asked to move twice from public land where I was legally entitled to be. The first occasion ranks as one of the most ridiculous moments in my life thus far. The second occasion was far more reasoned but still stupid. 

   I was filming the entrance gate of a scrap metal yard owned by EMR. Standing on the pavement, which is classed as a public right of way on that road, I set up my tripod (also allowed so long as you do not obstruct other users' rights of way) and began filming what would be a three second shot. Before I had removed my lens cap a guard in high visibility jacket and hard hat had emerged from his watch tower and crossed the road to me, stating I couldn't take photographs. I informed him politely that I was on public land and that I could, to which he retorted that the scrap yard was private and therefore I couldn't film it. I could already see where this was going but persisted and stated the law which (in its most basic form) states that anyone can take a photograph of anything whilst they are on public land. The guard informed whoever had sent him that "this geezer ain't budging" to which he was told to send me up to an office somewhere inside the yard. I obliged, packed up my kit and walked through the scrap yard to a dingy little office in a grime-covered Victorian factory building, overlooking a weigh-bridge. 

   Up a concrete staircase I found myself face to face with the yard manager, a wiry, middle aged man who eyed me sceptically through the hatch in the wall I was looking through. He asked me what I was doing, I explained, and he simply said it was private land and I couldn't film. I countered his claim with the facts of the law, which he refused to accept. I asked what objections he had to me filming his entrance gate, which he hilariously responded to with: "We don't want our operations filmed." I pointed out that unless he was doing something illegal it didn't really matter, and also pointed out that any competition could just stand and watch if they cared enough (he had tried to protest that the footage could be used by competition for their own benefit). 

   The argument became farcical when he stated he would stand in front of my camera if went back and tried to film, to which I asked if he would stand in front of anybody who happened to walk by and look in. He then threatened me with court ("I guarantee the company will win") and the police. I called his bluff and said I'd be happy for him to call the police and his lawyers as they would merely inform him of the same points I had raised. I then left the office having decided it was a waste of my time trying to reason with this man. I went back to the location and got the shot without any hassle at all. Hopefully he now knows where he stands.

   My second incident was a few days later in a public market. I was approached by a market stall holder who had suddenly decided I needed a permit to photograph the market  and her stall, despite it being public land and not being under the control of any private company. I explained what I was doing and this time I spent more time talking my project than the legalities of the situation. After a brief conversation I was met with a reasonable response allowing me to carry on. It seems some people can be reasonable after all. 

   Both of these instances, and the Tesco one, demonstrate a paranoia and suspicion which is growing in strength, worryingly, every year. More and more, people are treating anyone they deem 'undesirable' or 'suspicious' with hostility rather than applying reasoned judgement and common sense, or, in the case of the Big Issue woman, with empathy and kindness. This illogical attitude is particularly prevalent towards photographers, who are subjected to random checks and are pestered continually by self-important security officials who think they have been given a carte blanche remit to prevent anything that isn't simply walking by the area they 'govern'.

   For a democracy, this erosion of freedom in public space is alarming and dangerous. The rise in private security firms- many of whom are badly trained and ill-informed and educated in the very legal system they are supposed to be upholding- are acting like a private military force for the businesses they represent, bullying the rest of us who are unfortunate enough to innocently try and work in their vicinity. The highways and walkways of Britain that are open to the public are just that. Nobody except the police have any powers to dictate your movements or actions on these pieces of land, and even the police must have significant reason to stop you. Furthermore, they cannot just arbitrarily confiscate camera equipment, demand you erase images or search you.  

   Section 44 of the Terrorism Act, the catch-all act which increasingly hacks at our freedom, was designed to enable police to stop and search suspected terrorists but it has been used frequently to bully photographers, journalists and even tourists and day-trippers just documenting their day out. Below are videos revealing how the public rights of way we possess are coming under more and more pressure from security forces (thankfully in some cases the police are more intelligent than their private counterparts). Yes, they are trying to protect us, but common sense seems to have been replaced by zealous self-importance and it also means these places that are being shielded from us are less open and transparent, ironically becoming more suspicious than the photographers trying to capture them as an image.

Stand Your Ground

Section 44 and Liberty

I'm a Photographer Not A terrorist

Canals

Project documenting over 100 miles of canals…

The junction of the Soho Loop and the Birmingham New Main Line Canal at Winson Green (January 2009)

(This article was edited in January 2013 to update some facts)

  British Waterways has recently been replaced by the Canal & River Trust, essentially the National Trust for the waterways of England and Wales (Scotland has decided it will run its own its own way…and that will probably be the most independence its canals ever see). As a registered charity, the Canal & River Trust (CART) now has control of over 2000 miles of navigable inland waterways without reliance on central government for funding. It can fundraise and collect money from the populace and plough it back into the system anyway it sees fit, potentially improving the network and reviving an important part of world history that, up until the 1950s and '60s, was so dilapidated and neglected it was almost destroyed for good. 

   Considering it's only 70 years since the canals were first thought of as worthy of tourism, it's impressive to think there are now over 35,000 pleasure boats cruising about on the network, creating a significant tourism industry and quite a few congestion issues at some flights of locks. Although, this still pales in comparison to the number of working boats that once populated the lines, basins and locks in their industrial heyday of the 19th century. 

 Now that the weather is (hopefully) heading into spring, I'm undertaking a photographic project to document the current state of the Birmingham Canal Navigations: over 100 miles of navigable canals in the Birmingham metropolitan area. This is the largest urban area in the world to be serviced by such an extensive canal network, even if the network today is nearly half its original size. Hence the name "the Venice of the Midlands". It's an interesting time for the canals, and it should make for an interesting few weeks to document these living parts of our heritage.

   Having grown up in Birmingham in the Midlands, the canals have been an integral part of my, and many other Brummies', lives. From a childhood spent cycling along muddy towpaths, crawling over dangerous derelict bridges (the fact I'm still alive is a small miracle) and watching the few remaining wharves and quaysides being demolished, rebuilt and renovated as luxury apartments, entertainment facilities and public spaces, it's always seemed normal to have a canal nearby. 

   Stretching out from their centre at Gas Street Basin like arteries, these waterways wind through the former industrial heartland of Britain. It was these links that fuelled the growth and wealth of the city and the nation. Today, they provide a tranquil haven from the grime and noise of city life, or offer a unique way to view the urban landscape. They also provide a far quicker way of getting from one place to another (if you cycle) at rush-hour. 

   There's also something quite eerie about an urban canal. It's a place that is strangely isolated from the modern world. Walkers, cyclists, joggers and anglers all use them but there never seems to be a real tangible link to the modern world. Very often there are minimal signs of life, as if the area were frozen in time, years ago. Anyone who knows their history will be able to spot the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian engineering which still dominates the networks, and the general lack of modern construction draws you back into a different era. The slower, peaceful atmosphere creates an impression of being in a forgotten, past world, something any city dweller should relish. 

   Of course, this sense of calm is completely false. The canals would have been dirty and teeming with horses pulling boats and filled with factory noises, miles and miles of smoking and steaming boats, thousands of boatmen and the constant, looming presence of heavy industry, smokestacks and industrial detritus. But, as few alive have any real experience of this, we can only imagine and try to picture a world that no longer exists. In doing so, we make the canals a poignant, sad and isolated world which detaches us from modernity and acts as a vital link to the past, haunted as they are by their own history.

    This is why CART is in an excellent position. Just like the National Trust saves ancient, ancestral buildings and preserves ways of life that barely exist anymore, much to the delight of pensioners and to the general dismay of school children, CART now has the same responsibility to the canals, which are arguably just as important as our many historic buildings, and are the largest heritage building we have. The difference, however, is that canals are far more accessible and do not need "Do Not Touch" signs on everything, just the odd "Do Not Swim" sign here and there. Nor do they require austere, matriarch-like women with horn-rimmed glasses to stand disapprovingly in a corner, smelling faintly of mothballs, watching you shuffle about texting or listening to music, or generally trying to stave off severe boredom. To put it simply, CART has the potential to become 'cool' and appeal to a much wider audience than the (generally) white, middle class that offers its patronage to the NT- itself a Victorian institution. 

   To document the Birmingham Canal Navigations I have divided these canals up into their designated names and routes, although there are loops and basins and branches here and there. Given that canals have to be explored by foot, bicycle or boat, everything must be done in relatively small sections. So to order things and make it manageable, I have fourteen individual routes to cycle or walk along (boats are a bit too slow, ironically). They are as follows (branches and disconnected sections will be added once the main routes are documented):

Birmingham & Fazeley Canal
Birmingham Mainline Canal 1 (New)
Birmingham Mainline Canal 2 (Old)
Digbeth Branch Canal*
Dudley Canal No 1
Dudley Canal No 2
Grand Union Canal (Kingswood Junction to Salford Junction)*
Rushall Canal & Daw End Branch
Stourbridge Canal
Tame Valley Canal
Walsall Canal
Birmingham & Worcester Canal (Gas Street Basin to Alvechurch)*
Wyrley & Essington Canal
Stratford Upon Avon Canal (King's Norton Junction to Kingswood Junction)*

   *These routes actually fall outside the BCN area but are part of the Birmingham network and so have been included.

   The canals of the UK are an integral part of history, not only nationally but globally. They changed the face of the planet and yet we barely even notice them as an historical relic. The Canal & River Trust is a fledgling charity which could change this and bring about a renaissance for the canals, or it could create another NT style industry. Either way, the canals are there to be enjoyed and offer a great link to the past, or simply an escape from modern life. And anyone who has been to the excellent Black Country Living Museum will know how interesting this history really can be, and how much fun can be had on a canal. In fact, if you want a unique, interesting, entertaining, informative and enjoyable day out, then go there anyway and pretend to live in the past for a few hours.

 Canal & River Trust

The Black Country Living Museum

The Millbank Riots…

   There is only really one topic worth writing about this week; the riot I accidentally walked into. When I say accidentally, I mean deliberately forced my way to the front of an angry, rioting mob to get some pictures. On Wednesday 10th November, about 50,000 students from across the UK marched through Westminster, past Parliament, in protest against the rise in tuition fees. Obviously, I was sent, along with the News Editors, to report on the event.


   This was my first major protest as a student and it was very exciting. We met at Trafalgar Square, after Tristan, myself and Laura travelled up by train. There, we were met by Charlie and Ellie who had marched from Euston Square with the London Universities students after attending an NUS press conference. The atmosphere was electric and we had heard the drumming and whistling gradually getting louder and louder as the procession approached before, with a fanfare of supportive car horns, the march emerged from The Strand, with Charlie and Ellie carrying placards. So much for journalistic impartiality. 


   From there we headed down Whitehall, chanting and with my camera clicking away. I scrambled up walls and over all sorts of fences trying to get shots of the ever growing mass of people. It was very intense, with an overwhelming amount of people and it was incredibly difficult to get clear pictures. I was shouted at numerous times by the police, despite the press pass hanging around my neck. 


   At one point, the barrier separating students from the road gave way, and with it about 500 people went charging down the empty side of the street. At this point I left my co-editors and charged down with the group, trying to get pictures without being tripped up or getting crushed in the stampede. Emotions were clearly high, but it was obvious that a lot of people were there just for the spectacle, excitement, and excuse to slag off the Government. I expect a lot more of these protests to be taking place in the coming months.


   After taking photos of the crowd around Parliament, I met up with the others and we marched down towards the rallying point outside the Tate Britain Museum. The route, as is well documented, ran past number 30, Millbank Tower. The Conservative HQ. A small group, with a Nick Clegg effigy, broke away from the main group, despite the marshals protestations, and stormed to the doors. I climbed a staircase along with a TV crew and a couple of other photographers, and Ben, our Music Editor, but quickly realised the action was closer. I forced my way down, knocking a guy in the head with my camera, he looked like he was about to hit me with his placard when I walked into a bonfire of placards and Nick Clegg's former effigy.
  
   After a few pictures I forced my way to the doors of the building where some beleaguered and startled looking Police Constables were attempting to prevent people entering the building, it's fair to say they failed. The lobby already had around 50 protesters inside holding a banner, though at this point nothing else was going on. I forced my way through the thousand strong crowd and down to the march rally point. After some speeches, one by Aaron Porter sounding like a mix between Hitler and a Dalek, which is a scary thought, we were told the march was over and to disband. We walked back towards Millbank Tower where there was still a large group and a lot of noise.


   The graffiti on the pillars was being guarded by marshals who tried to hide it from my lens with little effect. From the back of the crowd, which had now filled the entire courtyard and sprawled onto the street, I could see the windows were shaking and one was cracked. There was also a sofa from the lobby in the middle of the road, and it was obvious something was up. Without thought I started forcing my way through the crowd, following a man with some bongos, which are actually very effective at parting angry mobs.


   I ended up at the front extremely quickly, and hadn't really thought about what would be there. I was confronted by a line of riot police and baton wielding constables. This was a bit disconcerting at first but an apple exploded against the building about a metre above my head and the subsequent rain of rotten apple pieces jolted me into photo taking. I'm not really sure about the rules with regards to photographers and Police, but after breaking their lines several times and being thrown back into the crowds I realised they treat us (or at least me, looking very much like a student in cherry red Dr Martens boots, jeans tucked into them, and green parka (I'm actually visible in the background of the now iconic image of the man kicking the window)) the same as all other rioters.


   That famous image was annoyingly on the wrong side of me, so I didn't get it quite the same as some of the other photographers, however, after he kicked the window, it collapsed. I was narrowly missed by a massive plate of breaking glass, but the pane cleared a huge gap in the crowd, with the police unable to restrain them in the debris. hundreds surged forwards, with the 100 or so inside beckoning them in. I rushed forward, determined to get pictures from inside, and was pulled in by one of the protestors, face covered by a scarf. Inside was an entirely different experience. The rotten fruit and bottles that had been hurled towards the police and windows, and as a result myself, had now been replaced by flailing hands, broken roof tiles, and glass, and all other types of detritus imaginable. 


   After the front window gave way the crowd inside almost doubled and with the foyer unable to contain such large amounts, they set about destroying the rear and side windows. Chairs and poles were constantly rammed and smashed against the glass as it cracked and splintered. Toward the rear of the lobby, the few Police Officers that had managed to maintain a cordon were pinned against the fire escape that led to the staircase. Earlier, several protesters had made it to the roof and now the plan seemed to be for the rest to get up there. Outside, debris was raining down from above and from the crowd, and the police line was breaking. Several people inside picked up on this and used the benches to try and smash open the remaining front window as the crowd outside surged forward in support.


   The Police line collapsed about the same time the doors to the stairwell were forced open. I made in through the doors behind the first 20, just as the second front window collapsed. After the first set of steps, was met by a small group of Police and a medic, sheltering in a corner looking defeated, angry and injured. About ten more people made it through the doors after me but I stopped to take a few pictures and when I turned back was confronted by a wall of Riot Police, as they had reclaimed one side of the foyer. They looked up the stairs and on seeing me shouted that I had one chance to leave. I paused to consider my options: carry on upstairs and face being trapped or leave, back into the soon-to-be-stormed lobby. I chose the latter, stumbling down the line of Police, being buffeted by the riot shields. The crowd was still massive and I was squashed between them as the officers charged.


   I tried to break through the lines but was thrown back, and after shouting to find a way out was told to leave through one of the smashed windows. There were still hundreds blocking my way and after pushing behind the line of Riot Officers blocking the main doorway I made it outside through the window I had come in, stumbling right into the waiting banks of press photographers and camera crews, plus the thousands of students who hadn't made it inside.


   After a few more pictures of the Police protecting the front of the building, and being jostled and pushed by them trying to clear the crowd away from the windows, I pushed my way back into the crowds and out into the street. There were hundreds of bemused looking by-standers trying to see what was going on in the courtyard through all the smoke and dust. There was something sharp in my foot so I ended up limping, somewhat melodramatically, down through the milling crowds in the road. Covered in dust and grime, with the taste of flares and burning in my mouth. 


   Some things I have learnt from this are: 
1) If you are going to riot, make sure there is someone on hand to supply cans of Stella.
2) Hardcore DubStep music is essential to get the crowd in the mood to trash.
3) If offered, after you've taken enough pictures, take the escape route. The result would have been an arrest and expulsion from University. 


   After meeting up with the other editors we went to Pret where I had a very nice sandwich. Back in Exeter and not a lot has happened since, though the picture I took from the opposite angle, of the man kicking in a window, made front pages around the world…