Assignment Four: Real or Fake.

Assignment Four: Real or Fake.

The task I gave myself was to produce an attractive picture for an article promoting Deal as a tourist destination.  

Middle Street is the centre of the conservation area and much loved by residence and tourists alike, so that seemed like a good start.  

The first image is as taken.  I took it at 1/3 stop under so as to save some sky colour and prevent clipping on the lighter buildings.  It was, as you can see, rubbish collection day and the street is full of purple bin bags and one door has a wheelie bin parked in front of it.   Another problem was my reflection which appears in the window on the right. 

Had this been a real photo assignment I would have called a day and returned when the street was tidier but I wanted to see how far I could take this image.

This image is quite clearly unacceptable.  The first change was to increase the exposure and check the white balance.  The next was to increase black, brightness and saturation. I also cropped it slightly to take away some the dark mass of the building on the right.   

The first alterations to the truth of the image were to remove my reflection, the bin bags and wheelie bin and air brush away the yellow no waiting lines.  I can easily justify the removal of the bin and bags as they are not permanent features of the street.  My reflection is also a temporary aberration that can removed with changing the honesty of the image.  The yellow lines however are part of modern life and their exclusion is a lie.  The street looks better without them but is it telling a lie to remove them.  Were I to be using such a picture in a tourist guide I would remove the yellow lines.

Having gone this far what else can be done to give Middle Street an air of an earlier period?  What I did was to remove all the obvious signs of change.  Away went the one tv aerial, off went the modern chimney pots, and down came any outside wiring.  Now this is becoming a lie as these are real features in this street.  This I would say is reaching the unacceptable edge of what is true.

My next move puts a bit of truth back into the altered image as it clearly does not show Middle Street as it is today but attempts to show it as it may have looked at an earlier time.  I did this by adding a sepia tone and a little grain, giving it the feel of an Edwardian photograph.  This last alteration gives the other changes a purpose and the final image some authenticity.  It does not claim to be an early picture but does give a reasonable impression of what Middle Street may have looked like.

Alteration.

Exercise: Alteration.

The featured picture is one I took out of the front of a car in Sri Lanka last year.  The driving system in Sri Lanka is based on the Buddhist principal that if it is not your turn to die you have nothing to worry about.  That is why our driver, Dillu, was overtaking a bus on a blind bend.  Some sharp braking and steering got us out of the lorry's path.  The image is spoiled by the Budweiser sticker in the window so I have air brushed it out with the clone stamp, dragging in the road surface and shadows from the surrounding area.

Enhancement.

Exercise: Enhancement.

This face is mine and is beyond the help of simple enhancement.  I tried lightening, and I tried darkening I tried selective smoothing and the cloning out of wrinkles and marks but all to no avail.  In the end I gave myself a pair of blue eyes.  I wanted then to look real so I limited the amount of change.  The change hasn't done me any favours in that I think I appear older and meaner.  I certainly look like my long departed grandfather.
I commented on the acceptability of this sort of enhancement in the last entry.  Flattering lighting is one thing, but the enhancing of a face or figure to the extent it is done in advertising is straight forward fraud.   

  

Improvement or Interpretation.This is

Exercise: Improvement or Interpretation.

I took this is the portrait of a Sri Lankan farmer last year.  The whites of eyes are darkened so that there is little eye definition.  By lightening the whites I have lifted the pupils  and given them the missing detail.

This small change has altered his character completely.  Instead of the soft face of a gentle farmer we now have the staring face of fighter.  This sort of alteration is, to me, not justified.  It may be a believable image but it is far from true.  

To draw an arbitrary line between forgery and flattery is difficult.  The removing of a facial blemish from a bride I would accept, but to airbrush out every wrinkle from the face of a cosmetic model is out and out fraud.  Between these extremes we all draw our own line.

  

Reading.

Photography.  A Critical Introduction.  Liz Wells.  Routledge.

This is the book I should have read before I first picked up a camera.  All the whys and wherefores without any of the technical hows.  Takes the reader from the earliest days of photography through to the digital age.  First time I had seen the alternative versions of Lange’s “Migrant Mother”.

What have I learned?  There is so much to learn.

Train Your Gaze.  Roswell Angier.  AVA.

Packed with work and wisdom from the famous and not so famous.

The portraits by August Sander, although of their time, are still fresh and tell their stories with clarity.  Through this book I have got to know more of Robert Frank’s work and have started to recognise the messages within them.  A lot of the images I found very strange, such as the series “Strangers” by Shizuki Yokomizo.   I have read the rational behind it several times but still don’t understand the why.

What have I learned?  To look below the surface of the subject and make the portrait honest.

Photography as Contemporary Art.  Charlotte Cotton.  Thames and Hudson.

If I follow the reasoning of this book there are no taboo subjects and nothing too private to be subjected to the probing lens.  I was unaware of many of the photographers in this book and found it interesting to try and see what they were attempting to capture in each picture.

What have I learned?  Extend my horizons and look more opportunities.

Basic Creative Photography.  Context and Narrative. Martha Short.  AVA.

A clear explanation of the interaction between subject, context, narrative, photographer and audience.  Great case studies that show these interactions along with thought provoking pictures.

What have learned?  Think about why I am about to take the picture.

Basic Creative Photography.  Behind The Image.  Anna Fox/Natasha Caruana. AVA.

A great companion the the above.  What happens before one takes the shot?  Takes the reader through the thought processes leading up to that point.  I loved the picture on page 91 by Brian Dowling titled, “The last one out turn  on the lIght”.  A lovely twist.

What have I learned?  What with this picture mean.  Not just to me but the subject and the viewer as well.

Between the Eyes.  David Levis Strauss.  Aperture.

This is a book that troubled me.  Those troubles started with John Berger’s introduction and his attack on the culture that protects him and allows him to say what he does and goes on to his assertion that all the worlds ills can be laid at the door of western society.  The pictures and the essays are are extremely thought provoking and point out the powerful message that can be conveyed in a single print.  The chapter Broken Wings was a gruesome lesson on man ability to maim and kill the innocent.

What have I learned?  To be honest.

The On going Moment.  G Dyer.  Abacus.

This takes “The Decisive Moment” and moves it on.  This is about recurring themes that jump time and can reappear at random places.  Hats, roads, backs, screens.  The fact that a whole thing can represent the part and the part can represent the whole.  The Ben Shahn picture on page 131 of a Sheriff is a wonderful example.

What have I learned?  The word synecdoche. Love it.  How the image of one thing can be a reference to something entirely different; a road representing hope, despair, tranquility or adventure.  

The Cruel Radiance.  Suzie Linfield.  University of Chicago Press.

Every photographer must believe that he can take the picture that is in front  of him.  This is a book to test that belief.  If you believed that a prisoner in front of you is about to be shot only because you are going to take the picture do you go ahead or refuse.  He may be shot anyway.  At the scene of disaster do you offer first aid to the injured or take their picture.  What will ultimately have the biggest impact, the moral act taken at the time or the picture seen later?

What Have I learned?  I’m not sure.

The Photography Reader.  Lix Wells.  Routledge.

Waiting to be read. Part of next next course.

On Photography.  Susan Sontag.  Penguin.

Current reading.

Assignment Five: People and Places on Assignment.

Assignment Five: People and place on assignment.

I laid out my plan for this assignment in my last entry.  I reproduce it below.

The notional client is a Euro sceptic magazine that is looking to see the worst of the Euro crisis through its effect on a small corner of Spain.

The client is looking for strong anti European pictures to back up a view that the Euro is failing and that the weaker currencies are floundering.

I am being sent to the small town of La Zenia in the province of Horihuela to see how the Euro is affecting the area. 

Horihuela is an agricultural area once famous for its oranges, lemons, almonds and market garden produce.  Agricultural production has moved inland as holiday homes and golf courses have developed along the coastal strip.  

This worked well for all until the property collapse following the banking crisis.  Confidence was lost and the northern Europeans, who had fuelled this bonanza, up and left, leaving mortgage debts and empty unsold properties.

How successful has the move inland been for agriculture and how has the coastal strip coped with the loss of confidence in the Euro?

Planned pictures.

Abandoned orangeries and their newer inland replacements.

Half built villas and developments without signs of continuing progress.

Closed shops.

Empty bars.

Signs of civil unrest.

Signs of emerging poverty.

Se vende (For sale) signs, especially old ones.

The effect on the black market in pirated DVDs, watches and ‘branded’ goods.

This should give scope for some powerful pictures.

Because of flight weight restrictions I will be using the Canon G1-X.   As long as I don’t look for ultra wide or long shots this should not prove to be a handicap and will give me the opportunity to take some ‘from the hip’ covert shots.

I have been visiting La Zenia regularly for about twenty years and know the area pretty well.  When I first went there it was a quiet seaside town frequented, in the main, by the Spanish.  It is now just part of the east of Spain’s coastal development strip that runs in land for up to five miles.  

All was going well with this development until the property crash, which hit Spain particularly badly.  Development stopped and many half finished projects were abandoned.  

I wanted to find abandoned building sites in both the private and municipal sectors, and people in straightened circumstances.  I realised I may not be made welcome and was aware of my position.

The pictures are not produced in chronological order but are grouped in subject order.  

Public Buildings.

The first is the new airport at Corvera near the City of Murcia.  This was finished in October 2012 after five years construction.  It was built to carry passengers to the planned Paramount Theme Park that was due to open in 2015.  The theme park is on hold and the airport is now mothballed.  Security was high and I had to take these pictures by poking my lens through the security fence.  I would liked to have included a picture of one of the security men but when men with guns say no I put away the camera.

The picture is of the main vehicle entrance to the airport.  As can be seen the site is all ready to run, right down to the street signs and direction boards.  The only things missing are passengers, vehicles and planes.   Here I am trying to convey the feeling of emptiness.  there is absolutely no life in this obviously finished project.

The next abandoned site is the joint Police Station/Fire Station.  The builder, having been paid in full ran out of money and ceased trading, leaving the site as you see it now.  The local council has no money to finish it and is waiting for local business to find the money to finish it with a PPI arrangement.  The total lack of building materials and workmen show quite clearly that this project is going nowhere.  Could go on for years.  There was no way of getting into the site so I took the picture over the security fence.   The sagging scaffolding poles and the dipping angle of the cranes jib give this picture a feeling of despair.  I like the mixture of squares and triangles.

Business Buildings.

I had real problems with this one as a shop or restaurant that is closed and abandoned looks very much like a building that has just been locked up at the end of the days business.  I therefore looked for sites that were very obviously not going to open again or if in construction would not be finished..  

The first was of was some sort of cement works.  I took a lot of pictures here, both including the closed gates and excluding them.  I think the picture has the look I was after.  It is clearly a place where work has ceased and where nature is reclaiming the space.  The fact that it is a cement works that has been abandoned hints at trouble in the building industry in general.  In various versions of this shot I placed this edifice first one side, then the other.  I had it small in a larger scene and cropped in much tighter so that it filled the frame.  I think this central placing works well and I have let the trees on the left be balanced by the open space to the right.  The viewer’s eye is drawn to the main object.

Peter commented that the above was similar to the work done by the Bechers.  I have reworked this as a monochrome to see how this would look.  When I first viewed the above version I wanted to keep the contrast of the blue sky but by playing with the colour sliders I have produced a picture that is much grimmer than my original.

  

This picture is about general industrial decay.  The site was obviously abandoned some time ago and there is absolutely no sign of regeneration.  The red no entry sign is an added symbol of final closure.  Without the red sign this would not be as strong.  The eye keeps returning to the sign and then roams out to the rest of the picture.  There are various viewing lines in both the fencing and the overhead wires that lead the eye around but always the eye returns to the red sign.  

The last of these is a shopping mall that again died as a result of the Euro crisis.  The cost of completing this building was going to go beyond any possible revenue and is not going to be finished.  This was one of the first buildings to be affected and has been in this state for about three years.  I took the shot at this low angle on purpose so as to rid it of any muddled background and place it against the sky. This emphasise its shape  and highlights its air of isolation.  The trees and shrubs in front give a nice contrast to the bare concrete frame.

Private Buildings.

As with the above pictures I had problems finding buildings that were not just abandoned but looked abandoned.  There were many that were never going to see their owners again but only appeared to be poorly cared for.  The two I include fill the bill nicely.

The first is a housing project that was finished a year ago and didn’t sell.  It is now in a very sorry state with smashed windows, torn out units, and no hope.  These were high quality houses that were caught up in the property collapse.  This is another occasion where I took a lot of pictures during a number of visits.  I worked from all round the site and from both inside and outside the buildings.  In the end I went with this shot.  If I’d labelled it, “Eastern War Zone”, it would be believable.  For me it sums up the state of the area.

The second is a house that sits on a headland overlooking the Mediterranean.  Here the cost of the build overtook the dropping value of the property and project has been mothballed. This building is in a wonderful location looking out towards La Manga and beyond to the open sea.  There was no access to this site so I was restricted as to where I could take my pictures.   I wanted to give the impression of the building having not just empty windows but also empty eyes.
PeterDavis has made the comment that a shot from inside may have worked better.  I did investigate this possibility but the construction of the properties made for very poor sight lines and the damaged interiors could have been from any demolition site.  

People.

The first features one of the many itinerant sellers of fake designer goods.  Nothing strange in seeing these guys.  Look behind him however and the problem of the tourist industry in general can be seen.  This is a quality restaurant in a popular area at lunch time.  Where are the patrons?  The sun is out, the food is good and the beer was cold.  I have never known it to be this quiet.  The other point of note is the seller.  Normally these guys are camera shy to the point of paranoia.  They either turn and run or get aggressive when a camera is pointed at them.  This guy was willing to posed for €1 and went off happy.  There is a note of almost desperation in his eyes.  I was pleased with the balance of this shot with the angle of his head matching the angle of the trees to the right of him and the tray of sunglasses lining up with the balcony of the restaurant. 
Here Peter has criticised the fact that I am obviously the object of this man's attention.  That was the point.  I was the only patron at this restaurant and he was trying to sell to me.  One cannot always be the flaneur passing though life unseen. 

Unemployment is a real and growing problem in all of Spain and La Zenia is no different.  The lady featured here is holding up a placard that asks if anyone will employ her for house work.  She is clearly desperate and is not averse to accepting the odd coin dropping into her purse.  I took the picture from a high position to make her look as small as I could.  I have lightened her face slightly to give it some detail.

Prostitution is a flourishing industry.  It is carried up in the orange groves with the girls selling their charms at small junctions and round-a-bouts.  This one let me know in plain language that she did not want her picture taken.  I had seen the guy on the bike taking to other girls and reckon he was some sort of minder.  Again a balance of person against empty space.
Here the criticism is that it was obviously a snatched shot and that I could have approached this woman, offered her money and then taken the shot.  My object was to obtain her attention and get a reaction.  Neither her, nor my, Spanish would have been up to any such exchange.

Agriculture.  

Once again there was the problem of making an abandoned lemon grove look the part.  Fruit fallen to the ground looks just that.  Dying trees regressing to scrub look like scrub.  Rather that use one of my pictures of decay I will use one of hope.  Inland there are signs of hope with new plantations of citrus, olive and almond trees.  This is a picture of a new orange plantation near Rebate.

Tourism.

Tourism still flourishes in the area but only at the upper end of the market.  The dancers featured here were performing at a top end restaurant well inland from the coastal strip.  I took this against the light but with fill-in flash to obtain contrasting textures and tones.  The red of the dresses stand out well against the mainly green background.  By taking from behind the stage I have included the enthusiastic audience.  I took lots of pictures trying to get this feeling of movement and passion. 
I wanted to finish on a happier note hinting at a brighter future and I think this shot does just that.

How did I succeed?

This is my original list.

Planned pictures.

Abandoned orangeries and their newer inland replacements.

  The new planting picture works OK but a picture of an abandoned orange grove just      looks like scrub land.

Half built villas and developments without signs of continuing progress.

   Plenty of evidence and pictures tell the story.

Closed shops.

Empty bars.

   With both of the above an abandoned shop could be taken for a shop just closed till the start of the season.  Took lots of shots but none of them looked convincing on return to UK.

Signs of civil unrest.

   There simply was none.  No demonstration or outrageous political graffiti.

Signs of emerging poverty.

   Plenty, from the old lady to the unfinished buildings.

Se vende (For sale) signs, especially old ones.

   I was hoping for the classic shot of rows of For Sale signs lining a street but the Spanish display their Se Vende signs in their windows.  Plenty of them but not as a block or row.

The effect on the black market in pirated DVDs, watches and ‘branded’ goods.

    I took a number of pictures featuring these sellers, usually shooting blind from the hip but the picture I have used is the best.

Just to finish a gratuitous shot over the Pyrenees on the way home by way of Easy Jet.

Assignment Five Plan.

Assignment Five Plan: People and Places on Assignment.

The notional client is a Euro sceptic magazine that is looking to see the worst of the Euro crisis through its effect on a small corner of Spain.

The client is looking for strong anti European pictures to back up a view that the Euro is failing and that the weaker currencies are floundering.

I am being sent to the small town of La Zenia in the province of Horihuela to see how the Euro is affecting the area. 

Horihuela is an agricultural area once famous for its oranges, lemons, almonds and market garden produce.  Agricultural production has moved inland as holiday homes and golf courses have developed along the coastal strip.  

This worked well for all until the property collapse following the banking crisis.  Confidence was lost and the northern europeans, who had fueled this bonanza, up and left, leaving mortgage debts and empty unsold properties.

How successful has the move inland been for agriculture and how has the coastal strip coped with the loss of confidence in the Euro?

Planned pictures.

Abandoned orangeries and their newer inland replacements.

Half built villas and developments without signs of continuing progress.

Closed shops.

Empty bars.

Signs of civil unrest.

Signs of emerging poverty.

Se vende (For sale) signs, especially old ones.

The effect on the black market in pirated DVDs, watches and ‘branded’ goods.

This should give scope for some powerful pictures.

Because of flight weight restrictions I will be using the Canon G1-X.   As long as I don’t look for ultra wide or long shots this should not prove to be a handicap and will give me the opportunity to take some ‘from the hip’ covert shots.

Assignment Four: Sense of Place.

Assignment: Sense of Place.

Since we moved to Deal eighteen months ago it has been a joke in the family about us living in “Sunny Deal”.  Unfortunately from the time I started the Sense of Place assignment it has been anything but Sunny Deal.  

For this assignment I tried to to think what Deal means to me rather than what the visitor sees at first viewing.  

Deal is a quiet seaside town that, having no through road, people sort of stumble upon.  The sea has had a huge influence on the town which has a rich history of smuggling, fishing, and living off of ships wrecked on The Goodwin Sands.  Despite many closures it still boasts 24 pubs and 53 restaurants.  There are two old Royal Marine barracks now converted to private housing, the Royal Marine Memorial Bandstand and the Royal Marine Memorial itself. The Royal Marines were posted to Deal to counter the smugglers who carried on their trade with France right through the Napoleonic Wars.  George III had the whole of the Deal fleet burned on the beach in an attempt to stop it.  There is a dwindling beach fishing fleet, a lifeboat station, a yacht and dingy club as well as a sea rowing club.  The Pier is a little utilitarian but does have a pleasant cafe at its end and is popular with sea anglers.  There are two market days, the Wednesday produce market at the Town Hall, and the Saturday general market held in the Landmark Centre car park.  Deal boasts two castles, three if you include Walmer.  Deal Castle is very much as it was when built by Henry IIIV, but Sandown Castle has been reduced to little more than a shape on the ground.  Walmer Castle is the residence of The Warden of the Cinque Ports and it was there that Wellington died.

I made a list of what Deal means to me and then attempted to match it with a picture. 
All pictures taken on my Canon G1-X fitted with polarising filter.  I chose this for size of camera and quality of image. I didn't need the extremes of lens that my Olympus DSLRs would give.

The sea/beach.

Deal Pier.

The small beach fishing fleet.

The market.

The antique shops.

The pubs and restaurants.

The historic connection with the Royal Marines.

Deal Castle.

The Time Ball Tower.

The conservation area.

I spent a large part of last week walking round Deal under leaden skies finding shots to match the list.  

I ended up with about 200 shots which I whittled down to sixteen possibles.  

I’ll start with the nine that did not make the final cut.

Fishing Boats.

This was an easy picture to take, and one I have taken many times in the past.  These are the first fishing boats a visitor would see as he enters Deal.  I visited it twice for this exercise, once on an overcast day and again when the sun finally came out.  I didn’t use it as I wanted a picture with boats in but one a little more unusual and hidden away; something you would have to go and look for.

f5.6. 17mm. 1/200sec.

f8. 16mm. 1/200sec.

The Pier.

I had to think hard about this one.  I spent a good couple of hours taking pictures of the pier; on it, under it, from each end of it and from both sides.  In the end all I got were brochure shots and that was not what this exercise was about.  The same went for the fisherman stature at the land end of the pier.  Nothing wrong with the pictures but not for the final set.

f8. 27mm. 1/400sec.

f8. 15mm. 1/125sec.

Middle Street.

In the heart of the Conservation Area and is what the tourists come to see.  The street has incongruous double yellow lines that I have air brushed out.  I used a snowy version of the shot in a calendar I produced last year.  Very pretty but again a brochure shot.

f8. 40mm. 1/80sec.

The old Regent Cinema.

Long closed and awaiting renovation.  A local artist has painted figures on the front doors to deter graffiti' which seems to be working.  There was a motor cycle to the left of the door which I have air brushed out.  Just not strong enough.

f5.6. 18mm. 1/160sec.

Beach Huts.

Strictly speaking these are not beach huts but are used by the fishing boat owners for storage and fish smoking.  Makes a nice pattern especially with the run down hut to the left.  The red flag on the phi point gives the shot a nice lift and focus.

f8. 35mm. 1/400sec.

Mike the Cheese.

Here is the man who sells local produce at both the Wednesday and Saturday markets.  Cheese, pickles, jams and chutneys.  I took this picture as he served my wife.  Happy with the picture but the market shot I chose, I believe, is stronger.

f5.6. 15mm. 1/160sec

Public Houses.

As I said in the introduction there are 24 working pubs in Deal.  I have included four of them in this one picture.  This shot would look better in the Summer when the punters are outside on the pavement and the open air live band is playing.  Again not strong enough.

f8. 15mm. 1/160sec.

The picture of The Albert nearly made it but it just lacked any feeling of life.  It’s a great local pub and would have looked better with the inclusion of people.  Its name and architecture give a clue to its vintage.

f80. 15mm. 1/80sec.

The Chosen Few.

The following are not the necessarily shots one would find in a tourist brochure but for me represent Deal.

Royal Marine Bandstand.

The exception to the rule.  This will be found in the tourist information but with good reason.  It was constructed as a memorial to the Royal Marines murdered in an IRA bomb atrocity.  I produced it earlier in Part Four and now show it in a kinder weather.  

f8. 24mm. 1/160sec.

The Market Trader.

This picture represents the quirky side to the Saturday market.  With the best will in the world this guy sells crap.  He is however not the only one.  This just happens to be brass crap.  You could also choose from wooden crap, ceramic crap and plastic crap.  It makes for a great market.

f5.6. 15mm. 1/250sec.

Fishing Boats.

These little gems are but a short distance from the boats shown above but are not viewable from the road.  I would guess that within ten years all these old boats will be gone.

f8. 15mm. 1/160sec.

The Time Ball Tower.

A bit run down and no longer working but this is a piece of Deal history.  It was converted from an older semaphore tower in 1855 and dropped its ball at precisely 1pm each day on an electric signal from the Greenwich observatory.  The anchor was included to add a bit of scale and drama.

f5.6. 19mm. 1/200sec.

Antique Shops.

No tourist town would be complete without its smattering of antique shops.  This one closed down within days of me taking the picture.  I like the way the horse has apparently picked up a skittle and is chewing it like a carrot.  The charcoal drawing behind the horse is by a local artist and is of the Deal gasometer.  Within the picture there are a number of red points that neatly link the various elements.  The starting point is the red nose followed by the red skittles and finally the red book to the left edge.  There is also a nice reflection of the horse in the mirror.  

f5.6. 15mm. 1/40sec.

Deal Beach and Front.

This is Deal out of season.  I could have produced a picture of it in sunshine and busy with people but thought this picture best represents what the locals see.  This view, taken from the pier, can't have changed much since the time of George III.

f8. 15mm. 1/100sec.

Deal Castle.

This is a view of the Castle and one of its cannons.  It was the blue sky that drew me to take this picture and I add it as the seventh picture of this assignment.  To get this DoF I closed down the G1-X to f16.  I couldn't find an angle that rid the scene of the flats in the background so I found a way of having them follow the angle of the barrel.

f16. 15mm. 1/20sec.

What would I have done differently? 

During the summer season Deal has a visiting fair, a circus and various concerts at the bandstand.  I featured the Royal Marine Concert in an earlier assignment.  There are a number of vintage car and motor cycle rallies held by the bandstand.  Each Autumn there is the Deal Carnival, which is where I took the picture of the guy with the dreadlocks.  Deal also boasts three golf courses, including St. Georges which is one of the venues for The British Open.  Short of waiting a year to carry out this assignment I went with what was on offer.  It represents my Deal.

As a result of comments made by by Peter Davis I have added the following two pictures.

The first is a further picture of the fishing activity at Deal.  It features a hand written sign advertising fishing trips.  In the background is one of the boat owners and two of the available boats.  The picture hints at the end of an era.  The whole scene is messy and unkempt.  

The second is an attempt to show the quirky side of Deal.  There are many beach huts on the front, many of them serving as workshops for the fishermen and dinghy owners.  Then there are huts like this one; set apart from the rest in perfect isolation.