D-Day Landings...

Recently along with another photographer I travelled to Normandy on a photographic trip to visit the beaches of the D-Day Landings. I have never visited these sites before, as so this proved very interesting as it gave me a fresh viewpoint in which to follow an investigation. Visually I had no pre-conceived styles nor compositions I wanted to explore; this gave me a slight quandary over equipment to take. In the end I settled with my Gaoersi 6x12 and a Hasselblad 503CX and packed both Colour and Black & White negative, well not quite as the B&W was Scala Slide film but it was processed as negative, see post on Scala.

I would say the main methodology and style was formed after the first film was shot on the Utah site; I had with me 5 rolls of Kodak 400VC and 5 rolls of the Scala. In a sense the film and cameras dictated the style, I decided to go with producing a series of diptychs; keep it simple 1 roll of colour shot with the panoramic and 1 roll of mono shot with the square shooter per beach/landing area.

I have no clear reasoning for documenting these sites, only that I felt it important to visit them in an attempt to reflect on what terrible atrocities and great sacrifices have taken place so future generations could live peacefully.