Focus 24 : 24 Hours in Tamworth Smart phone Camera Workshop Announced

Brush up on your smart phone camera skills at free ‘Focus 24: 24 Hours in Tamworth’ workshop.

Photographs and videos depicting the people and places of Tamworth continue to be submitted to a major project designed to capture a day in the life of the town.

Well over 100 images and video clips have been submitted to the Focus 24: 24 Hours in Tamworth digital art project so far, highlighting the beauty, the unusual and the norm of everyday life in Tamworth.

The project invites amateurs and professionals to submit photographs and video footage of the people, places, objects and experiences of Tamworth, at all hours of the day.

A total of 24 photographs, taken by 24 different photographers, will then be chosen to represent 24 hours in the life of the town. As well as being displayed individually, the selected 24 photographs will also be incorporated into a film called 24 Hours in Tamworth, which will be created using the submitted video footage.

The chosen photographs and the new film will be exhibited for 24 days, starting on Saturday, September 2, when they will be put on digital display in Ankerside Shopping Centre to coincide with this year’s We Love Tamworth event.

Tamworth Borough Council’s Arts & Events team is working with production company acquismedia on the project and a number of free workshops are being held for anyone who would like practical tips or expert advice on how to capture their slice of life in Tamworth.

The next sessions take place on Saturday, June 24 and focus on how to get the best out of smart phone cameras.

Two sessions of the smart phone photography workshop will take place in Ankerside Shopping Centre, in the unit on the corner opposite AB’s café. People are invited to attend either the morning session from 10am to 12.30pm, or the afternoon session between 1pm and 3.30pm.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned selfie enthusiast, this fun and practical workshop will help you get the best photos from your smart phone. Apps, angles, lighting and filters will all be covered along with insider hints and tips from the professionals. Sessions will be led by artists Chris Cuthbert and Inès Elsa Dalal.

Advance booking is recommended by emailing a name and contact number to Katie.banks@acquismedia.com.

The workshops will run alongside a pop-up gallery in the unit where artist Shelly Lightnin is currently exhibiting her work on the theme of ‘Using Space, Uplifting Souls’ to raise awareness about the power of art as therapy for unseen illnesses.

Ankerside Shopping Centre manager, Jeff Wigley, said he is delighted to see Ankerside being used as a space for people to express themselves through art and photography. “Shelly’s exhibition has been a huge success and we are sure the Focus 24 photography workshop will be just as popular with local people.

“With smart phones becoming increasingly important in day to day life, we think the workshop theme is great and we are encouraging our shoppers to go along to take part. We look forward to seeing everybody taking part in the Focus 24 workshop and we can’t wait to see the final exhibition in September,” Jeff added.

Since launching at the end of March, dozens of people have submitted some fantastic photographs and videos to the Focus 24: 24 Hours in Tamworth digital art project. They can all be viewed on the Tamworth Arts & Events Facebook page, where a separate Focus 24: 24 Hours in Tamworth event has been created.

More entries are now being sought that depict the people of Tamworth, as well as additional submissions in the form of video footage. Professional project photographers and filmmakers can even visit businesses and community groups which would like to feature.

Katie Banks from acquismedia said: “Are you a Tamworth-based community group or business who would like to feature in Focus 24: 24 Hours in Tamworth? Are you unsure how to take a great image or film clip to show your Tamworth? Our professional photographers and filmmakers could come and work with you at your premises or meeting place free of charge. For more information, please contact Katie.banks@acquismedia.com.”

Cllr Joy Goodall, Tamworth Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Environment and Culture, said: “There is a lot to show off and be proud of in Tamworth and the photos and videos submitted so far really demonstrate just how beautiful the town is. The resulting exhibition and film will act as an historical legacy of Tamworth at this moment in time for future generations to enjoy, so it would be nice to get some footage of the people and businesses which make this town so great.”

Focus 24: 24 Hours in Tamworth is part of the Arts in Unusual Spaces initiative, which has been funded by Arts Council England and will see art in all its forms popping up in unusual spaces across Tamworth during a two-year period.

Photographic and video submissions can be uploaded to the Focus 24: 24 Hours in Tamworth event, on the Tamworth Arts & Events Facebook page. 

Entrants must provide their name, age and time the photo or video was taken. Entries must be submitted before 5pm on Friday, August 2.

For more information on Arts in Unusual Spaces, please visit the Tamworth Arts & Events website at www.tamworthartsandevents.co.uk.