Five Questions with Ted Pritchard and Ingrid Bulmer, authors of Forgotten Nova Scotia.
1. How does working on a project like Forgotten Nova Scotia differ from working on a photojournalism assignment?
Although searching and shooting abandoned places has similarities to photojournalism, the experience differs in many ways; the idea of chasing a subject that requires research and travel feels like working on a photojournalism assignment, but the location work takes on a more fictional tone as you struggle to fill in the gaps to what has occurred at each place. Imaginations can run wild in such circumstances, which adds greatly to the work, and allows you to explore outside the boundaries of sticking only to the facts as journalism dictates. Keeping this in mind we kept to journalism ethics, and staged or touched nothing at each location. Staging seemed to be a frequent occurrence at many locations visited by previous explorers.
2. What attracted you to this subject matter?
Neither Ingrid nor I have any past experience shooting abandoned places. The offer to create this book did appeal to us immediately though; a challenging long-term subject to explore and learn about, presenting many creative challenges as photographers.
3. How did you discover the places you photographed for the book?
Two ways: Good old fashion detective work, and exploration, coupled with the generous assistance of other photographers who know the subject extremely well.
4. How much preparation does it take to get a typical shot?
Most shots generally occur quickly while we initially explored each location independently. Long exposures take more preparation and time but were usually executed as a team.
5. Is there a subject you would like to explore for your next book?
Absolutely. Islands of Nova Scotia!
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