Field Trip!
TLDR;
Lancashire Archives and Archivist Photographers
- Lecture Notes & Field Trip!
- Research Task
- Archives & My Favourites
- Archival Photographers
- Final Thoughts
Lecture Notes & Field Trip!
Final teaching week of Semester One and I’m ready for the Christmas Break. After a quick catch up with Dan, we all make our way down to the Lancashire Archives in Preston.
I’d wanted to visit here since I’d first moved into the area however now, got a full BTS look. Whereas the need of the archive isn’t one first years need to worry about, they want us to know what it is and how it works. Documents and Data dating back to the 1100’s. I think I started drooling when I heard that.
I’m a history nut and will always love learning more about the actions of the Human Race. I’m so going back here!
We head back, talk over the outstanding projects and talk the plans going forward.
With that, it’s Christmas time and I’ve got a lot of typing to do!
Research Task
This one threw me for a loop. I didn’t quite understand what Dan was asking of us. Are we looking at archives themselves or are we looking at Photographers that use archival images in their work?
I decided “Screw it, we’ll do both”. Better to have too much than not enough, I guess…
Archives & My Favourites
As a resident nerdy person that loves researching, I have a few databases & archives that I delve into at the start of most research projects. Here are the few that I’ve been using over this project.
Nightmind Index:
I mentioned this before in Week 5 however wanted to delve into it more.
The purpose of the Night Mind Index is to record Unfiction Projects that, otherwise, would be lost to the internet. Founded in late 2020, it’s founder – Known to the internet as Nick “Night Mind” Nocturn – wanted somewhere to break the immersion of Unfiction and ARG Projects and record these experiences for others to find.
LINK – https://www.nightmind.info
IWM Collections
As a massive history nut, the Imperial War Museum Collections is a fascinating place! I’m not able to visit the IWM as much as I would like so being able to see what pieces of history they hold online is wonderful!
As the name suggests, the IWM Collections focus on documenting British war & military history throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centaury. On top of that, they have over 11 Million Photographs dating back to World War One! It’s my little nerdy heaven!
LINK – https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections
The Internet Archive & Way Back Machine
This one is an interesting one. The Internet Archive is a non-profit that focuses on documenting the development of the internet. Their mission is to “provide Universal Access to All Knowledge“.”
As of today (04/01/26), The Internet archive contains:
The Way Back machine is probably one of my favourites. I’ve even used it when trying to find the founding date for the Nightmind Index. It grabs snapshots of URL’s from creation to now so you can go back and see the origin. Let’s use YouTube as an example. Enjoy my YouTube recommendations 🙂
04/01/2026
28/04/2005
A powerful tool to not only allow nostalgia within older generations but also for sites that have been lost to time who can be found again.
University of Lancashire Library Search
As someone who struggles with mobility, physically getting down to the library isn’t always a doable task. Having the ability to roam the library from my desk is a wonderful ability I wish more libraries had.
I’m able to see every book, every article and, as much as I miss the feeling of browsing the shelves, I’m not spending three hours trying to find something relative to what I’m looking for.
Other Bits
Using these, I can normally find what I’m looking for without having to use Google. As much as Google is a fantastic search engine, you’re seeing things in SEO and “Paid Ad” order, not in relevance order. I good trick I use if I do end up using Google is ignoring the first 3-5 pages which are mostly most visited or sponsored posts, and finding the weird and wonderful lost to the algorithms.
If I’m in the position to, I’m always happy to jump down to the local library or the campus library to try and find what I need. I love books, always have. Spending hours in the library was a love for me growing up. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it used to be but I still love spending time in these places.
I will also add that a lot of my research pieces that I’ve used this project have come from word of mouth. People contain so much information that you wouldn’t expect. You mention that you’re looking at Document Photographers and Oh, I saw this article on ### about this photographer, let me send you it. Or even just Have you tried looking at this situation this way instead of that way?
People are wonderful archives of data and are not utilised nearly enough. Especially the elder generations. I’d not have half the information about film and developing that I do without my Pops helping me through it all and offering advice from his time.
Archival Photographers
What does this mean? I’m a little bit lost. I’ve been narrowing my searches by photographers that use archival photographs or data to create their collections.
Unsure of where to start, I jumped to the British Journal of Photography and started reading through their “Projects” selection.
Sofiia Vinnichenko – Postponed Disbelief
Using familial images, of your own history adds so much beauty and emotion behind it. You know these are of Sofiia without confirmation.
The meaning behind these aren’t obvious, you don’t know her history or the reason why but you can tell that her family is broken. That her heritage is lost for a reason.
The story behind it all, the history of Sofiias’ family and her cultures heritage adds a horrific story to a set of interesting images.
LINK – https://www.1854.photography/2025/01/sofiia-vinnichenko-ukraine-family-archives-project/
Max Ernst Stockburger – The Missing Link
Another one found through the BJP, in their editions of “Then & Now”. I seem to end up back at Military History and Stockburgers’ collection of images regarding the 1945 Atom Bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima is a fascinating one.
Being able to gather so many images that would have been lost to time and data and show the wider experience of such an historic event is something that is wonderful! We all hear about these events through the history books, we never really see the experience through the real world images, family photos and even the aftermath. We learn the facts, not the feelings.
I’m slowly falling in love with these collections & projects
Will Harris – You can call me Nana
Loss is a horrible experience that we all wish never happened. Thanks to family albums tucked away in the attic, we can relive our lost relatives lives and share them with the world. We’re all stories waiting to be told.
Harris wanted to share the story of his Nana, someone who influenced his life and who he sadly lost to dementia. A horrible condition that can cause you to lose the person you once knew.
These photo albums let you remember the person they were, the true being before the disease. Harris shared his memories and stories with his Nana before losing who she was.
Projects like these are not only wonderful for us, the viewer, but honour the person that we’re looking at. They say you’re only dead once you’re forgotten, Harris’ Nana, her stories and personality will be forever recorded in time.
Final Thoughts
Woah.
Data? Check. History? Check. Research? Check.
I’m loving this. After finding the right archives/databases to find these collections, I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole and falling in love with it all. I’d love to build something like this to reflect my own family’s history.
You assume that photography is just “Take picture, enjoy”. You don’t think that, by doing the research and the digging, you can build something fantastic. Either through your own family’s history or the worlds events. You can remember an experience, find new information that’s been lost to the archives.
AlphaRose Photography 