Julliette Mills

'Juliette Mills is a British photographer based in Dartmoor, South West of England and has been taking pictures since the age of 12. She grew up in a private zoo, surrounded by endangered species, with parents fired by passions for conservation and music.'

I wanted to include Julliette Mills within my blog because she focuses a lot of her work on documentary photography of families. I would ideally like to take influence from the way in which she reports on family life so I can get a clear understanding of how to project family relationships and reflect them delicately as to not obstruct the bond that families already share. However, I won't just be photographing the family whilst I'm in Scoraig, I will be looking at what influences them to stay and live the life they do, one major contributing factor being the scenery around them. The beautiful mountain style hill tops and water surrounding them.

The interesting thing about Julliette Mills is that she almost blends and merges the two into one single photo, the family relationships and the scenery surrounding them. I don't feel like I necessarily need to merge the two, this is an in-depth project, not a series of candid shots of different families. I want to photograph the family life but I also want to photograph their habitat, their surroundings, what their children do in their spare time and anything in-depth and analytical of the nature in which they live.

The trip

I will start the trip from my home, the Isle Of wight because for some strange reason to which I still don't quite understand, it takes less time and costs less money to go from southampton docks to Scotland, than it does to go from Cheltenham Spa to Scotland.  So, I will leave the isle of wight and take an hour long boat to reach southampton docks. I will then be picked up by coach at southampton docks and make the 15 hour journey from Southampton to Inverness. I have chosen to travel via Coach instead of flying because I no longer have a valid passport due to its expiration in January, and renting a new one means more money out of the Scoraig budget to fund it and I'd rather souly occupy my spends with the major project. Once I arrive in Inverness I will then travel the 2 hour journey to Scoraig with my Uncle who will then take me to their home ready for the project to begin.

Another addition to the projects unique characteristics, is the idea that I will be travelling from the most southern point of the UK to one of the most northern points of the UK. The length of travel shows the dedication to the project and will allow me to explore places I have never been to. The most northern point I've really stayed in is Birmingham so I have a lot to take in, it won't only be educational for others looking at alternative ways of living, but educational for me because I'm exploring new parts of the UK.

preparing/funding

In order to carry out this project, there are several things i need to think about before heading to Scoraig. Most importantly, I need to think about how to financially back myself for the several weeks that I will be working on the project. To travel to and from scoraig, Im looking at just under 100 pounds a trip. Working weekends in a pub doesn't quite cut the mustard for this one, so i have to think about other ways to financially support this final project.

Funding is one of the avenues I have gone down to try and raise money for the project. Several funding projects online ask for a fee of money just to enter your images for a chance to win some funding. I however have tried to source funding opportunities that don't ask you to put your hand in your pocket to ask for money. I don't quite understand that concept.

I came across the Scottish Arts council when I was looking at different places to possibly exhibit the work once I had completed the project and found they did funding of up to £15k dependant on project type. I initially submitted a proposal for a small amount of funding for just £500 pounds but I was very quickly answered with the problem that the lowest they could fund to a project was £1000! Well i guess the only thing to do was a resubmission of a £1000 application for funding. The issue with this, is that the funding application process for the Scottish arts council takes up to 8 weeks. My thoughts were, if i continued to try and make the project happen on my basic earnings and won the funding, I could put that towards exhibitions and book making after the project was over. I'm not thinking about this project as a university submission, I'm thinking of it as a professional work. So planning for after university is vital to push the project forward.

I next applied for the Quay Arts funding programme which is a smaller funding programme in my home the Isle of Wight, I was excited to receive a great reception from my project idea, the organisers asked me to show them the final project once it had been completed, however, I had sent my application apparently a day after the deadline, and to consider mine would be unfair to other applicants!

I am waiting on the reply from the Scottish arts council funding programme to see if i have been successful but if not, I will have to continue working hard in my pub job to save up the funds for Scoraig trips one at a time.

photo inspiration

I will be staying in something very similar to this when I begin my project, it's called a 'Bothy' and i will be supplied withy own firewood and coals to keep me warm throughout the night.

The Guardian has recently run a story on Scoraig trying to find a teacher for its school of  5 pupils that age from 5-10 years old. Above are the five pupils and the two girls and the tallest boy happen to be my cousins. This is how I am gaining access to the location. A few of my loose family members up and left their 'normally' structured lives to move to Scoraig away from everybody, this project won't just look at alternative ways of living, but look at the way in which such a huge move to such a contrasting area has effected the children. Their only friends now are the two others in the school and their siblings which must be quite a restrictive way to grow up.

Pictured is the jetty that connects mainland Scotland and Scoraig to one another, this is the jetty that is used to get the post and any other important things needed on the peninsula. This is where I will arrive once I am picked up from Inverness.

Purlieu Proposal

Purlieu: (usually plural) a neighbouring area; outskirts

Purlieu is a project I am putting together on a remote peninsula on the edge of Scotland named Scoraig. Scoraig is often referred to as a 'settlement' which is located next to 'loch broom'. Between those that do know of Scoraig, they associate the place with being best for its remoteness, reachable only by boat or a five mile walk across the Scottish moors. It is also known well for its organic food production and pioneering use of wind power. 

There is a primary school located in Scoraig and currently holds 5 children in its entire facility (3 of which are cousins of mine), it has recently circulated in big newspapers for its dilemma over finding a teacher to keep the school going. This project could be of interest to large based papers as a follow u to the negative search for the teacher to supply education to the 5 pupils and provide a positive outlook on the way these people live a self sustainable and environmentally friendly life. 

Often, the few houses located in the settlement will be sold with their own wind turbine, solar panels, back up generators and Bothy (small Scottish cottage as an outhouse). All of this is provided because there are no main connections to mainland Scotland and no mains connections to the peninsula. often, houses also come with types of farming machinery so crops and animals can be used. 

The overall population of the peninsula is around 70 people with a mere 40 houses. I have been given a rare opportunity to spend several week long periods with a family in Scoraig staying in their Bothy. I will then create an in-depth project on family life in the peninsula and this alternative way of living. This is far different to the 'normal' way of living that people around the UK are used to so I feel this is a subject that could be of interest to people purely out of curiosity.

"About as off the grid as you can get in the UK"