On the Inside of In 'Side

We interrupt your inbox to bring you some seriously fetching Birmingham imagery that you won't see anywhere else, ever. How do we know? Because last week we were part of the judging panel for In 'Side, a collection of photographs taken by Ross Jukes, to document life in and around the Southside district. And these are just four of the stunning shots that didn't make the cut.

PLACES
Ross took 2000 photos over the course of a year and they needed whittling down to just 32, covering four categories: Places, People, Street Art and Festivals. Those 32 shots will be on display at the Hippodrome from April 27 to May 6. "This was one of my absolute favourites shots," says Ross. "And I was sorted of gutted it didn't make the cut. I wandered past the Spotted Dog pub and the door was slightly ajar and the sun was streaming in. It felt like a lovely snapshot of everyday life. A fleeting moment — this guy having a pint, on his own, in the quiet. He was oblivious to me, lost in thought, and I think that's probably how he'd prefer it. My photography prior to this collection has always been bigger, broader, landscape shots of our city and this project forced me to come in close. It was difficult at first and I wonder if this picture — taken from behind — shows I was a little apprehensive from time to time."

PEOPLE
"Conversely, this one shows that I got used to it. I retrained my eye to capture people head on, and curbed my shyness somewhat. I got bolder. This photo is by no means technically perfect, but none of them are. That's what happens in street photography, you have a hundredth of a second to capture the scene, before the scene is gone. Perfection goes right out of the window. I found this guy fascinating. You create stories in your head for people and for this butcher I envisaged as a guy who's job it is to be loud and at the centre of the attention, when he's drumming up trade in the markets. A larger than life character having a solemn moment. A rare, quiet five minutes. I might be completely wrong, of course, but it's nice to have a narrative."

STREET ART
"I walked miles and miles, just following my nose. It was very uncommon for me to have any structure to where I went. I certainly skirted the boundaries and dipped in and out of the Southside area. The street art was universally beautiful, with moments of colour punctuating the urban space. I love how this piece of art sits in a car park — something as mundane as parking your car is given a real flourish of energy. I really like how the brickwork comes through the paint and I find her eyes captivating. I admire how Digbeth and the Southside have given street art a place to exist and those artists seem to understand where they can and can't ply their trade. There's a mutual respect thing going on."  

FESTIVALS
"Perhaps the overriding feeling I got from this experience was how utterly multicultural Southside is. Everywhere I went there was a rich mix of races, nationalities, sexualities. But when Pride comes to town you know you're going to get vibrancy, so it was one of the rare occasions where I actually planned where and when to be, and tasked myself with actively trying to avoid the obvious flamboyance Pride brings. As colourful and as tempting as it was, I really wanted to capture those more interpersonal moments of the festival. Those brief segments that aren't for show, they just happen. I walked past these two as I was heading one way and they were heading the other, and I span round to grab what I think is a really heart-warming moment."

In ’Side is sponsored by Rockspring, the owner of The Forum. The exhibition is free and will run April 27 to May 6, 10am to 7pm, at the Hippodrome.