Robert Ormerod

Robert Ormerod (born 1985) is a Scottish photographer,^[1] based in Edinburgh.^[2]

Life and work

Ormerod was born in 1985 in Scotland.^[1] He grew up in Aberdeen.^[3] In 2010 he completed a NCTJ press photography course at Norton College in Sheffield and in 2007 gained a BA in journalism from the University of Stirling.^[4]

He has made work about pigeon fanciers in Glasgow and Edinburgh who practice "doo fleein'", the "doomen" and "doowomen" who lure another enthusiast's male bird using a female;^[5][6][7] people in dance halls at community centres in Edinburgh;^[3] Scottish independence in the lead up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum through a reenactment of the Battle of Bannockburn^[8] and people he found while travelling along the M8 motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow;^[9] politically engaged young Scots in the period after Scotland decided against independence from the UK in the 2014 referendum and since the 2016 vote in favour of Brexit;^[10] and households using their gardens whilst under lockdown in Edinburgh, during the COVID-19 pandemic, photographed from above using an aerial camera.^[2]

Ormerod's long-term project about space enthusiasts, Above Us the Day,^[11][12][13] has involved photographing the mythology around UFO sightings on a road trip from Roswell, New Mexico (sight of the Roswell UFO incident) to Area 51 in Nevada, USA;^[14][15] amateur rocket builders at events in the Highlands of Scotland^[16] and Nevada;^[17] moonscapes and people who chase the northern lights, made while travelling around Iceland's Ring Road, Route 1;^[18] and attendees of Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students.^[19]

He lives in Edinburgh.^[2]

References

1. "Edinburgh: The Uncanny – Sat. 28th Oct". Miniclick. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
2. Cosslett, Rhiannon Lucy (16 May 2020). "'It's our sanctuary': gardens in lockdown, as seen by drone". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
3. "Portfolio: Robert Ormerod". The Independent. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
4. "About / Contact". Robert Ormerod. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
5. Barry, Maggie (29 September 2012). "Meet the birdmen (and women) of Edinburgh who have a passion for pigeons". dailyrecord. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
6. Ormerod, Robert. "Luminous photos of Scotland's pigeon-obsessed flight club". Mother Jones. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
7. . National Geographic. 2 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
8. "Scottish photographer explores independence via battle re-enactment". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
9. Ormerod, Photographs by Robert. "Spectrum: Disunited nation". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
10. "Political Youth". www.the-nomad-magazine.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
11. "11 Photos From Around the World for Anyone Who Really, Really Loves Space". Afar. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
12. "A surreal journey through space and human perception". British Journal of Photography. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
13. Clasper, James (18 August 2016). "Meet the amateurs trying to put a human in space". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
14. "Inside the everyday world of UFO hunters". Huck Magazine. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
15. "Discover the world of amateur space enthusiasts in a 'dreamlike journey, which blurs the line between science and fiction'". The Washington Post. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
16. Crace, John (20 September 2013). "We have liftoff: the rocket enthusiasts having a blast in Scotland". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
17. . National Geographic. 16 August 2018. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
18. "'It's the closest thing to the moon': my space odyssey to Iceland". The Guardian. 1 July 2017. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
19. "The Camp in Alabama Bringing Outer Space to the Blind". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 22 May 2020.

External links

• Official website
• "The rocket men – in pictures" at The Guardian