It’s a year since the beginning of the Big Picture project and just under six months since you helped break the world record for the largest photo mosaic!
The Big Picture Team wanted to thank you again for all of your hard work, support and commitment to this amazing project – it wouldn’t have been possible without you and your photographs!
As a little thank you, the Big Picture team would like to send you a World Record Certificateto commemorate this massive achievement along with a number of exciting special offersand opportunities for you, your family and friends - to visit theatres, museums and galleries across the region. These offers are exclusive to Big Picture participants so don’t forget to take along your unique voucher.
All you have to do to receive your certificate and exclusive vouchers is complete an online form. Click here to begin filling out the form or email info@inthebigpicture.co.uk for a paper version.
Audiences Central, BBC West Midlands and Jessops were last night celebrating snapping up the Cultural Branding Award at the prestigious Arts and Business ceremony for their inspiring and impactful partnership on The Big Picture arts project. The Big Picture would not have been possible without the sustained support of the key partners involved.The Cultural Branding Award, sponsored by Clarke Associates, was awarded to the partnership that best reinforces the branding and marketing activity of business through the use of culture.
Kerry Endsor, Project Manager for the Big Picture Arts Project says:‘I am delighted that all the hard work, generosity and time put into this amazing project by BBC West Midlands and Jessops has culminated in this award. There are so many positive elements and partnerships that have been integral to this project that cannot be mentioned and I also dedicate this award to those supporters, the Audiences Central team and the people of the West Midlands without which none of this would be possible’‘
Ni Singh Chief Executive of Audiences Central says:“The Big Picture was a complex, challenging and rewarding project and we are overjoyed to be the recipient of this prestigious award. The Big Picture allowed us to share and connect with the memories and feelings of thousands of people across the West Midlands and we are currently working on ways of developing further work that encourages people to engage with the arts and culture. . I would also like to add a special thanks to Kerry Endsor our project manager who worked tirelessly with the Audiences Central Team throughout this project”
Many people have been asking us what we are doing with the world record breaking mosaic. After its three day display it has been dismantled and some panels will be offered to the organisations and community groups that helped collate the images.
But this picture would not have been possible without your input so we would like to offer you the opportunity to own your very own piece of world record breaking history. We have a limited amount of panels that we can make available free of charge to any person or organisation who would like to own one — they’re quite big, so make sure you have room.
We would also welcome suggestions on how you feel we could use the remaining panels. To find out more about how to claim your piece of history or make suggestions on how we should use the remaining panels email jamie.perry@audiencescentral.co.uk.
Ever been to the ballet before? Well, if you haven’t Birmingham Royal Ballet are offering free tickets to their evening of three short one act ballets called ‘Russian Steps’. This is a perfect taster event and you can see it on 8 October at 7.30pm at Birmingham Hippodrome.
So why not dip your toe into something new? Did we mention that it’s completely FREE?
To reserve your tickets email newattenders@brb.org.uk with your name, address, telephone number and the amount of tickets that you’d like .
Since a lot of people who were at the World Record unveiling were, or have become, interested in taking photos there were a lot of cameras out at the event. We hope that people will share theirs online with everyone, it could be almost as good as being there.
We’ll also collect blog posts, videos or any reaction from around the web here — if you spot any please leave a message in the comments.
The image created by the final mosaic was selected from the thousands of submissions. Taken in 1926, it is a portrait of 17 year old Arthur James Bunce from Tipton in the Black Country, training as an amateur boxer.
Arthur, who had fourteen children died in 1987 at the age of 78, but the photo has continued to be an inspiration to his family and was sent into The Big Picture by his Granddaughter Lucy, also from Tipton.
Lucy says: “I am totally overwhelmed! This photo is so important to my family. I never got to meet my Granddad but he and my Nan were always at the heart of our family. My brother, Michael, even has the photo tattooed across his back. My family have always been very proud of our Black Country roots, my Grandfather especially, so this is a great tribute to him.”
Explore the photo galleries. The photos there are a unique collection of images of the West Midlands and the people that live there. You can even help make the collection better by adding tags to help with searching, and comments with any facts about the pictures.
Learn more about taking, editing and sharing photos. The Photo Pro section has links to inspiration and tutorials across the web, and a directory of photographic groups in your area. There are also exclusive interviews with local photographers and special tips.
See some Big Picture contributors’ favourite photos in our Big Picture Picks section, and pick your own favourites.
Everyone who has added a photo to The Big Picture, helped build the mosaic, or even just cheered from the sidelines can be very proud — as the West Midlands has broken the World Record for the largest photo mosaic.
An adjudicator from Guinness World Records has verified the artwork and it’s official, we’re all World Record holders.
The record-breaking work of art included 112, 896 photos, and measured 900m2. It was unveiled outside Thinktank at Millennium Point.
The image created by the final mosaic was selected from the thousands of submissions. Taken in 1926, it is a portrait of 17 year old Arthur James Bunce from Tipton in the Black Country, training as an amateur boxer. Artist, Helen Marshall was commissioned to lead the final phase and making of the Big Picture. She worked with photo mosaic specialists PollyTiles to realise the enormous image made up of photographs submitted by the public.
Eight photos were selected to be in with a chance of becoming The Big Picture. The were selected for their unique boldness, fascinating stories, and their suitability to be reproduced into the huge scale work of art.
Helen Marshall tells us how the construction of the mosaic is going:
The photos are being assembled one by one onto the two hundred and eighty eight plywood boards by the volunteers and the tension in the hall at Thinktank is heating up.
It was great to meet some of the people who are giving their time to the project and helping with the mass assembly, many of whom have submitted a lot of photos and who keep coming across them in the montage.
Helen Marshall, Artist was commissioned to lead the final phase and making of the Big Picture. She worked with photo mosaic specialists PollyTiles to realise the enormous image made up of photographs submitted by the public.
With just over a week to go, and over 110,000 pictures received from across the West Midlands, we can reveal the eight photos in the running to form the final image of the world’s largest photo mosaic.
All 110,000 images sent in from the public will be used to create a huge, record-breaking photo mosaic, the size of three tennis courts, to be unveiled outside Birmingham’s Millennium Point on Saturday 23 August. The mosaic will create the image of one of the final eight shortlisted photos, but the special picture will be kept under tight wraps until the grand unveiling.
Weather photos were a big part of The Big Picture, with over 500 added to the weather gallery. There are shots of sun, rainbows, snow, and it being the British summer lots and lots of rain.
If you’d like to put together your own galley of “picks” on a theme, or just your favourites, email us at editor@inthebigpicture.co.uk and well put it together with you.
You may have seen Richard Redshaw on TV at some point, as he was one of a few Big Picture photo submitters to be interviewed on BBC Midlands Today. He sent around a thousand photos in, and has been closely following the project, looking at as many of the photos as possible.
If you’d like to put together your own galley of “picks” on a theme, or just your favourites, email us at editor@inthebigpicture.co.uk and well put it together with you.
The Big Picture team were at Dudley Zoo with hundreds of photos and a panel of the mosaic on Wednesday, so visitors could contribute to breaking that World Record.
The Zoo’s section of the mosaic was completed in record time with help from John’s Lane Residents Group from Tipton Road Methodist Church, who were visiting as a treat.
There are still many panels to go, over a hundred still need their photos added, so if you’ve time to help and would like to be part of The Big Picture please come to one of the workshops. You can find full details here.
Stephen has been experimenting further with the technique, here he’s taken a photo of himself holding his shortlisted image and then done the same with that print, adjusting the depth of field.
It’s a nice effect. You can try out depth of field effects if your camera allows you to control focus and aperture (SLRs will, but you can check your manual). There’s a great explanation and tutorial here.
It’s a year since the beginning of the Big Picture project and just under six months since you helped break the world record for the largest photo mosaic! 
You may have seen Richard Redshaw on TV at some point, as he was one of a few Big Picture photo submitters to be interviewed on BBC Midlands Today. He sent around a thousand photos in, and has been closely following the project, looking at as many of the photos as possible.
