"50 Shades of Grey?" - Royal Navy Photographic Awards

 

The winners of the annual Royal Navy photographic award (the Peregrine Trophy) have been announced. These fantastic photos highlight the range of work done by the Royal Navy on land, sea and air on operations across the globe. (All images in this article are © Crown copyright)

It is this story that is a good reminder of the soft power impact of a well-judged photograph, and how potent it can be in telling and shaping the power of a story. The curious challenge facing the military as a whole is that the public so rarely come into contact with their actual work, or see them except in highly controlled and perhaps somewhat artificial situations (e.g. State Ceremonial or recruiting days). The chance to see the magnificent women and men who serve in Defence (as military or civil servants) ‘in their element’ is rare.

Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright

It is also hard to sometimes see the incredibly capable military equipment that has been built for the armed forces in use – a ship alongside at DSEI or a tank in an exhibition hall doesn’t really capture the reality of what it can be used for.

To that end the photographers in the armed forces are some of the most important assets in telling a story and trying to visually demonstrate to the public, our friends and those who are less likely to be on our national Christmas Card list as to the nations reach and presence.

When we hear news of stories occurring involving the Royal Navy, or think of it on operations, it is the image that builds our understanding of the situation. The vast majority of people will never go into the deep Atlantic waters or fly F35 jets, but in seeing these pictures it helps them visualise the scale and immensity of what is happening, even if they cannot be there themselves.

This is particularly important in a range of different areas. At a strategic level the CSG21 deployment has seen a wide array of PHOTEXs occur during the deployment (indeed some weary members of the deployment may feel its been nothing but PHOTEXs…), but the act of bringing ships together to steam in parallel for a short period of time is actually extremely powerful.

CSG21 is about taking the next step in regenerating the UK’s national strategic carrier strike capability – getting to the stage where every day of the year, there is a force of highly trained, highly capable warships, aircraft, Royal Marines and Sailors ready to deploy if needed as a visible conventional deterrent.

Over the coming years much of the work they will be doing is going to involve close cooperation with allies, training in joint exercises or conducting joint operations and helping to build closer military links. This year though it is perhaps as much about the deeply symbolic messaging that the CSG offers and capturing this in a way that is understood.

The images of a Royal Navy carrier at sea in the Gulf, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean with a variety of friends and partners sends a clearly visible statement of intent. We can say until we’re blue in the face that there is a carrier in the Pacific Ocean, but this probably doesn’t mean much until you see the sight of a Royal Navy and US Navy carrier steaming alongside each other, almost identical in size and capability. There is a clear message in these photos – Britain is back.

The shots of the CSG21 deploying around the world will be seen and analysed in different capitals for different reasons. Those nations seeking UK national support will be pleased to see action, and presence – the sight of multiple nations ships sailing together also conveys a level of reassurance too about the strength of multilateral diplomacy and security agreements.

Other nations will observe with interest, noting these images help change their strategic calculations, and may force other considerations about how they plan to operate and interact in the region. Knowing there is a multi-national Carrier Strike Group deployed, and that it can be redeployed very easily is a helpful message to send sometimes.

At an operational level, a good image can help shape the narrative of why the UK is doing something or helps explain its commitment to an operation. Many people are not instinctively interested in the minutiae and trivia of Defence operations (shocking as this may be) and would not read lengthy press releases or doctrine publications.

But a good image with a short caption can help tell a story in a way that reaches out to audiences in a way that thousands of words cannot. For example, look at the work of HMS PROTECTOR, the Royal Navy’s ice patrol vessel – after a period in refit, she is now returning to colder waters, and images of her striking red hull amid the frozen wastes provide some of the most striking imagery available for the Royal Navy.

It is easy to explain simply how the Royal Navy deploys there and offer a gentle career hook for people interested in visiting these far-off climes by a well captioned tweet or photo talking about where the ship is.

Well timed imagery can also show the reality of life at sea and tell the story of what ships are designed to do. The photos of HMS MAGPIE undergoing trials, smashing her hull into huge waves not only makes landlubbers glad they never followed Samuel Johnsons advice, but also can serve as a gentle introduction to the work of the smaller vessels of the Hydrographic squadrons.

Imagery can help explain a presence or an operation too and can be used to send effective messages. Any photos of the SSBN force entering or leaving harbour help send a robust message of a very effective operation, and instinctively looks ‘right’ – to the layperson, seeing the 150m length of a VANGUARD class submarine head to sea again, escorted by Royal Marines in patrol craft and her decks full of submariners in black caps (or white caps if you happen to be a female or Junior Rate and thus clearly not of one ships company) taking a last look at blue skies for 3 months, looks right – it looks imposing, powerful and sends a calculated message of strategic reassurance.

Paint schemes too can have a well-judged impact – both in terms of heritage and messaging opportunities. For example the Royal Canadian Navy has in recent years repainted several of their ships in WW2 camouflage schemes, ‘dazzle paint’ as a tribute to their predecessors. The result has been some of the most recognisable paint schemes out there – few non warship spotters would recognise a HALIAX class, but HMCS REGINA stands out quickly as both a highly memorable warship and a clearly Canadian vessel.

The Royal Navy has followed suit, with several of its RIVER class vessels now enjoying a variety of paint schemes including HMS SEVERN with her ‘western approaches’ style scheme, and SPEY and TAMAR both modelling dazzle patterns too. In the latters case these ships are instantly recognisable – this is perhaps a helpful thing.

They are both off to South East Asia for the next few years, forward deployed to Singapore and other nations. In a region awash with patrol ships, all of which are painted 50 shades of grey,  turning up in the region with a clearly unique and easily recognisable ‘brand’ helps them stand out as a Royal Navy warship. For the next few years it will be easy to spot these ships and remember that they are British – it comes back to messaging – a photo of an exercise showing a dazzle scheme will produce a memorable image that could have a significant impact.

At a tactical level photography can help tell the story of the people behind the uniforms. For all the focus on big ships and hardware, and looking impressive at sea, there is a fundamentally human side to this as well. Capturing the range of emotions, stresses and strains that people work under, and their human side helps remind us that even though autonomous vessels are rapidly coming, there remains a very human side to the Royal Navy.

These photos can help quash myths, show people the truth about life at sea and show the opportunities on offer. One of the great benefits that the Royal Navy provides is an incredible range of career opportunities, training and the chance to see the world in a different way – photos of sailors working around the world help capture this.

They also capture the human side that answers the questions most people have – for instance as silly as it sounds, showing pictures of the excellent accommodation on new ships may help persuade someone to give it a go. If you’ve been curious about a naval life but have grown up listening to tales of hammocks or 50 man messdecks from your Uncle Albert, seeing photos showing the reality of modern warship accommodation may help shift your views.

Finally a well judged image can tell the story of a national endeavour in a way that through the eyes of the people involved explains what we are doing and why. During the events of OP PITTING (the NEO from Kabul this summer), a wealth of images emerged showing British troops from all three services helping show their humanity, empathy and willingness to do what they could at a personal level to help those in need. These photos helped the public understand what was going on in Kabul and what their service personnel were doing in our name.

Of all the weapon systems the UK possesses, of all the influence tools and means of helping shape our views and positions, arguably none is more powerful, more cost effective or more influential than a camera in the hands of a British military photographer. A well-judged photo is more than just a snap in time, it is a chance to show for posterity something about our national story and what the military do.

All three services have a fantastic group of incredibly talented photographers (both regular and reserve) who perhaps more than any other part of the armed forces shape our understanding as a nation of what the military does.