P & P -Public Events, Public Spaces - Exercise 6 -An organised event

For a planned trip to Brugge I've heard much about the markets held in Markt square on a Wednesday. The market planned was a food market so I was expecting much colour, many people moving around.

Unfortunately the weather on the day was heavy rain and whilst I'm happy taking images in the rain I know that umbrellas can be a problem sometimes hiding faces. Some photographers have managed to take some excellent images of people with umbrellas where the umbrellas were the subject in the image.

I've used a full frame camera that has water seals plus a short tele-zoom range lens with a range of 28-105mm which is at its shortest quite wide and has enough reach to bring me into the action where required.

I was expecting good variation in colour and that even with my flashes, the weather and stalls would have far greater interest to the shoppers than myself taking images of them

Image 1

 A single person at this stall waiting floor the stall holder to bag her goods. I like the colours in this image. I've cropped from the top as a building in the background drew attention away from the shopper I wanted to make the subject. This was taken at a focal length of 52mm


Image 2

3 people queue and the first is taking out his money to pay for his goods as the stall holder engages him in conversation. The 3 people in the right of the frame in their wet weather clothing with hoods on explain what the weather was doing at this time. Again I've cropped slightly from the top to remove the grey and uninteresting sky. This was taken at a focal length of 34mm


Image 3

The colours within this image are very warm and in contrast with the cold wet weather. This scene struck me in addition the cosiness of the stall but the 2 old ladies in contrasting jackets but traditional see through waterproof head dresses. This was taken at a focal length of 46 mm

Image 4

Much to explore with the eye and perhaps a bit too busy with the building in the background but it does suggest with its Gothic design that its not a location in the UK. I've cropped out the stalls either side of the central one. This was taken at a focal length of 28 mm. It seemed odd that the transaction took place at one end of the stall rather than in the middle, clearly where the item of interest was selected from


Image 5

See how the bright yellow on the right contrasts with the aluminium of the cookers on the right. I wasn't party to the joke but all 4 main subjects are enjoying a laugh or a smile. What strikes me in this image and you may not see it straight away is the man bent over at an odd height. This was taken at a focal length of 28 mm.


Image 6

People are more interested in the hot food than the flowers and plants on a cold and wet days. Unlike my earlier images which appear to show the market as quiet when it was in fact busy this image does more to reflect the number of people. Probably the weakest of the images here but it was interesting to see that moving positions can male people less or more dominant in an image and that it may not always be reflective of what was reality. This was taken at a focal length of 28 mm.

Exercise Learning

a) I discovered that the more I am at ease with having a camera and taking images the more at ease people are of me. The stallholders ignored more in the most part, where they didn't they seemed pleased and smiled mostly after the picture was taken. I suppose there could be many reasons for this but I think it may be because it will mean that somewhere in an image there will be their stall as the subject

b) A focal length of around 50mm allowed me to be more picky of what I captured in the frame and that wide angles could be more involving of the scene but less of people's expressions unless you got in very close. As I found in an earlier exercise, close-ups of people with wide angle lenses requires a level of intimacy between the lens and the subject being so close

c) Where an event of some sort is taking place, I think the people around it are far more interested in what they are doing, particularly when its wet and they want to simply do what they planned and get back home. From my perspective  there was less chance of expression to be found as people moved quickly but also where they had very little interest in me and I could do what I wanted.

Maria Short - The Photographic Brief

Maria Short in her book "Basics - Creative Photography - Context and Narrative" says "The photographic brief defines the context of the final output and, depending upon the nature, may also contain relevant information regarding conceptual approach"

I understand "conceptual photography" to mean illustrating an idea. This can perhaps be seen as being available to more digital photographers than film photographers perhaps with post processing tools such as Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop. Flick is seen as a great outlet for such work. Here is a link to one of the Flickr groups, Concept Art:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/75946829@N00/

Photographer Rosie Hardy, a young photographer, has published many images here and as a result of her work was asked to produce an image as an album cover for Maroon 5, here it is:

Maria Short says "The photographic brief does not have to be complicated." and this image exemplifies this and the image clearly shows that post processing techniques have been used here. Its obviousness leaves the viewer in no doubt it has happened. Its a very simple image and demonstrates some skills in post processing. I'm not sure exactly what her brief was but given the album name she has produced a simple yet effective image in response.

Short also goes on to describe the student brief and that many under graduate courses set quite loose briefs to encourage a more personal brief. I think I would like to try and embrace this more as I feel to do date my personal interpretation at times has perhaps been a bit stiff and perhaps even predictable at times. Page 22 lists 7 suggested considerations to assist a response to a brief and I think I would like to take these into consideration going forward and perhaps consider some conceptual art as part of People and Place Assignment 2

I've attached a link to one of Rosie Hardy's image galleries as she produces some very innovative but simple images:

http://www.rosiehardy.com/1147-main-gallery

Perhaps a simple conceptual response to a simple brief could be effective


References

Short, Maria (2011). Context and Narrative. SA: AVA Publishing. p20-23.

P & P - Standard Focal Length - Exercise 5 -Standard Focal Length

This exercise requires images taken with a standard focal length of  between 40 and 50mm on a full frame camera which will be very close to the focal length our eyes have.

All 3 of the following images were taken with a 50mm fixed focal length lens on a full frame camera

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Exercise Learning

a) The problem with fixed focal length lenses is that you have to move the camera to do perform the framing rather than a quick twist of the zoom. This does sometimes mean for portraits you could spend to much time trying to this right. However after a few images the distance the lens needs to be is quickly judged. I try to leave a gap in the frame to allow for potential cropping around the subject(s) later

b) 50mm on a full frame camera will create images that are natural to the eye as this is what we will view with our own eyes, subject to any zoom cropping of the image in post production, these images have none

c) The distance between subject and photographer is a very comfortable distance and I found people are very natural and easy to pose at this distance

d) A small depth of field can be created with fast 50mm lens and subject to location of image can easily be used to blur and uninteresting background, as shown images 1 and 2

e) This particular lens I used is a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and is very cheap, very fast and very light. The lightness of the lens makes for easy and quick images and appears less obtrusive to subjects. Its a great lens for indoor images

David Hurn and Bill Jay, "On Being a Photographer"

Maria Short in her book Context and Narrative mentions a very apt quote from the book 
 "On Being a Photographer":

"Photographers should actively look for ideas, attitudes, images, influences from the very best photographers of all ages. You cannot learn in a vacuum. The whole history of photography is a free and open treasure trove of inspiration. It would be masochistic to deny its riches and usefulness".

I think that perhaps I have not used this resource fully until recently. Its something I do need to explore and embrace more to improve my photography. My recent formal assessment of Digital Photographic Practice complemented my technical skills and as TAOP formal assessment also mentioned, I do not appear to evidence much risk taking. I think for People and Place I will attempt to do this, at least much more than I have so far


References
Short, Maria (2011). Context and Narrative. SA: AVA Publishing. p20-23.
Hurn, Davd & Jay, Bill (1997). On Being a Photographer. Lenswork Publishing; 3rd Edition 

P & P - Part Two Wide Angle - Exercise 4 - Close and Involved

This exercise asks for use of wide angle lens of around 28 mm or less and concentrate on using it close to people and try to put the viewer right inside the situation.


Image 1

This image was taken with a 20mm fixed focal length lens. The lens was a lot closer to the subject than this image suggest and so requires a level of confidence and allowance of the photographer within the subject's personal space.


Image 2

This image taken with a zoom lens at its widest setting of 28mm. A lower view point but close in to the subject has created a dramatic image of "Chuckie" putting the viewer amongst the action


Exercise Learning
a) Taking photographs of people with ultra wide angle (UWA) lenses can result in facial distortion, normally noses as this is slightly closer to the lens than any other facial feature. 

b) Portraits at 20mm where the subject is to be closely framed, with no cropping, will require the photographer to be very close to the subject. Both photographer and subject need to be comfortable with this level of closeness, more so the subject

c) Lower view points as in Image 2 can help dramatise the scene and enable the viewer to feel close and personal with the subject

Telling Stories - Truth or Fiction?

In Maria Short's book "Basics - Creative Photography 02 - Context and Narrative" she talks about the telling of a story through photographs and the variations for how an image can be read.

Under the section I detail as the title of this post she mentions a quote from Magnum Photographer David Hurn which I'll paraphrase "....The only factually correct aspect of photography is that it shows what something looked like under a very particular set of circumstances." (Short, 2011)

For anyone who has looked at images printed in tabloid papers and celebrity magazines there have been many celebrities photographed with eyes half closed, maybe having an unfortunate slip, when leaving a club; the image appearing to tell the story the celebrity is drunk. I've no doubt that there are a proportion who are and a proportion who are not, however the photographer or editor in presenting the image in a particular context has told a story without using words and allowed the viewer to make what they think is an obvious conclusion of the image under observation. Is this story true or fiction? We won't always know.

The following link details a number of images in which celebrities may appear to have over indulged; which are true and which are fiction I'll leave for you to decide but one thing is for sure, the method of how the celebrity is presented in the image under a particular set of circumstances leaves no doubt about what is implied:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/favourite-ever-celebrity-drunk-pictures-1130706

David Hurn, who made the quote above, was in 1963 commissioned to photograph a series of image stills with Sean Connery and the actresses of James Bond film "From Russia With Love". The theatrical and famously James Bond traditional Walther PPK pistol prop didn't arrive. Hurn offered the use of his own Walther LP-53 air pistol. The pistol became a symbol of James Bond on many film posters of the series. In fact even modern day Daniel Craig was, in posters only, also seen holding a suppressed Walther PPK, true to Ian Fleming's books. However Hurn, true to his quote above, has used an LP-53 in his photographs to appear as a Walther PPK pistol under a very particular set of circumstances. The following link shows an example of one of the posters including Sean Connery with the gun:

http://www.filmoria.co.uk/2012/07/james-bond-dossier-no-2-from-russia-with-love/

If the truth had been common knowledge at the time that James Bond was photographed for the posters with an air pistol it may have had a very negative impact.


For the James Bond buffs out there, Daniel Craig in the film Skyfall is filmed using four pistols:

 - traditional Walther PPK
 - Heckler and Kock HK416 D10RS
 - Glock 17
 - Percusion Cap Ardesa 1871 Dueling Pistol

 Can you tell me which one he is photographed using for the posters and also if this is an air pistol or a theatrical prop?


References

Short, Maria (2011). Context and Narrative. SA: AVA Publishing. p17.

P & P - Part Two Medium Telephoto - Exercise 3 - Standing Back

This exercise suggests medium focal length lens between the range 80-200mm and understanding the difference between different focal lengths understanding the challenges of the extra distance between lens and subject. I've used a 28-105mm lens for these images which is a smaller compact size lens and less obvious but with a great focal length range


Image 1

This image is shot at 62mm but allowed sufficient reach to take the images and be unnoticed and un-obvious. I selected this image as the subjects are all visibly occupied in looking at the same element that has caught their attention


Image 2

At the full reach of my lens at 105mm this gave me plenty of distance to get a unique image. Unfortunately have not got my focus quite right to get a really sharp image


Image 3

It can be quite interesting what unusual sights you can capture when out with a camera in the street.  Tricycles are not a common sight but where the cyclist is also carry an animal within a cat box having the extra reach of the lens meant I wasn't in the middle of the road and was able pull scenes in nearer than they actually were.


Image 4

This image taken at 105mm demonstrates how the view can be brought into an action image but where the photographer is not that immersed in the activities and shooting from a distance.

Exercise Learning

1. Extra reach can be scenes in closer than they are

2. The intimacy of situations are not spoilt but someone close-up with a camera

3. The greater distance between subject and camera can mean there is greater chance of something moving between an an in-opportune moment. Sometimes awareness and timing are crucial or can also spoil an intended moment captured

4. Longer lenses can draw attention to you. Not always a problem but something to be aware of

P & P - Part Two The Moment - Exercise 2 - Capturing The Moment

This exercise asks for concentration on a burst of activity from which I should try and capture a "best" moment.

Well its not very often you have an air ambulance helicopter land just in front of your house.

It having landed before I was aware of what was really happening and gathered my camera and attached a telephoto lens I knew from then on I was waiting to capture the moment of the helicopter's take-off.

I've detailed several of the images amongst about 90 that I took saving what I feel is the best image until last

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

I prefer image 4 as the helicopter looks less constrained and appears more as a vehicle of the air, especially with more of the sky in view. On the horizon middle left is a very small airfield so seemed apt to include with the helicopter.

Making the Local Papers
Some may say "no publicity is bad publicity" and I managed to get an image into the local paper The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review with my eye witness report.

Exercise Learning

1. Opportunity can arrive at the most unlikeliest of moments, always be prepared to take advantage

2. When something is about to happen make sure you and your equipment and ready and prepared as once it starts it make be too late to correct or there insufficient time to adjust

3. Shoot quickly giving sufficient room in the frame for future post processing adjustments. I'm learning this one

4. I have sent a selection of images to the local paper for potential inclusion. I reserve the rights and just ask for a photo credit

5.Publicity of images in a local paper will help get my name associated with photography and I would help assist my marketable skills

As a footnote the affected individual was treated on scene by ground medical staff but it was reassuring of the speed the medical people can get to a scene and how many risk their lives every day to help save others

P & P - Part Two A Comfortable Situation - Exercise 1 - Developing your confidence

It very much depends on your location and your confidence when taking images in the street. As a tourist amongst others you will go unnoticed but on a typical village or city street you will appear noticeable.

I found there are multiple techniques that can be used:

1. Take a few images and move-on. You are noticed for a while, cause minimal disruption and are moving again

2. Hang around with your camera out. You start to blend into the background and people tend to ignore you after a while.

3. Take images of buildings, look like a tourist then focus on the more interesting people images

4. I've not done this but if you put on a high vis tabard with Photographer on the back you will look the part and people will think you belong there for a reason. They will of course remain curious and you also become obvious. It depends on what type of street photography you want to capture

I found people do look at you when you are taking images and this is often curiosity of what you are doing and what you are taking images of. There is perhaps a worry that when people look at you that their curiosity may develop more, however I found with a quick smile people are very quickly re-assured. In much the same way you are looking for situations to capture, they are also looking for things to attract their attention. With a camera in your hand you are much more sensitive to people looking at you.

Once you start moving around with your camera and focus on what you want to do I found I quickly ignored any passer-bys looking at me and wondering what I was doing. In fairness if I saw someone with a camera I would wonder what they were taking images of just being nosey,

I do always ensure I have a few things with me just in case of a situation:

1. A small card detailing my rights and those of and those of police officers / PCSO should I ever be stopped or asked questions about my photography.

2. My Student Card. If you explain that you are studying for a degree in Photography people become interested, relaxed and perhaps likely to pose for you.

3. My website mini-moo cards with my details to hand out. Again people will be interested, its cheap advertising and you never know, someone may want copies of your images or it could become a future commission. 

If detailed below a small sample of the images I captured:

Image 1 

I think this style of street performing started in Europe and its interesting seeing it performed in the UK. Notice in this image the shoppers ignoring the performing, in others that are seen clearly looking and smiling. On a dark and dreary day I should have considered upping my ISO to increase my shutter speed. However if this was a deliberate act not to do it you can see how it captures movement in the shoppers adding energy to the image

Image 2

In this image a street performer is engaging with a family. Also note the looks of the two ladies on the left enjoying the scene. Additionally notice one of the common curses of today's world. The man is too busy looking at his mobile phone to notice what is happening. If you haven't, watch a YouTube clip called "Look-Up" by Gary Turk that helps explain what people could be missing when over focused on their phone and so called social media:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY

Image 3

I prepared for the instance when someone walked past attempting not to look too obvious. Not sure if this is a "capture the moment" but I liked the advertising slogan "click and collect". Well I've done the clicking, if it sells I'll also do the collecting! More by luck than design I have captured some movement in the walking helping to demonstrate he is indeed doing just that.

Image 4

This image made me smile as I was clearly photo bombed by someone curious as what I was up to. I think I grinned and he grinned and then we both carried on. Better framing here could have made for a better image. With street photography there is often no second chance of capturing the moment.

Image 5

For this image I remained in one place and studied the worker look for an opportune moment with the camera to my eye. I was against a shop window and was able to remain unnoticed or simple just ignored. I think as a future activity, a set of images of street workers could prove an interesting approach

Exercise Learning

1. Use my histogram more, do what I normally do. I think I became at times over focused on looking around and forgot about some elements of digital photography

2. As above, ensure I concentrate on what is in the full frame, allow room potential for any post processing edit

3. Be aware of the challenges of gloomy light in a city centre and how this can effect exposure

4. Employ where required the three techniques I've discovered above

5. After feeling initially uncomfortable and obvious at first I quite enjoyed it and had the start of capturing street images I hope reflected in some of the images above

Street Photography in the UK and the Law

I think every photographer should be aware of the UK law with regard to photography in public. 

I thought I should read up on this before embarking deeper into exercises and assignments

DPP -v- Jones (1999): The Court recognised that the public may enjoy a public highway for any reasonable purpose, provided it does not amount to public or private nuisance or obstruct the highway "by unreasonably impeding the primary right of the public to pass and re-pass: within these qualifications there is a public right of peaceful assembly on the highway." 

Its not quite so in other countries so students should read up to understand their rights for the nation and indeed city that they are taking images.

Some public places also have bylaws preventing commercial photography, such as in Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square and some Royal Parks. But if you’re not taking photos for commercial gain or causing an obstruction, you’re unlikely to be restricted.

There are currently no general privacy laws under UK law, but the UK courts must take into account the European Convention on Human Rights, which gives everyone the right to respect for their private and family life. As this is an area of law that has been developing rapidly over the last few years, it is hard to be certain what will constitute an infringement.

Its therefore advisable and sensible to be aware of the people you are taking images and how what you are doing could be misunderstood.

I personally carry a card which has selotaped on it some information about my rights and those of police officers / PCSO should I ever be stopped or asked questions about my photography. I also carry my student card and mini-moo website cards so that in the unlikely event I'm stopped, questioned etc I can explain what I am doing and why and I have identification. I would also be happy to show anyone any images I had taken and would delete any where someone asked me to.

Of course you need to be sensible about taking images and any normal person should be aware of what is reasonable and what is not.

The following link is to an article from DigitalCameraWorld called Photographers Rights: the Ultimate Guide 14/04/2012

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/04/14/photographers-rights-the-ultimate-guide/1/

I found this a really informative, clear, and helpful article