The brief for this
exercise requires an approach that is the opposite of project 1: instead of
conducting a photo shoot in a controlled environment in a planned way the aim
is for a shooting assignment that is unstructured and open ended. A possible
example given in the brief is street photography and this is a format I decided
to use straight away. I have an interest in street photography, particularly
candid shots, but rarely set out with the specific aim of taking street
photographs. A lot of my photography fits around my family commitments, for
example I may take a couple of candid shots when I am out and about with my
children. This alleviates any pressure about pointing my camera at people I do
not know but also works as a kind of security blanket which prevents me from
developing my confidence.
For this exercise I
decided to head into Durham city which is about 15 miles from my home. I chose
Durham because the city centre is compact yet diverse in terms of locations.
Durham also attracts a large number of tourists so I knew it would not be unusual
for someone to be taking pictures and I would therefore feel comfortable
walking around with my camera. I would only have a short amount of time (around
an hour) to take the pictures as I needed to be back home, I decided to use
only one lens for the shoot - a 24-70mm zoom, however I quickly doubted whether
this was the best choice as the lens is quite large - perhaps the much more
compact and less obtrusive 50mm lens would have been a better choice. The
discipline of using a fixed focal length could also have been a benefit. My
initial feelings when I took out my camera were a little unexpected, I felt
distinctly uncomfortable and uncertain about what to photograph. I realised how
rarely I put myself in this sort of position where my sole purpose is to take
photographs, even when taking pictures that did not contain people I felt ill
at ease.
My approach was
extremely free form - I simply walked around the city centre taking pictures of
anything that caught my eye. The exercise brief suggests editing images on the
go for this project but I decided not to do this as my experience is that images
can often look stronger on the cameras LCD than on the computer and conversely
images which do not seem worthwhile can be found to have merit when downloaded
onto the computer. With plenty of space on my memory card I felt no need to
delete images as I shot, also, the process of reviewing pictures on the go
would potentially spoil the pace of the shoot. My nervousness meant that I did
not hang around in a particular location for long and the majority of my images
have a 'snatched' quality about them. Potentially I would have benefited from
staying longer in one location and exploring the opportunities. I also felt
pressured by time, an hour seems like a lot of time to spend on a shoot until
you are actually in the position of taking the pictures. I felt like I was just
starting to get into a rhythm with the shoot by the time it had come to an end,
I was also doubtful that I had been able to capture anything worthwhile.
Towards the end of the shoot I employed a couple of strategies which I think
with further work could have yielded results. Firstly, I stood on Framwellgate
bridge which is the main pedestrian bridge through the city - I pretended to be
taking pictures of the river Wear with the Cathedral and Castle in the
background when I was really using these as background to my candid shots.
Secondly, I took photographs around the statue of Charles Stewart on horseback
in the market square. This is a busy area of the city with lots of movement and
people interacting so I knew it would be a good place for candid shots.
At the end of the
shoot I had taken 61 pictures. I knew that I would have little of merit from
the shoot but felt I had learned a lot from the experience. Firstly that I am
not as confident at street photography as I had thought and secondly that I
simply do not get out with my camera enough. I surprised myself at how much I
enjoyed the process of simply getting out and taking pictures and that too
often it is my self doubt that means I do not get out more. I need to be less
worried about failing and more willing just to get out experiment and enjoy
photography in general.
Selections
I have discussed my
process for selecting images at length in my write up for exercise one so will
not repeat myself here. I used the same process for choosing the pictures with
the aim of arriving at two selections.
My initial thoughts
of the pictures were that they were clearly rushed - a number of images
suffered from camera shake which resulted from me not spending enough time
composing and not being careless with my choice of camera settings. After my
first review I flagged 15 images as picks for further review and deselected 3.
Final selects:
My initial thoughts
from my review of the 15 images I had chosen as picks was that I did not really
like any of them! I left a couple of weeks between my initial review and
selection before coming back to them but found myself feeling the same way - I
was struck with a feeling that the images have no purpose. I guess this is the
result of having no agenda for the shoot, the advantage of this is that I could
have captured a moment that I could never have prepared for, and if I had solid
and immovable objectives this may not have happened. The truth however is that
nothing I had taken fit that criteria which leads me to the conclusion that for
me having an objective is something I need - the trick I assume is working with
some sort of purpose while remaining flexible enough to adapt to changing
circumstances.
An example of an
image I visualised much more successfully in my mind than I managed to capture
is this:
-11.jpg)
When I took this
picture I was drawn by the reflection of Durham Cathedral in the window of the
bar, I thought the reflection contrasting with the modern building and the
ladies enjoying a drink within would make an interesting juxtaposition of old
versus new Durham. My aim was to show how Durham is now a bright, modern
cosmopolitan city while still retaining its historic routes. I also thought
that the interplay between the reflection and the transparency of the glass
would be visually interesting. I do not know whether the image I previsualised
is possible from the various elements here, but I do know I came nowhere near
capturing what I imagined. Potentially if I had spent more time composing the
shot so attention is concentrated on the windows and been more careful with my
exposure settings the image would be more successful. This is an example of a
situation where I needed to slow down and think about what I was doing before
pressing the shutter and also one where I should have experimented more and
taken a number of shots of the scene.
Final Choices:
Despite not being
happy with the images I produced for this exercise I have chosen 2 pictures
which I think show ideas which can be explored further:
-9.jpg)
24-70mm
f2.8 lens @ 70mm, ISO 200, 1/60 sec, f9.5
For this image I was
experimenting looking through the viewfinder from my high vantage point
focusing my composition around the many triangles created in the frame when the
two figures entered the scene. Their inclusion adds a point of interest to the
image would otherwise be lacking. I like the purposeful way they are moving
through the which adds a dynamism that is accentuated by the many diagonal
lines, there is also a voyeuristic feel to the image due to the high viewpoint
and the feeling the camera is peeking over the wall in the foreground which is
a little unsettling. I am unsure as to whether the foreground being out of
focus helps or detracts attention from the image - perhaps being a little more
in focus while still being blurred would be more successful?
24-70mm
f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 400, 1/750 sec, f8
The most successful
of my 'pretend to be photographing the Cathedral' shots! I like the way this
image is bookmarked by the two purposely moving characters at either side of
the central figures - their opposing directions also add an element of tension.
The figures are also arranged in a pleasing diagonal, the Cathedral in the
background provides a sense of location but is sufficiently obscured to not
dominate the composition.
Conclusions
The main thing I
have taken from this exercise is a better understanding of where I am at
currently as a photographer rather than having produced a set of images I am
happy with. Indeed, the process of having to look closely at pictures I would
probably have discarded at first glance has been an interesting one. Firstly, I
have learned that I am not as confident at street photography as I first
thought. This exercise has made me recognise that the majority of my
photography happens alongside other things I am doing in my life. For example,
if I am on a family day out I will likely capture a few candid shots during the
course of the day. Subconsciously being with my family (and therefore having a
legitimate reason to be taking photographs) provides me a kind of confidence -
before completing this exercise I would have said I am confident pointing the
camera at strangers in the street but I can now see this is not the case. I
also realise that this type of freeform photography probably benefits from exploring
a particular area in more detail. I think if I had stuck with taking
photographs on Framwellgate bridge longer I would have netted some better
results. Lastly, I think I am someone who needs to be working towards a
specific brief to be able to produce results. By that I mean that pursuing
projects or series' of photographs is something I should pursue further -
currently one of my main barriers to taking photographs is one of self doubt
about the purpose of my photography. The main area I seem to be developing at
the moment is finding excuses not to go out and take photographs, not having
enough time, not feeling like it/being in the right frame of mind etc. etc. The
biggest challenge I face currently is managing my time effectively, perhaps breaking
goals down into manageable objectives could be a strategy. I also need to
manage my self doubts and worry less about producing work I am unhappy with -
the only way I am going to progress is through producing work , analysing
whether it is successful or not and in turn learning from this.
