Exercise 2: Your Own Workflow 2

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:

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:

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.