Photography 1: P & P, Proj 15: Public Space, Public Activity

Project 15: Public space, public activity


For this exercise I moved from an organised occasion to an organised space.  I visited my local park to photograph people enjoying the space.  There were people doing a variety of activities from skate boarding to cycling.  This public space is a vital amenity for the town.  It allows the town's residents to enjoy the outdoors in an organised space.

A selection of the photographs taken  are shown below:

2176.jpg; Skate boarders at the skate park.

2179.jpg; An individual skater, skating through the park.

2182.jpg; Cycling is safe and popular in the park.

The activities enjoyed by people in the park can be both focussed and unfocussed.  The uses that people put the park to are varied and people tend to make their own enjoyment albeit within an organised space.

Photography 1: P & P, Proj 14: An Organised Event

Project 14: An organised event

The objective of this exercise was to research and prepare a shoot in advance.  I sought an organised event at which there would be plenty of people and in which I could confidently expect to be able to photograph freely and with some variety.

I chose this march to celebrate St David's Day in Wales.  It is always a colourful event.  The dragons are made each year by local school children.  I was able to photograph different participants doing a variety of activities.  Fortunately the parade marched down the main street and then returned.  This gave ample opportunity for taking photographs.  I positioned myself outside the city hall, which is about half way along the route of the march.  This position enabled me to see all of the parade pass and return.  I stood at the kerbside so that there would be no spectators between me and the marchers.  From this position I was able to get close-ups of the participants as well as longer shots showing more of the parade.  There were many helpers to keep the children marching along.  This provided a variety of photographs of different ages.

Ten of the resulting images are shown below:

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Photography 1: P & P, Proj 13: A Standard View

Project 13: A Standard View

For this exercise I concentrated on shooting with one focal length.  I set the focal length on my camera to approximately 50mm as this represents what is thought to be a "standard view".

All the images were taken while I was out and about in London.  I experimented with taking photographs both inside and outside.  A few of the images produced are shown below:

2019; Customer in a Cafe.

2020; Street Scene.

2021; Street Scene.

2023; Woman Walking in an Alley.

2025; Window Shopper.

2028; Customers at a Cafe in Somerset House.

Shooting with a 50mm focal length requires the photographer to move more to position the subject in the frame.  Careful framing is required to eliminate extraneous detail.  It is difficult to get in-close to the isolate the subject.  Often when shooting a street scene, traffic will intrude into the shot unless the photograph is taken from a very close distance.

Using a fixed focal length is not necessarily more difficult than using a zoom lens, but it requires the photographer to think more carefully about his/her position relative to the subject.  More creative framing is required to ensure that the resulting image retains some simplicity and has impact.

Photography 1: P & P, Proj 12: Close & Involved

Project 12: Close and involved

For this exercise I used a wide angle setting on my zoom lens.  This enabled me to get close to people.  This has the effect of putting the viewer right inside the situation.

The two images created are shown below:  

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Both of these photographs were taken in Beijing, China.  They were both taken on a sunday, when people collect together in the park to socialise.  The people in the photographs are involved in and enjoying what they were doing.  This made it easier for me to get close to them to take the shots.  This is an advantage when working with a wide-angle of view from very close to the people you are photographing.  Another advantage created by working from very close is that the viewer will feel part of the action.

The problems created by working with a wide-angle of view from very close to the people you are photographing is that you can often be presented with a close-up view of the back of someone's head.  This is what happened when taking the photo ref. 5579 above.  Also, when you are working very close to people, they often notice you taking pictures and stare at the camera.  Fortunately, in these two situations the subjects were involved in what they were doing and ignored the camera.

Photography 1: P & P, Proj 11: Standing Back

Project 11: Standing back

For this exercise I used a long focal length lens, 300mm.  I took photographs of people who were unaware of my presence from a long distance away.  This had the benefit of ensuring that their expressions were relaxed and normal.  Two photographs are shown below that were taken from a long distance away.

6041; F11; 1/500s; ISO 400

6049; F11; 1/500s; ISO 400

 The disadvantages of shooting from a long distance from the subject are that passers by will often wander between the camera and the subject.  Also traffic if present can cause problems by obscuring the subject.  As the subject is unaware of the camera, they will often be looking in the wrong direction and patience is required to enable the required photograph to taken.

The advantages of shooting from a long distance from the subject are that the subject's expression is more relaxed and natural.  The photographs taken can have a more candid feel.  It is also possible to isolate the subject in dramatic surroundings when shooting from further away.

Photography 1: P & P, Proj 10: Moment & Gesture

Project 10: Moment and Gesture

For this exercise I found a "comfortable" situation and photographed a burst of activity.  In this instance the subject walking along a boardwalk by a beach.  I took a number of shots with the camera set to continuous shooting.  I then processed the images and chose a single image that I felt captured the "best" moment.

The appearance on camera can vary greatly, depending on the precise micro-second of capture.  Some moments captured will appeal more than others.  Judging and capturing the moment that works best in an image is an important step in the photographing of people.  I found that it is best to shoot freely and choose the key frame later in editing.  Many moments are difficult to predict, and reveal themselves only as they happen.  Some, indeed, reveal themselves later, not quite as you may have expected.

The images shot during this exercise are shown below:

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This image, 5934 gives more of an impression of movement of the subject along the board walk.  The image includes an interesting pile of recycled oyster shells.  There is also a clearer view of the face of the subject in this image.

Photography 1: P & P, Proj 9: A Comfortable Situation

Project 9: A comfortable situation

The objective of this project was to find an outdoor situation where there would be many people and activity, and in which I would feel comfortable using a camera to photograph people.

I chose the annual St David's Day dragon parade in St David's in Pembrokeshire.  There were lots of people involved in the parade.  The children of the city had made the brightly coloured dragons themselves during the days leading up to the event.  Many people were either taking part in the parade or lining the route.  Everyone involved was in a happy mood, enjoying the early spring sunshine.  As there were many people with cameras recording the event, I was able to go unnoticed with my camera.

I have shown some of the resulting images below:

7565; F13; 1/200s; 99mm (Equivalent)

7568; F13; 1/400s; 45mm (Equivalent)

7569; F13; 1/200s; 87mm (Equivalent)

7572; F13; 1/250s; 87mm (Equivalent)

7575; F13; 1/400s; 127mm (Equivalent)

7576; F13; 1/400s; 63mm (Equivalent)

7586; F13; 1/320s; 93mm (Equivalent)

I was very comfortable taking these photographs because of the large crowd and the focus of the crowd on the parade.  There were many other people with cameras.  This meant that I was largely inconspicuous with my own camera.  The result was a relaxed environment where I could take photographs freely without much attention being paid to me.

What have I learned from this project?

When setting out to photograph people so as to capture them in a relaxed pose, it is best to mingle in with the crowd of other onlookers, preferably with cameras of their own.  This enables you to comfortably take photos largely unnoticed.