People, Portraits and Reportage

At the weekend we went to Buxton for the day and I took my Nikon D90 and used my 24-105mm lens to take some shots whilst walking around.  I did not use my Macro Nikkor 105mm lens I did not have my tripod and was not looking to shoot any close up shots.  It was a very bright and sunny day and the camera controls had to be changed constantly while walking from shady to bright areas. 

We also visited some caves which I altered the ISO and then forgot to alter it back again once outside, so some of the shots were shot on the complete wrong ISO but came out really nice.  I did not take my tripod but I did not need it as the bright sunshine ensured that a really fast shutter was needed.  I charged my battery fully and had a spare memory card.

I have converted the images to black and white in post production and added sepia tones to some of the images.  I have also used the history brush to colour parts of black and white images like the Telephone Box, Rugby shirt and No Entry sign.

1/400 F7.1

  

1/60 F 5.6  ISO 400



 

1/640 F9 ISO 400



1/200 F6.3 ISO 400



1/125 F7.1 ISO 200

1/160 F7.1 ISO 800

1/200 F9 ISO 400

Safety Considerations

Whilst walking around Buxton I considered all safety aspects and ensured that I was careful around roads using pedestrian crossing where they were available.  I also ensured that every care was taken whilst shooting near water so no accidents occured to me or my children as they often played near the water.  I was careful whilst walking around the park and ensured that I respected the plants, trees and flowers making sure that I did not damage anything.  It was a really hot day and we all had drinks and refreshments to ensure that we stayed hydrated in the hot sunshine.  Suncream was applied to eliminate the risk of sunburn.

Research: Reportage

Reportage or Street Photography is capturing candid moments of everyday life, capturing the full truth in someones eyes.  There are some photographers who shoot staged or posed street photography, which is more posed street portraiture rather than street photography.

Capturing candid images allows you to see the facial expressions without the face being posed, this allows you to see their worries, fears, hopes and aspirations.  It allows you to see more of who that person is rather than who they want you to see.  Street Photography feels very daunting as most people don't want you taking their photograph in the streets and it makes you afraid of the consequences.  The smaller your camera the less intimidating to the subject but as I only have my Nikon D90 and 18-105mm lens that will have to do.

A good technique for street photography is to shoot from the hip.  This is a technique to hold your camera at waist level and tilt upwards.  This allows you to shoot without actually looking through the viewfinder.  This kind of technique takes lots of practise as you have to pre-focus your lens and estimate the distance.  This results in lots of blurred out of focus images.

I am going to have a go at shooting from the hip to see the results.  I will use my 18-105mm lens on a wide angle as this will ensure I get a wider perspective and give more chance of capturing the subject in the frame.  I will use a small aperture so that all the subject remains in focus and a fast shutter speed.  If the image is over-exposed I will higher the shutter speed and if they are under-exposed I will increase the ISO.


Street Photography Techniques


Juxtaposition is a fancy work that artists like to use which simply means a stark contrast between two elements within an image.  This contrast can be between a sign or advertisement and a person or an object and a person or between two people.  I really like this style of photography especially the ones which show the element of humour.

Use the Light

Light plays an important part of any photograph as Photography is painting with light.  Looking for light and shadows in street photography can create really interesting images.  Weather it be in shadows, reflections or light in the distance, at the end of a corridor or tunnel.  Light can also be used to create interesting patterns and textures which is really important in black and white photography as there is no colour to guide the eye around the image.

Candid Images

Candid images of people in street photography are often the best kind of images, capturing peoples expressions naturally without that posed look that you get when an image is posed.  You capture peoples true facial expression when you take a candid image.  This can be very tricky as getting close to people and taking their picture can often be a daunting experience.  Shooting from the hip or keeping your camera low around your waist can help.

The Shock Factor

A technique of street photography which I don't think I would be comfortable doing is to stand in front of people and take their photograph to capture the shocked look on their faces.  This can produce amazing images but you would have to be really brave to do this.

How to Shoot from the Hip - Street Photography 101

This is a short You Tube post which details information on how to shoot from the hip in street photography.  He explains a few techniques in how to get really good candid shots with these techniques people will not know you are actually photographing them.  Eric Kim is a fantastic street photographer who has travelled around the world producing really good reportage.

Europe Through My Lens - Street Photography by Eric Kim

Research : Eric Kim

"Street Photography is all about capturing 

the beauty in the mundane"- Eric Kim

I came across Eric Kim on Facebook a couple of months ago and he really is amazing.  He is very here and now and although I would love to go back to the 1950s and shoot in the style of Robert Doisneau or Henri Cartier Brasson unfortunetaly it is not possible.  I do however still love modern day street photography especially when shot in cities and converted to black and white.

Eric Kim is a Los Angeles based street photographer who specialises in black and white street photography.  He has taken photographs all over the world and in some of the worlds most beautiful cities including Paris, London, Korea, Rome, Florence, Venice and Prague.

This image has so much pattern and texture which makes black and white photography really interesting as you have no colour to draw the eye around the image.  A nice use of light and lines with a really nice tonal range throughout.  The lights have caused shadow which adds tone and the lights also have a really nice pattern.  The busy background makes up for the lack of colour in this image.

I like images with shadows and reflections and this one is interesting as you cannot see the mans head but it is captured within the shadow.  The reflection shows that the man is wearing a bowler hat which allows you to imagine the full image of the man.  Really nice use of light taken at an angle with the camera facing downwards.

This is a great photograph of China Town, Los Angeles.  Really nice use of light captures the shadows of the lanterns on the ground.  This is a one of the few colour images of Eric Kim and you can clearly see why he chose to keep the colour.  The composition aspects of reflection, The rule of thirds, pattern texture are used for this image.

I love that the little girl in this image is smiling out at the camera it really shows the sweetness of children. In most street photography the people captured are seldom looking and if they are they are they are rarely smiling.  I like the reflection in this image of the street and the cars showing the world outside.  A nice tonal range throughout with good use of the composition aspect of lines and reflection.

I really love the pattern that has been created in this image. Advertisements can be really useful in street photography for telling a story or using as a reflection. The advertisement has created a really good backdrop.  Really easy to achieve with a little time and your camera already set up.  I also like the pattern and texture of the cobbled street at the forefront of the image.

This is a classic street photography shot.  Bikes always seem to make really interesting images it must be all the lines present.  The two people are looking towards the photography with candid looks on there faces.  The focal point is the bike and the people are in the background.  There is a nice tonal range throughout the image and the eye is easily guided around the image

This image which shows the compostion aspect of reflection, lines and the rule of thirds.  A nice tonal range and I really like the contrast of the black suit and handrails against the white walls in the background.  I like images using the compostion aspect of reflections I think they make really interesting images.

This image has lots of detail in the background which always looks really good if converting to black and white.  A nice tonal range and the composition aspect of the rule of thirds with the main subject on the skateboard.  There are lines, patterns and textures around the whole of the image which guide the eye.

Assignment 206 Statement of Intent Reportage

Intentions/purpose of the photography to be undertaken

In May I am going to Paris and I plan to shoot by second theme whilst I am there.  I am hoping to capture reportage around Paris and hopefully I would like to capture some of the famous landmarks in the images.  I am planning to photograph reportage around The Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe and Notre Damn and I find images taken on the underground really interesting.  I will also capture reportage around the affluent area of Champ Elysees which has many bars and cafes.

Reasons for selection of this Theme

I have a book at home called Paris Mon Amour by Taschen books, which is a book of black and white images taken by the great photgraphers from two centuries taken around Paris.  It is a fabulous book and Paris is a beautiful city to photograph.  I really like Reportage and have been inspired by Dennis Morris and his collection Growing up Black and The Jamaican Street Scene.  I also really like the staged style of reportage photographed by Annie Leibovitz in her collection American Music.

The photo imaging equipment and media that will be used and why

I will be using my Nikon D90 with 18-105mm lens.  I will fully charge my battery and make sure I have a spare memory card.  I will not be taking my tripod as I will be taking pictures of strangers and will have to be quick whilst taking the shots.  There is a law in Paris which states that people in images have a right to their own identity.  There are also laws that landmark images may not be used under copyright law but I do not know how that would stand up once the images have been removed from France.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message

I am hoping to capture some subjects with a narrow depth of field and blur out the background.  I am not sure if I will be converting these images to black and white but I intend to use any light to my full advantage.  I will try and shoot my images at interesting angles to make the images interesting and am hoping to capture landmarks of paris in the background.

How light quality can be used to help convey the visual message

I will  try and capture images in the morning or evening when the sun is better positioned in the sky and the shadows are more interesting.  This will be helpful if converting the images to black and white as shadows and sunlight can add tone, pattern and texture to a black and white image.

Safety Considerations

I will always be careful when photographing and consider the area I am in taking into consideration any danger.

Change of Theme

I have decided to change my second theme from Nature to Reportage.  I am going to Paris in May and have decided to base my second theme on reportage in Paris.  Statement of Intent will follow shortly.

Research: Robert Doisneau (1912-1994)

Robert Doisneau was born in 1912 in Gentilly, France and he studied lithography but soon realised that his real passion was photography.  He worked for Renault as an adverting photograper but was sacked for constantly being late so made money from postcards for tourists in Paris.  After the war he was approched by French Vogue and worked as a fashion photographer for a while but his real passion was photojornalism and the streets of Paris and this is where he returned in 1951.

Photojornalism or Street Photography as it is called today was Robert Doisneau style of photography, he wanted to capture the surreal in everyday life, that moment of something amusing, the shear act of human nature.

Whilst photographing the streets of Paris as a freelance photographer he sold photographs to Life and other international magazine.  He has done many exhibitions around the world in many galleries and together with Henri Cartier Bresson is considered the pioneer of Street Photography.

The Kiss is probably Doisneau most famous photograph taken in 1950 of a couple kissing in the busy streets of Paris.  The couples indentity remained unknown until 1992.  Jean and Denise Lavergne believed they were the couple in the photograph and Doisneau let then believe this as he did not want to shatter their dream.  The subsequently took him to court because under French Law an individual owns the right to their own likeness.  This then forced Doisneau to reveal he had posed the shot using Francoise Delbart and Jacques Carteaud.  He had seen the couple kissing and asked them to stage the shot as he would not have dared to just shoot them without them knowing.
I really like this photography the way the focus is on the couple and the background is blurred.  The background is very high key which makes and low key activity in the foreground stand out almost like the white backdrop in portrait photography.  I like the message this image represents 1950s romance in Paris.

This image of two children playing near the Eiffel Tower is really nice capturing childhood in 1950s Paris.  He has focused on the children and blurred the background.  The background has created a really nice frame through the bottom of the Eiffel Tower.  The image has a nice tonal range with equal amounts of low key and high key.  The lines of the tower and the building in the background give the image really nice texture and pattern.  The rule of thirds is represented throughout the image.

This image with the Eiffel Tower in the background is something I am hoping to acheive although I will not have children of the 1940s.  This was taken in 1944 and is called Les jardins du Champ de Mars.  Taken from a low angle I like the way the Eiffel Tower is slightly offset from the middle and the tree run in a line down the side representing lines and the rule of thirds.  I think the sun was high in the sky as it has only allowed a little shadow on the ground from the children I would like to see this shot at a different time of day to show more shadow on the ground.  This image has a nice tonal range with equal amounts of low and high key.  I love the way this image represents children running, laughing and having fun capturing the pure essence of Parisian Life in the 1940s

Musician in the rain, Maurice Baquet, Paris was taken in 1957.  I love the way the musician is trying to protect his cello from the rain whilst the artist in the background is still painting.  This kind of humour can make photography really interesting, capturing the surreal.  This image represents the rule of thirds in every perspective and the railing add lines with creates patten and texture together with the lamp post and contrasts created within the wet ground.

Le Meute 1969 is one of my favorite Doisneau image which is photojournalism at its best.  I really like the way the forefront of the image is in focus and the background is blurred almost like it is raining in the distance. There are cars everywhere creating a really nice pattern and texture to the image.  The image represents the rule of thirds and is taken from a high angle giving a good perspective of the road below.  The lady walking with the child in the pushchair seems to be walking so casually as the cars come towards her.  The detail in this image is typical Doisneau with so much going on guiding the eye around the picture demanding you look at every detail.  

The Sidelong Glance.  Another humourous image taken by Robert Doisneau.  After seeing this nude image in a shop window he set up his camera and knew it would only be a matter of time before he would capture something. In this shot a couple have approached the window and the women is talking about the picture in front of her but you can clearly see the man glancing at the nude image.

The following images have been taken of children in Paris and are all based around the compositon aspect of lines, children in lines, clothes in lines.  The image with the children on the chairs in a line is place between two lines of trees.  This image also shows the composition aspect of the Rule of Thirds and has a really nice tonal range.