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.