Statement of Intent:
My aim was to utilise the opportunity of being in London, having a spare hour before attending a meeting and being presented with an opportunity of having what felt like half of London moving past you. From my early research on photographers involved in Street Photography and Reportage, several images took my interest. These were:
- Thomas Sullivan - Images of a wide range of sport; often portrayed in full colour but capturing the feeling of the moment.
- Ian Tindale - Reportage images of individuals or small groups and real-time events; capturing the moment and the mood of the event.
- Danny Santos - In particular his work on "The Street is a Catwalk" theme where his photographs caught individuals, often women, looking like they were on the Red Carpet. Many of his images have been adjusted using a variety of methods to emphasis the focus on the women.
- Martin Parr - Images that capture the unusual. Some of his photographs were aimed at portraying the event through only capturing part of the event eg. a couples arms interlocked.
- Patrick Lichfield - Photograph of Jacqueline Bissett leaning against a wall providing a contrast of texture.
Health and Safety:
I positioned myself by some low railings at the side of one of the entrances to Green Park. Some of the people noticed me taking photographs but simply continued about their business. Health and safety turned out to be a minor matter but my initial concern was whether someone would challenge what I was doing. This did not happen.
My photographs are divided into the two themes that duplicate the work of the three photographers noted above.
Record of Image Capture:
My objectives and range of images were captured in my notebook along with the camera settings.
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| Image of notes recorded at Green Park. |
Running Activity:
The opportunity of capturing images of people jogging during their lunch break allowed me to mimic the sporting photographs of Thomas Sullivan. His objective to "capture the emotions of the present as they happen" provides the opportunity to portray the feeling of energy, tiredness and determination. An example of one of the sporting images found during my research is below to use in comparison.
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| Thomas Sullivan sporting image |
Thomas Sullivan's image captures the flow of the runners, the movement of each runner and the energy being expended. My photographs taken in Green Park, London also captures this movement and energy as well the effort being expended by the runner.
Having the line of bollards provides a sense of distance with those in the foreground being out of focus, progressing through focus in line with the predominant subject and then returning to a blurring of the background.
The next four photographs concentrate on the actual runners to capture the determination, the effort being expended and the tiredness. The single male runner captures all of these factors and again the line of bollards along the grass edge allows for the distance perspective through the use of a restricted focal distance.
The sequence of three images of a pair of ladies running together captures the movement of the individuals. They are exercising but also conducting a conversation depicting the friendly relationship between the two.
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| Runners slightly out of focus to depict distance. |
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| Runners in focus capturing the motion. Background blurred to accentuate distance. |
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| Close up of runners to capture determination and the conversation. |
"The Street is a Catwalk":
The images below by Danny Santos and Ian Tindale are examples of the Reportage photographs that I am striving towards. Danny Santos's photograph below has been adjusted to exaggerate the focus on the lady. The subject is central within the image, the background has been blurred and the side edges have been darkened thereby making the central portion appear as though additional lighting has been used.
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| Danny Santos - "The Street is a Catwalk" |
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| Ian Tindale - Black & White Image |
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| Ian Tindale - Queuing Image |
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| Martin Parr - Interlocked arms. |
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| Patrick Lichfield - Jacqueline Bissett |
My photographs below were taken over a lunch period at the entrance to Green Park in London. The weather was warm and sunny and people were making the most of getting out into the park for lunch. My photographs attempt to capture the images of both Ian Tindale and Danny Santos; although my focus was very much on the individual which is more in line with those images of Danny Santos. His theme of "The Street is a Catwalk" was very much alive. Having high light levels allowed the use of high shutter speeds (between 1/250 and 1/400 with ISO 100) thereby allowing the subjects and the moment to be captured.
Many of the images have been rejected as they were either slightly out of focus or did not capture the moment. The camera was hand-held to enable rapid movement and manual focus was used to provide the means for specific focus on individuals. Some of the subjects were aware of my camera being pointed in their direction but nothing was said. This did however ensure the capture of individuals looking straight at the camera. The images capture the flow of people through the park, couples talking, individuals making phone calls or grabbing lunch on the move or simply waiting for friends.
Focusing on the fashion aspects, a couple of my photographs captured the clothing and in particular what is being worn on the legs and feet. The dress code of the individual has been captured in these photographs; by looking at the clothing and footwear you have a picture of the individual.
These photographs capture the moment!
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| My image of the crowd (Reference Ian Tindale's queuing image) Blurred foreground and background emphasising distance |
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| "Old Navy 94" - Brother and Sister |
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| Couple in conversation Blurred background to emphasis focus on the couple |
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| Enjoying the experience! Colour image B&W image reference Ian Tindale's young group squatting |
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| "The Street is a Catwalk" Movement, focused and fashion |
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| "The Street is a Catwalk" Couple in conversation |
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| "Sharing the joke." Laughter captured; pair framed by the background. |
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| "Something has captured his attention." Lady in foreground is blurred to emphasis the focus on the man. |
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| "Catching up on the reading." Focus is reversed; crisp foreground and blurred background. |
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| "The Street is a Catwalk." - Mamma Alta |
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| "The Street is a Catwalk." - Mamma Alta Focus this time is on the lady behind. Photograph contrasts differing fashion and colour. |
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| "The Street is a Catwalk" - Close-up to capture the moment. Image is framed by the actual cropping by the camera. Colour suits the image providing life and energy. |
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| "The Street is a Catwalk" - Close-up to capture the fashion . Blurred foreground to emphasis the bright colour of the fashion. Background is blurred and dark again emphasising the individual. |
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| "The Street is a Catwalk" - Coffee on the move. |
The following two photographs are a variance of the theme "The Street is a Catwalk"; looking at legs and fashion. From these photographs you can create an image of the individual.
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| "The Street is a Catwalk" - Fashion Jeans (Reference to the images of Martin Parr) |
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| "The Street is a Catwalk" Fashionable footwear depicts the subject. (Reference to the images of Martin Parr) |
There were options to capture images of executives at lunch either catching up on the mobile or grabbing a quick sandwich whilst on the move.
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| A slave to the mobile. Captured against a brick wall to provide an opposing surface. Well groomed clothing v's a regimented wall that has seen better days. (Reference to Lichfield's image of Jacqueline Bissett) |
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| Lunch on the move. Smart fashionable dress code of an executive with a pack of sandwiches in hand. Background blurred to emphasis |
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| Lunch on the move. Close up of executive. Short focal distance blurring the background to emphasis the image. People in the background provides an alternative image. |
An alternative option was provided by people waiting for friends or partners. The following photographs portray the "waiting".
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| "Anticipation" On tip toe looking for her friend; drinks in hand. Large focal distance to capture a crisp image throughout. Subject is in the distance emphasised by the other people passing. |
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| "Anticipation" (2). Close up of subject peering for her friend. Large focal distance to capture the depth of the imaGE. |
These images capture a young lady waiting for a message on her mobile. Leaning against a lamp post in line with a series of bollards provided an opportunity to use a reduced focal distance to emphasis the scenario. The intense light and shadow also provided a complex foreground that adds atmosphere.
By zooming in on the subject a different image is produced. Positioning myself low and in line with the tops of the bollards offered a different perspective and draws the line of sight onto the subject. The background is out of focus intentionally to keep attention on the subject.
Review:
My objective was to capture the atmosphere of individuals, couples and groups in a variety of situations as portrayed in researched photographs by Thomas Sullivan, Ian Tindale, Danny Santos, Martin Parr and Patrick Lichfield. Their images captured real time situations in a way that provided the on-looker with a sense of atmosphere. In the space of an hour I was able to use the range of events unfolding around me as "Londoner's" capitalised on a warm sunny lunch period. I was able to capture a similar range of images as those found during my research.
