Jump!

Okay all, well I had such a great response to my last piece which was a black & white landscape shot of a lone tree. I have sent a copy to Black+White Photography magazine it is the champion of this genre of photography, so who knows I may actually receive a 20x24in print!

I have to say its one of my own personal favourites I have ever taken, every time I look at the landscape though am always thinking about those iconic street shots taken by the past masters, I know I have some great material in my street photography back catalogue, and if you have not yet seen my work from my latest book then check out We The People for those interesting street shots from around the United Kingdom.

Looking at the book itself, I was very impressed and even more impressed at how great it looks on retina display on a Mac. The high definition is very sharp, so obviously sharp pictures please people. Even so I know from experience that shooting film can be a truer representation of a moment captured. Many of you who follow twitter and in particular that celluloid stalwart Ted Forbes, will know this on his show and regular podcast the art of photography that they're many who do prefer film to digital for so many reasons, however if any of you have ever had the opportunity to hold let alone use a Leica or other range finder, will know yes they can be accurate but looking through the viewfinder on a DSLR is like seeing what your actually seeing!

FED 4

I recently purchased a mint condition FED 4 Rangefinder, so far so good am impressed by using this seemingly compact camera and the lens is a superb Industar f/2.8 55mm So I have bought several rolls of film, some from Ilford and others from the lomography guys. So am buzzing with the thought of getting out there with this camera and shooting some fantastic street shots like this one here entitled Jump!



Jump!

I had been watching him and his friends leaping into the air off a slackline, he jumped from one to another he had an incredible sense of balance, I was fixated and I shot a couple of more shots; but this one really captured his sense of control and belief in what he was doing the concentration on his face was electric.

Capturing this has given me renewed focus too, I have now got some great ideas for a few more books solely focusing on a particular subject.

Renewed inspiration couldn't come too soon either, as I'm back at college next week. That's right the holidays are well and truly over and I guess so is summer. No more scantily clad females out come the scarfs and woolly hats...bah!  Though fall does bring some colour out so the next few months may see new material even though am going for mainly social documentary, those other ideas are still on the back burner.

Those guys over at Blurb have other photographers and artists alike, that produce books, eBooks and know a thing or two about art to boot, I realised that not much social interaction happens on their own site, however on their Facebook page it's totally the opposite, they're a great bunch. I came across some work by a photographer who has travelled extensively and has captured some amazing photographs, actually it is photographic art, the photographer is Michael Forbes, his resumé  speaks for itself as does his work.

Coney... the summer of love

I have spoken about other photographers and of course that is what I like to do is research other photographers' so that you the reader / follower can be inspired to shoot and create your own art. It is our cultural existence that inspires us to create and innovate, his latest book Coney... the summer of love is so very inspirational from a social documentary perspective, I do ask though is it as in your face as the work of Dougie Wallace? Probably not but that's what street photography is all about when you take yourself back to the words of Henri Cartier-Bresson who was quoted as stating that the camera is an extension of his eye, he was shooting in places like Paris, France and in stark contrast Russia. Not only considered the father of photojournalism, but also one of the greatest photographers of all time, so the likes of myself, Forbes and Wallace are following in Cartier-Bresson's footsteps for sure, differing styles yes, but the composition is there for all to see.

Where to now?

So over the next few months I will be sharing with you a diary of what I am shooting, and your very welcome to comment on my work, I do like it when some one makes a comment on my blog, even more so when someone comments on my photography.

After all feedback is important to a photographer it is how you hone your craft, so keep reading...

So long

David


 

We The People

Welcome to a very positive day; today my second book We The People was published through Blurb the book is going to be a resounding success, it certainly is a culmination of the styles I have picked up through comical captures, metaphors and juxtaposition. 

Am happy it is finally finished and to be honest it has been a bit of a learning curve putting this together, unlike Work, Rest and Play this is probably a lot more besides.

After having a conversation with another photographer, we discussed my style of photojournalism and the approach is certainly artistic in execution, I am though just learning though admittedly I am developing a style. 

When you click on the link to my latest work you will be greeted with colour! I decided on going for full bleed images on some pages throughout the book, and have also opted for photo-spread layouts for the landscape perspective which are also showing fantastic contrast with the paper used which is ProLine Coated Pearl; I just like this paper and the cover itself is an oatmeal linen with standard mid grey end sheets and finished off with a high gloss hardcover dust jacket. 

The paper gives a superb look, a high dynamic range for great colour, rich blacks and superb contrast. 

A majority of the photos I shot during the scotia-pride event in Edinburgh were featuring people were rich vibrant coloured clothes, and this paper really shows how professional a look the photographs give. 

 

Moving on to the other locations, Chester offered a few surprises as did Blackpool, a fight took place and you can clearly see the public reaction, everyone honed into the area of interest, as though they were watching a scuffle in a school playground. It made for a very interesting shot I shot it with a zoom lens though; I prefer to get in closer with a 28mm F/2 Soligor or an F/1.8 MK II 50mm Canon. 

Prime lenses are ideal for street photography especially at night you can if using digital open the aperture up and adjust the ISO to 3200. You can get great results, I have tried using flash but straight away people will see that someone is taking photographs and you have lost the element of surprise. 

So it is much better using a higher ISO rating and the shots still have a great clarity about them, not so much noise. So if you like the look of the book please share the link, leave a comment or just give me some honest feedback would you have done something different, and if so what? 

One pattern I noticed that started to appear was the subject matter wherever I went people were asleep, day dreaming or was it the heat of the day and too much drink?

It truly is remarkable when you start viewing this and it then twigs in the mind this can be another book, and so that is exactly what I have started to work on, and why not after all the narrative is their I just have to go hunting. 

In fact the other day when I was itching to shoot something, I went for a stroll along the sea-front to see what subject matter was readily available, and I stumbled on a few ideas as I always do when am out walking. 

Model Shoot

During September I am going to be working on a new project with a friend who is an MUA (Make-Up Artist) 

Were going to be working on a few ideas mainly involving models so first up will be a shoot of one of Mita's  friends namely a transgender named Isis. We will be shooting a few fashion stills which sounds really exciting, am going to do this with a unique style that will hopefully incorporate some of the lighting skills, I have learned from reading the Strobist 101 blog if not read his invaluable source of lighting information, and his vast knowledge of lighting outdoors or indoors, I suggest you do. It's a great place to start. 

So the shoot will involve to some degree strobist lighting techniques, I will also be using my Canon EOS 1D MK II , for the simple reason it actually shoots at a maximum of 8.3 fps (frames per second) so it is marginally quicker than my EOS 60D. 

Which shoots at 5.3 fps (frames per second). Not just that but my pro camera is just that its designed for these type of shoots. It may have only 8.2 million megapixels but it is still a revered pro-camera. So with that one firmly penciled in the book, the other shoot is a bit more controversial in the offing, it certainly will raise a few eyebrows, so watch this space for information, what I will say is this the work has been inspired a number of elements one of those elements is Paula Rego the painter.

Exciting stuff indeed the Lisbon born painter has a very interesting style, it's very evocative, and I want that to really shine through in my photography, so for those who do not know of her work, seek her out, you will be amazed at her art!

As for me am going to admire my latest work, if your interested in purchasing a copy please do, you will be very pleased with the work.