Street Photography Now...

A couple of weeks ago on Flickr, I decided to join the group SPNC. Great groups of street photography enthusiast’s people like you and me who have a love of photography. Although to be honest there are some photographers on there who exclusively just shoot street photography, there are some who shoot random style. 

These random style photographers do have a mind of their own when it comes to this kind of work, they look for multiple layers, negative space in certain locations. Those of you who know me know that too, I enjoy photographing geometry or geometrical shapes in certain situations.

Whilst my main sort of photographic composition, usually involves focusing on triangular and linear compositions, other photographers seem to have the knack of layering with shapes and others combine light and shadow into their work.

I have come to realise something lately, when I look at a past master photographers work, the question which is beginning to form in my mind is this: Is there work still relevant in todays marketplace?

So I go through my list of photographers’ books that I do own or have read their bibliography at least viewed some of their portfolio.  So I typically looked Robert Doisneau and AndréKertész, two very different styles although both shot black and white photographs, Kertész concentrated more on the artistic style of black and white photography photographing a lot of subjects.

Where as Robert Doisneau photographed a lot of street photography, he also shot similar locations to Henri Cartier-Bresson. He focused on shapes, however they’re a lot of photographs shot by Robert Doisneau that one could argue they are actually staged photographs in the street. Indeed one of his most famous photographs Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (The Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville)”, was staged although the photograph is not as iconic as Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Sailor kiss on V.E Day it is none the less a fascinating image.  

It is also surrounded by such a huge controversy in today’s street photography ethics; some photographers do not like the use of staging a street shot. Certainly in the case of Doisneau it lead to court battle.

However interesting debate does ensue in this case: 

https://www.flickr.com/groups/spnc-year4-instruction17/discuss/72157645429228349/ 

What this has lead to is me asking more questions about other photographers works, after all those who have studied photography have at some point done some work in a studio.

So does that mean all the past master photographers staged their iconic and most memorable photographs, possibly to some extent.

The irony of it all though for me is if am serious about creating art or am I serious about creating staged art? It’s a dilemma to stage a photograph and make it look as though it is not staged or to shoot some street scene and await something to happen some story to rear its head in such a manner that it does not look contrived.

Such was the dilemma I found to create a photograph that was staged. I decided to try and create a photograph with a couple but not like Doisneau or Eisenstaedt, and re-create the kiss.

I wanted to shoot something like a couple pointing in opposite directions sort of like to imply a couple who don’t ask for directions but use the hands and gesture to each other which way they should go.

It's that way!

What this then states it that all couples eventually go their separate ways? It’s an observation and yes this was a lighthearted one but it is true nonetheless.

If you read the Eric KimStreet Photography blog, you will know that Eric is always focused on what past photographers have taught him by his own observation and study of those photographers.

Eric comes across, as some one who like me, is just as passionate about photography as you and me. This is great stuff okay I admit not every photographer I know owns a Canon 5D or a Leica M for example, two separate pieces of kit on so many levels. The 5D makes a great photojournalist camera, for street photography though it is not practical. 

If you look at the likes of Gilden, Mermelstein, and Meyerowitz they all use Leica cameras, owning a Leica does not make you a great photographer, capturing great moments in time, makes you a great photographer or in the words of André Kertész, it makes you an eternal amateur.

Incredible to think that such a man would consider himself in this way, when his works are still highly regarded today, but is that because to know photography, we have to understand the history of photography.

Yes of course it is, but if we fast forward fifty years or so, and we look at the works of Eggleston and Herzog, we can see that their influence are so far removed from what Kertész was shooting at the height of his career.

They relied heavily on the use of colour and shapes to inform of the world of an art form, which would open your eyes to a new perspective.

The use of colour has greatly influenced me I too have a fondness for colour film and colour digital however with digital I get my instant fix of viewing my images once I get home. Though with film it is a different process and that process of producing a print is one that will stay with you forever once you process your first roll and then produce a series of prints.

A few street photographers combine this art of splicing together a few prints juxtaposed against each other, which is the focus of the next instruction on SPNC.

In the shadows

So why not take a look and get involved, you may remember I talked about the photographer Ray K. Metzker and his combination of splicing together these composites, his works would focus on light and shadow, he would over emphasise the subject matter in such a way that makes it abstract, the overall composition would be focused on shapes depicting a story which included some human element.

Not always did it feature a human element but he concentrated on the geometry of linear, triangular and curves, at differing angles to give a very artistic new wave of interpretation of street photography.

What I would suggest is to look at a series of works by these photographers, then implement it into your own work.

Practice these techniques; look for the groups on Flickr.

Which Way Is the Front Line from Here The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington...

As a passionate photographer, I felt the need to share my thoughts on working photographers particularly those who unquestionably devote their interests in the human condition of rights. I watched the film by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington entitled "Restrepo" and am going to be watching the sequel Korengal.

The title of this post above is the film about the life and time of Photographer, Filmmaker, and Human Rights Activist Tim Hetherington. He was born in Birkenhead and studied at Oxford, from the film you get to see his generosity and his belief that people, no matter what your colour, creed or nationality. We are all connected.

I like the warmth that the statement and thought process brings, I am a photographer whose interest in photography and social documentary will hopefully have such a rewarding career and life as Tim Hetherington’s in this chosen vocation.

We know through history that photographers who take up this route of or rather this genre of the medium become hardened to some degree, however they are not without some form of self-imposed torture. The photographers mind in this context is to get the story without question, the reason because we must inform and educate.

The loss of many a journalist is always a sad and tragic loss, however what they leave behind is a legacy to all photographers and journalists alike. 

So is that a plausible reason to continue to follow this field of work, this genre of photography?

Yes, of course it is. I can remember the mandate to which I signed a declaration to join the United Nations Forces. Whilst I was they’re often patrolling the so-called buffer zone.

One day in fact the month of August 1996, was a perfect example of how protest leads to death. The Greek Cypriot Solomos Solomou was fatally wounded by gunshots to the head.

He attempted to take down the Turkish Cypriot flag.

This took place during the protests it wasn’t the only incident to have taken place during 1996.

It was my first real insight into how protest works for the greater good; the Greek Cypriots believe that the Turkish forces do not have a right on Greek soil.

It was not the first death I had witnessed though, however it did make me think that this person truly believed in what he was doing.

This was another reason for wanting to get into journalism and in particularly photojournalism. Witnessing events like this I felt powerless even in a UN uniform, holding a rifle.

Though I spotted many cameramen, men and women holding cameras some 35mm others medium format documenting this event-taking place. I remember viewing the images the following day in the newspapers.

The story unfolding actually impressed me; this was my perspective on this world. When I eventually left the UN forces, I came back to the UK however I worked for a company in the fashion industry and really didn’t give photojournalism much thought, I still took images now and again, but nothing worth reporting.

That was until I met an Australian guy named Sean he was adventurous and so upbeat it was hard not to like him! We became close often going on climbing trips on our days off, I took him to places like Brighton too.

It was fabulous and this reignited my love of photography once more, I took a couple of street shots, and met so many people. We decided to go back there and work for the summer. Sean showed me some places he had visited in his life, I was totally enthralled by these wonderful sights, and he had worked his way from Australia to the UK via Thailand and India.

The photographs were amazing and so too was the diverse culture I was viewing in the images. Though it was many years before I would go to the Asian continent I opted for the American continent instead, it was great and I could see many people photographing the sights, but this was not street photography.

I then witnessed the aftermath of 9/11 when I visited ground zero; I was almost overwhelmed with the scale of destruction that had taken place.

Seeing it on the television was almost like watching a Hollywood movie, it did not seem real but when I found the very battered remains of the Koenig Sphere in Battery Park in 2003, it all seemed so very obvious.

Having later travelled to Asia, and gaining the dizzying heights of the Annapurna region, of the Himalayas I came back knowing that I wanted to photograph not just for me but for others. I wanted to become a photojournalist.

 So just like in the spirit of Tim Hetherington, I want to make a difference the right way. The way of informing and educating people about what is truly happening in the world raising awareness of the very fact of war, famine and disease.

This may sound all a bit grim, however that is not what I want share, because they’re many stories out there that also come positive from these events. Tim was a great humanitarian a peoples champion and that is the way, we should remember him.

Here is the film am sure you will enjoy the kindness shown in the film by the photojournalist Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros who also lost his life believing in the principles of journalism.

I would like to thank the makers of the film, Tim Hertherington and Sebastian Junger their efforts are greatly respected in the making of this film. 

Here's Summer...

Music Festivals have long been the bench mark for a British Summer, it’s not just a hint that the cold dark long days are gone for another four months it’s also an exciting time for us to get out the summer wardrobe, don the shades put some sun screen on and purchase the obligatory two man festival tent, that comes with enough space to stash the dirty clothes and half empty crate of beer (you can never have enough beer), into, while you let your half pissed girlfriend squat on your aching shoulders for what seems like an eternity.

However you don’t mind that if only for a day or so, except the girlfriend is developing an addiction to the half baked half raw horse quality burger, that seems to offer sustenance and soak up the cider, beer or what ever she drinks these days. No you don’t mind at all, that’s not the real reason you’re here, you’re here for the banter, and most importantly the music.

It’s the music that drives us to these locations each year, year in year out. Though it’s all worth it, you will get to see some over sized Texan Blondie, whose airbags came as standard as a bench mark for those oil rich country folk, who admire some Li’l Ol’ sweetheart sporting the whitest glint of a smile, in that tight Barbie Ranch Girl outfit.

No you don’t mind at all, because when England fail to meet their mark in the ever so boring World Cup Tournament; you know you have the perfect excuse to go travelling to the other side of the country and get totally muddied and yet surprisingly happy that you are wearing those Wellington Boots from George at ASDA with the pattern or motif on the side, that helps guide you to a similar looking tent.

Though in all honesty apart from packing some spare underwear, lip balm and a few necessary bottles of water and a tube of toothpaste, to freshen your alcohol infused morning breath, what else is on offer at a festival? 

Some more girls

Well the answer may not surprise you at all; it seems to go with the territory not cigarettes but drugs. It seems that every festival has them despite the organisers paying huge sums of money for the Donkey-Kong lookalike security with the invisible rugs under their arms.

Yes it seems that certain contraband works it way through, yes illegally purchased cigarettes are high on the list as well as drugs or legal highs as they are known these days.

They seem to be a wholly excepted part of the culture these days when paying homage to the latest sounds or sounds that make a one off comeback. Then you have differing forms of festivals there is the all-rounder sell out which is Glastonbury, next up we have the super club festival that offer the discerning dance music enthusiast a whole new series of sub-genres breaking down into splinter groups which are derived as thus hard, harder, hard and loud, harder and louder and where are my ear muffs ‘cos my ears are bleeding.

Then we have one off events that hope to make it back the following year if the council permits, and of course these offer very little to the seasoned festival goer.

Which brings me to my case in point about a new kind of festival, which is currently breaking Britain today. This festival is generally about another cultures’ beliefs, this being a Hindi festival. 

Peace Out

 The Holi or Sanskrit festival is a festival of colours or festival of love. Bringing in new life and a new spring in the Hindi calendar. It is not supposed to be a drinking, dance music festival, by tradition though music of the Indian traditional kind is played.

So when you decide to try this festival out your going on the pretence on what has happened at other festivals, though to be honest this just isn’t any other dance music festival, you are advised to wear white, the reasoning behind this is so that the colours which come in perfectly packaged sachets of coloured corn flour powder, are able to establish your undeniable origin.

It may seem like harmless fun, but you realise that when people from other parts of the world namely New Zealand are wearing what can be best described as a highly fluorescent snorkeling face mask and breather you begin to feel quite alarmingly discontent.

Though if am honest with myself I am thinking this could be the latest dance music festival fashion statement and in reality I haven’t got anything to worry about in the slightest, I keep telling myself it will all be okay. 

Holi One

The other negative aspect about this was the apparent singular stage, which was reminiscent of the Kaaba Stone in Mecca. Did I just cross over onto another plain…had I transgressed into another world of religious wonder…err no.

Over the tannoy of the loudspeaker system, I could clearly hear the common expletive ‘fuck’; this would not be considered as being diversely sensitive and respectful to another person beliefs.

Then my thoughts seem to focus on the ever-growing small crowd, which is trying in vain to avoid the now light shower of rain normally, experienced in April. We are perched under a small marquee barely big enough to cover a hundred people let alone the 2,000 souls who have updated their social media status by you guessed it employing the universally known liking symbol into their daily language, that and employing the old scissors / peace symbol gesture, which is meant to imply peace or so they think.

To myself it means something of a sexual or gang land nature, next time you see that gesture with the hands just remember that seemingly similarity to either holding a gun or pleasuring your girlfriend, you will definitely think more laterally.

The girls outnumbered me

The positive side to all of this was the overwhelming gathering of female to male ratio, the guys were outnumbered 6/1 at one point then that increased as the day wore on. So what does that mean in the demographics? This particular event was more appealing to a female audience then male? Quite possibly the musical taste was not to every one’s delight, though I recognised a few tunes, I mainly concentrated on capturing images of the people at the event.

They were a great bunch, and after a few beers more and more of those females were approaching my stealth like gait, in the hope of getting a ‘groupie snap’, I duly obliged some of these ladies were quite full on, which in retrospect did make me smile the reason was simple, I love confident women. I like that a woman can be confident and be happy in the surroundings where she may be.

This was getting interesting now, because it seemed that what we all came for, was beginning to take place in a field of sorts. The irony of it all was a security guard played by non other than a Yorkshire man dressed as a gardener, acting like a security guard played by a Liverpudlian resembling cricketer Phil Tufnell.

The scene was becoming more outrageous as the day wore on, we began to get in to a rhythm of every two hours it was powder time! Or Holi One time, though I did overhear a few blokes exclaiming Holi Shit! Holi Shit!  Every time our compère hostess called us up, yes the girl who actually served me merchandise was the one who actually graced the stage to implore us to get to our feet, colourful powder in one hand; Altern8 mask in the other.

It was dreadful to the extreme the powder hardly being ejected into the air as the ‘girly throw’ barely made it past gravity, instead nonchalantly people did the task while supping a beer or guzzling the wine from a bottle, and emptying the contents of said colourful sachet into ones face.

Hardly the elegant manner in which I hoped the powder would be ejected, still none the less; all had a great time. I began to favour this event due to the proximity of the event to the place of my childhood; we were after all partying in Stanley Park, Liverpool.

This sort of made all the effort all the more worth it, I was smiling wryly and realising that I would have to make my way home with others against a setting sun, covered head to toe in coloured corn flour, in the name of Holi One!

Using Any Light source

What light source do you prefer to use? 

They're many light sources we can use as a photographer, some of these methods can be implemented  outdoors too, especially if you are shooting with a crew or other students.  This list can be used for all situations and they can be combined too. 

If say for example your a street photographer and you have been asked to shoot a friend or family members wedding or particular event and they want to mark that event with a series of shots, what do you go for?

You can be as creative as you want; take a look at this example: natural light source. The higher perspective ensures the shadow created by the natural light is equal to the subject standing vertically it is perpendicular to the subject and so a shadow is cast as a right angle. 

The shadow side of the person is the defining side and also the slimming side, so when shooting a model against window light, turn the body away and turn the face toward the light. The model female or male will automatically look slimmer by definition by playing 'with' the light and the shadow.

So you can imagine how the model would look if he or she were facing the window the light would fill the features on the face or torso and make the shape look fuller, so by turning the subject slightly away from the light and turning face back slightly you emphasise more definition.

I have compiled the list for you below, what I will do is make a shot list from this list and show these examples for you to learn from along with corresponding lighting diagram.

The list:

• Artificial Light } Off/On Camera flash / LED / Candle Light / Head-torch etc
• Back Light } Continuous Light / Sunlight / Car Headlights 
• Candle Light
• Continuous Light
• LED } Video / Bicycle Lights / Car Headlights 
• Off Camera Flash
• On Camera Flash 
• Open Shade
• Sunlight / Natural Light
• Translucent / Reflectors Diffusers
• Video Light
• Window Light  

So we can see that they're many light sources for photography in a studio which could be set up for indoor or outdoor use. Question is which suits your style of photography best, well if you're a street photographer than you could play with the shadows under bridges, or high rise buildings. Street photographers will make the best use of the light they have which is in abundance, the light from the sun. 

©Ray K. Metzker

Another aspect to this is the fact that at different times of the day, the sun will give greater shadows at certain points, so you could shoot in the style of Harry Callahan or Ray K. Metzker.  Here is a shot from Ray K. Metzker to give you an idea of what he could do with the light he had. It's pretty awesome when you realise this is street photography, no soft box or off camera flash here. 

So what about shooting outdoors with an off camera flash? Well we know of a couple of photographers who do just that, one Bruce Gilden is a definite who almost exclusively captures the unique perspective of people in everyday places, 

particularly on the streets of New York. 

Another photographer is British born Dougie Wallace, a prolific photographer who enjoys getting up just as close as Gilden to his subjects, though to be honest Glasweegee , as he is also known loves capturing the characteristics of his subjects with vibrant colour and also at night. This unique take on urban life, is at first startling to the relative newcomer, however when one looks closer, you begin to see those subtle hints at what makes us human. 

We begin to see ourselves in a new light, and talking of light we should look at ourselves under studio light. After all, that is the sole topic of this post to look at varying light sources.  Let us look at a light source such as a redhead, or continous light source. Redhead so called because that is the light that the head is actually red. Where as a blonde is so called because of the yellowish light it emits, blondes are generally more powerful as much as 2000 watts, the bigger sister if you will. 

You can create many styles of portraiture using both lights, the only piece that will need regular maintenance is the buld itself, and the fuse. The downside to using these incandescent lights is the fact that they do get HOT! So hot that it can be a hindrance, to working with them for too long a time period. So the alternative is flourescent lights, a cooler light and so too is the light that is emitted from them. 

Fluorescent lights have the big advantage over incandescents of not being significantly hot.  Modern fluorescents can be purchased with bulbs which match either incandescent light or daylight.  Since most units have at least 2 bulbs and often more, the loss of a bulb doesn’t necessarily put it out of action.  A 220W fluorescent (which is claimed to be the equivalent of a 100W incandescent) costs in the area of £500. 

©David Rothwell Photography
All Rights Reserved

This image was captured just using a single light source I iused a redhead on this shot, I was for intents and purposes recreating a similar style to that of the late photographer Herb Ritts Okay my subject has a top hat, of sorts and the photograph of the actor Jim Carrey in Herb Ritts photograph is not wearing a hat at all. 

What this photograph says is that the personality of the individual is shining through onto lens. I like using redheads though because they're extremely portable, they are great lights to work with. 

They can produce a strong bright light to create a strong shadow such as the one in this example if only using a single light. 

I will be posting on this subject more on using light, but before I do go one resource on the net, which is synonymous with the subject and one source I follow myself is Strobist.

Until the next time 

David