Assignment 208: Location Photography - Research Theme 2: Martin Parr [part 1]

The second of two videos talking about how Martin Parr works.

In this video he talks about not wanting to hide what he is doing - wandering around with a big camera, mounted with a flash.

Listening to Martin talk about the work within this video he is very fascinated with a suburban lifestyle he himself didn't experience growing up as a very middle class child.  He gives a sense that those scene's he is capturing are of people 'beneath' him - actually hearing Martin talk about his work has taken away the sense of fun, of laughing at you - not with you.

Assignment 208: Location Photography: Research Theme 2: Martin Parr [part 2]

This video is one of two exploring the work of Martin Parr.

Martin doesn't talk about how he has taken the picture, the equipment he used or how he engaged with his subjects.  What Martin does do is talk about his motivation for his work - the reason behind his projects - what he was trying to capture about the topic or subject.

He focuses on style and content - and many of his themes could almost be viewed as derogative about the way people live.

Assignment 208: Robert Doisneau: Review of Selected Portrait Photography

Robert Doisneau - Gentilly -Sur -Seine, 1912

After attempting to compare my street photography with my research to date I felt that there was a gap between what had initially inspired me to capture urban moments with the content that I was producing.  Therefore I wanted to carry out further research to identify additional photographers that I could help me to continue develop my work.

I found Robert Doisneau in book entitled Icons of Photography, The 20th Century published by Prestel in 1999.  The image in the book was 'Kiss in front of the Hotel de Ville'.  This image is an iconic one - having been used in advertising campaigns and postcards.

Dosineau was actually taken to court by the couple who believed it was an image of them taken without their consent - which was, at that time against French law.  This court case forced Dosineau to reveal that the image was staged - he had used two actors to capture this moment - a kiss that he had observed from a cafe table, but did feel comfortable to capture.  He asked if they would kiss again allowing him to capture the moment on camera - which they happily did.

This picture reminded me of a couple of my images - where I had captured displays of public affection.  The couple below were completely oblivious of the crowd around them, this image was taken just after they had finished a passionate kiss - unaware of the fact that they were actually in a road and a car was waiting to move through!

This image was from a serious I took of a women joining a group of family members - there was much hugging and many kisses exchanged at the joy of reunion

Doisneau lived and worked in the Parisian suburbs where he observed people, expressing empathy with their lives - he attempted to compress this sentiment into a single photograph.  Many of his images portray the unabashed displays of young couples in love - oblivious to their surroundings.

reference:  

Robert Doisneau - Wikipedia

Masters of Photography: http://www.masters-of-photography.com/D/doisneau/doisneau_articles3.html

Icons of Photography - The 20th Century

Assignment 208: Research: Comparison of Street Photography

Comparison of Street Photography: How My Research Has Influenced My Work

As in the last blog I want to compare a number of images from my research on street photography with some of my strongest images.  With street photography it was much harder to isolate and replicate the research  -   instead what I tried to do is identify what it was that made the images and how I could bring this into my work.

This image by Cathal McNaughton was taken as an ironic piece - the Queen isolated below all of the other dignatories - an image that I took of an street seller captures a similar sense of isolation - but without the irony, however the pink feather boa and bucket add a strong sense of colour that you get in Cathal's image. 

The lack of eye contact from the people around her also echo the sense of isolation that the Cathal image portrays.

This image by Alfred Eisenstaedt captures a sense of excitement from a group of children - I dont know what the occasion was but the range of facial expressions keeps you looking around the image.  The quotation that went with the dialogue around this image was about clicking with the people - not the camera - which is why I have chosen to compare it to the image below.

Although this picture is focused on one person - similar to the above image it is about capturing a moment - an expression - not posed for - but giving a sense of the crowd and action that was going on around.

This image of Cathal's was about capturing the reality of the harsh,political side of life.  It was about not planning but capturing a moment - taking a photo and moving on - being decisive.

Whilst the images below may not have the same aggression in them - they were taken during the EDL demonstrations in Birmingham - which were kept extremely peaceful - but these two images were about me being decisive in what I wanted to capture. They have both been slightly altered in photoshop - the first one cropped tighter to frame out some of the distraction - the second has been slightly altered to excentuate the colours and contrast

I have found it harder to compare my research on street photography to the images that I have taken which leads me to the conclusion that I need to review and refine my research - or consider expanding my images to reflect the research.

The strongest influence to date has been Cathal's work - and I would like in my research to find more photographers that blend the political statements with their work.

Assignment 208: Research: Cathal McNaughton: Street Photography

Cathal McNaughton: 1978

Cathal McNaughton is an award winning photojournalist with over ten years experience.  His work spans a variety of disciplines and styles from gritty shots of conflicts, to colourful images that capture a sense of irony and fun.

His images have featured in high profile advertising campaigns and has won many accolades, including UK Press Photographer of the Year, Royal Photographer of the Year, and Nature and Environment Photographer of the year.  The breadth of these awards gives you a sense of the diverse nature of his work.

I chose to review Cathal's work after reading an article in the magazine Digital Camera - because I found the variety of his images inspiring - it was good to see that you photograph across such a broad range of subjects.

The images that I have chosen to review were also published in a series of features run by Amateur Photographer over the past year - in each of the photo insight features Cathal explained the inspiration behind the image, and gave an insight into how he composed the image and the equipment he used providing an excellent set of tutorials.


Cathal advocates always shooting in manual - having total control of your camera.  He also talks about passion - which is why I have selected the image below - this close up draws you in because its colourful and the vivid colours of the painted face help to highlight the raw passion of the person coming through the eyes and the mouth.

In his tutorials, and the magazine article Cathal talks about being bold and getting over any shyness you might have.  If you are going to take a close up of a person be prepared to be challenged, engage with the subject - and learn to judge wether the person is happy for you to take their picture.

The image below is in total contrast to the other images I have chosen as its from his work as a photojournalist.  I picked it following my second session in Birmingham where I was taking images of the captialist demonstrators and the EDL demonstrations so it was interesting to read how Cathal would approach this subject.

The key to this style of photography he said is to remain calm, don't hang around and keep yourself safe by not remaining static.  You need to be aware of the events that are evolving around you.

Another article that I suggested the key success to good street photography is always having your camera to hand ready to capture a shot.  This is echoed in the image below - Cathal saw the diver whilst driving along, he then saw the fishermen - and thought - 'there is an image there'.  Even though the elements of the image were random - capturing the final image did take planning, Cathal had to guesstimate the timing of the jump and shoot to capture the exact moment that he would pass over the heads of the fishermen, and ensure a sufficient depth of field to keep all of the people in focus.  The final image works well with the contrast in the subjects, and the total lack of connection between them.

Cathal talks about the learning to read the scene and your subjects - for example if you look at the image of the gentleman sunbathing, and the picture of the funeral.  One of the images is bright, comical and fun, the other a very sombre and private affair - both needed equal consideration around the sensitivity of capturing the image.

Research: 

Digital Camera Magazine - October Edition 2011

www.cathalmcnaughton.com

news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/in_pictures_cathal_mcnaughton0s_award_winning_year/html/1.stm

www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/features/Photo_Insight__Cathal_McNaughton_features_305940.html

Assignment 208: Principles of Location Photography Ian Berry: Research into Portrait Photographers

Ian Berry: Preston: 1964

Ian Berry is another British photographer who was renowned for his ability to capture life from a political and social perspective simply through his lens. The video below takes abouts the challenges and perils of this style of photography.

This image is interesting in its use of colour and lines.  The lines of grey people in the rain draw your eye down to the red bus.  By isolating the use of colour to the bus in the background you can imagine that the photographer is looking to depict the bus as a safe, dry haven in the drab surroundings.

This image works well because Ian has cropped tightly into the two main characters in the foreground, by positioning himself lower than the subjects and the slightly to the left the picture draws you into them.

This image is a direct contrast to the previous Ian Berry image that was centered around the rain.  In this image the use of colour and the perspective creates an entirely different feeling about the rain - its fun and it's welcome.  The bright green shroud on the young lad immediately drawers you to him as a focal point, but the big grins on the other faces provide sufficient interest to draw you around the entire image.

It is the light from the window that guides you around this image.  Whilst the focal point is the lady front and centre drinking tea, the light reflecting in other areas of the image take you around the rest of the room.  Ian has ensured that the focal point remains clear by the body language of the other tea ladies directing their faces away from the camera.

What I have learned from these images is how light, people and controlled elements of colour can shape how your image is viewed and how to use these to create a focal point within the image.

Assignment 208: Martin Parr: Research into Portrait Photography

Martin Parr: May 1962: Epsom

Martin Parr is a photographer renowned for his projects that a critical look at aspects of modern life. His style is very intimate and relied on the use of close up photography.  Whilst the style of photography may be similar to Tom Wood in that he is looking to depict normal life his images differ in they are often highly saturated in colour, and contain an element of irony of humour within them.

In all of the images that I have chosen from Martin's work there is no eye contact with the camera and the angle of the images capture elements of people that they would might otherwise hope was not was focused on for the world to see. 

There are two elements to this photograph that are at odds with the sense of occasion that the clothing suggest.  You can imagine that this may be a wedding, or a garden party.  Martin has chosen to capture  the unhappy (slightly out of focus) attendee in the background coupled with the unflattering view of the ill fitting dress with a stain on it.  

The last two images surround the social occasion of eating - these images work as the only focus of the people within both images is on the activity they are engaged in allowing the person viewing the image to do do without embarrassment.

Whilst Martin Parr and Tom Wood appear to be doing similar styles of work they evoke very different emotions - with Tom's you can feel a slight sense of discomfort at looking at the way in which people are carrying on with their lives, whereas Martin's have more of a sense of vibrancy and humour.

reference:

www.martinparr.com


www.bbc.co.uk/photography/genius/gallery/parr.shtml 


British Journal of Photography  

Assignment 208: Tom Wood: Review of Selected Portrait Photography

Tom Wood: Born 1951 - Ireland

"When I take photographs, I feel like I am trying to capture something that you can't put into words"

Tom Wood's photography has been compared to reading a good novel.  His photographs capture a scene that seek to tell a story - a story about life within certain social environments.  For example the images below which come from his 'All Zones Off Peak' series which focused on people using public transport - he didn't drive so used his travelling time to capture what was going on around him to portray images of everyday life.  

Tom Wood's photo's are shot spontaneously and require confidence - in the ability to invade strangers personal space without causing offence, and in being able to compose pictures quickly, achieving optimal results with minimal gear.

His photographs contain a sense of voyeurisim, very different to the previous photographers as there is little to no engagement with the subjects in the image - but the success of the image still relies on the expressions and their body language to convey an emotion or image.

The second set of images are from his Looking For Love collection which centred around life in pubs and clubs.

Whilst his pictures may seem spontaneous as a collection they took over 15 years to complete.  To some they may seem vulgar, and an insult to the way in which people around him lived within these environments.  To others they portray a reality to life within a city.