Evaluation

Evaluation:

When I first read the brief for discipline specific studies and found out that we were to do a module on street photography I had mixed feelings because I knew about some of the photographers in the discipline and what lengths they went to get their pictures, for example Bruce Gilden who walks up to people and puts a camera straight in their face which I could never do, but on the other hand I had never really tried it! I had previously focused on landscape and architectural themes but I was ready for a new challenge.

As I got on with the task I got more confident with my ability with the camera and shooting in the street. To start with I used my Grandad’s camera which at first produced good results, but by film three I noticed that the light was damaging the film and I lost several shoots of film.  I bought myself a second hand Canon 50E body from a shop in Sunderland and I could use my existing lenses with it.  I remember starting my first shoot and thinking, where’s the quietest place in Hartlepool I could start, due to my lack of confidence. Now I am at the end of the module I am quite disappointed it’s over because I was really starting to get into it all.  What the professional photographers were saying started to make sense and I could see pictures coming together as I walked down a street. I think the piece of research which inspired me the most initially was Frank Doorhof’s street photography video. It basically taught me that confidence is everything when it comes to street photography, and in the section where they had a photographic critique I was inspired to experiment with shooting styles which were a revelation that I hope can be seen in my work.

My favourite shoot was the trip to Scarborough because it brought back many good memories of my childhood, but it was strange going there now; things have changed and I am there for a different purpose.  But, it put a smile on my face which made me shoot in a different light, hopefully telling a story in the picture. The most challenging part of the project was getting used to the blogger site. I admit that I am quite inexperienced with technology so I was never going to like it much.  I prefer my photography in a book or something similar because I am a hands on person but I am starting to get to grips with blogging. Printing using the chemicals was the best part of the project because I really enjoyed seeing the picture coming through. I felt as though I was a professional photographer going through the process and got that great sense of pride when the print comes out how it should be.

If I was to do this project again I would have liked to do a lot more shooting because I was starting to really enjoy the style and it would have given me more security and confidence that I had enough to get a really great final set. All in all I think that I have successfully completed the project with a greater understanding of street photography and I can’t wait to come back to it when I have the chance.  

  

Final designs

Final Designs

On this page I have my best ideas from the development stages that I have done, and I am hoping to narrow them down into one from here by comparing them.

I think this one looks the best in terms of the images used, i.e. the composition, exposure and focus etc, but it’s not so strong with the theme, the thing that links the pictures together. Despite the weak point of the design I think it’s one of the strongest of the four that I have, purely because of the pictures within it are the best I have.   

I have brought this set into the equation because the pictures were linked perfectly which makes up for the fact that it didn't include my best pictures. I appreciate that the link between the pictures is important but I think that the quality of the picture is a higher priority when it comes to evaluating sets.  

Looking at this set I know that I won’t use it because it doesn’t stack up against the other two in any of my criteria. The main aspect which disappointed me was the difference of tones in the pictures on the left compared to the right. 

I think this is a strong set because all the pictures are good and the pictures are linked well by the theme of side streets but I don’t think that it’s good enough to warrant its use as the final set.

I think I have developed some good ideas in this stage of my research but my favourite and the one I will be producing as my final set is the groups set (the top one). I chose it because it was my favourite from the start and I think it’s the best set to represent me, the theme and my interpretation of street photography.

Design Ideas

Design Ideas:

Now I have finish my research into street photography I have enough images to create some more design ideas. I decided to take a different route with the pictures I wanted to take after starting the the second part of my research, which differs from what I said in the analysis page I made before my initial designs. These pictures contain groups of people rather than children. I decided to change my mind because the locations that I traveled to were always crowded.

I decided to group these pictures together because they all contain the interaction of families and friends which covers the brief, and all the images used are among my best pictures. I think to improve this design I could change the top picture because the only people who are interacting are the people in the background and the focus isn’t on them. I think I would change this picture to the image where the kids are playing on their bikes in Redcar because they were talking and messing about, interacting, all the time I was there. I think the long layout suits this design because I’m happy enough that the pictures within it are good enough to be seen on their own, so in a way it benefits the pictures because you’re forced to look at them for longer.

For this set I wanted to show the parts of a market day in Newcastle because they show interaction in different ways. I think the images work well together because they show the different aspects of a market day, i.e. the walking around, viewing things and then buying. They also share the same tonal range and the tones are balanced throughout the whole set in the positions the pictures are placed in. I don’t know how I could improve this set because I believe these were my best pictures from the market and they were arranged in the most balanced way.

When I grouped these pictures together I wanted show all the different viewpoints that I had used throughout the project. I quite like it because it’s unusual and not your typical street work. I think it demonstrated that I can work in different ways with success and that I am willing to take up unusual positions to get the right picture. I think that I need to increase the contrast in the image in the top right corner so that the tones balance with the others in the set. I don’t think that these images are linked well enough to be used as a final set because I think it should be more about the subject matter than the view point.  

I grouped these pictures together as they all give off the feeling of isolation and loneliness which I think is my best theme so far. I think that the images on the right work the best in the group and the ones on the left less so because their tones are different and they stand out from the rest. I think that I could over exposes the images slightly so they are more similar to the others.   

I am satisfied with the design ideas that I have come up with so far because they cover a balanced range of themes and they all use my best images so I haven’t had to substitute an average photograph to complete a theme correctly. After thinking a little more about my first idea in the post, I probably won’t use the kids on bike image to replace the top picture because it doesn't have the same look at as the other four, it looks like it take in lots of open space whereas the other four are in built up areas. Despite this think it’s my best idea of the post, and it’s not that much of a problem because the original idea has grown on me.  

Now I have almost 10 ideas I have to narrow them down to 4 of my best and decide from there which one I should use as the final set.

Scarborough shoot

Scarborough shoot:

1.       I like this one because of the highlights in the pavement that are caused by the puddles, matches the tones in the sea so it is balanced

2.       Not a fan of this one, it’s boring and looks like the lamp-post is coming out of the guy’s head

3.       I think this picture is ok, when I took it I should have zoomed out a bit more so I would get a bit more in  the top half of the shelter

4.       I took this from my side so I would get a different perspective and so I wouldn’t be noticed. It’s not such a good picture, it’s a bit out of focus and I don’t like the composition.

5.       Same as No. 4

6.       Same as No. 4

7.       I wasn’t really thinking about street photography when I took this picture; I just thought it was a nice picture. I wish I had a wider lens when I took this picture because I was unable to get the whole of the bay into the frame.

8.       I quite like this picture but for some reason it’s really uneven. I can’t remember what I was thinking when I took the picture.

9.       Same as No. 7

10.   Would have been a nice picture but it’s too wonky

11.   Nice picture, I think it’s well composed but you can’t really call it street photography.

12.   Out of focus and not enough of the kid is in the frame

13.   The traffic was heavy and I mistimed the shot so I got too much car in the frame.

14.   I don’t know what I was doing when I took this picture because I had loads of time to take the picture and I decided to take the picture from my side which made it stupidly wonky

15.   Same as No. 14

16.   Rubbish

17.   I like this picture but I am bit far away from the people within the picture so it’s difficult to see their expression.

18.   Same as No. 17. I think this one’s better because the car’s gone.

19.   Motion blur because my shutter speed was too slow

20.   Rubbish composition, mistimed and I am too far away.

21.   It think this is my favourite picture, well composed and perfectly exposed

22.   I think it’s a decent picture which is exposed well throughout the picture. To improve the picture I need to move to the left so I the top of the lamppost isn’t in the window.

23.   This scene was really nice but I couldn’t capture it properly because I didn’t have a wide enough lens so I had to shoot it in portrait format. This meant I missed everything on the right hand side of the ally.

24.   Rubbish picture with nobody in it.

25.   Misfire

Printed Negs:

      I took this picture because when I first saw them they were all laughing which was nice to see because it was a wet and cold day. When I ended up lifting the camera to my eye the guy at the right of the group looked at me and gave me a look of disgust, so that was my queue to leave.  Looking at the picture now, I think it benefits the picture because it links you with the picture and it adds to the range of emotions of the picture. I think if I could take this picture again I would try to get the tops of the signs in because there was a lot of nice detail in them and its annoying to look at because when you try to read them to can’t because there are bits missing.

      I ended up going under the roof because I had to change my film and it was raining so I had no choice. I saw this picture as I started to move back up to the town centre but stopped to take it because it was a peaceful quiet looking scene which was weird because there were a lot of cars around that day, so I got a bit luck with the timing. I decide to position the guy in the foreground right in the corner because I wanted a large open space to emphasize the quietness of the scene.

Durham and Scarborough

Durham and Scarborough:

    1.       I took this picture from my side so I could get the picture from the scooter guy’s level but I’m not happy with the image

    2.       Rubbish composition because I mistimed the picture

    3.       Probably won’t use this picture because I think the guy on the right dominates the picture

    4.       Too uneven

    5.       Out of focus and a poor composition

    6.       I’m not going to use this one because the brief said street not milk photography!

    7.       I don’t want a dog in my sets

    8.       Same as No. 7

    9.       I like this one because the double yellow lines lead you up to the couple walking on the road, and the pavement on the right leads you up to the guy walking into his house

  10.   Even though the person in the picture is really faraway, I like it because the whole composition is simple   

  11.   Too uneven

  12.   Not going to use this one because I have a better version next

  13.   I like it because their  thoughts and emotions are clear to see ( the middle aged guy is thinking  ‘when will this day end, me mother in-law is a pain and why is some guy taking my picture.

  14.   I like the reflections in the water but the view point is too low

  15.   I took a lot of these pictures in Newcastle and don’t feel as though I am improving and therefore getting tired of them

  16.   This was a really nice scene and I have managed to wreck it so I won’t be using this one

  17.   I think it’s a half decent picture but there’s nobody in the frame

  18.   I think I was too low when I took the picture  

  19.   Would have been nice if the lady in the middle was turned around. I should have waited a bit longer around that area because they left shortly after I did so the picture I wanted would have been there.

  20.   If I could take this picture again I would have taken the picture straight on because it would match some of my other pictures and it would make a set

  21.   Would have been a nice picture but is out of focus

  22.   Under exposed

  23.   Misfire

  24.   The cars spoil the picture.

  25.   Out of focus

  

   Printed negs:

      I really like this picture because you can tell what the guy with the pram is thinking and you really feel sorry for him. It also reminds me of the times my grandma and grandad took my brother and I to Redcar at weekends and we would eat a large fish and chips with curry sauce when we were only 5 and 6. I think it’s good from a technical point of view because it’s well exposed throughout and there are several points of interest. 

   

   

   Good negatives I didn't print:

:

      I think this is a decent picture because there is lots  of detail in the cobbles and the large depth of field picks out the detail in the brick work of the church. I think this could be a useful picture because I have quite a lot of pictures of side streets and this could be used in a set idea. To improve this picture I needed to aim up a bit more so I would get the top of the church in and the telephone line pole in.

Durham Shoot

 Durham Shoot:

    

 1.       Won’t use this one because the guy is blurry because I set the shutter speed too slow.

       2.       Under exposed

       3.       I think this is one of my better pictures from the film because the composition delivers a message

       4.       Misfire

       5.       I tried this one from my side but it came out blurry because I pre-set my camera incorrectly.

       6.       I like this one because of the architecture which adds to  the overall picture considerably. I also like how the light coloured paving stones lead your eye up the picture

       7.       Out of focus

       8.       Not going to use this one because there’s nothing really going on that would make a good street picture

       9.       Would have been good if it was in focus

     10.   It’s a bit over crowded

     11.   Too wonky

     12.   I like how the guy has become a silhouette which is because the camera has metered for the sky  but I don’t like the composition

     13.   Decent picture. I  like the reflection in the mirror but it does draw you away from the guy on the right hand side

     14.   I mistimed the shot so I won’t use this picture.

     15.   The picture is blurred

     16.   I took this picture because the street was dead and the birds were walking around on the ground which looked weird

     17.   I like the architecture again in this one but I think the guy is too small

     18.   I like this one because the lady was stood motionless for at least 10 minutes

     19.   Not a very good composition

     20.   I like this one but it’s nothing  to do with street photography

     21.   Same as No. 20

     22.   Same as No. 21

     23.   I like this one because I waited unlit the person was under the signpost which I think had a good effect.

     24.   Too uneven

     25.   I like this one because the composition is good.

   

    Printed negs: 

      Taking this picture was really strange because she was stood there looking through the window for at least 15 minutes and there wasn’t anything particularly interesting in the building. Even though I had all the time in the world to take the picture I still managed to take a blurred picture which was quite an achievement! I still think it’s a decent picture despite this because all the important parts are in the frame, i.e. the edges of the window and the window shutter and all of her body.

    

      I took this picture because the two people were stood on their own even though the high-street was really busy which appeared strange. I was lucky because they were stood next to a signpost which was a nice something else that benefited the picture. To improve this picture I needed to aim the camera a bit to the left so I would get the tip of the signpost in the frame. I should have moved to the left a bit more as well because that would stop the signpost from looking like it’s coming out of the lady’s head. 

Christopher Agou internet research

 Christopher Agou internet research:

Notes from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christophe_Agou

·        1.  self-taught and grew up in Forez, France

·        2.moved to new York in 1992

·        3. was eventually recognised for his work in the new York city subway

·        4.  published ‘life below’ in 2004 which contained his subway work

·        5.  his work is held in collections all around the world, for example ‘Bibliotheque nationale de France’ in Paris

·        6.Was nominated and mentioned in various award ceremonies and won the ‘European publishers award of  photography’ for his project ‘face au silence’ in 2010.

Christophe Agou  published his ‘life below’ which was a portrayal of the New York city subway. This was a very revealing collection of pictures that captured the zombie like state of passengers from close quarters. I have particularly focused my research on this collection which I think portrays the subway to be a quite sinister place because the pictures are very dark, the expressions on the people’s faces are quite terrifying in some of the pictures.  It’s like he was waiting for the person he’s shooting to break into a sad or mean face. One of the things you notice when you’re looking at his work is the amazing effect the light has on the outcome of the pictures. Because it’s underground in a train the only source of light is coming from two narrow pole like bulbs that run down the centre of the coach, therefore the light creates deep contrast which gives the effect of studio lighting.

These two are my favourite pictures because the lighting is fantastic in them and is a fundamental part of the success of the picture. The light in the picture at the top draws your attention to her eyes and because of the angle of the light puts her left side in shadow. Because her eyes are so defined you can’t ignore them and they give you the feeling that she is tired and maybe lonely. This next picture uses the light that’s reflected of the metal panel that’s behind the person. To get this effect he’s set his camera to spot metering and set the exposer so it’s perfect for the area at the top of his hood or maybe just under exposed, just below the bleached out area. This achieved the blacked out face. I think this effect is great because it really gives it the edgy and sinister look that he’s looking for and what you would expect from the New York city subway. 

http://www.photoquotes.com/showblogs.aspx?ArticleID=82

http://americanstill.com/jb/web/christophe_agou/ca.htm