Introduction
I am interested in people and looking at human nature and looking at people. I am particularly interested in the way people move and the gestures that they make. This project started over the summer as I noticed myself photographing my family while we were on holiday and being interested in the way they were standing or walking. I decided to explore this idea further with this project as I liked the idea of looking and zooming into people and their everyday life and how they act. I am interested in the way people move and their mannerisms.
Radical Imagination: 7 International Women Photographers
This exhibition was organised by The Photographers Gallery. However, it was an outside exhibition and was in King’s Cross. This created a unique viewing experience as there were people going about their day not even realising there was an exhibition right in front of their eyes. It also made the viewing experience more awkward as people used the artworks as benches and it was awkward to try and look at the photographs without wanting people to think I was staring at them. Despite this, I really liked the exhibition, the experience of having to walk round and travel and be outside with the artwork was a nice experience. The photographs were all very different but I liked them. My favourite artist was Silvia Rosi. Her photographs were fictional representations of an old family photo album. She dresses up differently in all the photographs and creates these characters for her photos. I liked this idea and how well they all worked in series as they were all lined up next to each other and not spread apart like some of the other photographers work.
Summer Photographs
I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do for this project, so I decided to just go around when I was on holiday and take pictures of whatever I wanted. Looking back on these photographs I notice many of the photographs I took are very similar and formed their own theme. I took lots of photographs of buildings and confetti. The colour of the photographs changes the images. In some photographs there is lots of sun and it creates shadows and makes the colours brighter and more vibrant. However, in some of the photographs, it was cloudy and created a more dull look. I prefer the brighter photographs as it makes the colour of the building pop and you can see the way the light falls onto the buildings.
Jamais je ne t’oublierai by Carolle Bénitah
I was interested in this book as I thought the idea of blocking out the main subject of a photograph as a interesting idea and it creates an element of mystery to the photographs. It makes you question why these people and parts of these photographs have been blocked out and who these people are. The use of gold foil makes it stand out more as it comes out of the photograph and is contrasting the original black and white. I would like to experiment with something like this with my own photographs as well.
"I collect anonymous photographs that I buy in flea markets. I am magnetized by the happiness displayed at attention in these photos, by these people I don’t know but who existed, loved, and disappeared. They are ghosts who follow me quietly, and I take them over to build an imaginary family album in order to repair oblivion... I choose photographs that evoke something déjà-vu, a familiar pose, happy moments that illustrate all those fables told about ancestors. This happiness, ritualized as events unfold, refers to the lies about the family myth. It removes the dark matter related to the family, which is precisely absent from these photographs...." Carolle Bénitah
Garry Winogrand
Garry Winogrand is an American street photographer who is very famous for his work. He transformed street photography, he transformed it from an art of observation to an art of participation. His subjects were participants, and he and they were complicit in the creation of his pictures. To me, some of his photographs look staged as they look too ridiculous to just be seen on the streets in the 1960s. He took pictures of people who were unaware and by the time they noticed they were too late the photograph was taken. Only a few were aware of the camera and looked into the lens without interacting or reacting to him.
I chose to look at Winogrand as he was a staple figure in the history of street photography and he changed it forever. I wanted to look at him to start off with as his work is fundamental in street photography and he has influenced many street photographs. His photographs are also interesting as some of them look staged due to the contents of the image. For example, when I saw the photography with the monkeys in jackets, I thought that photograph was staged in some way as it was unbelievable that he found this scene on the street.
I chose to look at Winogrand as he was a staple figure in the history of street photography and he changed it forever. I wanted to look at him to start off with as his work is fundamental in street photography and he has influenced many street photographs. His photographs are also interesting as some of them look staged due to the contents of the image. For example, when I saw the photography with the monkeys in jackets, I thought that photograph was staged in some way as it was unbelievable that he found this scene on the street.
Gus Powell
Gus Powell is an American street photographer. Powell's images capture the day-to-day dramas on New York's streets that other people miss, that even the people present within the frames miss. Through the simple act of framing, he implicates these people as characters, as protagonists in his dramas. I am looking at his work because I like the way he frames his photographs and the way he uses people on the street as subjects for his photographs. I find his photographs more interesting than older street photographers because they are set in the modern day and are more realistic and candid photos.
I chose to look at Gus Powell's work as I liked the way he framed his photographs and the bright lighting. I like this look in his photographs as it creates an 'ideal' look to the city and romanticizes it. Also, the fact that he is photographing in the city makes his work similar to mine as I live in a city and my photographs are majority going to be in the city. Overall, I like his work as I like the way he highlights ordinary city life.
I chose to look at Gus Powell's work as I liked the way he framed his photographs and the bright lighting. I like this look in his photographs as it creates an 'ideal' look to the city and romanticizes it. Also, the fact that he is photographing in the city makes his work similar to mine as I live in a city and my photographs are majority going to be in the city. Overall, I like his work as I like the way he highlights ordinary city life.
"They do not read simply as straight street photographs, but they tell a story."
Introductory Questions
What is it within your photography that you are really interested in?
I am interested in the way people act. I like to capture these actions and these moments in the life in photographs. I want to document people living their lives and being unaware of the camera capturing them. What is it about your project that you want to know? I want to know what things people miss and what its like to document them. I want to know how people act and the way they interact with each other. Couples, the way they hold each other. People and their everyday actions. The way people act. What is it that you want to document? I want to document the ordinary things which we look over and don't see as art or worthy of photographing. I want to document people living their everyday lives not knowing they're being photographed. Capture a moment in time which they will probably forget. I want to explore the way people interact with their surroundings. How much do you want to document what you see? I want to document a lot of what I see. I want to document the ordinary which is not so ordinary to me. Everything I find interesting that's ordinary I want to document. What do you want to share with the viewer? I want to share to the viewer the small things in life which we miss and gloss over due to seeing it and things like it everyday. I want to focus on those things. I want to share the way I see the world and how I see small, insignificant things. I want to share to the viewer the way the go about their day and how although mundane is special and is different to every person. |
What do you want the viewer to experience?
I want the viewer to pay more attention to their surroundings and small things and actions that people do. I want them to experience noticing random people and spectate their everyday lives and how they act, what they're doing, etc. What kinds of emotion/experience do you want the viewer to have? I want the viewer to experience a sense of curiosity as they want to learn more about these peoples lives. I want them to question why they may be doing the things they are in these photographs and fill in the blanks of where they're going, what they're doing, the conversation they're having. Have you documented in great detail a photographer or groups of photographers that have also photographed similar theme/story/subject? I have documented Gus Powell and Garry Winogrand so far. They are street photographers who have a similar subject to my project. Their work is slightly different to mine as I am not solely doing street photography but rather doing people photography. I have researched their work as I like their compositions and the way they capture people on the street. What were your findings within their work? A lot of their photographs are set up and are not actually candid photographs. This effects my work as I want my work to be candid photographs and of a mix of people I know and of people I don't know. |
1st Photoshoot - IKEA
I decided to photograph in IKEA as their are always lots of people there who are constantly doing things, looking around at furniture or carrying said furniture around. I thought it would be an interesting setting for my photographs as there is constant action. Also, as people are constantly busy, they do not notice someone with a camera trying to photograph them.
It was my first time trying to photograph everyday so I was quite anxious to do this photoshoot. However, once I started it was easy and natural for me to take said photographs. Although a few of the photographs came out blurry and badly exposed due to the time of day and subject matter, I think the photographs came out good. I think I managed to capture people in their natural environment without them being effected by the camera. In some of the photographs, there is a blur due to movement but I think it adds to the photograph and shows the action the subject is doing. For my next photoshoot, I want to make the photographs more focused and well exposed.
Phillip-Lorca diCorcia
His photographs are set up images but are also candid at the same time. He sets up the camera and lights and chooses when he's going to take the photograph but the people he photographing don't know. I decided to look at Philip-Lorca diCorcia's work as it is very different from the way I am taking photographs of people. He has time to set up the camera and spend the whole day in one spot photographing however, I don't have that same time on my hands, so I've had to follow Winogrand's technique instead. However, I still think it's good to talk about the different techniques in street photography. I like diCorcia's work as he has this beige colouring over top of his images which gives the photographs a dark, nostalgic feel. Although this is the opposite to the lighting and colours in Powell's work, I still like it and would like to try a similar colouring in my work too.
"What medium has a stronger relationship to people’s idea of the truth than one that is supposed to be an accurate representation of reality?”
Luigi Ghirri
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Luigi Ghirri takes photographs of ordinary things but his photographs and almost surreal. He is very observant and notices things most people wouldn't notice, 'he has a careful eye for angles and tangents'. His photographs are perfectly aligned and are very melancholy. They are distant and detached - they look like they should have people but they don't. His photographs with human subjects are always taken from behind intentionally - "photographing a person from behind gives them infinite possible identities". He says that they are 'actors posing against a manufactured backdrop'.
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My 2nd Photoshoot - London
I decided to photograph in London for many reasons. One being that it is very busy in London so it is easy to capture many photographs of people. Also, the fact that Powell photographs in the city made me want to as I thought it would be easier to photograph people in the city.
From this photoshoot, I learned that I prefer to take photographs of a small group of people as I think you can focus more on them individually rather than big groups of people where you can't identify what they're doing. I think this photoshoot was a lot more successful than my first photoshoot. The photographs are more focused and are also closer to the people being photographed. Overall, I think this photoshoot went pretty well, I was able to capture people. If I were to do this photoshoot again, I would focus more on the gestures of the people rather than the people themselves.
Alex and Rebecca Webb
Rebecca and Alex Webb are American photographs who are married and often collaborate together on projects such as, Violet Isle: A Duet of Photographs from Cuba (2009), Memory City (2014), On Street Photography and the Poetic Image (2014), Slant Rhymes (2017), and Brooklyn: The City Within (2019). They believe that street photography is in a constant state of flux. They have very different photography styles, with Alex's photographs feature human subjects. Where as, Rebecca's photographs are more subtle depictions and are more suggestive with symbolism and metaphors. Their photographs echo each other and are presented next to each other in the book Slant Rhymes.
Rebecca Webb is also a poet. She connects poetry and photography side by side and this is reflected in her work as it is symbolistic and similar to poetry. She interweaves her writing with her photography, she says the photograph comes first and the photograph comes second. I like Rebecca and Alex Webb's pictures together because I think they compliment each other with the contrast of the 'poetic' images. They utilise colours in their work and their photographs are either very colourful or have neutral colours. The duo are very good at composition and most of their photographs have one main subject, which is usually a person, sometimes an animal.
I chose to look at their work as they have interesting use of colour in their work, the colour in their photographs is very vibrant but they also use light and shadow to their advantage which I like as well. They're able to focus on one or more subject well which I like and wish to achieve in my work as well.
Rebecca Webb is also a poet. She connects poetry and photography side by side and this is reflected in her work as it is symbolistic and similar to poetry. She interweaves her writing with her photography, she says the photograph comes first and the photograph comes second. I like Rebecca and Alex Webb's pictures together because I think they compliment each other with the contrast of the 'poetic' images. They utilise colours in their work and their photographs are either very colourful or have neutral colours. The duo are very good at composition and most of their photographs have one main subject, which is usually a person, sometimes an animal.
I chose to look at their work as they have interesting use of colour in their work, the colour in their photographs is very vibrant but they also use light and shadow to their advantage which I like as well. They're able to focus on one or more subject well which I like and wish to achieve in my work as well.
“Sometimes we find our photographic slant rhymes share a similar palette or tone or geometry. Other times, our paired photographs strike a similar note—often a penchant for surreal or surprising or enigmatic moments—although often in two different keys. ” - Alex Webb
Zone Focusing
You are manually pre-focusing your camera and lens and adjusting your aperture, for a specific distance where everything will be in focus and will have a deep depth of field, within that area (zone) that you have set the focus for. It is a common technique that street photographers use as they do not have time to adjust the focal length, ios, etc, So they use this so that they are able to quickly take photographs without having to mess around with any settings.
Brixton Photoshoot
For this photoshoot, I went somewhere different where I've never been before to give myself a fresh set of eyes when taking photographs in this location. I think this photoshoot went quite well. I was able to capture people and their actions and it was a more diverse range of actions than my last photoshoot. I also tried to capture normal everyday objects as well as people to create a variety and also to show off the environments these people are walking about in. To improve this photoshoot, I need to research more on zone focusing and start using it so I have more time to take photographs and can take more photographs in the time I have.
Experimenting with photoshop
I tried to edit my photographs in photoshop to add a different look to them. I think that I like the inverted images the most as they enhance the subjects on the images.
London Photoshoot
For this photoshoot, I tried to just take lots of photographs without thinking or spending too much time on it. This allowed me to take lots more photographs in a short amount of time and produce more photographs. This also meant, however, that there were quite a few photographs which were badly exposed and badly framed.
Experimenting with single colour printing.
I decided to experiment with single colour photocopying as I wanted to make my street photography different and more unique. However, from doing this experiment, I have realised that I need to experiment more when taking photographs and trying to make the photographs themselves different, rather than doing that afterwards.
Colour photocopy book
I made a few more pieces with the colour photocopy method and turned it into a mini photobook as I thought it would be a nice way to present them. For the photobook, I halved the pieces and had to join them with other pieces which took a bit of trial and error before I found a sequence which I was happy with. I tried to make the sides match and go together in some way but some had too much of one colour and things like that. Overall, I think that this experiment was a successful one as I think that it creates another dimension to my photographs however, I think I need to focus on making the photographs themselves more interesting.
Lee Friedlander
Since the early 1960s, Friedlander has focused on the signs that show the American landscape, from hand-lettered ads to storefront windows to massive billboards. He has continued to do these sign photographs in black and white, even through recent years where colour and digital photography has become the norm. He has a very different approach to street photography compared to his peers such as Garry Winogrand. He only focuses on signs rather than the people. I am looking at his work as I like the idea of focusing on one thing in street photography rather than focusing on street photography as a whole.
Focusing on shoes
For this photoshoot, I decided to focus on one thing rather than just focusing on people and their faces. Since I struggle to photograph peoples faces up close, I thought it would be easier to photograph peoples shoes. One of the issues I had with this photoshoot however was that I went out a bit late and it started to get dark which made the photographs come out darker than I would've liked, and it also rained which made it gloomy. However, despite this, I think I was able to take a successful set of photographs, and I would like to do another photoshoot with this theme but next time I would like to it at a brighter time of day.
Shoes
I decided to pick out the pictures I took of shoes and put them in a grid form together to make a cohesive sequence. I think this selection of images is helpful to me as it has allowed me to see how my work looks together and how shoes are so different from gestures but they also coincide with each other. Overall, I think that this experiment has been successful as it as allowed me to arrange my images and look at them altogether to see how I need to change and refine in my next experiment. Next time, I need to make the photographs more consistent in lighting as some are a lot darker than others.
Zooming in on people's gestures
When focusing and zooming in on the different gestures and things people were doing in public, I noticed a slight pattern. A lot of the time, peoples hands were just by their side as they were walking along or standing, but others they were holding something, usually their phone or another object. What I have learned from just this small sample of gestures I have captured, people are always doing things with their hands. Our hands are the highlight of gestures, the opposite of feet which usually don't do many interesting things except make us walk.
Making Gifs using EZ Gif
I wanted to display my two experiments with gestures and shoes next to each other because I think that they are opposites in a way and that this would work well next to each other. The thing I would say about this experiment is that I had to use different websites for the two gifs as the the shoe photographs file size was too large for EZ Gif so I used this website instead. This meant that I changed the speed of the gif of shoes, not knowing the speed of the gestures gif, so the shoes gif is faster. I think that by themselves these speeds go well with the contents of the photographs, however next to each other, it looks too busy.
Ez Gif is the website that I used to make my gifs. I also used it to crop my gif as I decided I wanted it to be a square because I thought it focuses on the people rather than the background of the image. Also I thought that making them all squares makes them consistent.
I think that these two gifs came out well, as I used EZ Gif for both of them so I was able to make them the same speed. However, I think these gifs was less successful as it is less focused on one thing and rather focused on many different people. I think that the gifs I make should be focused on things such as gestures and shoes rather than them just being of my photographs.
Gestures
For this experiment, I decided to zoom in on more gestures from one of my earlier shoots. I choose the IKEA photoshoot as I noticed people were always doing things and holding things with their hands. I zoomed in on their hands mostly for this experiment. With this photoshoot, I managed to find many interesting gestures. I also turned this experiment into another gif. I think that this gif was very successful compared to my last two gifs as it is focused on something rather than full images. I think that the speed of this gif is a good speed as its not too fast that you can't see anything and its just slow enough that you can see each image before it changes to a new one. The one negative things about this is the quality. Because I had to zoom in so much on the gestures, when I put them into a gif it compressed the quality.
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I did a second experiment in the same way as the IKEA one except I took the photographs from two different photoshoots. I did the same thing as I did in my previous gif as well. I think this gif is more focused on hands and what they are holding. I think that this gif was more successful than the IKEA gif as the photographs are more zoomed in, which allows you to focus on the gestures rather than anything else. However, there are some things I would change about this gif, the gestures are all over the square which sends you on a hunt to find the gesture in the picture. Also, because of the zoom in of the images and the website I used to make this gif, the quality has decreased quite a bit, although this is not something I can change because of the process.
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I made this gif more centred with the hands. I think that this makes the gif more consistent throughout it's duration. I also used photographs where the gestures are more clear. I think that this is my most successful gif so far as it shows all the gestures clearly, its centered and its nice to look at and watch through multiple times. The only thing I would change about this gif is how grainy it is.
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Projection of gifs
I decided to project my gifs side by side next to each other as I had done on my website. I thought that it would be interesting to highlight certain sections of these gifs so I held up a piece of wood and I moved around while someone took photographs of me which allowed for many different parts of my gifs to be highlighted.
I decided to project the gifs next to each other rather than by themselves. The gifs also overlap slightly in the middle which I think creates an interesting composition in the middle with the mix of the two images together. One thing that I think was successful in this video is that every time the gifs are creating a different combination of images. This adds an element of chance into the work.
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Final Piece
For my final piece, I decided to use the video of my gifs projected together but I edited in sounds from out in public to emphases these gestures and the fact that these photographs are people who are busy, doing things and have a whole life which we only see for a few minutes. I think that this video is very successful as the added sounds allow you to get lost in the video and feel like you're in the city.