Street Photography (First Steps 1 )

You've seen the pictures and now you want to give it a go .

The best camera for your early steps onto the streets is probably the one you already have, it may be your camera phone or the one you take on holiday.  ( I rate the old Olympus Trip film camera as a great street camera.)

The most important thing is the mind set you bring to your new photographic efforts. You should ask yourself what you are trying to achieve  from your early SP efforts, looking at the work of other street togs will help you understand the medium and give you a few ideas.

The first thing you will realize is that its not as easy as it first appears, organizing the chaos of life into meaningful frame sized chunks is demanding and your "failure" rate will be high in the early days, to be honest the failure rate will always be high, that is the nature of SP.

Remember that SP is art photography don't get bogged down with the technical stuff, find a scenario that might develop into a picture opportunity and be patient, wait and watch and then watch some more, the right moment will present itself and you will be ready to capitalise on the moment, a gunslingers reactions are not  necessary if you have visualised how a scene might develop correctly. 

In short become a people watcher, notice what is happening and try to predict what might happen next and be prepared to capture it. Don't let the photographic technicalities get between you and the moment, keep it simple move slowly and blend into the scene.

This is a personal journey, learn from your failures and understand why the good pix are good and think about how you can make them better. Treat your subjects (strangers) with respect and a smile, do not photograph children during your early days as society does not embrace nervous looking adults pointing lenses towards kids.  The paranoia of  society is on the rise and you should realize  that street photographers are viewed by some as either terrorists or pedophiles.

Street Photography is a lawful activity in public places and is protected by article 10 of the European Convention. This does not give you license to run amok, remember the idea is to blend in and create candid real images.

Street Photography should be thought of as  "JAZZ" rather than classical and the creative freedom of street should be enjoyed and exploited.

Good luck with your early efforts and welcome to the street photography community.

Gardening & Street Photography !

With the recent downturn in the British weather I decided to undertake a few chores that I had been putting off, I decided to cut the grass and trim the hedges, jobs that I hate but needs must.

I had convinced myself that if I bit the bullet I would be free to hit the streets in search of my next "Masterpiece" when the weather improved. My torturous gardening session was almost complete when I spotted this view, I knew immediately that my day had not been a total waste and that my gardening efforts would be rewarded with a unusual addition to my portfolio.  

It's not everyday that you manage to capture what appears to be children falling from the sky into a neighbours garden.

Yes I know my hedge still needs a trim but it started to rain .

Keep it real !

Cheltenham Reflection

Trawled around the fashionable spar town of Cheltenham the other day and came back with this. Not a lot happening on the streets, this image was quite hard to find.

Reflections often work best in bright sunlight as the contrast is increased and its not very often that UK based togs can top up the tan and try a few experimental shots.

It looks like a multi-exposure but its not.

Another Day Off

This  series of pictures investigates how the English use recreational time

The subject was originally explored by Tony Ray-Jones  in his 1974 posthumously published book "A Day Off".

I started this series  in 2012 and expect to complete the project in 2014,  These pictures record  many of the subtle changes that have taken place in England over the last forty years but more importantly I believe they prove that the eccentric spirit of the English that Ray-Jones captured still exists today. 

At first glance these images should appear ordinary or even mundane however I believe they contain small collisions of coincidence, surreal elements and even a little humour for those that take the time to look. The more I look at these images the more I begin to realise that the English are in danger of becoming hostages to nostalgia.

Thanks for taking the time to look at my work.

Why ? Street Photography

As a photographer who has "enjoyed" a commercial photography career and a formal photographic education I am attracted to street photography because it represents a freedom that commercial commissions rarely provide. Street Photography is always a surprise to me which is in total contrast to commissioned work where the the little surprises are usually bad news.

I find the unplanned nature of SP exciting as all I ever really know before a shoot is the location, I have no idea who will feature in my pictures or what they will be doing. The pictures that work best appear to have an element that is beyond my control or expectation, some might describe it as luck !

I'll be the first to admit that serendipity plays its part in my photography however it should be remembered that the more time I invest in SP the luckier I become.

I will try to expand on my photographic thought process in future blogs as I believe an awareness of various visual devices can help togs make sense of what appears to be chaos.

Keep it real !

Welcome

First of all thanks for taking the time to check out my site.

I thought I would open this blog by asking the age old question What is Street Photography ?

Unless we understand our medium we have little chance of creating successful images.

Street Photography is a form of art photography it is not created with a vision of historical relevance that is documentary photography however the images may develop historical relevance in the future as any art form reflects the time of its creation.

Street Photography is not meant to address social injustice or try to change the world that is the job of photojournalism although everyday life is our subject in all its various forms.

Street Photography should take place in public places and usually include a reference to life but this can be indirect, most street togs believe "SP" should be candid and that the great street pictures expose the small truths of life. SP is not better or worse than documentary photography or photojournalism it is just different and can be difficult to identify along side each other.

Share your thoughts.