Shoot A Series

It all sounds very grand, "shooting a series" yet it is little more than taking a number of images that are in some way related or even better contain a narrative that others can relate to. The world is full of photo opportunities and is perhaps an overwhelming challenge to represent in a series of say 25 pix. I would suggest that we need to break our series down to bite sized chunks !

Street photographers could well argue that a series of street pictures would hang well together and this may well be true, however a photographic style alone is not enough, as it may contain various styles within itself, a broad range of random  subjects would also weaken the collective strength of a series. Take a look at many Flickr pages and you will see realms of street pix that appear unrelated and weakened by images that are reactive captures and collected with a mind set that is not dissimilar to indiscriminate litter picking. Should you pick enough litter and focus your eyes firmly on the ground eventually you will pick up a five pound note or two but this is not a reliable income stream, more importantly having to view everything as viable is not efficient, a policy of only bending down to pick up five pound notes should be cultivated.

Once your series policy has been established within your own mind, you will discover that life has just become easier as not only are you aware of the subjects that are relevant to your  visual policy (series) but you now filter out subjects and locations that do not contribute to your now established photo agenda. The agenda you choose might evolve over time, this is not a bad thing as you should not feel creatively trapped by your project, you might even go off piste now and then, these moments will probably sow the seeds for your next series. The important thing is to maintain your focus on the series you are already working on.

The "Another Day Off" series that I am working on now consists of more than 100 images now, I have taken an overview of these images and identified a number of areas I want to improve. The important point to make here is that the decisions are based on the overall strength of the series and how they relate to each other, not the merits of the individual images.  When complete I expect to edit 150 pix down to about 50 pictures that should be viewed as a series not 50 individual pix shot around the same theme. I hope the images will flow and compliment each other.

A judicious editing policy at both the capture and post production stage appears to be the key to pulling a series together,  good luck !

Keep it real !

Intervention in street photography

Real street togs would never think of corrupting a moment they are about to capture by intervention, this could be staging a moment, introducing flash or using props. The problem I have with this statement is that it ignores one vital aspect and that is that sometimes the photographer is part of the moment and through shadows or reflections can actually become part of the work.

I have seen images presented which include togs using flash through cafe and bar windows which are supported by words of justification arguing that the photographer and the flashgun are part of the moment, a huge highlight in the centre of a piece is just plain bad photography especially when the highlight was caused by an artificial light source introduced to the scene by the photographer.

As a "old Skool" photographer most of the time I try to eliminate my presence from the scene I am trying to capture but this principle was challenged recently when I was separated from a subject I wanted to capture by a huge plate glass window. I discovered that if I included my own reflection in the scene the subject became clearly visible and in fact with a little care could be made to appear as if his head was attached to my silhouette. This is the first time i have ever used my presence as a pictorial element in a photograph other than the humble selfie's  I take now and then and have to admit to being pleased with the outcome.

As a rule I still prefer not to influence the images I make with tell tale signs of my presence but now and then it might be okay to take a lesson from Alfred Hitchcock and make a cameo appearance in the works I make.

Keep it real !

Sirkka Liisa Konttinen

This week I took delivery of a great book by Sirkka Liissa Konttinen entitled "Byker Revisited", this is a follow up of her legendary "Byker" book and is well worth a look especially if you are not familiar with her work.

Sirkka is originally from Finland and became known for her work documenting the reshaping of a community in the East end of Newcastle upon Tyne in the 1970's. She lived in this working class community,  and went on to create a series of images that does more than record and document this place before demolition. These images contain a narrative of life and warmly records the lives of the people who inhabited these terraced streets that eventually gave way to the Byker Wall, a experimental housing project that still stands today.

I was fortunate enough to photograph Sirkka in 2018 when she spoke at The Martin Parr Foundation.

Byker Revisited depicts the new population of Byker which includes a true reflection of English Society that could represent many northern towns and cities. These colour images contrast greatly with the original black and white images that have remained in my memory for years. I lived in the neighbouring district of Walker during the 1970's and have first hand memories of many of the views and people in this book, the images from the original project have aged well and seem even better with the passage of time.

Those of you who think that this is little more than a plug for a Documentary photography book should think again as much of this work might of started out as Documentary photography but in my opinion should be viewed  as Art Photography. This work is relevant to Street Photographers  today, the "Girl On A Spacehopper" picture is a street photography masterpiece !

My exposure to the original Byker project in my early teens is partly responsible for my passion for Street Photography today , it helped me realise that everyday life is the most powerful subject for photography, especially when viewed with an emotional connection.

Sirkka Liisa Konttinen is a founder member of Amber Associates who still run The Side Gallery which is just off Newcastle's Quayside..

Keep it real, check out the work of of Sirkka Liisa Konttinen.. 

Byker, Writing in The Sand, step by Step & Byker Revisited.

Is the decisive moment dead !

I've never really bought into the old HCB "decisive moment" nonsense but I must admit its one hell of a memorable one-liner. My photography appears to consist of indecisive moments in fact I'm just grateful for whatever I can get.

As I write this I'm having an indecisive moment, as I look out of the window, the greyness of this English day is making me wonder if I should venture out in search of "moments" or not. Would my time be better used catching up and editing the back-log of images that seems to always be waiting for me.

My interpretation of the famous HCB quote when stripped back is that you have to make your exposure at the best time for the image you are trying to make, sounds more than a bit obvious to me ! In short if you decide to make an image of the winning goal being scored in the FA cup final then its no good trying to achieve it by sitting behind the goal in January as you'll have a long wait for "the decisive moment" !

Joking aside the point I want to raise today is the growth in popularity of the time-less deadpan images that suggest that the moment captured is anything but "decisive" !   I wonder if the growth in street photography has played a major part in diminishing the value of "The decisive Moment", after all the viewing public must be fed up of seeing silhouetted children jumping off bridges from every continent in the world and there are only so many balloon covered faces a man (or woman) can take.!  It appears to me that a growing appetite for images where         the viewer is left feeling that the time either side of the image capture would look exactly the same as the moment being offered are growing in popularity.

Could the Street Photography community be developing a taste for a "documentary" style approach in the creation of Art Photography as it matures and realises that current approaches to "Street" are leading to a creative cul-de-sac ?

While on the subject of current photography trends I would like to beat the drum for the  inaugural British Life Photography Awards Exhibition which opens at The Mall Galleries in London next week, (as the organisers appear to be doing a great job of keeping it a secret), for those of you like myself who are unable to see the show a book will be launched next week..

I intended to ramble on a bit more  in this post but my pet Galah is taking a hissy fit and is demanding my attention,I have also decided to try and search out a few moments today (decisive or not) so I had better get a move on.  I have included a indecisive moment of my own below .

Keep it real !

The Palace 2015

Digital Photography Detox

Detox diets and drug detox rehabilitation appears to be a growing part of the society we live in, I wonder how many street photographers might benefit from a digital detox ?  Could a short session of digital free photography help togs move away from pixel peeping and help them see the bigger picture ?.

Let me make it clear that I come from a pre-digital photography time which probably makes me a dinosaur in the eyes of many reading this ! I don't want to turn this into the old film versus digital debate because that debate is as tired as my old Yashica-Mat , what I am hoping to highlight here are the creative opportunities that film cameras offer over the strict digital workflows that we all follow slavishly in order to achieve images that appear to have the same photographic DNA. 

Set yourself free and escape your comfort zone every now and then, my guilty secret is the 120 Holga I carry around and even use when I discover what I think is a Holga-listic moment, these moments are much more pre-visualised and planned than my more spontaneous street style and to be honest is far removed from the Lomo ethos of shooting from the hip, in fact  the attraction of  plastic cameras to me is that the thought process is completely different from our auto-everything digital everyday street capture's. I have learned to embrace the flaws of my "plastic" workflow and enjoy the "dream-like" (soft) look of the work that seems to have a more fine art photography feel.

If you have started the year a little more sluggish than you would have liked and are finding it hard to find the mojo needed to get your photography moving, dig out an old film camera and have some fun !

I  wonder if I can persuade those brave souls who are prepared to give up digital now and then to try lens-less photography . Pinhole photography is the most extreme digital detox I am aware of but it should be approached with caution as this level of serendipitous photography is truly addictive

World Pinhole Day takes place on Sunday the 26th of  April this year and might be a good time to give up mega bites .and lenses for a day.

I have enclosed a picture of my "Geordie Leica" below, the tape and over spray are all part of the refinements !

Keep it real !

Award-io No Thanks-io !

I saw an interesting post on Street Shooters UK yesterday and uploaded 3 pix to be included as part of the Greenwich Gallery's call for entries for its "Crowds" project, the call for entries are all done on-line via the Award-io platform which is a tool for curators to solicit photographic entries for exhibitions all over the world.

The advertised fee for entry was penny's less than £15 for a portfolio of 3 pix and the prize offered was to have your work exhibited at the gallery in Greenwich, London for 2 weeks.I had no problem with the Greenwich Galleries prize but became less impressed by the Award-io platform.

The fee for 3 entries was almost 30 quid not the £14.95 advertised, the other thing that surprised me was that below each image opened on the site a button appears offering the viewer the chance to "SHARE" your entered image on Facebook or Twitter. I am aware that any image posted on line is easily copied and posted elsewhere but I'm not sure that a site that claims to champion photographers should be actively helping others breach hard won copyright rights.

The images I uploaded were still on view the last time I checked despite my efforts to delete them, its less than reassuring to know that Award-io will archive my images forever on public view.

Apart from the money stuff this Award-io platform does not appear to be well considered, it appears to offer the greatest opportunity I have seen to ensure that your images become copyright orphans of the future.

The Greenwich Gallery appears to be using the platform to curate an exhibition and is not to blame for the problems I discovered,  however I think it should pick its partners more carefully. 

 Keep it real-io !

Snow Go !

Following predictions of snow on last nights weather forecast I prepared myself and kit for an early start this morning, but things did not go to plan.

Let me explain, back in June I was going about my day to day stuff when I was struck by a view that I thought could play a part in one of my pictures once winter arrived. The idea was retained in the memory bank (not the best place to keep ideas safe) until conditions were suitable. I realise that this level of planning might pour cold water on the myth that all Street Photography is spontaneous and shot almost from the hip, "Street Togs"  should not only see what is before them but what might exist should the light or conditions change in the future  .I admit that more than 6 months is extreme  but the take away point I'm trying to make is that locations can change for the better within hours when shadow patterns change etc.  We should also be looking for photographic potential and developing ideas for the future all the time.

Try to see past the picture opportunities that exist in the here and now and think about how views will develop during the seasons of the year and the early or late parts of the day.

Meanwhile back to my morning, the alarm goes off at 7.00am, I awake bleary eyed and peep through the blinds, I am greeted by what can only be described as an apology of a snow storm  The shoot is off, I pull the duvet cover higher and sigh at the thought of this shot escaping me again !

I've just got up and shared my frustration here, I feel better now !

Thank you.

Keep it real !

Hello, Hello, Hello...

Hi and welcome to a new year on the UK Street Photography website, i hope you lot have recovered from your seasonal excess and are ready to go for another 12 months of all things Street Photography.

I hope Santa was kind to you and that your book collection has grown over the festive period, mine certainly has although "Grim Street" is still not a book I own. I have no doubt that some of you probably acquired some new kit over the last few weeks, I hope it does what you expect it to do for you.

January is a great time to make plans, the Holiday commercials are already appearing on our TV's trying to tempt us to exotic locations all over the planet. I have managed to resist these offers so far. I have made plans to shoot a few UK based events this year and I would encourage togs to start making plans to shoot at least one major UK event this year in "Street" style . Why not visit a run-down coastal town at some point as the picture opportunities are great ! I would also encourage togs to visit the Durham Miners Gala as it is a great day out, Durham is a great city. Ask yourself what would you really like to shoot this year and make it happen.

Have you set your photographic goals this year, do you plan to photographically drift through the next 12 months or do you have things you want to achieve ?  Street Photography is the most accessible and democratic of art forms, set your goals, they are achievable with hard work and persistence. Create a web site, enter one of the awards, get published or just reach out to other togs in your area and plan an exhibition, anything is possible.

Finally a gripe, I realise that as togs we speak in pictures not in words but it would be nice if at least a few of my many visitors to this site said hello ! Share your views or plans for 2015.

The pic below is not really a Street pic, it is meant to reflect the mentality of the lone blogger.

Keep it real and say  - HELLO..!

.PS; For those who have not done it yet, buy a external hard drive and start backing up your pix to both the drive and the cloud. Drives that do both at the same time are now available. 

Bye, Bye 2014 !

Well its almost done, 2014 has been and gone . 

Personally and photographically the year has been okay for me. I managed to get through the year without confrontation on the street and captured a few decent pix, one of which will be exhibited in a major London gallery next year.

Recognition of my photographic efforts is not that important to me as I believe in my work and create it for its own sake rather than the pursuit of praise or worse still money. Having said that it is reassuring when others show appreciation for the images I make, as I , like many other togs have times of doubt and suffer creative lows, its good to know I'm not wasting my time and that others are connecting with the work. At the end of the day Exhibitions are a great way to increase awareness of my pictures.

As the years pass the one thing I become more concious of is the value of time, when I was in my twenty s I believed I would live forever and lacked any sort of urgency in my photographic endeavours..  I now value time above everything, as the penny has finally dropped that life is not infinite and a time will come when only my pictures remain.

This realisation certainly helps me to focus and prioritise.

I understand that some new togs need to develop a level of confidence before going alone on the street and may choose to join others in order to help develop a level of independence and creative vision. I am planning to offer a few  one to one Street Photography sessions during 2015, this will be a very limited service and will hopefully help aspiring Street togs get off on the right foot.

I have a number of shoots planned for 2015 and will probably return to my native North East in order to complete my "Another day Off" series.

The shot below was inspired by the long shadows offered by the winter sun, it was the last picture I made in 2014.

Happy New Year !

David Barrett

Merry Christmas

Many thanks to all of of you who have popped into this blog from time to time this year. I hope the year has been good to you and look forward to your visits next year.

I hope you have achieved at least some of your photographic ambitions this year and that the Street Photography Gods have blessed you with at least a couple of unusual moments,  I really do believe that some of the moments I capture are gifted to me, but I do not know from where or who ! Long may it continue.

Remember that Christmas is not a great time for everyone, if your out shooting over the Holidays do not exploit the vulnerable . Show some kindness, it will be reflected back.

My final picture of 2014 explores the influence of American culture on England and the commercialisation of Christmas.

Merry Christmas