Homeless - but being watched over?

This was probably the 'darkest' photo I've taken and I would admit I didn't particularly enjoy taking it but I felt it was necessary, almost essential, to have a photograph like this within the set of photos I had assigned myself in order for the brief to be met accurately. This was because a lot of 'Alternative London' for me revolved around homeless people and this was one way of answering criteria about people who are down on their luck and without a home.

   I thought I managed to tackle this sensitive subject quite cleverly and creatively though, by including a famous related building to the homeless man - in the frame. The building was Centrepoint - the headquarters of an organisation for young, homeless people. I thought this was a fairly unique perspective to see a homeless person in - the Centrepoint building in the background suggested an obvious relationship between the man and the building.

   The work I felt this image was most comparable to, even though his was rural and mine was urban, was that of James Ravilious's. In particular 'Farmer Using Antique Farm Equipment, ca. June 1975' (found at http://www.corbisimages.com/Search#p=1&q=beaford and accessed on 14/11/2012). This was because both my image and his showed each subject clearly in their own setting.

   I thought I executed the photograph well technically, correcting the converging verticals of the Centrepoint building in post-production. Again the photograph had been planned out before the fact (similar to the sign-holder) but it still took a lot of luck and reconnaissance to find a homeless man in the immediate area of the Centrepoint building. Then it took a lot of courage to ask the man's permission to be photographed. Lastly, I used some fill-flash to help attract attention to the homeless man as he was inevitably placed right in the corner of the frame (because of the height of the Centrepoint building fitting into the frame). This was also so he was properly exposed in relation to the rest of the image.

3. Homeless - but being watched over?

   I thought this was one of the strongest photographs I took for the assignment, the colours for me worked well, with the blue of the homeless man's sleeping bag and clothing symbolising coldness/loneliness. This contrasted with the warmer orange of most of the rest of the photograph, including the street scene and the main part of the Centrepoint building, indicating maybe a safe refuge for the homeless man below. Finally the blue of the top of the Centrepoint building matched the homeless man's sleeping bag and clothing, again symbolising coldness as it was a lone haven in London helping homeless people.

Halloween in London

Here I decided I couldn't let a good opportunity pass me by so I went into London on Halloween to see whether there were any Halloween revellers and I was glad I did because I found some and they provided me with the shots I was looking for.

   The shots I took weren't really pre-conceived other than that they should reflect 'Alternative London' but with a Halloween theme. Well, I was very satisfied with what I found and captured. There were a group of people dressed up in Halloween costumes. They were located outside the National Gallery and I recognised the National Gallery would make a good backdrop for one of these Halloween themed people as I assessed the scene. The reason for this was that seeing such dark and macabre costumes in front of such an usually orthodox, conservative (and well-known) landmark was a bit of surprise. I asked one of these people in Halloween costumes if they would mind having a portrait taken and he kindly obliged.

2. Halloween in London

   This showed a side to London that was strange and contrasted with the usual day-time tourists, revellers and business people, as well as showing off a time of the year where such out of the ordinary clothing was reasonable. At the same time being outside the National Gallery with its trademark pillars and triangular roof, it suggested that perhaps the Halloween reveller I photographed was eerily related to the gallery he was in front of, or at least went against what was the 'expected' user of the building.

  

The sign holder

I have come across a (very) important idea that wasn't immediately obvious to me concerning the way I approached this assignment. I have been becoming aware of this idea as I have been making my way through the course, particularly with Assignment 4: 'A sense of place' but it really came to the forefront when exploring possible photographs for the fifth assignment. This was the conscious imagining and precognition of what I wanted certain potential photographs to turn out like before I took them.

   My first image for the assignment was therefore a well-imagined shot, which turned out to be similar to what I wanted beforehand. This made the experience of taking the shot rewarding but also the photograph fitted well into the brief. I managed to conceive the subject and the backgorund beforehand, while leaving the overall 'feel' of the photograph for the moment in which I was taking it. The fact I went about taking the photograph this way meant my creativity was 'channelled' towards the brief and the photograph was to order. Lastly, I tried to make the photograph creative and eye-catching.

   I tried to portray how a person advertised something (in this case a religious message) on a sign, while showing them in the context of 'Alternative London'. 'Alternative' because, from my experience of London streets, the sign holders were usually largely ignored and in my opinion contrasted strongly with the 'rest' of the street users. The reason for this was because in this case the signholder was so still compared to the other users. I had decided on the subject - a sign holder - and the background - a London street with an underground station in the background. This was to retain a sense of place. The feature I had planned which would  make this photograph stand out however , was the movement of people in the street; this was in direct contrast to the sign holder, who was very still. To achieve the sense of movement I employed a slow shutter speed; introducing motion blur.

1. The sign holder

   To achieve the slow shutter speed I used a tripod and cable release (ensuring the background and sign holder were sharp) and a neutral density filter (which gave me a slower shutter speed).

   This was a technique I had been utilising (and practising) quite frequently in part 4 of People and Place and I thought I produced a well-balanced photo with the main feature being the contrast between the sign holder and the people around him.

Bibliography: People and place on assignment

Bibliography:

R. Angier, (2007), Train Your Gaze, AVA Publishing SA, Lausanne, Switzerland.

R. Bartlett, "The Meaning of Motherland", In S. Roberts (2007), Motherland, [WWW] Simon Roberts. Available from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/motherland/#PHOTO_0 [accessed on: 13/11/2012].

C. Cotton (2009), the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009.

P-L. diCorcia (2000), Head #7, 2000 and Head #23 [Photograph] In. C. Cotton (2009) the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, C. Cotton, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009, Pages 20 and 46.

C. Dunn [WWW] Cheryl Dunn. Available from: http://www.cheryldunn.net/#/photos [accessed on 13/11/2012].

M. Harris (ed), (Fall 2012), aperture, 208.

M. E. Mark (1995), Girl Jumping Rope on the Burning Ghat, Benares, India,1995, [Photograph]. In. C. Hagen (2001), Mary Ellen Mark 55, Phaidon Press Limited, London N1, page 105.

M. E. Mark (2001), 'Rat' and Mike with a Gun, Seattle, Washington, USA, 1983, [Photograph]. In: C. Hagen (2001), Mary Ellen Mark 55, Phaidon Press Limited, London N1, page 39.

J.Ravilious (1975), Farmer Using Antique Farm Equipment, ca. June 1975, [WWW] Corbis Images. Available from: http://www.corbisimages.com/Search#p=1&q=beaford [accessed on 13/11/2012].

J. Ravilious, [WWW] James Ravilious - photographer of rural life. Available from: http://www.jamesravilious.com/gallery.asp [accessed on 13/11/2012].

S. Roberts (2007), Motherland, [WWW] Simon Roberts. Available from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/motherland/#PHOTO_3 [accessed on 13/11/2012].

S. Roberts (2007), Motherland, [WWW] Simon Roberts. Available from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/motherland/#PHOTO_7 [accessed on 13/11/2012].

S. Roberts (2010), The Election Project, [WWW] Simon Roberts. Available from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/election-project/#PHOTO_0 [accessed on 14/11/2012].

P. Strand (1967), Day of the Dead, Tilisca, Romania, 1967, [Photograph] In. Aperture (1987), Masters of Photography, aperturefoundation, New York, N.Y. 10001, page 83.

Reference Page: People and place on assignment

Reference Page:

R. Bartlett, "The Meaning of Motherland", In S. Roberts (2007), Motherland, [WWW] Simon Roberts. Available from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/motherland/#PHOTO_0 [accessed on: 13/11/2012].

C. Cotton (2009), the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009, page 46.

P-L. diCorcia (2000), Head #7, 2000 and Head #23 [Photograph] In. C. Cotton (2009) the photograph as contemporary art – New Edition 2009, C. Cotton, Thames and Hudson, London WC1V, 7QX, 2009, Pages 20 and 46.

M. E. Mark (1995), Girl Jumping Rope on the Burning Ghat, Benares, India,1995, [Photograph]. In. C. Hagen (2001), Mary Ellen Mark 55, Phaidon Press Limited, London N1, page 105.

M. E. Mark (2001), 'Rat' and Mike with a Gun, Seattle, Washington, USA, 1983, [Photograph]. In: C. Hagen (2001), Mary Ellen Mark 55, Phaidon Press Limited, London N1, page 39.

J.Ravilious (1975), Farmer Using Antique Farm Equipment, ca. June 1975, [WWW] Corbis Images. Available from: http://www.corbisimages.com/Search#p=1&q=beaford [accessed on 13/11/2012].

S. Roberts (2007), Motherland, [WWW] Simon Roberts. Available from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/motherland/#PHOTO_3 [accessed on 13/11/2012].

S. Roberts (2007), Motherland, [WWW] Simon Roberts. Available from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/motherland/#PHOTO_7 [accessed on 13/11/2012].

S. Roberts (2010), The Election Project, [WWW] Simon Roberts. Available from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/election-project/#PHOTO_0 [accessed on 14/11/2012].

P. Strand (1967), Day of the Dead, Tilisca, Romania, 1967, [Photograph] In. Aperture (1987), Masters of Photography, aperturefoundation, New York, N.Y. 10001, page 83.

Inspirations for the fifth assignment

There have been a few photographers that I have been looking at recently in relation for this fifth assignment. The first was Mary Ellen Mark. Her photographs ranged greatly but there was always the same style even though the photographs were often to order. This was definitely something I could learn from as I was completing a brief and her photojournalistic style is powerful for documenting many topics. For example ''Rat' and Mike with a Gun, Seattle, Washington, USA, 1983' portrays two outcast children in a harsh, urban reality, which also related to my current brief coincidentally.

   I consequently found out about Cheryl Dunn through looking at Mary Ellen Mark's work - Cheryl Dunn had shot a film including Mary Ellen Mark (Everybody Street). I found her work to be very impactful and always seeming to make a statement. I realised a lot of her work included text in the images to aid with these 'statements' and provide stimulation for the viewer. I thought it would be a useful possibility to incorporate into the assignment.

   I looked at James Ravilious' work on rural life in Devon in the Beaford Photographic Archive with the intention of gaining insight into how he managed to convey different angles on rural life and of both people and place in a set of photographs. Then I attempted to transfer these observations into contributing towards my own project with the main difference being that photographs would be based around urban life. I discovered after looking at some of his 'Beaford Archive' that just by placing the subject in the frame in a way that attracted the viewer's attention, he suggested relationships between the subject and the background. I thought this 'compositional awareness' was something I could learn from in this assignment because it would potentially allow me to show off the alternative side to London where the backgrounds would be as important a factor in some of the photos as the subject. Secondly, I admired the vast variety of his photographs in his study of rural life in Devon and thought it would be applicable to my study of 'alternative' urban life in London. It gave me confidence for the assignment because if he could create such variety in a study of a small village like Beaford, then it could mean lots of possibilities for me.

Preparation for Assignment 5 Including the Brief and What I Have Set out to Achieve

Introduction to and preparing for Assignment 5: First and foremost, the most crucial aspect of this assignment for me would be that it was a subject or subjects that were practical and at the same time personal to photograph. I knew such criteria was important for it to be a project that worked. I have found it is vital for me to enjoy what I'm photographing in order to achieve the best results.

   This didn't necessarily mean the subject matter has to be all 'airy fairy'; conversely it didn't have to be all 'doom and gloom'. As I brainstormed ideas however, I discovered I was starting to lean towards a more dark and melancholy theme for the brief as it would perhaps be a step sideways - an opportunity to depict something a little more 'gritty' and less 'perfect'. This was in contrast to the fourth assignment and I felt it would be an opportunity to make it more personal as mentioned above but also potentially to express myself.

   The obvious location for me then was up in the streets of London city. It was an obvious location firstly because I loved the atmosphere and vibrancy of the place, which would help me to enjoy myself as mentioned. Also the diversity present in this city would hopefully allow me to get a unique perspective of the city as I saw it.

   As I began to formulate a more specific brief I realised I was fairly sure the notional client would be one that helped circulate information, so probably a magazine, but with topics that were personal/insightful as well as of course important to potential readers - not just informational. This suggested for me then, as the location of the brief would almost definitely now be London, the photographs could perhaps be used in a local magazine attempting to spread an awareness article concerning the topic at hand. The topic at hand would most probably be the otherside or darker side to London's character.

   Here is the choice of client:

A magazine (narrative and illustrative)

   Purpose of the assignment: 

Informational - raising awareness

   How the images will be used:

To complement and illustrate the text of an awareness article


   My brief:

'Alternative London' - These photographs should portray a side of London City that is not immediately apparent to the average visitor but that should demand more attention, which this project will bring to light.