ASSIGNMENT 2: PEOPLE AND ACTIVITY

Outline: The object of this assignment is to plan and execute a set of images of people in some sort of meaningful activity. 

Planning:
This assignment has really pushed me. My initial thought was ' I want to include music into this assignment'. This prompted me to focus on photographing a music event of some sort. But then as I thought more about it, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to execute it. Did I focus on the artist on stage? Well, I could've focused on the stage performance but what was there exactly to photograph that would be interesting to the viewer? I mean, I love photographing gigs but to the viewer it would just be photographs of guys or girls playing an instrument and singing into a microphone. And there is nothing wrong with that at all but it doesn't really have any meaning behind it. But then the same would apply to shooting the people attending the gig wouldn't it? One guy/girl jumping around, screaming, singing or clapping would look the same as the next one. I could make it work but then thought more about it. To be able to get the kind of shots that I was wanting to get, I would need a photo pass to be able to move freely around the venue and that was something I just couldn't get. Plus there is the added factor of terrible lighting and, again, time that would cause other issues.
So I decided to rethink it and decided to use a relatives upcoming wedding. It would tell more of a story than a gig and it would give me something, as well as someone, specific to focus on.
I would use my Canon 1000D camera with my 24 - 90mm lens and decide on setting when I got to the venue as I had not been there before. I also wanted to keep the images as natural as possible as opposed to posed and forced.

Brief:
"To produce 10 final images of a couple throughout their wedding day."

Expectations:
I do not have any real expectations of shooting the day. I would like to make each shot a meaningful moment of the day and will attempt to get shots of the following:

• The bride getting ready
• Arriving at the venue
• Walking down the aisle
• The nuptials
• The 'kiss'
• Signing the register
• The first dance

The final selection:

The beginning ...

I wanted to include a photo of the bride getting ready purely as it is where the process of getting married starts, as though she is dressing for the next chapter of her life. I like the framing of this image as well. I used a standard focal length of 44mm while shooting but then slightly cropped during editing  to focus more on the activity than the subjects. 

Get me to the church on time...

This was an impromptu shot of the bridesmaids helping the bride into the car, sheltering her with an umbrella.  I kept the focal length pretty standard throughout the day and this shot was no exception at 47mm, as I didn't feel the need to get any further information in the shot. Again, I cropped slightly during editing to focus on the activity of the shot. I think this is a really natural shot and a good addition to the final set. 

Metal?? Us??...

Again, another impromptu shot. I had missed the opportunity of getting the shot of the bride arriving at the venue because we arrived the same time and she had gotten out of the car before I got out of mine. I captured this moment as the groom (second from the left) was having pictures taken with his best men and one of the bridesmaids. I think it gives a good feel of the actual wedding itself. The couple, although traditional in some senses, are very alternative in others and the wedding had an overall 'rock/metal music' feel to it. This image just oozes with this theme. I cropped out unnecessary detail again during editing, again to focus on the 'activity' as I again kept the focal length standard.

I now pronounce you...

This shot of the signing of the register is an important one as it marks the end of the ceremony and the start of the new life as a married couple. I had a few photos of this moment, with most of them looking at the camera. I decided to keep to the natural theme and include this one of them looking away from the camera. This was a difficult shot to take as the lighting in the registry office was awful and therefore I used a high ISO of 800, which has inevitably created some noise in the shot. I attempted to increase the brightness slightly during editing but would still have preferred this image to me a lot lighter. 

Introducing Mr and Mrs...

This is not an overly important moment of the day but it was the first time they had walked as a married couple, as they walked to have photos taken after the ceremony. I liked how happy they both look and thought it a good addition to my final selection. Being taken outside meant that the ISO could be brought back down to 200 but this is the first time I went a bit wider with the focal length, down to 28mm, to include more detail around them. I wanted to show the viewer they are walking through a crowd. 

Sharing a moment...

I liked the symbolism this image creates. I have photographed the event to share the important moments of the day and I happened to capture this 'moment' between the bride and her bridesmaids. I kept the framing to include the bride, even though she had her back to me, for the viewer to understand what is happening in the image. 

I see you...

Again, this is not a special moment of the day but more of a 'moment' between the groom and me, the photographer. It is not a forced and posed image, which is what I was trying to keep away from in the final collection, but more of another symbol of a moment caught by camera. 

The blushing bride...

This is the first time I used a longer focal length, 90mm, to stand back and capture this image. I kept the people between myself and the bride in the framing of this shot to highlight that it was taken as a close up through the company she was with. As though to show her with her guests, to appear more natural than if she was alone and posing for the shot. 

The first dance...

Another important part of the day, the first dance. The couple went for a less traditional upbeat first dance and I think I managed quite well to capture that in this image, especially with the 'swish' of the brides hair. I used a 35mm focal length but really wanted to frame the shot well to include the fabulous stage behind them also to try to show the scale of the beautiful room. Again, I think this worked well producing a rather symmetrical image. The lighting again was terrible, hence a high 800 ISO again but I think the wide angle of the shot has reduced the amount of visible noise.

The Kiss...

Not the original end of ceremony kiss that I had planned but an important moment all the same. I have managed to capture an intimate moment between the bride and groom and have kept the framing like this to show that, even though they are in the middle of the dance floor, they are still going unnoticed to everyone else around them, as though they are in their own blissful marital bubble. Noise is present again due to the high ISO and the image is rather busy but I felt it was an important image to end the final collection. 

Review: Overall, I am very happy with my final selection of images. I think the natural theme was a good choice and worked well as the shots look less formal and more comfortable and relaxed. I didn't initially set out to create my final set in black and white but I felt it added that documentary sense to the set and this of course, worked really well alongside the natural theme.
I wasn't able to execute all the images that I initially wanted to capture due to the policies of the registry office where the ceremony was held. There were to be no cameras during the ceremony itself, we were only able to take photos after the register had been signed, which was disappointing. When you think of a wedding, there are moments that are important to the whole concept of getting married, such as walking down the aisle or 'the' kiss at the end so it was unfortunate that these could not be captured at all and therefore could not be included in this final collection. However, I had to capture what I could and I think that this hasn't faltered this set of images at all.
I also liked some of the impromptu shots that I managed to get, hence why they have been included in this selection. Like I explained in the individual reviews, they may not have documented an important moment in the overall wedding event but they did capture a unique moment of that specific day.
It was also difficult to work with such bad lighting on occasions too as it had an effect on some of the shots. Of course it would be ideal to have perfect conditions at all times to create the perfect shot but it doesn't work that way and sometimes we need to work as best we can with what we are given.
My brief was to produce 10 shots of a couple throughout their wedding day and as documenting the event goes, I think that I executed this brief very well.

Exercise: A public space.

Outline: Transfer your attention from an organised event to a public space.

I'm going to take this opportunity to use photographs from Sonisphere Festival 2010 for this exercise. Again, at this time of year, there are not many people out and about so I will use photos I already have.

In a festival scenario, the whole event is organised but not in a way that everyone is limited, like at a concert or gig. The music is there but what you do with your time during the entire event is completely up to you. If you dont actually want to go and watch any of the live music, you dont have to. You can just sit around the campsite if you so desire. And this is the aspect I have included here. A selection of people making use of their time in whatever way they choose and to give you, the viewer, a small insight into a typical festival campsite.

Individual camps

Although the campsite is just a few big fields full of campers, you will find a lot of people will camp in groups as shown above. Whether it be groups of friends who have met previously or people deciding to group together with their camping neighbours, it's common to see many camps as shown above with the tents all around the outside and a communal area to sit in the middle.

 

Inter camp socialising

The main point of campsite activity is basically to socialize with your friends hence the above being the most common sight amongst the individual camps.

Visiting other 'camps'

Socialising amongst others

There may be individual camps who know people from other camps too, hence making visiting friends another campsite pastime. Festival goers tend to be really friendly as you all share a common ground of the music that is being played there so it's not difficult to make conversation with other people who you may not have known beforehand.

Dress up

Sonisphere Festival will have a different themed day every year

Others dress up in the attire for the band they are seeing

Dressing up is another part of festivals.You will always see people dressed up, whether it is following the image of their favourite bands, using facepaint and costumes, or just plain old good fun. Sonisphere will always announce beforehand their 'theme' for the dress up day, above the theme was 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' , and people will dress up in their thousands using the campsites to get ready.

Sonisphere Festival 2010

Conclusion: I know that this doesn't follow exactly what the exercise was asking but it is similar in the way that it is a public and communal area of space that groups of people will use in a variety of different ways. I dont feel conscious of using my camera in a festival setting. I am documenting it for my future memory but I also find that people tend to love having their photos taken in this setting. Ironically, it's usually the people who I know that will complain more than me photographing a total stranger. At my local park, obviously I would feel very different and there are different factors to take into consideration. The people at the setting above have very few limitations. Everyone is there for the same reason and as I have stated before, they have common ground which makes it easier as everyone is friendly and more relaxed. Photographing a non specific event in a family friendly public place could arouse suspicion from others around you, especially when there are children around and openly photographing others could result in a confrontation. So I am always dubious about where I point my camera in a public place.

Exercise: An organised event.

Outline: Look for an organised event at which there will be plenty of people and in which you can photograph freely and with some variety.

I am going back to using my Cardiff Harbour Festival 2011 photos for this exercise as within my timescale and the fact that it is rapidly approaching winter, I would not find an open air event to shoot right now.

As a bit of background, Cardiff Harbour Festival is situated at Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay and is a family friendly event with lots of free activities. The main attraction being a variety of boats including tall ships on the harbour that visitors are able to climb aboard and have a look around. The festival also hosts a continental market complete with tasty treats from across the globe and also an alternative end of pier attraction which includes a sand pit, beach huts, comedy walkabouts and live music.

It was easy to wander around this event with a camera. As it was a fairly big event which covered a large space, I wasn't confined in any way or intruding on the personal space of the people in attendance for the most part. I needed to use a variety of lenses, especially to attempt to get shots of the people on or around the boats as you had to pay a fee to get down onto the walkway near the boats.

Cardiff Harbour Festival 

Selection of boats on the harbour

One of the main attraction 'Tall Ships'

As you can see by the first image, there were many people lining the docks and overlooking the barrier at the boats on show. People who were amongst the boats were able to chat to the boatsmen and even climb aboard to have a look around. 

Learning about the boat

Climbing aboard

The boats and ships are not the only feature of this event though. As it is very family orientated, there are other attractions for the public to enjoy. 

Meeting Point

Plenty of people enjoying the market

Browsing the stalls

I felt a little less comfortable here. As you can, there were a lot of people in a small space amongst some of the stalls on the market and even with a standard focal length, I felt very close and involved as though I had the camera directly in peoples faces at times. This made me feel a bit intrusive so I did try to not directly point at anyone, although this in itself was difficult.

There were many more activities though, including fairground rides and activities, including bridge building which many children were partaking in.

Flying

Bridge Building

Again, these were easier to shoot as I could stand back and use a longer focal length. I felt this was necessary as I am always uneasy photographing children especially.

Conclusion: I am happy with the images that were produced at this event. I feel it documents the overall feel of the event quite well, maybe not in a story telling way as such but just by these few photos the viewer can get an insight as to what kind of things were going on throughout the event.

Exercise: Standard focal length.

Outline: As in the previous two exercises, find the standard focal length and shoot with this one.

As I have compared the previous two exercises through music events, I will end on this example too. There isn't a huge amount I can say regarding using standard focal length though. I feel it is very much 'as it is', as the viewer would see it though their own eyes. I am not up close to broadcast exactly what I am doing for all to see, nor am I at the back trying trying to get a better shot to appear closer than I am. To use standard focal length in this environment means you can be as involved as you want, get up front to get a decent shot or stand back to get a wide angle room shot. it's more a case of the photographer moving about to capture exactly what it is they are wanting to get.

The Defiled at Nambucca, London

 I feel standard focal length is best suited to capture the overall feel of the environment/experience, as though documenting the 'event' opposed to just the 'performances'.

Dragonforce at the O2 Academy, Bristol

Conclusion: These past three exercises have enlightened me to exactly what I'm doing when I'm using my different lenses or zoom capabilities. Using all three can really narrate an event, it's just a matter of using which length for which part of the event.

Exercise: Close and Involved.

Outline: Using a wide angle lens  and use it close to people and try to achieve a sense of putting the viewer right in the situation.

I will be using gigs as an example again to compare to the previous exercise, 'standing back'. Standing at the barrier in a music event produces much better images as you appear to be right in the action of the performance and can get some excellent 'full length' shots as you dont have any of the disturbances between you and the artist as with the longer focal length. Indoor music venues tend to have terrible lighting as well and I find standing at the front and using a shorter focal length is better here as you will capture any available lighting from the stage as well.

Curse of The Defiled

As a downside though, I always feel slightly exposed this way and feel as though i 'shouldn't' be photographing the artists if you like. Probably because they can see you are taking photos as can the security at the front and I always feel as though someone will come up to me and say I'm not allowed to.
Artists will always expect fans to take photos at their gigs, especially with mobile phones now having some exceptional camera abilities but it goes back to my personal comfort level. I always feel slightly uncomfortable and very aware of how many photos I'm taking. This makes me feel like I dont want to take too many as though I am taking advantage of the opportunity of being at the front, even though I'd probably take twice as many from the back, and I dont want to annoy the artist more than anything.

Stitch D of The Defiled

Conclusion: As I would love to do gig photography as a profession, I have noticed through this exercise alone that this is something that I really do need to address and work more on my confidence levels.I always feel intrusive being in peoples face with a camera but in the gig environment, as a professional photographer, that is what I would be there for. As a profession, I would need to be in the photo pits and compete with other photographers to get good shots at a shorter focal length than the barrier so, as this is my biggest issue with working at a short focal length, I need to attempt to address this and build up my confidence as much as I am able.

Exercise: Standing back.

Outline: Select a medium - long focal length to shoot and review the experience afterwards.

This is great for gig photography. Usually you are way back in the crowd and having a good focal length ability makes it easier to get good shots of the performer on stage. Take my shots of Black veil Brides at Download Festival this year.

BVB at Download 2012

As you can see, we were stood quite a way from the stage so you can still see the artists but you cant really 'see' them. By using a longer focal length, you are able to get a good close up of the artist. But there are some drawbacks to shooting this way.

BVB's Ashley Purdy

This photo of BVB's Ashley Purdy was framed really well, until someone either jumped or waved their arm up infront of me. Now you can see the blurring of the movement at the bottom of the image and this is a difficulty that shooting at this focal length creates. You can also have an arm or hand straight in your shot so you cant see the subject at all, or it takes the focus from the subject so the subject is blurred and in venues indoors this is even more of a problem, as the subject can then disappear into darkness as the light/flash focuses on the disturbance and not the performer.
It's also difficult, but not impossible, to get a full length shot of the artist while shooting this way as well. You can almost always guarantee to not be able to see below the artists knees due to tops of heads or hands etc being in the way. But I like shooting this way as it's not always possible to get to the front, especially in large crowds in a festival environment. It does give you the ability to get some great shots though and so you appear to be closer than you are.

BVB's Andy Biersack

Conclusion: Shooting at a long focal length will always cause difficulties due to the large distance between you and your subject. I am personally much more comfortable shooting this way in certain situations though as I like to take more natural shots and catch people unaware and this makes that a lot easier as they may never know you are taking their photograph.

Exercise: Capturing the moment.

Outline: While photographing a comfortable situation, concentrate on shooting bursts of activity, from which you try to capture a best moment.

One of the best things about photographs is that they last a lifetime. You can capture that one moment and can share it with anyone. The only thing is having the ability to capture it and this is why I will always have a camera with me.
Music concerts, gigs and festivals are a great example to share for this exercise. I will always try to capture any music event I go to just for the memory of the experience. I have two cameras that I use for this purpose alone and most venues have strict rules about camera equipment. I have a Nikon Coolpix S9100 which is my everyday compact camera. This one I can take to pretty much any gig. It has a nice 18x wide optical zoom which is good for attempting to get good stage shots but it almost always needs to have the flash raised. Even in daylight indoors, this camera will cause image blurring with the slightest of movement. I also have a Fujifilm Finepix S4000. I keep this ones for festivals mostly as it has a 30x superwide zoom and so great for stage shots from the crowd, but I cant get into many indoor venues with this and have even had it confiscated at a Birmingham venue!

Anyway, most artists will have a very energetic stage performance and will always try to give the viewer something. I would love more opportunities to be able to get in the photo pit to be able to capture more and not have disturbance from the crowd, like heads and arms at the bottom of my shots. But while watching the performances, its always a mixture of equipment and timing to be able to capture those bursts of activity.

Sonisphere Festival 2011 was a great opportunity for 'moment capture' photos.

These images were taken during the set by Australian rockers Airbourne, where frontman Joel O'Keefe likes to liven up their set by climbing the stage rigging and performing from 'on top' of the stage!

Joel O'Keefe climbing the stage rigging

I managed to capture a photo of Joel actually climbing the rigging. My trusty Fujifilm with a good zoom lens allowed me to capture this with no distractions.

guitar solo from the top of Saturn stage

Again, this in itself is a great moment captured thanks to the superzoom capabilities of my camera. But even though these are both great images, my 'best' moment of this set has to be:

A Typical Airbourne set

I love this image and has to be one of the best moments of this set. Even though all three of these pictures depict the same moment, this shows the detail and scale of exactly what is happening with the inclusion of the stage in the image. Just by zooming out to wide angle with my camera from the last shot (above) it takes the image to a whole new level. It really has a 'wow' factor and I am really happy with this image.

During another set of ,again Austrailian, rockers Parkway Drive, I took plenty of photos to capture their great stage presence. I took numerous photos during the set in the hope of getting one or two good ones.

Winston McCall mid perfomance

Parkway Drive performing at Sonisphere 2011

These first two images are my standard gig images that I have many of. The artists on stage in various positions, with or without instruments and they will recall the memory of the performance as any photograph.

This is my best moment photograph for a separate reason.

Winston McCall's giant leap!

I love this image because it doesn't depict a certain moment of the show, not like my previous example. I love this because frontman Winston McCall just happened to do a huge leap off the speaker just as I took the photo and it created this awesome shot. It was pure chance that this moment happened. It happens a lot in rock gigs so not a memorable or unique moment by any means but as it happens so fast, you really need to be ready and waiting watching through the viewfinder for the entire set to try and capture this if and when it happens. I have included this here as I love the fact that I completely unknowingly at the time caught such a great image.



Conclusion: The images above are all about being in the right place at the right time for me. As well as having a camera handy in the first instance. Watching music performances are always good but isn't the key to a good photographer capturing these amazing moments? I find gigs are always unpredictable. You dont know moments like those above are going to happen beforehand. It's just taking the opportunity and being prepared to capture it when it does. I have missed loads of opportunities for a 'moment' shot of the past few years purely because they happen so fast and I'm not ready and waiting with my camera. So do I take thousands of photos and miss most of the performance to capture something great and not miss the opportunity? Not at all. I tend to give myself a limit, like the 3 song rule of only photographing during the first three songs, to get a load of shots but then plenty of time to go wild and enjoy the gig later. If something does happen during the rest of the set, sure I'll attempt to get the camera out to get it but it cant be the be all and end all of photography.

Exercise: Developing your confidence.

Outline: Photograph an outdoor situation where you will feel comfortable using a camera. Take lots of photos , review them and recall the comfort level you felt at the time. 

One of the main limitations I am finding with this course so far is the time scale. Due to my funding, I am needing to complete these assignments pretty quickly and in this situation, especially at this time of year, I am finding there aren't many opportunities to go out photographing crowds of people. Added with the fact of working and being a parent, the time constraints are challenging and I am finding that I am needing to revert to my photo library to use photographs of events I have taken previously to undertake some of the exercises.

For this exercise,I decided to use my photographs of 'Cardiff Harbour Festival' from 2011, as this was the first time I've been to an event and taken 'street photography' at the time and so I remember it well.

Selection of many photos taken at Cardiff Harbour Festival 2011

I took many photographs that day, just wandering around with my camera trying to capture the atmosphere of the event. I found it rather nerve-wracking at first, wondering if people would object to me photographing them, but as I started taking the photos I settled into it and felt more at ease with the situation. It helped that it was a rather large event with lots of people in attendance so therefore, a person taking photos wasn't an unusual sight. It also helped that the festival takes place at Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay which is the location of the Welsh Assembly Building and Wales Millennium Centre, which on a regular day are tourist hotspots themselves.
I was using my trusty 28 - 90mm lens for more wide angle shots but also had my 70 - 200mm lens to be able to get some close up shots without being in the faces of those I was photographing. Most of the shots were taken with the wide angle to be able to capture more information in a single shot.

Cardiff Harbour Festival 2011

However, It was good to have the option of using a telephoto lens to be able to get a bit closer without being invasive to the subject.

Sand artist at Cardiff Harbour Festival 2011

Conclusion:I felt comfortable and noninvasive shooting around the site. This was possibly also due to the fact that most people seemed unaware of me photographing them anyway. People were pre occupied with the many stalls and entertainment on offer to notice me taking photos in their direction and I think this helped not only my personal comfort level but also the ability for me to be able to capture the mood and feel of the festival itself.

I MET SCOTT CHALMERS!!

Ok, so I know I sound like a squealing schoolgirl but to actually meet my most influential music photographer is a big deal to me.

We had a private gig in London last weekend with my favourite band, The Defiled, and Scott happens to be their photographer so during the performance I actually got to see him at work. Tiny venue, lots of (well, 60 ish) people watching, sitting too which no doubt caused problems of their own, terrible lighting, all would mount up to be what I would imagine as a photographers nightmare. But it was fascinating watching him work. Move around the people and squeeze into the tiniest of spaces to get a shot. Inspiring indeed.

After the show was rapped, we spent some time in the bar area of the venue and I happened to spy him as he was getting ready to leave. He knew who I was after befriending him and his work on Facebook and was great to introduce myself face to face and have a chat about photography.

I explained this current course to him and my upcoming assignment and that I am struggling a bit with me being so uncomfortable photographing people whether in an organised setting or unawares and, to my surprise, he admitted that he doesn't like it either! The guy is a remarkable portrait photographer and I would assume that he is now comfortable with that situation but he gave the impression that he's not big with photographing joe bloggs on the street and will try to avoid photographing weddings if he can help it.

It was a brief meeting as he was away to get to another destination for another shoot the next day but it was a milestone for me as a photographer. I feel slight comfort in the fact that a professional photographer, even my most influential one, has the same worries as me with regards to different ways of shooting and it has given me confidence in the fact that if I am not completely comfortable with a certain situation, then it doesn't matter.