Out in the street
Hanbury Street, Shoreditch, London
My main interest is street photography, whether that be during the day or at night. I’ve been on several workshops with Brian Lloyd Duckett (streetsnappers.com), and he has helped me to develop my skills and my own style. Brian talks about there being three types of pictures in street photography:
A picture that tells a story (narrative)
A picture that is visually appealing (aesthetic)
A picture that captures something as it happens (moment)
I take a mixture of all three, but most of my pictures fall into the aesthetic category.
The majority of street photography is taken in black and white, but my preference is for colour, which I think suits my style.
I try to take pictures that appeal to the eye, that give you a similar feeling as if you were looking at a painting - pictures that make you want to look at them again and again.
I like to find a background first, many of my pictures are taken against the backdrop of street art in London, with the simplicity of the movement of one person in the frame, to compliment or contrast with the street artists work. The composition is critical, what the person is wearing, what they are doing and where they are positioned in the frame are all vital components to creating a picture. I try to find backgrounds with strong vibrant colours (reds are my favourite). I then wait for a person who has a connection with the backdrop, combining complimentary colours or colour combinations of the subject with the art. I look for lines and shapes, good light and shadows to enhance the picture.
When you are out in the street you don’t know what is going to happen, the picture is not there, it’s not static - you have to create it. I’m trying to take a snapshot of real life at a particular moment in time. There can be a lot of waiting around for the right combination of subject, background and light, and often nothing happens. If I come away with one good picture from a day’s photography that is a result. And the joy and pleasure from getting that one picture makes it all worthwhile.
I want my pictures to stand out, to be bold and colourful, and I hope that the viewer can also gain pleasure from looking at them and see the connection I saw when I took the picture.
This continues to be work in progress, it’s a long-term project to build up a body of work and for it to form the basis for my ARPS (Associate of the Royal Photographic Society) submission whenever that will be.