Street Photography

On Friday 12th October 2012, we took a trip to Manchester City Centre for a session in Street Photography. The group met at 10:30am at Cafe Nero in Piccadilly Gardens, where we were given our itinerary, which would include a further three meeting places: The National Football Museum (formerly the much-photographed Urbis), The City Art Gallery and the Cornerhouse Cinema/Bar/Gallery/Bookshop. It was an enjoyable day of photography, coffee and laughter. I do like Street Photography. And the other two also for that matter.

Having already been feasting my eyes on the work of street photographers, Lee Friedlander and Matt Stuart, I felt I had sufficient fuel to embark upon this photographic journey. [Disclaimer: this does not mean I class the following examples as in the same league as theirs, but everyone needs a little inspiration to whet one's whistle, so to speak].

Only a few for now, but more to follow when I'm feeling more energised.

f5.6, 1/60sec, ISO100, 200mm.
Matt Stuart uses a lot of visual cues to convey a sense of humour  in what's going on in the  street environment. Here I show a Big Issue seller against a 'fun' advertisement board. I could be accused of exploitation, but I feel art should be able to cross almost any boundary (within reason).
post-script: just noticed this bares more than a passing resemblance to the following image by Street Photographer Greg Yarmit:

Advertising Vs Fringes of society.

f5.6, 1/400th, ISO100, 50mm.
I think this was my favourite from the day. It contains all the key elements that make a [fine art?] photograph: heavy contrast between lights and darks, geometrical composition, focus on a solitary figure, slightly shallow depth of field.

f5.6, 1/80th, ISO200, 105mm.
In Street Photography, there is much scope for layers. Not just in the images themselves (in this: the subject's head is see through half of the word 'flavour' in a cafe window), but in the meaning and motifs they introduce. Here I revisit the theme of 'looking' that has interested me for a while now. I like capturing my subjects unaware, looking at something that I myself am not privy to. What they are looking at is not important to me, rather I have them looking, which is ostensibly what we as photographers do all the time. We are all in on the same game.

f5.6, 1/100th, ISO200, 200mm.
"You should ask people before you take pictures of them, mate!", was what he said when I'd just taken a picture of him. To be frank, he had a point. The man in the window and the Big Issue seller also have the same right to anonymity too, but unfortunately for them, its not a right I pay much attention to when all I want is a good image. Sorry, mate. Anyway, I'm bored of taking pictures of the homeless now. I feel with the lenses I have and the lighting situations they're usually in, I've exhausted them. Still think its a good image, mind.



f5.6, 1/400th, ISO100,  50mm
This was shot in perfect  lunchtime light conditions of Manchester City Centre. I think its always good to capture different races walking down the street together, lending it the degree of community cohesion.

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f5.6, 1/125th, ISO200, 116mm
Unlike the homeless guy, this guy didn't seem to mind having his photo taken whilst enjoying a  cup of coffee (assumption) in the window of the Arndale Market. Another example of 'looking', this time with a very tasty depth of field and background blur.

f5.6, 1/125, ISO100, 200mm.
A simple one this. Some would say a little too simple. Not sure about it. Just like shots now and again that are obviously not the face.

f8, 1/100th, ISO100, 50mm.
Just like the way we have a pram and we have a picture of a baby in Jessops' window, but we don't  actually get to see the baby in the pram.

f5.6, 1/200th, ISO200, 200mm.
Just a bit of basic comedy here. But aside from the Liverpool bag,  the subject also carries a Gizmo Gremlin bag. Also juxtaposed the straight/serious man in the suit.