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Street Photography Shoot

What is street photography?

Street photography, also sometimes known as candid photography, is a type of photography conducted for either art of inquiry, that features many unedited encounters and random incidents within public places of interest.

I found that many images of street photography included capturing the subjects off guard, and so thought that to try this would allow for maximum effect when taking the shoot. 

For my shoot I decided it would be either best to go into down for the nightlife, or stay around the street where I lived such as the bars etc. When planning the shoot I wanted it to be clear what I would be taking pictures of, and so made a mind-map to record my ideas, as seen below:
This allowed me to focus on certain aspects of the shoot easier, as I now had a rough idea what I needed to capture. These were the results from my shoot:
 From the shoot I went on to highlight and crop the images I thought were the best out of all the photographs. This allowed me to limit the shoot down to just ten pictures so that I could choose my final image to display. These were my choices:
Once again from here I went to limit my selection to a top 5 to make it easier for me to find the final piece. This was my result:

I chose this image because I loved the contrast between the darkness of the wall, and the subject. This is due to the rule of thirds which line up with the character inside, which instantly draws your eye to the face. I found that the pure blackness of the wall covering the picture added for a dramatic effect overall, making it almost seem hidden.

I chose this image once again because of the contrast between the subject and the surrounding area. I found that the silhouette created by the lamp really made the image pop, whilst at the same time balanced it so that the darkness itself was not too overpowering in the picture. 

What I liked about this image was how the subjects face lit up against the darkness of the rest of the picture against the white strip of wall. I found that capturing someone off guard in their comfort zone allowed for a greater insight to the subjects life, and really captured them as an individual.

I found that this picture captured a clear contrast between the darkness of the three old figures and the white pub behind. I found that this silhouette that is almost created, makes the overall piece more dramatic than it is, with the blurred black building behind allowing for the whole picture to work. 


Finally I chose this image because it captured the nightlife of a man drunk stumbling home. What I liked about this was how the picture was blurred itself as well, allowing greater emphasis on the man in the jacket being drunk, and the perspective that he may be seeing.

FINAL IMAGE 
I chose this as my final image because I loved the use of the darkness provided by the wall, to create a backdrop which almost hides the subject behind, with only a glimpse of the subject within the heavily contrasted brightness of the indoors.

Street Photography

What is street photography?

Street photography is about documenting everyday life and society. However street photography does not have to be taken in the streets. You can shoot at the airport, at the market, at the beach, at the park, in the bus or harbor, in the doctor’s office, in the grocery store, or in any other public places.

Some examples of street photography are:


From this mood board I chose the two images I thought were most effective.
Image result for street photographyImage result for street photographyThese images highlight everyday life in certain parts of cities and countries. What I think makes them both so effective, is that in the top one taken in a construction site, has a clear pattern which leads to the central figure, where the eye is drawn. This use of using everyday sites to create pattern through contrast etc, allow for a more visually pleasing style of street photography. 
However the image beneath that image, focuses on a completely different aspect, as instead it chooses to focus on a poorer place in which sites like that are common. What makes it so effective is that there is a clear contrast between the blue wood, and the white dog, where the photographer uses the bike as a golden ratio to draw the eye to the head of the dog.

Analysing Robert Frank

Trolley - New Orleans 

Robert Frank is a Swiss-American  photographer and documentary filmmaker born in 1924, with his most noticeable work being the 1958 book called The Americans.
Image result for robert frank the americansTrolley - New Orleans 1955

Named The Trolley, this became one of Robert Frank's most famous photos released from the book The Americans. The picture captures the fleeting moment that conveys the brutal social order of the postwar America. Frank was originally shooting a street parade when he saw a trolley passing, in which he quickly spun round and took a picture before the trolley disappeared from view.

Visual

The picture consists of a small amount of tonal range but a large contrast between black and white throughout. The picture is obviously taken at a slightly angled position, with a balanced symmetry across the entirety of it. This image has been cropped from the original taken with a huge contrast between the white poles and the people next to each one, instantly drawing your eye to them.

Technical

A natural light is used within the image as it was taken on a bright sunny day creating a warm tone to the overall piece, but has been slightly manipulated with evidence of the Ansel Adams zone system used throughout. The whole image seems to be in focus with no blur at all with a big depth of field, whilst telling us that Robert must have used a high shutter speed to capture the moving trolley so clearly without the traces of blur. From the reflection in the glass above the trolley windows, it is clear to say that it was taken head on allowing for the effect to occur.

Contextual

The picture perfectly captures the racial separation between the people at that time period within America in which classes were divided (In one window there is an old white woman, the next are two white children and the last are two black men), whilst also revealing and documenting the truth behind what the Americans saw as 'The American Dream' in which not everyone was equal with similar opportunities in life

 

experimenting with layout:

This was my image originally,I  chose this image because it has a lines of symmetry throughout the middle and due to the colour being vibrant. I also thought that all the lines of detail would compliment the composition of the piece when experimenting with the layout .

For my first edited I simply repeated these images in lines exactly the same as before,with the the lines throughout it is more obvious and appealing to see and it also portrays the highlights throughout very well.

next I flipped these images to all be different,this creates a more abstract feel and a less fuller sense as to what the leaf really is and also shows the tones in different interesting experimental methods.

I then proceeded to put my images into a squared again continued these are different angles within th images and again have flipped images within the squares.

The next image is interesting because I wanted to shows a somewhat continuation of the lines through the second image which is also at a different angle so creates a center point and allows the image to become more dynamic and interesting.

For This image I was again inspired by my previous experiment of the layout of the piece itself is making it so every center point is facing out of the middle. I still have point  from the two opposite leaves.

within this last image I want to form a mirror limes and. a sense os symmetry to the pieces also added a boarder so aswell as forming the piece it also breaks the form into specific piece of the text.This piece is also divided into darks and lights within the division.

For these next images I wanted to focus more on the actual development of colour, this  was in order to again experiment with form and how I can develop the different angles of the paper too.

These images are both slightly different angles of the colour itself. but I want to further this image to more of circular and line patterns .

Here I wanted to show a repeated pattern of the lines within the image  but still showing the fragments of colour at the same time. I also exaggerated the colour in order to further exaggerate the vibrancy if the piece.

Within the two outside images are facing out in order to show a clear cohesion  within the piece and symmetry  too.But the middle image is the direct line as it is different to all the other images.

Here I also furthered the image  into a squares and again  flipped the image itself around too.

And lastly within this range you can see my lines of symmetry but a continuation of the line too.

Zone System

The zone system is a technique formulated in the 1930s.

  • Capturing a correct exposure every time, even in the trickiest light or scene situations.
  • Having a precise evaluation of your scene’s tones and dynamic range prior to even making a shot.
  • Knowing when you need to use graduated neutral density filters.
  • Knowing exactly how far apart to take exposure bracketed shots for later blending.
  • Determining the situations where you need to use a fill flash to get a correct exposure.

Taking inspiration off of Ansel Adams, I tried to I incorporate all the different tones, from the darkest to the lightest, to make the photograph more interesting. The darkest point of the photograph is the middle towards the front of the photograph, showing black, whereas the lightest point is the top of the creased paper facing the natural light.