EDITS

These images were captured on a No. 10 bus journey. The photographs have been taken from the back of the bus with a slightly higher vantage point. My intention is to portray people taking public journeys and the use of their time or rather the time wasted between life events. Some listen to music to ease the passage of time, others socialise, some do nothing whilst others try to catch up on sleep.  

SHOOT BRIEF

My second shoot will be The No. 10.

The inspiration for this shoot will be from the Irish born street photographer, portraitist and landscape photographer, Tom Wood.

Wood created a book of photographs from 1978 to 1996 entitled ‘Bus Odyssey’, which features images of eighteen years of his time spent riding the buses of Liverpool.

This work will be of a documentary or reportage style.

My aim is to capture images on a local bus as opportunity will arise in a public setting which will be frequented by many travellers using public transport.

My intention is to take images which are natural and un-posed.

I will take into consideration the different rules of photography and my knowledge of the formal qualities and techniques of photography.

Following the shoot, I will evaluate the photographs and use the selected images in my collection.

EDITS

These two images were also taken at a bus station. In each of the pictures, the human subject is close up to the glass of the bus station and other detail is captured on the other side of the road. The images are documentary but also take advantage of some balancing elements and the heavy reflection on the glass window.

The intention is to tell human stories, either a lack of control of one’s own destiny or the need to obeyed by rules and the time wasted whilst waiting for something to happen which is out of our control.

EDITS

All of these image were taken at St Helens bus station. There were all taken with the unknowing cooperation of the people who sat patiently waiting for a bus. The images are both documentary and slightly abstract as the appear to have the superimposed yellow circles of the bus stop windows superimposed onto the images.

The images also utilised the reflections from the glass and appear to project the railings onto the images. All of the images have been taken in natural daylight and take advantage of the reflection of other imagery onto the window of the bus station. The images are taken at seating level.

EDITS

This is a series of photographs taken at street level with a particular focus on the body, arms or hands of people waiting at a bus stop. The angle of shot is taken so the viewer does not see the identity of the person who is waiting. These images have a narrow depth of field, with the detail in the foreground being in focus. The composition for each image includes a disembodied person patiently waiting for their bus. They also include other details such as the bus timetable, a tissue, a handbag, a watch, a plaster on a finger and a discarded piece of litter.

SHOOT BRIEF

The Bus Stop, will be my first shoot.

It is inspired by the themes of journeys, time and waiting.

The biggest influences on this shoot will be the French photographer, Julien Tatham and the British graphic designer and art director, Richard Hooker.

I have researched and expanded my knowledge of these artists and now have a greater understanding of their themes and techniques.

My intention is to go out in the field and capture images at a local bus station as there will be ample opportunity to photograph a variety of people waiting at a number of different bus stops. I would the photographs to be natural and not posed and I therefore need to take them surreptitiously.

This work will be of a documentary or reportage style but will highlight the themes mentioned above.

I hope to be able to use my knowledge of the formal qualities and techniques of photography such as the angle of shot, the depth of field and the composition of the shot. Furthermore. I intended to try and apply my knowledge of some of the rules of photography such as the rule of thirds, balancing elements and photographic viewpoint.

Unit 13 - Proposal

Section 1: Review (Approx 150 words)

Whilst studying on the UAL Extended Diploma, I feel that I have improved my knowledge, skills and performance as a photographic artist. I have developed a greater knowledge and appreciation of a variety of photographic styles and genre. I have developed an interest in street photography, creating a project, which highlighted social issues as well as imagery, which is considered documentary or reportage. I feel like I have been able to demonstrate the use of a number of photographic techniques, from the use of portraiture to the employment of some of the rules of photography. I have been able to advance my skills; in the use of a camera; the application of lighting; the use of contrast and the rules of photography. Furthermore, I have become more competent with marco photography and portraiture. I have been able to demonstrate my performance as an artist by producing themed or conceptual work from a brief, learning from my performance as my work progressed, and evaluating my work including feedback from tutors. For Unit 13, I will continue as a photographic artist as I feel that I have developed a level of knowledge, skills and performance by producing some successful work with positive feedback.

Section 2: Project Concept (Approx 250 words)

My photographic project is inspired by my experience of shared journeys on public transport. I plan on exploring not only journeys, but travellers and their destinations, as well as the themes of time and waiting. My concept is to explore the journey and present a sense of the experience to an audience. I would like to highlight the themes of public journeys, the passage of time and time wasted while waiting. My aim is for my work to be of a social documentary style. My objectives are to use both black and white and colour photography and to articulate photographic work, which portrays a sense of anxiety, unease or frustration. Some of the photography, will be from an observers perspective with an air of the clandestine or surveillance. Journeys can appear to be superficial but I would like to dig deeper to highlight aspects such as time which has been wasted whilst waiting and lost moments whilst doing nothing, and be suggestive for the real reason behind people’s journeys. I will research a variety of artists such as the British photographer Tom Wood and the contemporary French photographer, Julien Tatham. To carry out this project I will need a number of resources including a digital SLR camera, a number of different lenses, an SD card, a film camera, the use of the darkroom, and the use of Photoshop and possibly Adobe Premier Pro. I will need to undertake a number of public transport journeys including bus and rail transport and spend time in waiting rooms and departure lounges. I will also require the unknowing participation and cooperation of my fellow travellers. I will endeavour to record some of the sounds and conversations including tannoy announcements and the sound of travel.

Section 3: Evaluation (Approx 100 words)

To aid my evaluation, I will record my work in my A3 sketchbook, as this will enable me to show my progress, by demonstrating my thought processes and my development. I will evaluate my work as I progress by annotating and reflecting in sketchbook and rough book. I will also request and reflect on feedback from my specialist tutor, and perhaps my student peers. In addition, I will add commentary such as key creative decisions and critical analysis on my Tumblr blog. Evaluating my work will help me to develop my strengths, and highlight my weaknesses for improvement.

Evaluation

The initial idea for my photographic project was to highlight significant social issues. I decided that I wanted to explore the additional theme of homelessness and use photographic imagery to explore.

At the outset I decided to brainstorm a number of ideas and how these could be portrayed from a visual point of view. I had had a recent encounter with a homeless person and his human predicament became realised in that conversation.  The practical component of the project, the act of actually taking photographs of homeless people was more challenging than I first thought. I had the idea to interview people, listen to their story and then invite them to have their portrait taken. This proved easier as most of the people I approached were very polite, helpful and engaging. On the other hand, I wanted to take photographs with a particular setting, with the scene framed, some balancing elements and some themes highlighted. This was more difficult as I really had to wait from an opportunistically point of view to look for and to capture the right scene. It was important that the scene was unknowing and authentic.

I have discovered that to be a successful artist, I need to be patience while waiting for the right moment and I have learnt that one needs to take a large number of photographs based on a number of ideas or themes to be able to yield a smaller number of quality images consistent with my original idea.

During this project this project, I have enhanced my photographic skills. I was fortuned enough to have access to an SRL digital camera and three lenses, including a zoom lens, a portrait lens and a wide angle lens. I have had the time to experiment with each of these lens, from being able to take close up portraiture to a different perspective with a wide angle lens. I have learnt to be able to compose an image, appreciate the depth of field and to portray perspective. I seemed to have begun to use black and white photography as a genre as I feel as though it helps to emphasis emotion, amply negative space whilst still being able to concentrate on the main subject matter.

As with any non-posed, natural occurring subject matter a visual artist needs to manage their time well and target particular opportunities in sync with the natural occurring environment. For example, homeless people don’t appear on the street in the early morning but appear to become more prominent after lunch and into the early evening.

Shooting in natural daylight has had its advantages as I haven’t had to worry too much about regarding the light source, it is however better to shoot on a brighter day and take advantage or not if so desired by any shadows that might be cast by natural daylight.

I did have a major problem and learning point with an SD card. During one prolonged photographic shoot, I managed to overwrite some images on a SD card. I liaised with the IT department who taught me about the formatting and the recovery of an SD card. However, they were unsuccessful in retrieving the images that I had lost. I have now learnt to carry a spare SD card and being more careful with backing up images and not running the risk of overwriting them.

In summary, I have enjoyed developing my skills and knowledge through this project. I have been able to work on a theme of my own choice and bring this to a realisation, photographically and thematically consistent with my original plan or idea. I have as always continued my professional development through the acquisition of my skills and knowledge, learning and successful realisation.

PROPOSAL

CREATIVE MAKING

SHOOT FOUR EDITS

This is a series of photographs taken at street level. The same angle of shot is used throughout. Two men and two cups are featured throughout. The men are in a static position in the centre of the frame. The images also feature the motion of passes by. There is perspective to the picture with the lines of the tiled floor and some of the passes by which appear larger in the foreground. The picture is framed to show half of the background being a bank and signifying money and wealth and the other half shows some uninteresting, closed or disused doors. Each man sits on one side of this divide and they contrast in tone as one is black and the other is white. There is an interesting or balancing feature such as the paper bag to the left hand side which is a constant feature. The motion of the passes by is portrayed as a blurred image suggesting motion and thematically contrasts with the static lives of the two men and their cups. Only one individual seems to engage in conversation with the men whilst the others who pass by seem to either knowingly or unknowingly ignore them.

SHOOT THREE EDITS

JOHN

John is 43 years old, he’s been living on the street intermittently for the last 12 months. He is currently living in a hostel. He spends the day on the street with a couple of bongo drums for company, in a poignant attempt to entertain passes by.  He looks older than his 43 years, carrying the bags of life around this eyes, which is the emblematic feature of this image.

BILLY AND ROCKY

This is Billy and his best friend Rocky. Billy is an experienced street dweller and has experienced homelessness for a long time and it now appears to be part of him. Billy is somewhat talkative and up-beat and was rather pleased or enthusiastic about me taking his picture, and highlighting the issue of homelessness.  He is currently living on the street because he is not allowed to take Rocky into a hostel.

JONNY

Jonny has been living on the street for 6 months. He is currently on a waiting list for a room in the YMCA. I met Jonny sitting on the steps outside Lime Street Station, partially covered with his sleeping bag. After a while, Jonny showed me his wine bottle, which was hidden behind his sleeping bag. I asked Jonny about coping with the cold weather. I think he had learned how to cope with the cold however, it was combating the rain, which was the main issue about living on the street. We had a discussion about the state of the current Liverpool team, and I understand he was a capable guitarist, who was talented enough to play by ear.

ANDREW

This is Andrew, he is 25 years old and is an ex-solider. His cardboard sign spoke more words than he wished to share. Andrew had recently been evicted from his accommodation and was now having to live on the street. Andrew allowed me to take his photograph, but he was clearly reluctant to share this face. His pose was however unchanged irrespective of whether the picture was being taken or not.

SHOOT TWO EDITS

All of these images were loosely based on the theme of homelessness. However, I wanted to incorporate some ideas of suggestive photography. I think this collection of images could be entitled ‘The Cup’ although, there is a street dweller or his feet in each of the images the main feature is the cup itself and what it signifies.

Once again the images are taken in black and white as they have a greater impact and help the viewer to concentrate on the themes that the cup suggests rather than colour distracting from the images.

The images are taken at street with me actually lying on the floor. This technique benefits the images by creating perspective and detail. The lines of the pavement help to provide that level of perspective, the debris on the ground provides an element of reality while the technical focus is on the cup itself. I’ve used the technique of balancing two features in the photographs with clearly the cup being the most suggestive. High level of contrast is used with the brightness of the cup contrasting with the more darkened imagery of the legs and shoes of the person who sits on the street.

It’s almost suggestively ironic that a McDonald’s cup, an icon of consumerism, abundance or plenty is used as someone’s street begging cup.

SOCIAL ISSUES

FUTURE FORECAST INITIAL IDEAS

FINAL PIECE Reviewing my final piece, I wanted to produce something which demonstrates the theme of nurture and how I've been nurtured. I feel the initial idea worked well and j enjoyed the process of creating it. To improve however, I felt I could have included more images and could have used fishing worse instead of string to hang each image.

CREATIVE MAKING  I feel my creative making was successful as it creates a different perspective. I think my chosen images are powerful and evocative. I feel the images benefit from being monochromatic and are devoid of colour as it could be considered to be distracting.