However, this is a good time in development to stand back and think about how I take photographs, the strategy I use and the techniques I apply. The project proposes that I do not think much about this and take photographs intuitively. This is partly true some of the time, but now into my 5th course at the OCA it is really rather unfair. I think hard about what I do, where I do it, and when. In fact considerations of technique often get in the way of a more instinctive approach to photography, I am more worried about preoccupation with composition getting in the way of artistic expression.
As proposed in the text I went out and shot 20-40 photos (and a further 68 - digital provides this freedom) and then went through them considering how I approached the task. Conclusion, I did what I pretty much always do, a mixture of careful planning and spontaneity, but always thinking about what each photo sets out to achieve. I will come back to the photos at the end of this entry, but first want to step through my current workflow for SocDoc, which is quite different to what I have used in the past. The discreet photography of people requires a different approach to Landscape. My workflow falls into the following rough groups:
Preparation
The basis of good photography is careful preparation, ensuring that I know the site I am visiting and what my subject really is. I use the web a lot, Google maps helps me plan routes, on line research helps with timing of events or access limits. To that I have a small library of Munich guide books and architectural reviews. The latter are very handy to get a good understanding of the layout of an area and to choose between a classical or modernist backdrop, for example. The question of subject is also key, shoppers means a Saturday afternoon, people playing sports Sunday, rushing for the tube weekday morning, and so on. I am always very conscious of what project I am working on when I head out of the door, but also open to a little serendipity.
Equipment Choice
Whilst working on the precursor to this course, People and Place, I became very aware that a modern DSLR and fast lenses are both bulky and very visible, neither attribute is particularly good for discreet shooting. Simply lifting the camera to my eye would lead to people turning away. What I needed was the equivalent of a Leica (at 5,000 Euro plus lens, the real thing was not a viable option). I turned to the latest generation of mirrorless compact system cameras. I already had the excellent Fuji X100, but with a fixed focal length of 35mm (Full Frame Equivalent) this was a little too limited. I decided to buy a Samsung NX20 as I already had an earlier model Samsung and a set of very useful primes lenses, a 20mm (30mm FFE), 30mm (45mm) and 60mm (90mm).
The NX20 has a number of major advantages over a DSLR in that it is tiny, but has an EVF, meaning the camera can be brought up to the face for stability. To this is added the greatest invention in photography, the flip out rotating screen. This means I can shoot the camera from waste level looking into the screen. To this is added the tiny but good quality prime lenses, meaning I can put the camera around my neck and carry spare lenses in my pockets. The downside is lack of a useable zoom lens, rumor suggest that will be fixed before Christmas.
Shooting Techniques
Having worked out my location and packed my chosen kit into a small camera back back, the final question is how I work with camera in hand. A key to successful observation of a scene is to walk very slowly and continually evaluate for potential. During this time my camera is always switched on and ready to go. If an event happens I rapidly pull the camera to my eye shoot a single frame and move on. However, this really is the exception, I rarely "capture the moment", more often I plan the shot.
If the situation is static I walk past, think about the best strategy, set the camera for that, and then return to shoot. If the situation is dynamic, i.e. people moving, I take a different approach and find the best location from which to shoot and then wait for the action to come to me. In both cases I now shoot from waste high using the flip out screen for framing. This has two key advantages, firstly I think people do not associate that pose with taking a picture, they usually think I am reviewing photos on the screen and so are less conscious of me. Secondly I can look up and watch for the right moment confident that the camera is correctly framing the subject.
In all cases I think about the framing, looking for vertical or horizontal lines and doing my best to avoid convergence. Once again the NX20 helps me with a 2 axis level built into the camera. If I find an interesting situation, e.g. recently I have been placing people in boxes, I will wait for a few minutes for a subject to enter the frame before shooting. To a large extent my hunting has moved from stalking my prey to finding a location and waiting for the prey to come to me.
So back to the imagery for today. I walked the 4 km to the Pinakothek der Moderne, people in galleries make great subjects, but also offering an opportunity on the walk to and fro. For the exercise I limited myself to the 30mm lens, more or less a normal focal length for the NX system.
Following are the best of the 108 images I shot and some notes about how and why I took the shot:
Just before entering the park I passed this Italian restaurant, something I normally pay little attention to, however, it was the pillar in front that made me stop and think. In England most new housing seems to hark back to the past, emulating traditional designs from the 20's and 30's or a cottagy look. In Germany the same is true, but the look from the 20's or 30's is the Bauhaus, which looks startlingly modern and yet is equally old. I liked the juxtaposition of the pillar with the 19th century facade behind.
Recently my attention has been on people not things, too much so. This is a simple composition, but one that interested me for the arrangement of shapes within the frame. To take this I used the flip out screen and held the camera very close to the ground.
Continuing the bicycle theme, I thought this was a rather irreverent group, bikes draped across the railings and statue in the foreground. Whilst my work on the Muencheners is primarily a study of people, I also need to be aware that objects can convey social meaning as well.
People in boxes, I could not resist this one. This was a snatched shot, I saw the potential and reacted immediately.
Passing by the Brandhorst art gallery, the door into the cafe was open and I spent a little time thinking about how to frame this. I opted for a symmetrical approach, trying to keep the camera horizontal. It is interesting, but not a keeper.
Arriving at the Pinakothek der Moderne, this is the ticket counter. This made me think of Gursky's "Pfoertner" series, a study of the security men who sit in the foyer of German companies - something he completed as part of his studies. This needed a lot of thought for framing, I walked up and down trying to figure out whether the pillars should be within or at the edge of the frame. I would like to have made more of the writing behind the people, but also needed symmetry in the frame.
Once inside the museum I started to think about how people interact with the art, but got caught up in the minimal architecture, looking more at form than expression. This particular spot intrigued me due to the empty space to the right.
This and the next image were both shot with the camera at waste level, waiting for the people in the frame to form an interesting pattern. In the above case I wanted to avoid overlap with the art. It would be better if the person to the right did not overlap the bench. I was interested in obtaining spatial separation between all elements in the image.
My last visit to the American photography exhibit, it leaves at the beginning of September. I spent some time just looking, how could I not. Original prints from Eggleston, Adams (R), Shore, Winogrand, Baltz, and so many more.
This was part opportunity part planning. I was trying to frame the architecture in an interesting manner when the two people entered the frame. This would perhaps have been better with only one person in the frame, however, I am still happy with it.
OK, this is pure architecture and I spent a lot of time trying to arrive at a composition that worked for me.
This is a case where I passed by the bar and then doubled back. I took the shot from behind a parked car, offering cover and the distance needed to obtain the framing I wanted.
With this final shot, I spent around 5 minutes working on the framing, taking several images at different settings. The challenge with such an image is that the frame within the frame is so dominant that any divergence from true perpendiculars is very visible. Sadly the girl to the right spotted me and hid her face, although that perhaps adds rather than subtracts from the image.
When I started this course, I discussed my approach to photography with my tutor and he suggested that I needed to slow down a think more about what I do and why. These photographs and this project are a response to that comment. I now think very hard about what, how, when, and in particular WHY!
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