On reflection
Reflections of landscapes and water can look brilliant, creating a double symettrical image. But there is also lots of scope in street photography for reflective images.
Grand Central Station, Birmingham
When I’m out with my camera I enjoy looking for reflections, whether it’s through water, windows, mirrors or any reflective surface. For me, reflections can create a photograph with a mood and an atmosphere.
Reflections of landscapes and water can look brilliant, creating a double symettrical image. But there is also lots of scope in street photography for reflective images.
This photograph was taken at Grand Central Station, Birmingham. It’s a picture of the reflection through the mirrored facade of people walking into the station. The result is a picture of people that’s got an abstract feel to it.
It’s important to take the photograph from the right position to get the maximum impact of the reflection. Generally, the weather needs to be right too. Wind and pouring rain don’t help the photographer, but straight after a downpour can be great. Puddles outside buildings can work well and I like to choose something with vivid colours.
For my picture of the Mousetrap at St Martin’s Theatre, I was on my knees and the camera was in the gutter - almost in the puddle. I liked the reflection of the neon sign and was lucky that there was a Bentley outside the Theatre, which I think adds to the picture.
The Mousetrap
Out in the street
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.
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.
Shooting with a 28mm lens
Using a 28mm lens means there is more depth of field, so that potentially more of your picture is sharp and in focus, and when shooting between F8 and F16 the subject and background will be in focus.
All of my photography is now with a 28mm lens and, in my opinion, for street photographers it’s a great choice.
With a prime lens you generally get a better image quality and crisper detail, and have a wider aperture, which means you are able to maximise available light.
Using a 28mm lens means there is more depth of field, so that potentially more of your picture is sharp and in focus, and when shooting between F8 and F16 the subject and background will be in focus.
You can’t pull out the subject from the background very easily and it’s all in focus. A 28mm lens can separate them, but you probably need to be wide open. You also have to take more things into account, everything is in the frame and there can be challenges with exposure.
You do have to get in close. You can’t change the composition by zooming in or out - you have to move. Robert Capa saw getting closer as a ‘catalyst for creativity’, forcing the photographer to be more physically involved in compositions, and famously said “if your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”.
With a camera and a 28mm lens there’s nowhere near the weight to carry around. I’ve got a small bag and can also get my camera in my coat pocket.
I’m learning how to compose and frame better and am trying to take a full frame where I can and not crop so much. I just love it.