Ex 20: Busy traffic

For this exercise we were to consider how the flow of people works and how to convey this movement photographically. Thinking of this movement brought to mind commuters and shoppers so I headed into Glasgow.

It's very difficult to openly take photographs in a railway station nowadays so I sat and held my compact camera in my lap. I actually think this low angle is effective in capturing the scene — I deliberately used a slow shutter speed (1/60th) to suggest people coming and going with a slight motion blur, Some going on holiday perhaps, others travelling to work or on a shopping trip and those sitting with time to kill before they continue on their journey.

By a Saturday afternoon Glasgow's Buchanan Street is a sea of shoppers. The heaving throng stretches as far as the eye can see. Since becoming pedestrianised this street has become one of the busiest in the city and is now known as "The Style Mile" because of its designer label stores and boutiques.

This shot is of the indoor ice rink at East Kilbride again using my compact camera to be less conspicous. I chose an elevated position as it gave a better perspective of the rink. My intention was to show the rink much busier but I actually think this shot shows the flow of people quite effectively. Most people are travelling anti-clockwise. Strangely I have noticed the majority of people appear to travel in this direction when walking around something, like our local pond for example. I chose a slow shutter speed to help with the indoor lighting conditions and to show people skating at different speeds. The less confident skaters are not so blurred, hugging the outside of the rink, while the blurrier figures suggest faster, more confident skaters. The two boys on the right have stopped momentarily, so appear sharp. It looks like everyone is revolving around them!

When Harry Benson met Albert Watson

I recently watched the ArtWorks Scotland program on two of Scotland's most influential and internationally renowned photographers, Harry Benson and Albert Watson. Glasgow boy Benson is a photojournalist who gained notoriety when he was assigned to photography an up and coming band called The Beatles. He struck me as a modest man but singularly focussed on getting the picture by being in the right place at the right time. His view that "photography is the moment, it's spontaneous", contrasts with the approach of Albert Watson who takes great care and time to construct his images. Watson, born in Edinburgh, trained as a graphic designer and film-maker and his strong design sense is very evident in his stylised approach. I was privileged to see his work at Edinburgh City Art Centre a few years ago.

 Harry Benson

Albert Watson

The banter between the two was entertaining, as they revealed some secrets of how their most famous shots were captured. What came across most was their dedication, lifelong conviction and absolute passion for photography.

The Beatles pillow fight (Harry Benson)

Jack Nicholson (Albert Watson)

I shall take inspiration from both photographers when working on my Sense of Place Assignment. Benson's book 'Harry Benson's  Glasgow' perfectly captures the humour and friendly attitude of its inhabitants. 

Albert Watson's images from his travels in Las Vegas are so bold and graphic in their use of colour, shape and form. I hope to emulate this style in some of my images of Glasgow.

Retro velo

On holiday at the moment in Belgium. Our hotel in the small village of Horebeke had a collection of old, rusty bicycles outside just calling out to be photographed. I have recently been introduced to Lightroom 3 so used its preset effects to add to the nostalgia. Desaturating the colour is another approach I would like to try when I have more time.