ASSIGNMENT 5: PEOPLE AND PLACE ON ASSIGNMENT: Update

Off to a good start. After a rec shoot at the Walker's shop on 9/10 with my compact camera,
I returned on 13/10 to take pictures of the mechanics and Susan Walker. I used my 50mm prime lens and a borrowed flashgun for the first time. Having read up on how to use a flashgun I used a diffuser and adjusted the power setting to try to keep the lighting natural, while adding fill-in detail to the subjects faces. I will probably need to invest in a flashgun sooner rather than later.

The mechanics Dan and Mike were very friendly and happy to be photographed while they worked. I tried not to pose them too much and as a result the shots look natural but some are not suitable because elements of the image are not right, be it lighting, pose or background clutter. The prime lens worked really well by defocusing the busy background of the workshop setting.

I forgot to take model release forms so must get these done next visit, which will be on Nov 8th. I am really pleased because the client has asked me to design their promotional brochure, featuring my photography.

On Oct 17th I took photos of Walker's Cycling club members participating in a round of the Scottish Cyclo-cross championships at Strathclyde Park. The weather was blustery and it was very difficult to take pictures in the trees due to the poor light conditions. I was quite successful working with shutter priority to freeze the action and to try some panning shots. I used my zoom lens with a shallow depth of field to get some candid shots of the riders at the startline. There are more events in the coming weeks so I plan to attend a few to try to improve my shots.

Victor Albrow

Victor Albrow is a Scottish photographer, currently exhibiting at Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow. He challenges our perception of the traditional portrait: "Photographic portraits appear to give us a true representation of the other but at best they only give us a partial idea of what or who we are looking at".

His pictures are highly stylised, using hyper-realistic digital imaging techniques to create an almost cinematic feel, whilst displaying a clear influence from diverse art movements such as the Renaissance and Pop Art. His subjects are carefully 'staged' to appear unaware of the viewer, as if captured in the moment of an unfolding drama. The viewer is left to create the story from the visual clues, as little is revealed by facial expressions. The exhibition literature describes the subjects as 'stauesque, lonesome, clinical, yet seductive'.

 

 At first viewing I felt quite detached from the images, the lack of expression making it difficult to connect. Instead I found myself focusing on the digital editing aspect, wondering what manipulation had been made. However, on a second viewing I found myself drawn into the narrative, creating scenarios for each image, using elements from the picture to interpret the scene. My favourite image (above) features a boy reading a book illustrated with mathematical formulae, reflected in the wallpaper pattern and whose shirt pattern matched his freckles!

I found Albrow's work challenging but interesting and a very different approach to portraiture. Interestingly, many people were trying to read much significance into the food and scenes in which Albrow placed each sitter, however at the artist's talk he suggested there was no great 'narrative' or meaning, just that these were things his subjects liked.

ASSIGNMENT 4: A SENSE OF PLACE: Update

Five weeks into term and I haven't had much free time to work on the assignments but with a clear sky and full moon at the weekend I ventured back to try and shoot the BBC Scotland building again with better equipment. This was the first time I had attempted night-time urban photography with my SLR and a tripod.

I wasted the sunset light taking photgraphs of the dockyard cranes silhouetted against a beautiful orange skyline but was too far away to get a pleasing result.

Then onto the BBC building which is very uninspiring in daylight but comes alive with an ever changing light display after dark.

The Clyde Auditorium, affectionately known as 'The Armadillo' the caught my eye next.

The complimentary colours of the blue building and orange streetlights works really well and I was so lucky to have such a defined, symmetrical reflection in the water.

Finally I took some shots of the iconic Titan crane and squinty bridge.

I love the angles in this shot and the fact that the moon was in just the right place. Couldn't avoid the railing unfortunately but will do some more post-production to see what can be done to make it less distracting.

We are so lucky in Glasgow to have such photogenic landmarks within a short distance of each other, along the River Clyde. I felt it was important to show my city at night-time as well as in daylight and think I will be able to submit at least one image for the assignment.

The pictures have generated positive feedback on my Facebook page which has certainly boosted my confidence. I did enjoy taking these shots and am so keen to get back out there to take more and experiment with different techniques. Roll on dark nights!

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