I think that writing for a blog can be a bit like catching a bus. You stand there for hours and nothing comes along. Then, out of the blue two of them turn up (I know, the traditional saying is three, but two fits my story better). Last night, I tried writing a blog and nothing came along so I ended up writing waffle. Tonight, there are two posts bubbling in my head. One of them is going to have to wait until tomorrow.
Do you find that when you are out and about and want to take a photograph, people will act in a number of ways? There is the couple who will politely wait until you have taken the picture, and for which you thank them for their patience, exchange smiles and then both go on your way. Then there is the second type who as they approach you clearly seeing that you wish to take a picture of something that will rival a David Bailey or Ansel Adams and they could not give a monkeys and pretty much right through you picture just as the magic moment passes and give you that look almost as though to say, it’s our space you are invading. Then there is the type coho area very similar to the second group, but who proceed to confront you of stealing something from them for daring to take a picture with them in it.
I have written in the past about my interest in street photography, which by it’s very nature I expect to involve people. This isn’t really about street photography, this is about having people in your pictures.
I’m not going to talk (much) about the second and third groups, and a bit on the first, those who politely wait for you.
Not long ago (on the order of a couple of months) I read, and it makes perfect sense to me, not to worry if you have people in your pictures, they can add both human interest and scale.
Of course with me being out between 0600-0700 for the most part, this means that there are relatively few, if any, people about to include in my pictures. I find that like street photography, I want to include people in my pictures. But this needs to either be for scale, or for a reason (does it?). I think I am trying to work this out. I have taken a couple of pictures with people in, mostly walking away from me, here’s an example;
It doesn’t mean anything does it? It’s just a person walking away room me down the street. There is no story here. How about this;
Now here are people disembarking From the Gosport ferry, and somebody either waiting for a passenger, or waiting to board. A bit of a story here, for effectively a random group of people. More interesting? Possibly.
As you can imagine, not having a steady supply of people to hand is a bit frustrating. Perhaps I should go out more at the weekend?
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