The following is a direct copy and has been Pasted in for future reference from the People & Place coursework PDF Doc. (pasted in Maroon)
For this exercise you will need to research and prepare in advance. Look for an organised event at which there will be plenty of people and in which you can confidently expect to be able to photograph freely and with some variety. An event at which spectators are in seats will not do; one in which people move around will be more useful. One example might be horse trials at a country estate that has opened its grounds for the occasion. There are many other possibilities, and an important part of the exercise is to find a suitable one for yourself. There are more likely to be open-air events in and around summer than winter.
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Equipment
Camera – Nikon D4 & D810
Lenses – 24/70 – f2.8 / 70/200 – f2.8
Method & Approach
In relevance of this exercise the brief asks to research and prepare in advance for an organised event which attracts plenty of people and allows for pictures to be taken at free will. The event must allow for participants and people to move freely around and not be positioned or seated in a fixed designated area. The exercise brief also takes into consideration the fact that there are more open-air events in and around summer than winter.
With the summer now well and truly over and outdoor temperatures becoming much colder my research and preparation for this exercise led me towards certain organised events that are more indoor than outdoor. Due to the time of year and limited opportunity to photograph outside events I eventually decided upon Halloween. The town I live in has several pubs and bars that organise and hold annual Halloween parties and during the evenings build up, groups of people dressed for the occasion can be seen in and around the town in public houses and bars.
During my quest to capture people dressed for the occasion my experience and knowledge gained from previous exercises of this course really did come into play. The only difference was that I was now shooting at night time rather than during daylight. In relevance of capturing the mood of the people and in some instances being unaware of my presence some of my pictures were captured without flash. Later on during this shoot and whilst inside a venue it was not allowed for me to use camera flash whilst taking pictures and thus some of my pictures contain slightly more digital noise than I like and normally accept.
Please see pictures and captions below.
Note – all pictures have been compressed hence there might be a quality reduction when enlarging.
Picture 1 – An organised event (I’ll meet you at the pub)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D810 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/125th sec
Aperture f4.0
ISO 12,800
White Balance Setting Custom (5400°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 24mm
Comments – Shown in this picture we can see a group of people outside a pub enjoying the moment over a drink prior to the Halloween evening party. For this picture I kindly ask the group of people if I could take a photo of them all together and they willingly obliged, my confidence must be growing. Prior to any of the exercises within this part of the course I would never have asked or had the courage to consult people for their picture. With an event like this and people and having made the effort to dress up, asking to take their picture is much easier and in their eyes almost welcome, to the point of seeing a person with a camera the individual or group are expecting you to take their picture.
Picture 2 – An organised event (Halloween triplets)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D810 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/125th sec
Aperture f4.0
ISO 12,800
White Balance Setting Custom (2850°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 32mm
Comments – Here we see three people who were making their way to one of the parties in town slightly more dressed for the occasion than the previous group but again having seen me walking towards them with a camera it was almost expected that I would ask to take their picture and obligingly they allowed me to.
Picture 3 – An organised event (Go in peace my friend)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D810 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/90th sec
Aperture f4.0
ISO 12,800
White Balance Setting Custom (3700°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 66mm
Comments – Not only do the public dress up but also the bar staff in various pubs also make the effort, here we can see a barman wearing a wig and make-up dressed as a pirate. Perhaps his choice of dress that evening was also reflected in the price of the drinks!
Picture 4 – An organised event (Can I help you sir)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D810 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/60th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 3600
White Balance Setting Custom (3650°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 70mm
Comments – Inside another venue the bar staff took it upon themselves to dress up and wear masks for the occasion. This particular costume complete with apron really made me chuckle hence taking his picture.
Picture 5 – An organised event (Do you come here often?)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/90th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 8000
White Balance Setting Custom (3400°K)
Lens 70/200mm
Focal Length 80mm
Comments – In this picture we can see one of the public having made great effort to make her face up for the occasion. Once again I took the opportunity to ask if I could take her picture and obligingly without comment she allowed me to.
Picture 6 – An organised event (Stranglers – Tribute band)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D810 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/125th sec
Aperture f4.0
ISO 12,800
White Balance Setting Custom (2850°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 32mm
Comments – Later on that evening one of the pubs had organised a tribute band (The Stranglers) to play for the punters. Again, like the people having made the effort to dress up the band members were at ease with me taking their pictures.
Picture 7 – An organised event (Stranglers – Tribute band)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/125th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 12,800
White Balance Setting Custom (2800°K)
Lens 70/200mm
Focal Length 90mm
Comments – With this picture I used a little bit of photographer’s licence by using a wide aperture and focusing on the distant bass player capturing him sharp and his closer colleague the guitarist in soft focus. I particularly like the focus effect created in this picture and with the overhead light above the bass player it adds a double emphasis in drawing your eye in towards the sharper subject. I also like the moment captured showing the bass player concentrating and also singing at the same time.
Picture 8 – An organised event (Stranglers – Tribute band)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D810 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/180th sec
Aperture f4.0
ISO 12,800
White Balance Setting Custom (4150°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 58mm
Comments – With bands it’s not only just the front men that should be captured on photo, other band members also have their place within creating the bands signature sound. Here we can see the keyboard player concentrating and totally unaware of my moment of capture.
Picture 9 – An organised event (Stranglers – Tribute band)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/180th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 12,800
White Balance Setting Custom (2000°K)
Lens 70/200mm
Focal Length 200mm
Comments – Again shown here and similar to the comments above we see the drummer concentrating and keeping the band’s timing together. I particularly like this shot in the way the reflected chrome work on the various stands and tom-toms complicates the picture otherwise surrounding a simple portrait.
Picture 10 – An organised event (Stranglers – Tribute band)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/125th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 12,800
White Balance Setting Custom (3150°K)
Lens 70/200mm
Focal Length 150mm
Comments – In a similar way to that of picture seven, I have used a wide aperture to separate the guitarist seen here from his fellow band member behind him.
What have I learnt from this exercise
I have learnt from this exercise that if people are prepared to dress up or perform at various events, as a photographer when asking to take their picture its more welcome and almost expected, opposed to asking a similar question to a person in the street or a public place. In both situations mentioned above, the subject and the photographer neither know each other, but introduce dressing up or something an individual has practised for changes human psychology to the point of wanting to be recognised and therefore lowers the subjects guard to the point of wanting a photograph to be taken.
Thoughts and Reflection
I am still learning the craft of people photography and I am starting to recognise that it even if a person does dress or is performing or playing a game etc. there are still moments to be captured ultimately making the picture. A person dressed for an occasion can introduce interest to the picture but there is nothing like a moment or captured look to draw the onlooker in or perhaps even better tells a story.
Summary
I have enjoyed this exercise and having to go out onto the street to capture material for an event has pushed me, I am slowly gaining more confidence both in my ability and my approach. It’s a shame that the summer has come to an end but in relevance of next year I’m already eager to start writing on a calendar certain events that are a must for this type of photography, be it fancy dress or just the occasion.
stingray493 