Elements of Design.
I chose Street Details as the subject for this assignment because it had a connection with the photography I had been doing for the exercises. It gave me a bit more freedom where I could go to take the required photographs. Restricting myself to the Wirral coast has given me a challenge, one I have enjoyed, however being able to work closer to home would be an advantage.
The subject gave me some difficulty, I was uncertain what might be classed as street details. Could it just be the street furniture, bus stops, manhole covers and road signs for example, or did it include people and buildings. When I typed street details into Google the response was estate agents and street maps. I then tried street photography which of course is something completely different, so I can only hope my interpretation is the right one.
Single point, dominating the composition.
This man was sleeping in a doorway, the hood of his coat was across his eyes, so I guessed he would not see me take his photograph. Maybe this is street photography, I saw it as detail on the streets on Nantwich. The man is the focal point of the image, so therefore dominates the composition.
Two points.
The archway is part of a sculpture in the center of Stoke called "Another Gift" by Liz Lemon. The post box, being red, made a good single point, I was about to photograph it for that part of the assignment when along came the yellow van. Fortunately I was using a slow shutter speed which conveyed some movement in the van, this adds a little bit of interest. So now I have two points!
Several points in a deliberate shape.
This sign was on the front of a closed public house, the Guinness glasses and clock face form a triangle, a deliberate shape. Might not the circles of the glasses and clock face be points? Even though there was very little colour in the original image, for clarity, I converted it to monochrome.
A combination of vertical and horizontal lines.
Possibly the most difficult part of this assignment, I took lots of photographs, most were unimaginative. Maybe had I spent even more time on this, something showing more obvious lines could have been found. This is the best of a bad lot, the contrast between the very colourful sign and the near derelict building had caught my attention. The type used for the text seemed to be of a vertical format also the coloured squares are formed of vertical and horizontal lines. The most obvious line is the horizontal "red" arrow, that colour again!
Diagonals.
The tables and chairs outside a cafe, were all neatly arranged and casting perfect shadows. I took several photographs from different angles, all have strong diagonal lines in them. If only someone had been sitting at one of the tables, the image would have been a lot more interesting.
Curves.
Looking down from the top of a spiral staircase, the handrail and steps, were what I had been looking for, curves. In fact if it was possible to see all the way to the bottom, they formed a perfect circle. The steps are obviously part of a building. They connect the top level of a car park to the street below, so the relationship to street details is somewhat tenuous.
Distinct, even if irregular, shapes.
Bin bags, a common site on our streets, not something I would have photographed before doing this course. They are distinct, they are certainly irregular and of course a shape. Walking around looking for subjects, I have found myself considering everything, which must be a good thing. I am now able to see past the mess and pick out shapes to use in my photographs.
At least two kinds of implied triangle 1.
This photograph taken in Stoke has the apex at the top, it has shadows, which complete the shape.
Implied triangle 2.
Since doing triangles in the exercises, I now see them everywhere, so this part wasn't too difficult. The first image relies on the shadows, so may not have worked had it not been a sunny day. The second, an inverted triangle, looks as if its been left behind after someone has had their lunch. I could imagine them sitting there, bottle of Coke in their right hand, sandwich in the left. Obviously they did not like the crusts, maybe the bread was stale or perhaps they hadn't listened to their mother when she told them to eat the crusts.
Rhythm
The design on this manhole cover is very much like the ripples in the sand on a beach, when the tide has gone out. It reminded me of a picture I had taken at New Brighton, for the exercise on rhythm and pattern.
Pattern
This again could be classed as building detail, so might not count for this assignment. The pattered tiles are above the doorway where the man in my first photograph was asleep. This building has lots of ornate detail on it and used to be an old theatre, it is now occupied by a local bakery firm.
Assignment 2: Responce to Tutor's report.
At the beginning of Clive's report he says of my second assignment;
'Overall technically of a very good standard; demonstrating thoughtful composition with attention to detail and knowledgeable control of exposure and focus'.
I'm very pleased to receive such praise at this stage of the course. He also writes that;
'You've responded to the pointers I previously gave for this assignment, developing a theme to make a body of work that meets the requirements of the brief, while, importantly, making interesting, progressive imagery'.
I could not have wished for more rewarding remarks. He has some negative comments about some of the images, no more than is to be expected, after all that's how we learn. He seems to be a good judge, the photographs that get negative or somewhat dismissive comments are the ones that had the least amount of thought and care at the time of taking, they are bland.
Clive finishes his report with this sentence;
'I think you can feel very satisfied with what you've achieved in this assignment'.
What more could I wish for.
