The object of this assignment is to plan and execute a set of images of people in some form of meaningful activity. This could be carried out with one person at different kinds of activity or several people at the same activity or event.
I broke my thought process down into three parts:
1. Who.
Who will I choose to photograph? one person or many different people?
2. What?
What will I photograph them doing? What type of activity will be interesting to my viewers?
3. Where?
Where will I find a place or event that will fulfil my criteria and still appeal to my viewers. Where is accessible with a camera? Where can I photograph people with some ease and have time to plan each image with considerable thought.
To begin to form a plan I also wanted to give a lot of thought to what I’m passionate about or at least what I’m passionate about photographing. What do I find interesting and where can I find my Henri Cartier-Bresson moments where one photo tells the story.
I started to think about a theme and applying my three part process into it and where these two elements could be married together.
After much consideration and elimination I came up with the idea of photographing people from the Victorian era carrying out activities synonymous to this period of time. I’m fascinated by everything Victorian and especially love the clothes and practices. This would mean photographing different people and in turn dictated where I would execute my project. Blist’s Hill Victorian Museum in Ironbridge Gorge would give me the perfect place with the people I need to capture the ten images I need.
I decided to use a zoom lens of 24mm to 105mm to give me more options with framing and also I could be restricted in how near or far I stand. I don’t want to compromise on my viewpoint because it would change the entire image and therefore my intended ‘moment’ or ‘story’ may be misinterpreted.
I had concerns about whether I would find ten different people carrying out activities to fulfil the brief but as it mentioned this is an approximate figure, ideally I would capture more than necessary and eliminate what I feel hasn’t worked so well.
The following series of photographs are in the order they were taken.
The Rug Maker
I chose this viewpoint because I wanted the rug maker facing forward to highlight his activity. I wanted to capture him working on the rug so the moment was chosen when he was looking at what he was doing and had a tool in his hands.
I included a lot of information in this frame about the activity that was being carried out. As it’s not something we do now there are telling elements that place the rug maker in the Victorian era, the clothing, the rugs themselves, the tools used. The letter box was included, with VR, to place the era. There are posters which could suggest a more specific date with news of disease and shots fired at the prince of Wales.
The activity is clearer with he addition of the finished rugs so you can see the end result of what he’s making.
The Bank Clerk
The viewpoint was very limited in this photograph. My back is against a wall and if I’d moved left or right, the bankers would not have been in view.
I included a customer basically to show that a customer was being served. The activity being carried out by the bank clerk is clearly shown although I had to stoop down quite far to make sure the bars weren’t obscuring her hands or the money.
I’m not sure if my viewers would automatically know this is a bank. It’s clearly Victorian because of the clothing and the bars on the desk. I’ve tried to include some office tools in the background although they’re not entirely visible. If I was able to include a bank sign in this photograph I think it would have been more obvious.
The Fish and Chip Maker
Space was very limited when taking this photograph as It was a small room and there were lots of people crammed in. I waited until I was able to capture an uncluttered view of the task being carried out.
I had many failed attempts and even had originally chosen a different viewpoint in which the chips were being cooked in the fryer. I decided this didn’t explain things too well because I wasn’t able to include other aspects of the shop that go a long way to describe whats going on.
I found a viewpoint where the fryer was in view along with the items on the shelf, the catering tile, the chip papers and the assistant. I waited for the moment the chips were being wrapped where all these elements were in focus and took the opportunity to capture it. I was mindful that anyone could stand in my way or knock me at the exact moment but I stood my ground and was prepared.
The only item that niggles me in this image is the no smoking sign on the shelf. It sticks out like a sore thumb and actually isn’t relevant to the theme. There were other 21st century items I had to exclude from the frame such as a hygiene rating and a credit card sign but to exclude the no smoking sign would have meant losing part of the activity.
Sweet Lady
The first time I entered this shop there were no decent viewpoints I could get to. I waited until the shop cleared and decided that I needed to position myself where I could capture the jars of sweets, the scales and the assistant all within the frame. I was pleased to include the lollipops in the background too.
After observing the assistant serving other customers I decided that I needed to capture the sweets being weighed. As I had the perfect opportunity a customer walked into my view and placed her hand on the counter. She stayed there for a long time and by the time she moved the shop was filled with other people again.
I never got another opportunity to capture the sweet lady weighing out sweets from that viewpoint. I’ve included this photograph based on the fact that its showing the assistant weighing out sweets for her customer (the hand!) although I would have preferred the hand out of the frame. As a narrative its fine but one of the main features in this composition are the scales which the customer is now placing in shadow. Otherwise it had some very strong daylight coming from the outside into an otherwise dark room. Also I find the hand distracting.
The Steam Engineer
This photograph didn’t work out as well as I’d first though. I wasn’t able to change the viewpoint as there were barriers preventing a side view where it may have been clearer as to what the engineer was doing.
From this angle you can see, again continuing the Victorian theme, that were looking at a steam engine on a rail track. We know it’s a steam engine with the inclusion of steam omitting from the chimney that I’ve placed within the frame. It’s safe to assume that the man is either operating the engine or repairing it. What I wasn’t able to capture is the use of tools on the engine because the guard rail was obscuring the activity with his hands.
The Horse Wash
This photograph was challenging in terms of viewpoint and framing. I couldn’t stand any further back which I would have liked to in order to include more detail in the frame but the four main elements for me were the man, the horse, the wash bucket and the sign. The sign I wanted to include to depict the era even though the man is in Victorian clothes, the sign reaffirms that fact.
The horse is in full view which is slightly obscuring the man, especially his face although I don’t think this is an issue as you can clearly see his hands and what activity he’s engaged in doing. The addition of the bucket emphasises the activity as does the soap on the horses body.
The Cobbler
There is no mistaking who this man is or what he’s doing. Theres an abundance of props and tools from every angle. It didn’t matter which viewpoint I chose there were lots of telling moments.
The cobbler is working in front of a large window which is where this amazing light is coming from. A side on view captures it best but this isn’t a project regarding light although it is an important factor when capturing any photograph. I wanted to capture the top of the workbench showing all the tools and props accosted with a cobbler.
On the wall is some hanging leather so I felt it important to include that too and the gas light I thought added to the overall feel of the photograph. The correct moment to capture was whilst the cobbler was repairing a shoe and you can tell by his face that he’s concentrating on his task. I’m really pleased with this photograph as a whole.
The Seamstress
There is so much linen in this frame I’m thankful the seamstress is wearing black so we can distinguish her from all the other materials.
From this viewpoint it’s clear that were in a Victorian clothes shop where clothes were made in the shop by a seamstress. I remember thinking or rather hoping that the seamstress didn’t look lost within all the white cotton garments but having said that I also thought it important to include as much of her work as possible to get an impression of how much sewing this lady actually carries out day to day.
The seamstress was initially at the counter but it didn’t show much activity so I waited for the right moment when she was using her sewing machine to make another item of clothing. As you can see in the photograph her hand is blurred because of motion. I chose to do this because it highlights the fact that being in the Victorian era she would have manually turned the sewing machine wheel in order for the needle to move.
Notice the Victorian photographs on the mirror in the workspace which is a nice addition.
The Swing Operator
Most of my photographs so far show the work environment for a selection of Victorians but I also wanted to include the fun side of Victorian life, especially for children.
The fun fair offers bright vibrant colours which is quite a contrast to indoor life. If this photograph of a swing operator was to include the activity he was carrying out then the viewpoint had to be from behind to include the entirety of the ‘brake’ and what his actions produced.
I had to use a fast shutter speed so the swing didn’t blur and it was clear what it was. I tried to include as much of the swing frame as I could to explain what it was and it’s size. I would have liked to have stood further back because I needed to include the swing at the cost of losing part of the mans legs. In hindsight it would have been better to include the mans entire body, especially how he stood as I feel this was an important part of his actions.
The Coconut Shy
I had to compromise the ideal viewpoint to capture the activity in this photograph. The tent was so big even with a wide angle, I couldn’t include all of it because the action would have been lost. I felt it important to include the signage even though its clear that we’re looking at a coconut shy. One sign displays the price ‘fares’ in old money ‘d’ giving away a clue about the era.
Theres a fun element at the bottom which I choose to include ‘women throw from here’, back then women being thought of as the weaker sex. The operator is throwing a ball as you can see the action through his arm and hand but in the photograph the action is slightly lost because you can’t see the ball. I even tried a slower shutter speed to blur the motion of the ball but I wasn’t successful.
The most successful photographs in my opinion are The Rug Man and The cobbler. They combine many different elements to best fulfil the original brief of planning and executing pictures of people engaged in a meaningful activity. These two particular photographs stand out from the final ten images because they are interesting and pleasing to look at.
My weakest two photographs are The Steam Engineer and The Coconut Shy. The Steam engineer is captured from the wrong viewpoint and the activity is muffled because of this. The Coconut Shy may have been the wrong picture to capture given that the main part of the activity can’t be seen clearly. It wasn’t a major consideration at the time so more thought and planning was needed.
As individual images they each tell a story and show the activity being carried out. As a collection it gives a wide insight into Victorian life and in particular the work or even jobs carried out in that era.
Sam Bennett 