BA A&D
Fig. 1. Boarding a Coach in Cotteridge High Street 2011.
Fig 21. Woman Reading the Paper, Front View.
Fig. 25. Couple Holding Hands.
Fig. 55. Andrew Z. Glickman, Among Strangers Underground: Commuters on the Washington DC Metro (2004)
LEVEL 6 NEG STUDIES 2011
Process: What I did and how I did it.
First stage
After photographing the public in and around the Birmingham’s Markets on the types of things they did when out shopping or simply passing though this busy and bustling place. I wonted from this new documentary to capture places where people lived; in their urban areas from this I wanted to see another part of their lives. To try a different approach. I would photographic people by positioning bye; taking photographs of them; just passing through areas on the move, which I do as I travel.
I thought about how I could capture the events that I could see around me; I was in a friend’s car so I started taking photographs. I tried to pick out something interesting that would say something about the person I was photographing.
Fig. 1 shows people getting together and going away in a coach. The church, where they are being picked up, may have organized this activity.
In Fig. 2 a workman is situated on a busy main road yet seems peaceful, choosing an unexpected place to have his break. This is quite stereotypical: workmen, either not working at all, or one or two actually doing the work while several more stand around watching?
Fig. 2. Workman in Harborne High Street 2011.
Fig. 3. People in Stirchley High Street 2011.
In Fig. 3 two ladies are talking to one-another in the street while a shop-worker in the foreground is returning from the supermarket with milk; perhaps for a tea break? What I am looking for in a these image is show the every day situations in life.
Fig. 4. Youths in Acocks Green 2011.
The kids in Fig. 4 are hanging around, a common thing for kids to do, but it is unclear what is happening. They appear to be peacefully chatting; a mix of Asian and English boys outside another sign of multicultural Birmingham: the Hadji Supermarket. I am too far from the kids and the exposure on the camera is incorrect. I could use higher resolution another time and zoom in during the editing process.
What didn’t work well?
At this time I still felt dissatisfied: the images did not adequately do what I wanted them to do; reflect an aspect of life. There needed to be more focus on one place or person. The range of subjects was too broad. The next stage would be to try out different ways of travelling and to narrow the focus.
Ideas to think about.
Second stage
Buses
Which bus will I use?
What buses are there? Coaches, open-top tourist buses, circular buses etc.
On the Roads
What can I see looking out of the windows?
What am I saying about the areas I pass through?
Are there parts of this route that are run down?
Are there outdoor workers on this route? What are they doing?
People on the bus
Who’s getting on the bus? Who’s getting off the bus?
Where are they getting on the bus?
Are there different classes of people?
Which culture do they belong to?
Are they young or old?
What are they doing on the bus?
What catches their eyes when they look out of the window?
Who is the driver? Is it a male or female driver?
What time do they change shifts?
What time do the buses start and finish?
Is there a different driver that takes over the shift?
Does it take a different route in the evening from the morning?
Are there changes at different times of the day?
Fig. 5. Girl Applying Makeup on a Bus.
Third stage
I frequently use the number 11 bus, where I often see ladies or girls applying makeup, perhaps not having had the time to do this before rushing out, or just topping up their face, or to pass the time? Is it an environment where they feel they are able to apply makeup? I’m not sure about this photograph. I like the way the girl in Fig 5 is framed between the bars, but it is not possible to see details of what she is doing. I need to get closer to achieve this.
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| Fig. 6. Man descending the stairs on a bus. |
Fig. 7. Passengers on a bus.
Fig. 9. Man Listening to Music.
Fig 10. Man with a Phone.
Fig. 11. Woman Reading.
At this stage I was finding it hard taking photographs of the public. During this project I found I needed the confidence to get close to my subjects; to show what they were doing. Instead of snapshots I was looking to capture intimate moments and get more close-ups. The problem was how to achieve this. I might need to ask for permission before getting the photographs; but this could affect the spontaneity of the situation. I needed my subjects to carry on with what they are doing; what interested me in the first place.
Another difficulty was not being able to obtain all the angles that would show a person or persons, so the next point would be to think more about the composition and positioning myself. I needed to consider where the subject is positioned as being too far away loses the intimate effect that I want and can leave an image looking uninteresting. More experience with the composition of photographs should improve practice in this respect.
However some shots also needed to be taken from a so that the images do not all look the same; a variety of close-up and distance can add to the interest of a display of photographs.
Fig. 12. Man with Plants.
Fig. 12 was the first photo of this gentleman, and was taken without asking, as you can see it is not a great shot of him. I knew this at the time so I asked him if I could take another photograph of him (Figs. 13 & 14) and obtained a much better image of him. I was able to see what it was he was doing and it is a better angle of the man making it a more interesting photograph
Fig. 14. And Again.
Fig .15. Boy with a Toy Camera.
Fig. 16. Man With a Phone.
Fig. 17. Women Reading.
Fig. 18. Man doing some Woodwork.
Fig. 18 shows something I have never seen before. The young man is sanding down two wooden heart shapes, which he has made himself. Perhaps he will be giving one to his girlfriend.
Having a child myself it is easy to give your child something to do whether it might be sweets or something to play with, perhaps a DS game, as in Fig. 19.
Fig 20. Woman Reading the Paper, Side View.
What worked well?
It was easier to obtain photograph the images I was seeking after obtaining permission from potential subjects. By talking about the project and explaining why and how it relates to them, I was able to get closer to them. This helped make the subjects more comfortable and enabled me to obtain different and interesting angles for the compositions.
The images clearly indicate the nature of the environment. The background clearly shows that it is a bus by the brightly coloured bars, the seating and the windows which all stand out. Fig. 22 shows the stronger images, placed together in a joined, linear format. The images have captured passengers engaged in different activities.
What does not work well?
Despite the improvements, it seemed that the images did not quite sit together properly, possibly to do with the composition, decisions on which photos work best when placed next to each other, and what I what them to say.
The next task was to take more photographs and to think more about the composition. I could see that there are too few distance shots; perhaps also more side shots would add to the variety.
What have I learnt?
These images displayed together as a whole show things that people do when on a bus.
Figs. 23-28 are possibilities for the final degree show, though I am still looking for stronger photographs. My current thoughts on how I would like to present the work is to pick out a sequence that starts at the back of the bus and work the way through to the front, then up the stairs and ending at the rear of the top deck.
Fig. 23 at the back of the bus is the type of image I am looking for, but instead of a young man, an older lady from another culture would be ideal, as I do not yet have such a picture. I hope to present a sequence that shows a range of ages, cultures and genders as well as where passengers sit on the bus.
Fig. 23. Young Man Listening to Music.
Fig. 24. Woman Applying Make-Up.
Fig. 26. Woman Eating Chips.
Fig. 27. Woman Looking in her Bag.
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Fig. 28. Man Looking at the View.
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Fig. 28 is an older man sitting at the front of the top deck. This is an example of someone not doing anything - but that is itself something a lot of passengers do, just taking in the scenery.
I have also thought about taking photographs from the bus windows as I pass, looking out at the surrounding areas. These would be for my book. Sometimes it is difficult to obtain clear images through these bus windows especially when they are scratched by passengers, but does that matter?
The format I am considering is to have small image from the outside looking in and beside it, a larger image of the commuter, similar in arrangement to that shown in Fig. 29.
Fig. 29. David Bradford, The New York Taxi Back Seat Book (2006).
I have also contemplated is having a photo book made with remainder of the images. At the moment I am editing and sorting out the stronger images for the exhibition. I want to show examples of different age groups, cultures and genders. This will show a greater variety and a truer representation of the people who travel and will avoid the photographs looking too similar to each other.
Below are photographs I may use for the book at the moment I am editing and sorting out the stronger images as some are poorly exposed, or do not sit well together; I want to avoid photographs looking too similar.
Photographs on the Bus.
Fig. 30. Young Man drinking Beer.
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Fig. 31. Man Sleeping.
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Fig. 33. Man with a Young Child.
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| Fig. 35. Two Drivers Talking |
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Fig. 34. Man Texting, furtively
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Fig. 37. Man with Headphones.
Fig. 38. Man in Hat, Sleeping.
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| Fig. 40. Woman Reading a Digital Book |
Presenting the Exhibition
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| Fig. 49. Uta Barth, Nowhere Near (1999) |
In considering how to display of my own photographs for exhibition, I have been influenced by the way in which landscape photographer Uta Barth has shown her work. She is known for inverting the notion of background and foreground and drawing the attention to visual information that we barely register or ignore. The titles of her work do not refer to a specific place because it is about looking rather than the looked at.
What I have taken onboard from Barth’s work is observation: capturing the public during moments that onlookers might take for granted.
In Barth’s exhibition what appealed to me was the way the work was positioned on the wall without frames that might have detracted attention away from the images. Thus concentration is focused on what is happening in the image. Using a matt finish with an un-shiny surface minimizes any glare and makes it easier for the viewers to see.
I am still to decide about the final arrangement and display of the photographs: juxtapositions in photographs, whether to show one or two in sequence?
The title of my exhibition and book will be ‘Tickets Please’ as this is a phrase that is frequently heard from bus inspectors and inspires an image of passengers stopping what they are doing to find their tickets. It also associates the documentary photographs with a phrase that helps the viewer make connections with the subject of the images. Hopefully feedback during the exhibition will tell me whether the images are conveying what I want them to say.
I have avoided using a title for each image in the exhibition or book as I feel there is enough information in the pictures. This will also encourage me to develop skills that focus on the visual expression of ideas.
Ideally the space for the exhibition will be a long corridor with a low ceiling which will provide a sense of a small, enclosed area that echoes the space reminiscent of a bus.
Context & Influences
Liz Hingley
Fig. 50. Liz Hingley - From ‘Under Gods’ Stories from Soho Road (2007-9)
Hingley is a documentary photographer based in London and has documented community living, political and social issues. One of her projects has centred on Birmingham, this is “Under Gods, Stories from the Soho Road” (2010). This area was selected because there are more than thirty different religious buildings that serve eighty-eight different nationalities. She believes that it is religion rather than race that defines local communities. Her intention has been to document the different lifestyles found in one road.
Fig. 51. Liz Hingley “Under Gods, Stories from the Soho Road” (2010).
Fig. 51 shows a specific example of Christian life: an adult baptism. Though the subject is centre stage, the subjects do not directly acknowledge the camera; yet they must be aware of its presence. In many of her photographs she does not cause the subjects to alter their behaviour.
Fig. 52. Liz Hingley “Under Gods, Stories from the Soho Road” (2010).
In many of Hingley’s other photographs she uses a wide-angle lens or takes the shot from a distance, so that much more information can be included.
One element that I have taken on board is to work with my subjects, to obtain more intimate images. This has helped me to obtain the shots I am looking for.
Her project maintains a focus on the one location, the Soho Road, and the diversity of people there. I am aware that a variety of cultures use public transport: a bus that traverses the city’s outer circle that, picking up passengers from different areas provides an opportunity to show a wide assortment of people.
Another feature of her images is that they are frequently taken from directly in front of her subjects. I have used a variety of different angles on the bus, because I felt the images are otherwise too flat. This helps me show what each subject is doing within the space of the bus. Taking shots of a passenger from other perspectives makes the photographs more pleasing.
Chris Coekin
Fig. 53. Chris Coekin, Knock Three Times. (2006)
One of Coekin’s projects has involved English Working Men’s Clubs. In Knock Three Times (2006). In Fig. 53 Coekin does not show the subject’s face and making this representative of the age and type of person more than a portrait of a person that can be recognised.
Fig. 53. Chris Coekin, Knock Three Times. (2006)
Coekin’s compositions include objects that surround the subject providing information that tells us more than just what the subject looks like. Coekin has his subjects comfortable in his presence so they still carry on doing do as if he was not there.
It has been useful is to keep a focus on one person at a time; this can provide more intimate images. Capturing enough of the background in the composition offers information for the viewer about the location of the shot. In the same way as Coekin, I try to ensure that passengers are comfortable with my activity and carry on with what they are doing.
I did not try to depict the buses as a relaxed place to be, as Coekin did with the working men’s club, nor particularly the ugly side, though the buses can be overcrowded and uncomfortable. I photographed what I observed; a person playing loud music, too much cigarette smoke, kids messing about, a hectic, messy environment.
Andrew Z. Glickman
Andrew Z. Glickman is a documentary photographer, who travels to and from work in Washington. He documents a communal experience with people who are total strangers, even though many of them see each other every day, often at very close quarters.
He has focused on passengers’ behavior - including gestures, postures and proximity to fellow passengers - to try to describe visually what it is like to accompany one another in these shared spaces. He is not looking for outlandish behavior simply everyday observations.
Fig. 56. Andrew Z. Glickman, Among Strangers Underground: Commuters on the Washington DC Metro (2004)
What I have in common with Glickman is that we are photographing the environment that we normally travel in and at the same time capturing images of our fellow passengers. Glickman subjects’ behaviour is very reserved; while I also observed passengers’ behaviour this was far more varied in Birmingham, perhaps reflecting the travellers’ different backgrounds. People were less reserved in their own behaviour, but resolutely ignored one-another.
This makes my work more humorous and outlandish than Glickman’s, not what I had set out to look for but an occurrence I recorded during my travels. I was also able to get up closer to my fellow commuters, and show in more detail what they were doing.
Another interest was the old fashioned seating in his work, which contrasted with the seating on our contemporary double-decker buses.
David Bradford
Fig. 57. David Bradford, Back Seat Book (2006)
David Bradford is a New York photographer taking intimate portraits from behind the wheel of his taxi. Bradford’s portraits show unexpected moments, he does not know who will climb in his cab; some passengers are aware they being photographed, some not. Some passengers look straight into the camera, while others have their backs turned.
Bradford’s photographs do not show what the participants are doing at the back of the taxi, he is more focused on showing their faces and expressions.
Bradford also takes pictures from the window of the taxi of townscapes and passers-by, other drivers and landmarks.
I have taken on-board the idea of photographing a mixture of day and night-time shots as well as taking photographs from a moving vehicle.
I am not sure about Bradford’s use of flash to brighten his images, I feel this often makes his subjects’ faces too shiny and bright, loosing some contrast that I like to see.
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