Assignment 5 : People and Place on assignment

Assignment 4 : A sense of place

23. Selective processing and prominence

This exercise has two parts; one is to decrease the presence of a person in an image and the other is to create the opposite effect, which is to increase the presence of a person in a photograph. I have attempted to do this with one image.

In regard to increasing the presence of a person in an image, I decided to process an image to allow more detail to be seen and simultaneously emphasising the mystery created by a twilight scene. The foreground is dark making almost silhouettes of the buildings with the figure to the right almost invisible.

the original capture; twilight silhouette of a Buddhist site with a barely distinguishable figure.

processed capture: one can now see a person to the right of the image,

an effect that helps to give the image a sense of perspective

in regard to scale (the size of the image) and meaning (the figure is a pilgrim).

To accomplish this effect, I added a Levels layer and used it to brighten the overall image; a gradient added to the mask of the Levels layer helped to retain tonal values in the sky. The foreground is much lighter and allows detail to be seen including the presence of a person.

22. Adjusting the balance between person and space

The brief here seems straightforward; produce at least a couple of images that show the same place but a different arrangement of people in it.

There is usually something that needs to be understood in each exercise and here I understand it centres around the different effect an image might have by different placement of people.

An almost empty area at The Tate Modern in London where photography is permitted and people are probably more relaxed about being pictured. I am taking a photograph of the staircase so people do not feel they are being targeted. The emptiness of this image allows one to assess the space but visually it is not very interesting.

This image shows the same space with this time, people more prominent. There is more to interest the viewer and the purpose of the staircase is being illustrated.

Much like the preceeding photograph yet with a central figure more arresting. However, this image might not be appropriate as it centres on a particular person from whom no model release has been obtained.

The final image, interestingly one that was made prior to all the other images (perhaps the presence of a photographer disrupted traffic on the escalator), might be considered the best. It shows the space and it's purpose as well as providing incidental information such as the couple to the left.

The different views and hence aspects of this part of the Tate Modern building have been obtained not by moving or using different lenses but simply by being aware of the different numbers and arrangement of people within the space.

21. Making figures anonymous

skateboarders, South Bank, London

There are two figures here, both to the side of the frame; both have their backs to us and one is blurred as he skateboards into the frame. This colourful area is continually being used by skateboarders and there are supports designed to assist in this.

entrance to the National Theatre

The entrance to the National Theatre on the South Bank, London is to the right of the frame; a couple of figures can be seen entering while another couple in red, advance towards the door across the forecourt. Their faces are largely invisible; they are not necessary to what this image is communicating.

kitchen

The photograph here is of a kitchen; an appropriately dressed chef stands to one side, emphasising the meaning of the kitchen without diverting attention away from the scene. The chef's face is visible yet smaller enough within the frame for the image not be a portrait rather a record of a certain space, that of the kitchen.

cake for eating

In this final image, the cake is the subject and fills the entire table; the presence of arms with headless people helps to emphasise what cake is for.

20. Busy traffic

People come into the Guest House building at the Taj Mahal to make nice framed photographs of the mausoleum; sometimes they have to queue to do it.

queuing for a framed view of the Taj Mahal

entering the Guest House and queuing for a framed view of the Taj Mahal

The first image focuses on the people who are actually queuing to make their photograph; in the second, a slightly wider view shows people moving around that space. The last image is a combination of the two and might have worked better if it had been made a split second later as the two men in the background walked a little further into the space made the male photographing and the man queuing.

19. A single figure small

Buddhist pilgrim among the stupa

At first, one sees only the beautifully crafted monuments yet sooner or later, the viewer is going to see the lone figure who is found at the centre of this image; it may take a little time and scrutiny to establish this figure but this adds interest to the reading of the image.

Assignment 3

18. How space changes with light

There are two sets of photographs here; those of the Taj Mahal and those of a Buddhist site.


The series of nine photographs of the Taj Mahal seen here were made from the same position although tight restrictions made using a tripod all the time impractical; the result is a study of a remarkable building which changes like a chameleon as the sun rises and falls.

The images may appear slightly different in regard to form as different focal lengths were used yet the changing effect of light can be seen on the building, changing our perception as the sun's shifting position and intensity emphasises different aspects of the building as a whole and alters mood.

07.30

08.00

08.30

10.30

12.00

Around midday, there is little change in the effects of light on the building; the sun almost bleaches the marble and the appearance of the Taj Mahal changes little. As the sun starts to get lower in the sky, the monument again starts to change in appearance.

15.30

16.30

17.30

18.30

This second series of photographs are again all from the same viewpoint; this time the subject was the entry to a group of stupa, Buddhist reliquaries.

dawn

early morning 09.30

early afternoon 14.20

late afternoon 17.15

evening 18.11

It was interesting to note the different vehicular objects that appear in the foreground but it is the change in overall lighting conditions that make the images look different from each other.

17. The user's point of view

The Great Gate ; entrance to the Taj Mahal

The Great Gate at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India was built partly as a battlement for fortification yet also as a place from where one could view the magnificence of the mausoleum, that part of the Taj Mahal that we normally know to be the Taj Mahal. In the image above, one can see people enjoying a view of the mausoleum.

16. Exploring function

priest at Exeter Cathedral

In this photograph, one can see a priest speaking from a pulpit to an audience who are not present. In fact, while the cathedral is open during the day, on the hour, a priest gets up and announces what is going on in the cathedral.

This image is perhaps a comment on falling church attendance. Shortly after, the priest very kindly posed for me as he came down the steps from the pulpit but it is the picture here that I wanted; I feel it shows both function and lack of function.

Assignment 2

15. Public space, public activity

I wonder whether a mortuary can be considered a public place since it is in many ways very private. However, this year I attended a couple of funerals at a local mortuary and made a number of photographs while doing so with permission from the mourners. Views towards death have relaxed considerably over the last quarter of a century or so and funerals often provide a space in which relatives meet together and in spite of the sadness surrounding the occasion, tend to enjoy each other's company. Photography is appropriate in as much that it gives people who may not see each other very often, a way to keep in touch and remember the departed. In the following series of photographs, I am trying to reveal not only the building but the way in which it functions with people.

the hearse and driver

mourners arriving

The priest

The service

The priest conducts the service

A solitary visitor

guests

a guest leaves

flowers for the dead

gone but not forgotten

14. An organised event

THE FOLLOWING IS A SELECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE ANNUAL DANCES HELD AT A TIBETAN MONASTERY IN EASTERN INDIA; AS WELL AS THE PHOTOGRAPHS, I HAVE RELATED MY EXPERIENCE OF MAKING THEM


I had researched the occasion of dancing at a Tibetan monastery in eastern India and arrived the day before they were due to begin. On the previous evening, a monk was practicing his steps with help from another and I was able to survey the area in which the dances were to take place. I found a good vantage point and made note of where the light would be coming from the next day although the dances were not to begin until the sun was low in the sky.

I had obtained permission to photograph and knew some of the senior monks. This helped me to feel relaxed about photographing although I was aware of a “thin maroon line” that I did not want to cross.

The selection of images here were drawn from over 300 made during the event that lasted some 2 hours although a few initial images were made earlier in the day. The event called Gutoor is actually a ceremony of several days of which the last afternoon involves the ceremonial dances and a fire ritual.

The first few images of monks entering for the dance and then actually dancing were quite easy to make. Although feeling slightly self-conscious at not being where the audience should be, my little territory did not impose on anyone. I was able to keep at a distance from the action. Shooting into the light did not make photographing easy but did help to add some drama into the situation.

young monks, part of the ceremonial entrance to the dance

black hat dancers perform in the courtyard

The second photograph shows the dancers spread around the courtyard. The light is noticeable yet dull. Photographing from the centre of the entrance might have been compromising if more participants were to enter at this point, I did not think they would for the dance was now underway which also meant people were not looking in my direction. I did not want to stand out from the crowd but be part of what was happening.

The Abbot and his daughters

My next move was however out of line. Seeing the abbot watching the dance with his four daughters, I manoeuvred myself around to make a photo of them in the act of seeing the drama unfold as this seemed to be a key shot since the dances, a form of liberation through seeing, ask one to observe them with a meditative view. However, in the minute it took for me to make these images, I disturbed one of the daughters who got up and moved to the back. It is at times like these that I question my whole role of photographer; there seems little worth in photographing a situation if one is going to compromise it. One might make more sales but the photographer may well be considering the situation along other lines than purely commercial ones; photographing traditional events can help to bring them recognition and understanding from people who might otherwise scorn them. Many photographers would appear to operate from a point of view that at least emphasizes with the subject if only as a means to make good photographs.

The celebrants depart for the cross roads

Soon after this, the dances in the courtyard drew to a close and the dancers followed by the spectators, walked off across the monastic compound to see the fire ceremony ritual that was held on the outskirts of the village. Here, one did not feel out of place as everyone was following everyone else and ceremony was for awhile absent.

Preparing for the fire ceremony

Once the monks had reached a crossroads on the outside of town, they formed a circle around an unlit pyre. The main black hat dancer, as these robed monks are referred to, read from scriptures. I kept a place near to the action but at the edge of the crowd; it might have worked to get closer to the head monk but a telephoto lens sufficed. Did not want to be between the head monk and the pyre since he started throwing things at it, an action hard to capture convincingly in the failing light.

Not unlike spirits from the netherworld, local people descend on the fire

Then the fire was lit and a ritual item tossed into it; an action to capture that was enhanced by the flames from the pyre. I joined forces with the mass of people who rushed forward to see if they could get anything from the fire for some objects had been knocked sideways. By being part of this group, I trusted I was not interfering and was not of course interested in salvaging anything except photographs from the occasion.

The Black Hat dancers start to walk back to the monastic courtyard

There then followed more prayers before the entourage of robed figures set off for the monastery compound. By remaining to the side of the road as participants passed, I felt I was not being too intrusive rather one of the celebrants of this festive rite. Low light meant sharp images were not easy to make and blurred results gave a sense of movement without loosing the colourful atmosphere.

A Black Hat dancer leaves the courtyard

The dance continued for awhile in the courtyard which was lit by lights from the temple. I started to photograph on another side of the courtyard before moving to stand by the entrance-exit to catch dancers as they emerged. Flash did not seem out of place here as the light shone on the area as well.

The jubilation on the faces of the Abbot's daughters give a sense of the occasion

The dance finished and people started to leave. People were friendly towards me and one or two of the abbot’s daughters, one of whom I seemed to have offended, posed for me and made funny gestures; in the photograph here they are however not "acting up" but relating to the general situation. It was an occasion of celebration not seriousness and I was left with the feeling that I had been part of it  all rather than imposing my wish to make photographs upon it. 

13. A standard view

dancing in the courtyard

The use of a 50mm lens creates what might be considered a "normal perspective"; it allows the viewer to see the scene for what it is without any kind of distortion. This is probably more relaxing for the eye of the viewer and in a situation like this, allows one to see a lot of what is going on although the audience to the sides including some of the orchestra to the left, is obscured; the foreground might be cropped which creates a more panoramic picture without destroying the "normal perspective".