The brief here is to find a comfortable position, that is a particular view point at which one is relaxed enough to photograph from, and make a series of exposures of a given situation.
In this instance, I choose a spot in front of The Sainsbury Wing of The National Gallery in London; people were queuing for a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition and I was able to photograph from a comfortable distance using a standard focal length (47mm on a full frame camera). The actions of the people were further enhanced by a low Winter sun and the aesthetics of the building behind even though it was famously referred to by Prince Charles in 1984 as a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend".
In this situation, it was largely a matter of waiting for an arrangement of people; their expressions were a later consideration.
Here a couple are interacting oblivious to the photographer's presence although the couple to the left may be a little more savvy than this; the sun shines, there are long shadows and the building behind supports an image by a great artist who is also named.
A slightly more eccentric composition, this time in vertical format; in contrast to the previous image, one is not sure whether the couple in the foreground are connected with each other or not.
In this image, the foreground is dominated by a couple of men who do not seem to have anything to do with the gallery; between them are a couple who may be coming from it. The composition is held in place by the two men passing.
This image shows three people approaching and apparently unaware of the camera; one does not know why the man in the centre is looking to his right or why the woman to his left appears almost motionless; this ambiguity helps to create interest in the photograph.
My comfort level remained more or less the same while making these photographs as I had chosen a good spot at a reasonable distance and could have been merely photographing the building; in fact, some people waited for me to make my shot before passing in front. I was also largely obscured as the sun was behind me and people did not want to look my way. The most uncomfortable moment was when I felt a bus go past which reminded me that I was rather close to the road behind.
The final image is not particularly engaging yet it is a perfectly acceptable image of the gallery with a certain amount of supporting interest. After making this image, the last of 25, I moved to frame a more interesting view of the building.
In this situation, it was largely a matter of waiting for an arrangement of people; their expressions were a later consideration.
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| horizontal view - couple interacting |
Here a couple are interacting oblivious to the photographer's presence although the couple to the left may be a little more savvy than this; the sun shines, there are long shadows and the building behind supports an image by a great artist who is also named.
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| people outside the gallery |
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| Men passing the gallery |
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| a composition based around three approaching figures |
This image shows three people approaching and apparently unaware of the camera; one does not know why the man in the centre is looking to his right or why the woman to his left appears almost motionless; this ambiguity helps to create interest in the photograph.
My comfort level remained more or less the same while making these photographs as I had chosen a good spot at a reasonable distance and could have been merely photographing the building; in fact, some people waited for me to make my shot before passing in front. I was also largely obscured as the sun was behind me and people did not want to look my way. The most uncomfortable moment was when I felt a bus go past which reminded me that I was rather close to the road behind.
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| as much about the building as the people |
The final image is not particularly engaging yet it is a perfectly acceptable image of the gallery with a certain amount of supporting interest. After making this image, the last of 25, I moved to frame a more interesting view of the building.
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