Todays picture is one of few “Proper” Street Pics from last year , its more a piece of photographic design than a special moment but beggars can’t be choosers !
Its not hard to see what attracted me to this location , the red of the 2 CV with contrasting yellow wheel arches was a good foundation for a decent street pic but it wasn’t enough , I needed more than a pretty French car to make my pic , what I needed was unclear but I knew I needed more …
Having established that this car and location had photographic potential I started framing up the pic , considering the lines , light and compositional variations in the hope that my requirements would become clearer , this “first look” failed to inform me of what I needed within the frame but it did inform where the space that needed activity was situated !
Having established where I wanted something to happen within my frame I had one remaining problem , the lighting was not ideal , this was a classic English summer sunny day, the shadows were a little too deep for my taste , I knew that fill flash would be needed to get the contrast under control , no sooner had I established my capture plan and this “Red Lady” entered the frame and stopped , I’m not quite sure why she stopped but she stopped in just the right place , I noticed how the bag echoed the shape of the wheel arch immediately and thought I could be onto something …
These graphic design pics require a different approach and mindset to the fleeting moments pics , higher levels of compositional consideration are necessary to get these quieter pictures to sing , street photography is not always “Flash , Bang , Wallop” !
Sometimes a slow considered approach can pay dividends , you have to see the shapes , shadows , lines and light as a opportunity to design a pic that goes beyond the moment …
Hooray , The Foto What I Took blog has reached number 40 , that is a lot of thoughts , pictures and words that have led to a lot of visitors to this site , thank you for popping in …
I hope you have taken something from these short reads & pics during the last few months , I’m taking a break from writing this series but will continue to post blogs now and then that are inspired by my endless search for a “ Street Photography Masterpiece” …
Feel free to share any of the blogs here on your social media feed with your followers , help me to keep the UK Street Photography website flame burning …
Take care and keep it real …
Considered design versus “Flash , Bang , Wallop” , the choice is yours …
This series of blogs is based around pictures from my archive , I hope the words that accompany the featured pictures offer a level of context , insight and inspiration to readers .
“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference borrowed / inspired by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …
MORE…
If your blessed with a bit more time feel free to visit highlights from my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series , The Testing Times pictures or the “In Progress” , “Living” In Limbo… , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life…
Many more Foto What I Took Blogs are available too …