Hello, Hello, It's good to be back, good to be back ?

Ooop’s, the bloggers guide to good Street Photography blogging says you should never reference Gary Glitter songs in your Street Photography headline , I’ll make a note of that for next time !

Nevertheless, this photographer finally got out on the streets last week and made some reactive , fun pictures , the pics from the shoot are not “Masterpieces” but represent a most welcome move away from the Covid visual narrative that I followed during 2020 and the beginning of 2021, Trying to reclaim the freedom & fun of my personal “Street” work feels good !

It’s easy to lose sight of Street Photography being fun especially when your working in series and trying to make work with a eye on some sort of long term significance, finding the space between a serious approach and fun is always the challenge, its very easy to get it wrong !

Photography is a “Solo” show , Street Photographers work & walk alone , even when others are present , the success or failure of the work is always down to you !

The positivity and “Smile” that accompanies my Street Photography approach is returning , as life in the UK returns to something approaching “Normal” the day to day essence of “Street life” is reappearing !

A shot from last weekend, nice to see you again too ….

I’m not suggesting that things are back to normal but I do feel comfortable enough to go and “play” with care on the streets again , they say a journey of one thousand miles starts with a single step …

The atmosphere on the streets still feels transitional to me , a level of caution remains as lives are still being lost to the virus !

I’m struggling to connect to the vibe at the moment , the local population reflects a subdued quiet optimism but any sense of fun is missing , its certainly not party time in my corner of England .

I suppose we all have to keep on , keeping on , whatever that means ?

Stay safe and be lucky if your making a return to Street Photography this weekend , it is good to be back but I’m not feeling it like I used to …

Remember the Robert Capa “Close Enough” quote is total bolloks, especially during a pandemic !

Love it when folk colour coordinate with my locations !

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is still in progress but coming to an end, hopefully ? More can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

What do you know ?

Knowing that you know everything is one of the great advantages and privileges of being young , I mention this today as a person who is no longer young but is finally beginning to make inroads into understanding life , photography and everything !

It has taken me a lifetime to get the beginning of a grip of what this photography malarkey might be about , I’m still not certain , that is what keeps me looking for the next “Masterpiece” !

I knew everything when I was young too and that is exactly how it should be , confidence and inner belief is everything when your starting out , even if it is misplaced , you have to believe in you or no one else will ?

Confidence is really important in photography as insecurities breed indecision and that can lead to dithering , poor creative decisions are much better than indecision or no decision at all , creativity relies on a incisive decision making process, creative decisions should always be balanced with innovative risk !

Photography really is a mind game , if you want others to engage deeply with your work you have to “engage deeply with your work “ , learn to listen with your eyes !

I Started off knowing everything and seeing nothing , time eventually revealed much more and confirmed my temporary blindness !

Don’t be a passive participant in your life or photography , turn up and influence the outcome …

Herd Community ...

Do you just go through the motions of creating Street Photography , are you a passive creator or consumer of street photography ?

I’m amazed by the number of togs who live in a world where the sun always shines on bright coloured walls and the population can only be seen in a shadowy form !

Has your photography become a tribute act of a tribute act, inspired by a photographer who is also a tribute act ?

The essence of Street Photography is everyday life , preferably your everyday life , I understand that folk can learn from the work created by others but if you want to grow and remove your water wings you have to move away from a facsimile approach and start engaging and reflecting the life you live, visually and intellectually !

Think about it !

What I’m really saying here is value your uniqueness above fitting in with the herd , the problem with the herd is that it becomes average by nature as everyone moves along together and originality is discouraged , not because its bad but because its different !

Painting by numbers is great fun , but !!!

The nature of creative pursuits is to challenge the status quo and move things along , if your photography is predominantly a casual social pursuit then ignore this blog , I’m trying to help serious photographers move forward . Street Photography is not a sport but if you want to discover the best photographer within yourself you have to dig deeper and work harder than the rest of the herd .

Street Photography is not Documentary photography but it is capable of reflecting much more than a world of well lit red walls and silhouetted shadowy figures !

Don’t be shallow , live dangerously and swim in the creative deep end , good Street Photography should make the viewer work too !

No one expects you to have all the answers but you really should have a mountain of creative exploratory questions !

Seek out new ways to show how the life you live really looks and feels , the sun doesn’t always shine …

It’s not easy …

My life is not all about primary colours and sunshine , its quite grey really !

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is in progress and can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

See Nowt , Shoot nowt !

Is shooting nothing better than shooting anything ?

This question is really about shot selection, is something always better than nothing ?

I suspect the answer lies somewhere between the two positions , shooting nothing happens for various reasons but I’m not sure shooting any old thing in a visual litter picking fashion is any better ?

Making heaps of captures while shooting in a machine gun fashion might throw up “A Moment” of significance now and then but its not the most reliable of approaches despite it being great fun , having said that being too precious about pulling the trigger is not without its problems !

I often shoot with great freedom following lean periods , its a form of loosening up and taking the pressure off , relying on a subconscious playful instinctive approach definitely helps me when I’m not seeing it !

New photographers will definitely benefit from shooting lots of pictures , every failure is a learning opportunity and every success , a step forward , big shoots will tether you to your computer for longer periods too , that might be a good thing in the early days as the edit is a very important learning opportunity but its not how I get my kicks !

As each year passes I become harder to please photographically, I want good light and interesting moments, in short I want to be surprised by my own life and pictures , these surprises come in various shapes and forms , the ordinary is only interesting to me as a photographer if it is extraordinary in some way !

My Street Photography is for me , the pictures are the real motivation for me not the act of photographing , photography becomes more demanding over time, not because of age but because you have to keep pushing the envelope and looking deeper !

My personal target is six good visual surprises a year , they don’t always come but its fun looking !

It all comes down to what rings your bell , bland subjects and lighting tend to create boring pictures, you just have to keep the faith and believe that “Better” is just around the corner , if you’ve looked , walked and really engaged with your chosen location there is not much more you can do , its the bad days that make the good days good !

Street Photography can often be about managing personal expectations , the best photographers adapt to the conditions that exist, rather than hide behind the “Bad Light” excuse , every kind of light is good for something , the challenge is to match the conditions with the right subject , doing the right thing in the right place at the right time , simple ?

Remember , life, the universe and everything needs to align for great “Street” pics , that doesn’t happen everyday !

Having read this back it makes me wonder how any of us ever shoot anything at all , if you’ve set your personal expectation bar high enough, its definitely okay to come back with nowt !

every kind of light is good for something…

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is in progress and can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy Prints, Guided Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

It's A Full Time Job !

Beware the curse of the Street Photographer !

I’ve been throwing a frame around everyday life for longer than I care to remember but the one trick I have never learned is how to use the off switch that controls my inner picture seeing radar !

I’m not complaining as my “Picture Radar” is a work in progress and has been years in the making but it can be a nuisance !

The recent heat wave has reduced my tolerance of most things , excessive heat does not inspire me to make “Street” pictures, all I want is a cool breeze, cold drinks , ice cream and my shopping trips to be nothing more than “Shopping Trips” !

The trouble is I can’t drive past a decent view or “forget” to carry a camera everywhere , this Street Photography malarkey has become an affliction, it will happen to you too , if your not careful !

I was on my way to the shops when I spotted this shadow of a chair , its just a shadowy chair I thought but I could not drive past ?

It became a photograph of a shadowy chair !

Have a good weekend and stay safe…

It’s just a shadowy chair but it would be rude to ignore it !

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is in progress and can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

He is based in the South West of England .

Unusually Obvious "Top Tips" ?

Thought I’d share a few things that are so obvious to experienced photographers that they never think of sharing them !

1. The best time to shoot night shots is not at night ? One of the problems of shooting once the sun disappears is that the contrast of a scene is increased and the continuous tonality of scenes is reduced , shooting when it feels too light to shoot a night shot and a blueness remains in the sky is the optimum opportunity to make “Night Shots” , it doesn’t last long so be ready and work fast during dusk !

2. Don’t buy expensive lenses and then fail to use a lens hood , those of you who want to exploit the resulting flare as an effect by not using a hood can save piles of cash by using shit glass in the first place ?

3. The old rule of using shutter speeds that match your lens focal length to reduce camera shake is less true than it once was , it should be remembered that a 50mm lens is a effective 75mm lens on a cropped digital sensor , therefore a speed of 1/80th of sec would be preferable to a speed of 1/60th of a sec in old money , with longer focal length lenses this really matters , its not all bad news though , cameras and lenses with inbuilt image stabilisation never fail to surpass my cynical expectations ?

4. Switch it off and switch it on again is a great rule of thumb for the twenty first century , it works with your camera too ! I’ve found that digital cameras seem to get lost in themselves when heavily used on hot days , removing the battery without switching off can often help the camera reboot itself , quickly ! No guarantees , be careful , this is not without risk , it works for me …

5. My Street Photography is carried out with one lens one camera , I use a 20mm fixed focal length lens ( 30mm Equiv ) on a cropped sensor camera for almost everything , if I’m shooting thick and fast at a festival or carnival I will carry a second camera and lens , I do not usually have a different lens on the second “Backup” camera as the spare camera is exactly that “Spare” it is fitted with the same lens as the camera in use , it might sound obvious but cameras / batteries only ever fail when your using them and sods law over-rides all other laws , failure only occurs when the shot of the day is in front of you and you don’t have time to change bodies, lenses or batteries !

   I need a identical set up with fresh batteries at hand all of the time not a spare camera with a different lens , this belt and braces approach is a carryover from my professional practice , in short if you can, buy two copies of your camera body and prime lens !

   This might appear to be over the top to those of you who have not missed the money shot or the shot of a lifetime yet , it also covers you when servicing or repairs are necessary ?

   I hope one of these “Top Tips” makes a difference to your next shoot , it might actually justify you buying a second set up , just like the one you already use ?

A spare set up saves the day every now and then , its surprising how some shoots try to sabotage themselves ? Lens hoods keep more than stray rays out ! !

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is in progress and can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

Living The Dream !

Just watched a interview with Paul McCartney where he claims to have dreamt some of his best songs , now I must confess that I’m not a big fan of talking or in this case writing about this sort of stuff as it makes me feel uncomfortable , it can’t be true, can it , songs or photographs can’t possibly appear in dreams , can they ?

Those of you who have read my blogs before will know that I acknowledge this sort of odd phenomenon within my photography , I like to think of it as a collaboration with something I don’t understand but can’t afford to ignore !

This is where I start getting nervous as the confession that I have made pictures that I have already seen in dreams does sound crazy , what I can’t work out is , does this happen to other photographers who won’t acknowledge it publicly or are these “Dreamy Visualisations” exclusive to me ?

It is not dissimilar to The Eyes Of Laura Mars , 1978 , movie vibe but without the murders , thankfully !

I was familiar with the picture below months before I made the capture , this one troubled me for ages as I always considered it to be a subliminal memory of a existing photograph by someone else , the pedestrian crossing was different to UK crossings so I thought this pic had to be a memory hangover from a book , the moment I made the shot it felt like a past / present collision ?

Where this gets really interesting is that I don’t go around trying to find scenarios that match up to my “Memories” ,they just happen ! I justify these “Visual Events” to myself as pictures finding me rather than the hunter-gatherer explanation ?

Those of you who are still reading should understand that this has only happened a few times , I’m less surprised by it than I used to be but it still feels odd when I align with a spontaneous “familiar” view that I have seen in a “Dream” the night before ?

I understand if you think this blog is a load of old tosh , I don’t blame you ! My motivation for sharing this brief overview is to try and find others who are or feel connected to “Something-else” within their spontaneous photography ?

Those of you who know me will know me as a direct , doesn’t give a damn sort of bloke who does not go in for this sort of touchy feely, new age stuff but I can’t ignore this creative source of inspiration for want of a better word !

Don’t ask me for the lottery numbers …

I can’t finish this blog without wishing England all the best for the Euro Final , have a great weekend and pleasant dreams !

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is in progress and can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

Where's your head at ?

Have you ever tried writing a sentence about nothing ?

No , me either , have you ever tried photographing nothing ? it’s not easy …

Dare I suggest that in writing , photography and mathematics zero x zero = zero .

How many times have you walked about aimlessly looking for pictures for nothing to appear , in fact the key word in the previous sentence is “Aimlessly” , no clue , empty headed ,without a plan , hoping to get lucky , call it what you will !

The reason your seeing nothing is because you have not developed an idea of what you are looking for , what is your plan , would you know a good pic if it turned up , can you see the wood for the trees ?

Street Photography has a list of generic triggers , umbrellas , long shadows , blurry figures , bright colours etc all are starting points when the inspiration levels are low but these ideas are not sustainable in the long term , generic approaches and subjects usually inspire generic Street Photographs , if your happy with that , your sorted , if not read on …

WHERE'S YOUR HEAD AT ?

Before we get into this let me be clear that I’m not suggesting a conceptual approach to Street Photography , excluding risk ,serendipity and instinct from your photographic SP tool box would be to remove the best bits and leave very little to work with but that does not let you off the mental preparation hook , at the very least togs should have a “Wish List” of realistic photo aspirations for the day ahead , the world is a big place , the realisation that you can’t photograph everything should help you identify the “Something” that you can !

This “Have a plan” thing is really a mental trick that will trigger a mental alertness and hopefully put a spring in your step when starting a shoot , the plan needs to be flexible and adaptable to the point that it is more of a start up guide than a fixed plan but at least you have walked through your wish list and are more likely to respond when your “Wishes” appear or evolve !

A abundance of happiness, positivity and belief are always present in my successful shoots on the street , as the song says “Don’t worry be happy”, Street Photography is the best mental , physical and creative exercise possible , don’t just walk about with a bit of photographic jewelry around your neck , identify your objectives and stay switched on , take breaks re-asses your approach , enjoy !

If your not thinking , your skiving !

Think CREATIVLY , see alternative’s , look beyond , look deeper , think about light , background , composition !

Keep looking , watching and learning from the activities in front of you , lookout for repetitive behaviors with visual appeal, be patient and ready, history does repeat itself if you wait around long enough !

Street Photography is not easy , take failure on the chin , they say it is preparation for future success ?

It’s been a long lay off for most , don’t expect too much , get the shutter firing and realise things are different, shots are harder to find !

In short , sort your head out and adapt to the new SP landscape !

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is in progress and can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

The right notes in the wrong order ?

Anyone who has ever heard a musician play badly may of thought that the performer is playing the wrong notes , when Eric Morecambe was accused of this he defended his performance by claiming he was playing all the right notes but in the wrong order !

Street photographers can learn from this gag , we should consider playing the right notes in the wrong order more ourselves , I made a capture this week that attempted to exploit this theory , its no masterpiece but it will help you understand what I mean by using the right elements in the wrong order , never underestimate the power of cut off compositions & subversion within photography !

This visual device works because the brain can’t help filling in the missing bits of visual information it expects to see, it will associate elements that are unrelated in reality, even though they are in the wrong place ?

The right notes in the wrong order ?

Those of you who follow my twitter account will be aware of my activities this week which is why this blog is a little shorter than usual , I have been using a Papa Lazarou voice and catch phrase more than I should , it’s not funny, apparently …..

Keep it real and stay safe…

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is in progress and can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

Boris’s Britain

Don’t answer back , take one for the team.

Do as your told , your living the dream !

Never complain , or kick up a fuss ,

Stand in line , wait for the bus …

A equal society , just doesn’t work .

Says the man at the top with a smile and a smirk .

This world is not made for people like you ,

It’s for the fat cats & spivs at the front of the queue.

Now get on with your work & do what your told ,

or risk being hungry , homeless and cold .

A land fit for heroes is what it said on the tin ,

before workers got older and chucked in the bin .

Fire rehire is the bosses new scam ,

proving again that they don’t give a damn !

Reduce workers rights and pay less and less ,

no pay for illness , bereavements or stress.

With one eye wide open, I sleep high in the towers,

I feel insecure, I work zero hours,

I’m forced into food banks , so I shake the tin cup,

This is Boris’s Britain , “Leveling Up “ ?

David Barrett

This poem was written by me as part of the #WriteAPoemAboutPower project .

Delighted to share this again 03 / 09 /2022 as a celebration of this lying Tow Rags political demise …

David Barrett is a photographer who shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project and can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....