Street Photography: Saturday, 18th November 2017

A couple of days ago I started writing a list of photographs that I wanted to create by the end of the month. I have kept for some time a journal of things I’ve spotted but either had the wrong gear or been too slow to actually capture at the time. I make a note of the location and time of day, and anything to remind me of the composition with the intention of returning there and making the photo I missed.

This is not always a success, as it is impossible to exactly recreate the exact conditions that existed at the moment I saw the potential for a photo in the first place. I try as often as possible to capture things as and when I see them; when I don’t, they go on the list.

Today was very moody, with lots of drizzle, which for what I had in mind was ideal. I went for some images I wouldn’t normally rely on directional sunlight. I went to the Tate Modern on the Southbank, where I often exercise street photography compositions. I had drawn up a list specifically for the Tate Modern of seven images, and after shooting around today I felt confident in crossing off two. I had wanted to push myself to get all seven in a single day, but when I arrived I realised that it would be difficult, as there were far more people there than usual – likely sheltering from the rain on their weekend day out.

I started on the observatory on the 10th floor, and shot peoples reflections as they walked around the corner. I had noticed these reflections a while ago, but found it difficult to shoot because the sunlight cast a lot of glare.

Today was no trouble, and I was really happy with the simplicity of this shot:

And the drama and motion in this shot:

From here I worked my way down to the main mezzanine, where I shot across onto a window above. It took a while for someone to stand directly in the centre, and I waited for him to make a dynamic shape with his hat behind his back.

The other five images relied on open, empty spaces which were not easy to come by in the areas I had on the list. I did take some time to look out for any other potential images that I could capture spontaneously.

I shot this from the hip, in one of the rooms that is waiting for a new exhibit.

This window I’ve photographed a bit in the past, and I wanted a person with an umbrella, but I prefer what I got with this couple.

I also wanted to take a few specific images on film, around the Millennium Bridge and the Southbank, but I never even got to loading the camera. Conditions just weren’t right today, but I’m hoping to revisit very soon to cross off the other images.

 

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