Aaron Sha!

er

Photography in London

5 November 2013

ICONTACT
A photographic journey through the Eyes of London

While photography itself comes in many styles, colours, and themes, the one things that never changes is the presence of the photographer. ! In one sense or another, there always has to be somebody taking the photo. Even in specialty cases where the photograph is automated, or taken by itself, there is a human element behind the image that goes into its creation. For my project, I wanted to focus on the presence of the photographer at the moment when he/she is made known to the subject being photographed. "

Thicket No. 1 by Roni Horn Horn uses the phrase to remind us to look carefully at what we see, and to try to perceive the world without the lter of cultural preconceptions that may distort our vision.

Assignment 1

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The rst image I chose, taken at Tate Modern of a sculpture by Roni Horn, is used as a sort of cover image, to bind the others together, in order to convey the mood and the theme in which the other photographs should be viewed. The rst image is in full sepia for simplicity and to better convey the power of the words on the sculpture. Waiting until just one person was walking in the background gives a feeling of blurred motion, along with a fading sense of being present that enhances the text on the sculpture and in the photograph. ! Most of the rest of the images are in a vintage lter, and have slightly decreased saturation. The main thing I was looking to convey in taking and selecting these photographs is mood, emotion, and to entice the viewers curiosity as to the story behind the eyes of the captured. ! So let us begin, with a story.! Its London, 1901, and the carnival has just A Penny For Your moved into the outskirts of town. Youre excited, of course; the carnival Performance, Sir. hasnt been here in nearly 5 years. You can already smell the caramel and popped corn scents wafting out of the snack stall, mixed with a touch of some other scent you are unable to properly place. Tonight is the night youll see wonders - a man blowing re out of his tuba, games of skill and games of fun, and theres a girl It is a place of magic, of wonder, running around in medieval peasants attire that of stories that make your heart soar cant help but make you want to follow her and see and your courage ee. what all the commotion is about. Its a place of Above all, however, it is a place to magic, of wonder, a place of stories that make your let your imagination run wild and free. courage ee. Above all, however, it is a place to let your imagination run wild and free.!

The second image I chose captures one of the most fascinating things I have found about London - the street performers. Before arriving here, I had heard stories of the wonder and delight such acts could entail, and I am very pleased to say I was not disappointed. Catching the performers eye, I cant help but feel the connection that is established at that moment between photographer and the subject. Shot in colour, with a vintage lter added to enhance the scene the performer has already set for himself, and Ive slightly reduced the saturation to better showcase the re coming from the bell. !

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Moving on, I applied the same idea to the next image, using a vintage lter and, this time, a more sharp reduction in saturation, to better showcase the novelty of a man in a top hat and victorian clothing. On viewing this photo, the rst thing to notice is the Splat the Rat sign, such as would have existed in a vintage travelling circus. Focusing on that, I waited until the man in the hat noticed me, catching him just as his own curiosity pulled him away from the conversation across from him. The e#ect of the others with their backs turned creates the illusion that the man on the left stands out from the rest.! Travelling further back in time now, our next scene is a medieval European banquet hall, with festivities, conversation, and, of course, stories being told around a log re.!

Splat the Rat for the Man in the Top Hat

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This little girl had previously been conversing with her friend, before my camera stole her attention elsewhere. I believe there is an inherent curiosity a person sometimes feels when theyre being photographed. Perhaps they can sense the photographers curiosity for the scene he/she is capturing. Regardless, this little girl was compelled to stop mid-bite when she notices the man across the room behind the camera lens. !

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The Man Across The Room

Keeping true to the colour scheme, since this photograph was set in a much older time period, I placed it in black and white to reduce the distraction of colour from the innocence of the image. Her movements are blurred; a reference to the cover image. !

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Surprise comes in various forms and facial expressions, and is one of the emotions that must be captured candid in order to be properly understood. That said, the expression of surprise can be infused with the illusion of other emotions; fear, anger, shock, curiosity, or pure, genuine surprise. ! Moving forward in time once more to the 20th century, another thing I love about London is the traditionalism that is so openly and proudly displayed. This gentleman, garbed in the No. 1 Dress of the formal police attire from the late 19th century, scrutinises me as though pondering my guilt of some crime. Seeing him takes me back in history to a ner age, when class was the ruling factor. I personally appreciate this era of history for its style and fashion, and always nd myself drawn towards any last remnant of that bygone age when only penny farthings and model Ts roamed the streets.! As with the others of their kind, I set this one with a vintage lter and decreased colour tone. This aids in drawing out the black of the uniform, and wrought iron gate behind him. !
The Consistent Constable

The thing I loved most about this group, the Hightown Crows, was the character of each persona. Each one represented, in their own style, an outof-place-and-time performance, focusing especially their interaction with one another. Their was a comfortability amongst them, a subtle feeling of familiarity expressed in their non-verbal body language which has now been captured still in time. There is a candidness of the moment in their smiling faces, which are each focused on one another, rather than the crowd.! This last image deviates from the main theme of catching the camera in the eyes. This image gained a spot in the series for its closing role, tying together the various themes from the beginning of our story; vintage street artists, application of the characteristic vintage lter, reduction in tone, the essence of a good story, but replacing catching the photographers eye with that of each other."

It Dont Mean a Thing If it Aint Got That Swing

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Technical Aspects!

Thicket No. 1 Canon PowerShot! SX500 IS! 4.3"129.0mm at 9.05mm!

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A Penny For Your Performance, Sir. Canon PowerShot! SX500 IS! 4.3"129.0mm at 11.81mm!

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f/5! 1/3 second! ISO 100!

f/5! 1/40 second! ISO 400!

Splat the Rat for the Man in the Hat Canon PowerShot! SX500 IS! 4.3"129.0mm at 18.55mm!

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The Man Across the Room Canon PowerShot! SX500 IS! 4.3"129.0mm at 55.41mm!

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f/5! 1/160 second! ISO 400!

f/6.3! 1 second! ISO 100!

The Constant Constable Canon PowerShot! SX500 IS! 4.3"129.0mm at 20.64mm!

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It Dont Mean a Thing if it Aint Got That Swing iPhone 4S at 4.28mm!

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f/5! 1/80 second! ISO 125!

f/2.4! 1/169 second! ISO 50!

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