20 7 September 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Technique 24 HOURS IN THE CITY
THE CHANGE FROM NIGHT TO DAY
4.30pm
I often refer to people as ‘traffic’ when shooting
street images. It’s not meant in a derogatory
way, but someone who is wearing the right
style or colour of clothing, is the right age or
simply the right sex to complement a setting
is referred to as ‘perfect traffic’.
12.45am
With all my photography I prefer simple
compositions. Soho on a Friday evening in
June is generally far too chaotic and busy for
what I am looking for. I prefer to stick around
until folk head home, leaving one or two
behind to clear up the mess.4am
A muted sunrise and a sky lacking in colour or
interest. A disappointing reward for a sleepless
night and a couple of blisters, but it was only
just after 4am, and there was still plenty of
time and opportunity ahead to work with.
The subtle pastel colours are enticing.worse when you are tired. This
is one of the reasons I prefer to
undertake these shoots with company,
and fortunately a friend and photographer
Jake (www.jrturnerphotography.co.uk)
happily accompanied me. Not only is it
good to have someone to bounce ideas
off, but it’s also much safer not to be on
your own in a city at night. On this last
point however, I can honestly say that
I have never felt threatened at all while
shooting in London. Obviously, an element
of common sense needs to be applied
when deciding which areas to shoot,
and at what times.
Keeping going
Mentally and physically, the hours before
sunrise are the hardest and I found myself
queuing for coffee at 5am. With the lack
of any clouds it didn’t take long before
daylight returned to the city. Harsh light
would normally signal the end of any
landscape shoot I was undertaking, but
I had another four hours before I could
catch a train home.
It’s important to adapt your photography
to the conditions you are given. Bright
light and deep shadows will not work well
with a wide-open scene but can work fine
for more intimate street photography.
With disappointment from the last few
hours fresh in my mind, aching feet, and
the end of the shoot in sight, I felt it was
important to maximise the results from
the next couple of hours. For that reason,
I placed myself in a spot I knew would
provide the most opportunities in the
smallest area. I think most street
photographers have their favourite parts
of cities and they’re perfect for when you’re
trying to be economical, with either time
or, in this case, energy.
Having shot what I hoped was a
successful series of images around the
markets area, I made my way back to
Euston station. I was too tired to review
the images on the back of the camera;
they could wait until after I slept. At this
point I think I have about a dozen ‘keeper’
images, mostly from after sunrise. It’s not
until about a week later that I realise that
it was a really successful trip.
OK, in the end I confess I only managed
21 hours, not 24, but it was still good going
and about the same as last year. With
a bit of better luck with the weather and
a different route, who knows how long
I will be able to last for next year’s
midsummer weekend.‘Mentally and physically, the hours before sunrise are the
hardest and I found myself queuing for a coffee at 5am’
7.40am
Finding great light
and then waiting for
a subject to walk into
the right spot creates
effective street shots
Fujifilm X-Pro2 with 35mm lens,
1/2200sec at f/7.1, ISO 800