Last weeks shoot at Tower Hamlets Archive went well, a few more visitors, who , happily were willing to appear in my photographs. Afterwards took the films for developing and have got them back today, they look fine but need to be scanned, so more about that when I have done it. (scanned now and a fewshown opposite)
So now the archive images are done I have to do the Limehouse journey ones. I have been avidly checking the weather forecast, and as the forecast for most of this week is rain, thought I had better get out there today (as it was due to be sunny). This is the first full outdoor shoot I have done with the WISTA, so was a bit concerned about the setting up and moving about with all the kit, especially as I was going to be on my own.
Actually that was the least of my worries… it was really cold and blowing a gale, at one point the wind nearly blew a dark slide out of my hand and into the Regents Canal, just managed to hang on to it. I struggled on until 1.15pm then decided I had had enough, especially of dodging the cyclists and runners. I had taken 10 shots. I have been concentrating upon the aesthetics of the images, trying to make them less like landscapes, and give more of a feeling of a journey using a strong sense of perspective of the paths that I / Jonas followed.
I had an interesting discussion last week about the depth of field I am using (shallow). A fellow student was saying that he didn't like it (which is fine) because he liked to see all the fine detail across the whole image. My answer to that is that for me the photograph isn't just about the detail, but about the feeling that the image gives, and that is always what I am looking for when composing a shot, and thats what the shallow depth of field gave me. I thought today for the outdoor shots I might change this, but when I tried it, I wasn't happy with the look, also I am trying to get a bit of continuity into this project rather than being totally random, so am sticking with my first thoughts. For once it might be good to have a coherent body of work, and it would be good to get that event in before the end of my degree!
I wonder if its a bit of a contradiction in terms, using large format but not being that concerned about the fine detail! Am I just mad? answers on a postcard please…
