Buildings and spaces: User’s perspective

One of the key learning points from the previous exercise was about the importance of the users’ perspective in determining or re-shaping the functions of a building or space. This lead me smoothly to the theme of the second exercise which is all about the user’s point of view.

For this exercise I visited a number of places choosing those that are designed for a particular activity that is usually undertaken from a specific position or angle. I also looked out for any venues that might be designed for a specific type of user (whereby it would be necessary to use a non standard angle or position to capture their viewpoint).

My first visit was to a village vet surgery on a quiet afternoon.

When taking the photos I was trying to imagine what the place would look like from a dog’s point of view. We don’t know exactly what the dogs see but what we do know is that they see less colour (colour blind to red and green spectrum). Taking this into consideration I changed the colour balance of my images in the Photoshop.

A vet reception on a quiet afternoon must be a very boring place for dogs as there are no other dogs or people to say hello to. No wonder that our dog friend captured in the image is looking out onto the street. When taking this image I pretended for a moment to be another dog trying to image what it would be like from a dog’s point of view.

I thought that the second dog that is looking through the camera lens would be keen to get as close as possible to the dog captured in this picture. So I got next to the brown dog and got low on my knees to get the same level of view.

I also looked up for some information on the internet about dogs’ vision as I wanted to understand if we know how they might see the world around them. I found some article and adjusted the colour scheme of the image to match the descriptions in my internet sources (links included below).

http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/basics/Through-a-Dogs-Eyes

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2374872/Dogs-CAN-colour-Scientists-dispel-myth-canines-black-white.html

http://dog-vision.com

A quiet day at the village vet 

My second image was taken at a local sport club. Sport activities, especially those that require a team or an opponent to participate, are the classic examples of the situations where a user’s position is strictly prescribed. Whilst getting ready to take this image I positioned myself at the far end of the badminton court serving box. I assumed a suitable posture / position and pressed the shutter button. I chose a wide-angle lens for this image because this is how I tend to observe the playing area around me during a game of badminton. I would usually keep an eye on the opponent but at the same time try to observe a wider picture. I think that the angle may differ depending on the activity. In some cases, such as ten pin bowling it might be more appropriate to use a medium telephoto lens to truly capture the filed of view of a player.

One thing I would like to have done to make this image more interesting is to capture an image featuring the opponent across the court. Unfortunately this opportunity did not materialise at the time but I think it would have definitely improve the image.

Buildings and spaces: exploring function

Preparing for the assignment

For this exercise I chosen London Borough Market. From the point of its function a market is essentially a place to buy and sell various goods. In case of Borough Market the goods on offer are mostly fresh and farmers’ produce, as well as food and drink.

Before venturing out on my image-hunting mission I made some notes reflecting on why people come to Borough Market.

My main observations were:

·      People come here to shop and buy fresh (originally mostly farmers’) produce

·      People come to snack or enjoy a quick drink. There are no places to seat and eat immediately at the market so the majority of people who buy some food move around and eat on the go or chose to sit in one of many restaurants and cafeterias on the fringes of the market.  

·      Local office workers also come to grab some lunch. You see a lot of them spilling out on the streets from the nearby office blocks and small tucked away offices. They usually move away quite quickly, apparently wary of the crowds.  

·      People come to sell their produce. The Market houses a lot of traders and as the goods on offer are no longer limited to fresh foods and farmer’s produce, the traders come from all cultural, ethnical and professional backgrounds.

·      People also come to look around, browse and soak up the atmosphere of the market. In this way, it is an experience – of being in London and being a part of it. The Market is often used as a meeting place and is popular with people watchers, tourists, photographers and all sort of idle folk with time on their hands.

The list above shows that there are many different aspects to the place which main function could be described simply as a place to sell and buy fresh food and snacks.

Another question I considered is who are the main users/ audiences on the Market. I came up wit this list:

Traders - Residents of London and visitors

Shoppers - Residents of London and visitors

People watchers and tourists.

I found this exercise useful and something that is definitely worth doing every time before a photo shoot as it helps not to miss important things when on location. It is all about thinking though in advance which elements or aspects of a subject would be important to capture.

Thinking about how well these functions are fulfilled, I think that the popularity of Borough Market is the best answer – it is a great place that fulfils everyone’s expectations and is such an enjoyable experience for people who come and visit.

How is this to be reflected in the images? Perhaps, through the use of colours and possibly through capturing the variety, the liveliness of the place and the sense of the flow and the constant movement of people.

Thinking about the elements that I would like to capture I would perhaps like to show the surroundings (the old railway bridge) to give a sense of the history and tradition. Finally, each visit to this market for me has been in some way a magical experience and I would like to have this feeling expressed in one of my images depicting the market. This is a personal challenge and I am aware that it might not fit exactly within this assignment which requires only one photograph of the place.

Practical reflections on working on this assignment

When I arrived at the market, I first had a walk around to take in the whole scene and get the sense of it as well as to refresh my memory of the available space and its dynamics. Because the market is stretched over both sides of the railway bridge it does not seem to be possible to capture it in one go (unless it is a stitched panorama or a collage made up of many different images). However, I don’t think it would be strictly necessary if we are aiming to convey the sense of the place.

Sometimes an image of a small part tells you a lot about the whole picture that was left outside of the frame. Whilst walking around the market I identified a few potentially suitable spots.  My greatest disappointment was the lack of elevation as I thought it would be ideal to take some photos from above to convey the scale of the place and to show the movement of people through the rows of stalls.

When taking photos at the market it is good to be aware that there are a lot of people here who are constantly moving around.

It is also good to be aware of the authorities present at the site – the best approach is to let them know in advance as there might be some restrictions on how photography is carried out (especially important if a tripod is to be used) and if it is allowed. Generally speaking, it is possible to take photos at any market but other public places such as railway stations and airports might require a permission to be issued in advance.

Comments on the final image

I selected this image as the final image for this assignment because I think it:

Shows how the space works and convey the main function of the market with a customer and a trader facing the camera and engaged in the process of trading interaction.

The figures of some other people on the background highlight the fact that this is a busy place with many customers and onlookers present.

I wanted to reflect the flow of the market and the people and this has been done by increasing the exposure time to give the background figures and fast moving subjects a slight blur.

The emotions showing on the faces of the trader and its customer are the ones of enjoyment, lightness and content. It was my aim to show some positive emotions on people’s faces as the market is a colourful and vibrant place that gives a truly uplifting and positive experience to its many visitors.

Depicts the location of the market well: we see the underbelly of the railway bridge which serves as the market roof. A careful observer could also get some hints to the long history and tradition of this market.

Additional images from the final selection