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
In terms of composition, I liked how the railway bridge arch creates a frame within the frame and leads the eye to the busy and colourful market on the background. I also like how the flow of people is depicted in this image against the stillness of the bridge structure. I did not select this image as there wasn’t any closer interactions showing how the space is used – I thought that my final image does it much better. In terms of execution of this image, I worked on a tripod and used a long exposure to achieve the crowd blur. I framed the image to avoid much light coming directly form the sky as it would overexpose.
I like the combination of the blurred and still elements in this picture, the rich colours of the tents and the lines of the bridge belly leading your eye to the centre of the image. I tried to include some of the foreground on the right to show the yummy rolls and buns on the display and I waited for the girls behind the counter to come forward, start chatting to each other and smile. The right hand side of the frame was slightly darker but the lights under the traders’ tent worked really well in this image bringing the whole picture to light. I did not select this picture as my final image because it did not show any interactions with the customers which might leave my viewers disconnected from the image.
Similarly to my final image, we see some positive interaction taking place here between the customer and the trader. Another strong point is how the building is captured with clear lines radiating for the centre of the picture and leading your eye. I thought that the weakness of this image lies in a lack of positive emotions on people’s faces – they all look tired or perhaps reflective which was not the general feeling I picked up form the market on the day.
My final image was an outcome of my attempt to reflect on my personal experience of the market as a magic place and in some way an exotic and magical experience. I used an 80mm babylense to take this photo. I like the way the railway arch is framing the image and leading the eye as if inviting you to come and join the colourful gathering ahead. I waited for the passer-byes to appear and pressed the shutter when it felt right making sure that they do not dominate the frame. I used a tripod to take this photo.
Reflections and thoughts on ‘exploring the function of a space.’
Completing the exercise one prompted me to look closer into the functions and functionality of spaces and buildings.
When trying to select a suitable location for the exercise one I came across plenty of examples of buildings and spaces that either were not fit for purpose or were originally created with a particular function in mind but have been used differently. In some cases it was a change of ownership that has altered their function, in other situations the changes came from the users themselves. I researched into the history of and visited a number of buildings that undergone such a transformation and I will summarise my findings in my assignment paper.
Whilst working on this assignment I started exploring some questions and ideas about the functions and functionality of buildings and spaces, including:
Who decides on how to use a building or a space?
Who decides if one function should be treated with more importance then the others?
Does it matter if the builders and designers are not the actual users of the building or a space?
What happens if the users are not involved in making the decision about the functions of this building during the design and construction stages?
What are the visual signs of users re-shaping the functions of a building?
Is it possible to tell how the functions on a building or a space have changed overtime?
A summary of my explorations into these questions will be included in my assignment paper.
