Making figures anonymous
My work on the Sense of a Place assignment made me learn a lesson about the importance of weight and balance.
The presence of people in Image 2 helps us to see the city through the eyes of its residents. We see a couple sitting on the grass enjoying a picnic and the view of the city marina. As in the previous image, the way the people are positioned makes them unrecognisable and as a result, less prominent. Their presence, however, brings the picture (and the city) to life.
The image 3 takes us back to the Borough Market in London. The essence of any market is in its people: it is the connection and association with people that make it what it is. A photo of a market without people would be unusual showing the place as lifeless and purposeless (unless is taken to illustrate the contrast of a market place outside of its opening hours). On this photo we see the whole background space filled with constantly moving people. We can not make up the individuals’ faces but their presence, the size and the movements of the crowd gives us the feel for and sense of the place. It also helps us to judge the size and the scale of the market and the overarching railway bridge. Our gaze follows the two figures of the girls in the foreground as they draw us closer to the market. Again, we see them from the back with their faces being slightly blurred by the movement and obscured but it is the direction of their movement and their general appearance that help us to interpret the picture.
This city scene below (Images 6 and 7) includes a figure of a passer-by silhouetted against the sky. We see it clearly as it stands out so well against the contrasting background. I am including a photo with and without the figure for comparison. It is clear that the silhouetted figure introduces more of a sense of life to the photo. This is a really helpful technique when telling a story of an inhabited place. It helps the viewer to focus on the place without being unnecessarily distracted by the identity of its inhabitant included in the picture.
Image 6 In silhouette
Image 7
The image below is a view taken from above showing a group of people on a tourist tour at one of the less known Cambridge University buildings.
The presence of the group of people descending the staircase draws our gaze to the art piece located at the bottom of the stairs. This not only helps to bring the attention to this unusual feature of the building but also creates a link, a relationship between the group and the art piece. Without the people this picture would probably appear rather empty and deserted.
Image 8 Moving and static - From above
The presence and position of the two groups of punters in the photo below creates a strong additional interest as we explore in our minds a possible relationship between the two groups. Is it one of cooperation? Do they know each other? Are they competing with one another? We have no way of knowing who these people are and we are too far away to find out. Does their presence tell us more about the place? Yes, I believe it does.
Image 9 Moving - from the back
Image 10 Moving and static - small and many (a crowd)
This image was taken at the Columbia Road flower market. I used a lensbaby lens to make the crowd look blurred and less defined.
The crowd and the silhouette of the busker helps to convey the atmosphere of the place. We also catch the glimpse of emotions on people's faces: like with any crowd, some of them are enjoying the music and the place and some are not.
Image 11 Partly obscured
I like the reflection of the street market caught in this image. It gives us a good view of both - the window display of the shop and the busy flower market outside of the shop. The figure of a woman walking into a shop is partly obscured by the door frame. We don't see her face and it creates a certain mystery as if she is entering a mirror or a world on the other side of the glass. It reminds me of the Alice in Wonderland story.
Image 12 Reflection, through the glass and partly obscured
This photo captured an image of a passer-by who is looking in. It creates enough of a human presence to make this picture work as an image telling a story of the location (Columbia Road flower market).
Image 13 Moving away - from the back (a lonely figure)
This image was shot on a week day at Columbia Road in London. The lonely figure of a girl walking pass the closed shops recreates the feel of this street outside of the flower market opening hours.
Image 14 Front shot - at the distance
I tried to experiment with including a distant figure in cityscapes. Using the image below as an example, I think a figure of a woman helps to liven up the photo of the building.
My work on the Sense of a Place assignment made me learn a lesson about the importance of weight and balance.
Each element within the photo frame has a certain weight which determines its capacity to influence the viewer. It does not always correspond to the actual size of the element. For example, as I found out from the previous exercises, a single figure small can have a lot of weight and change the meaning of the picture. It is up to the photographer to decide how to play it. The photographer has the power and ability to make one element of the photo stand out against another or make it less prominent. There are many techniques to achieve this including for example altering the composition, increasing the contrast, or changing the focal length.
In the images below the presence of people is important because it helps us to learn something about the place itself.
In Image 1 we see a family of holiday makers enjoying a nice sea view on a city break in Oslo. The family members are sitting together sharing a bench and watching a cruiser ship passing by. We only see the family from the back so we don’t see the people’s faces so it’s hard to make up their identities, face expressions or moods. Their presence however helps us to determine the scale of the passing ship. It also gives us the sense of connection, a link between the people and the ship sparked by their curiosity.
Image 1 Static - from the back
The presence of people in Image 2 helps us to see the city through the eyes of its residents. We see a couple sitting on the grass enjoying a picnic and the view of the city marina. As in the previous image, the way the people are positioned makes them unrecognisable and as a result, less prominent. Their presence, however, brings the picture (and the city) to life.
Image 2
The image 3 takes us back to the Borough Market in London. The essence of any market is in its people: it is the connection and association with people that make it what it is. A photo of a market without people would be unusual showing the place as lifeless and purposeless (unless is taken to illustrate the contrast of a market place outside of its opening hours). On this photo we see the whole background space filled with constantly moving people. We can not make up the individuals’ faces but their presence, the size and the movements of the crowd gives us the feel for and sense of the place. It also helps us to judge the size and the scale of the market and the overarching railway bridge. Our gaze follows the two figures of the girls in the foreground as they draw us closer to the market. Again, we see them from the back with their faces being slightly blurred by the movement and obscured but it is the direction of their movement and their general appearance that help us to interpret the picture.
Images 3, 4 and 5 - motion blur
This city scene below (Images 6 and 7) includes a figure of a passer-by silhouetted against the sky. We see it clearly as it stands out so well against the contrasting background. I am including a photo with and without the figure for comparison. It is clear that the silhouetted figure introduces more of a sense of life to the photo. This is a really helpful technique when telling a story of an inhabited place. It helps the viewer to focus on the place without being unnecessarily distracted by the identity of its inhabitant included in the picture.
Image 6 In silhouette
Image 7
The image below is a view taken from above showing a group of people on a tourist tour at one of the less known Cambridge University buildings.
The presence of the group of people descending the staircase draws our gaze to the art piece located at the bottom of the stairs. This not only helps to bring the attention to this unusual feature of the building but also creates a link, a relationship between the group and the art piece. Without the people this picture would probably appear rather empty and deserted.
Image 8 Moving and static - From above
The presence and position of the two groups of punters in the photo below creates a strong additional interest as we explore in our minds a possible relationship between the two groups. Is it one of cooperation? Do they know each other? Are they competing with one another? We have no way of knowing who these people are and we are too far away to find out. Does their presence tell us more about the place? Yes, I believe it does.
Image 9 Moving - from the back
Image 10 Moving and static - small and many (a crowd)
This image was taken at the Columbia Road flower market. I used a lensbaby lens to make the crowd look blurred and less defined.
The crowd and the silhouette of the busker helps to convey the atmosphere of the place. We also catch the glimpse of emotions on people's faces: like with any crowd, some of them are enjoying the music and the place and some are not.
Image 11 Partly obscured
I like the reflection of the street market caught in this image. It gives us a good view of both - the window display of the shop and the busy flower market outside of the shop. The figure of a woman walking into a shop is partly obscured by the door frame. We don't see her face and it creates a certain mystery as if she is entering a mirror or a world on the other side of the glass. It reminds me of the Alice in Wonderland story.
Image 12 Reflection, through the glass and partly obscured
This photo captured an image of a passer-by who is looking in. It creates enough of a human presence to make this picture work as an image telling a story of the location (Columbia Road flower market).
Image 13 Moving away - from the back (a lonely figure)
This image was shot on a week day at Columbia Road in London. The lonely figure of a girl walking pass the closed shops recreates the feel of this street outside of the flower market opening hours.
I tried to experiment with including a distant figure in cityscapes. Using the image below as an example, I think a figure of a woman helps to liven up the photo of the building.
As demonstrated, there are many ways of making the human presence help us understand the story of a place without 'stealing the show'. A human figure has a tendency to grab our attention so it is important to think how to reduce its significance and weight within the image.
