Anna's PhotoBlog: People and Place Part One: Exercises

Exercise 1: Portrait - scale and setting

This exercise is about considering both composition and the weight of attention to place on the face of the subject.
My first setting for this exercise is a street performance. To make the main subject stand out I used a telephoto lens. I opened up the aperture to further blur the background.

1. The first image is a close up shot with tight framing on the face of the street performer. I used a 300 mm telephoto lens to capture this moment. There is a sense of motion and life in this image. The performer seems enjoying herself and there is a sense of willingness to share this feeling with the viewer. She is looking at the camera in a non-threatening way, perhaps with a little surprise. This kind of portrait helps to create a connection and in the way a more intimate link with the viewer.

2. This head and Shoulders image is shot in horizontal format to allow more space around my subject - I did not want to leave out any of her gorgeous hair! It also helps to include some of the busy street background making the image look natural, brining it to life. I framed the image to draw the viewer to the beautifully lively face of the performer. I used the rule of third to position my subject within the frame.

3. My next image is the torso shot. I cropped below the waste to include the top of the drum as I think it would help the viewer to understand the context of the image. Now the viewer has much more to look at and the attention is not only on the performer's face but also their hands, the drum and the bright writing on their T-shirt. I like the sense of movement that is captured in this image and this is hugely helped by including the hands and the drum in the shot.

4. Finally, this is my full body image of the performer. I loved the way her hair is slightly blurred by the movement but her hands and her face are still sharp. This image offers a lot of information to the viewers who are now busy looking up and down the picture and hopefully enjoying the atmosphere of the event. In comparison to the close up shot the balance between the different elements of the image has now completely changed. We now have many more things to consider, including the audience, the street, the performer's body, their facial expression, their full body movement and the musical instrument. This gives a much better sense of the occasion and more information about the main subject but it tunes down the degree of intimacy that the close up portrait might offer to the viewer.

My second take on this exercise is from an indoor studio photo shoot. For this session I used a white background. All four images are sepia toned which should encourage the viewer to focus on the key elements of each image without being distracted by the colour.

1. The first is a close up image with tight framing on the face features. The person is looking straight to the camera and it might give an impression that their eyes are fixed on you. This is likely to create a closer link between the subject and the viewer even if this link isn't at all positive (some people might find the direct eye contact intimidating or threatening). We don't know much about the subject in this image as all we see is some features of his face but there is still likely to be some kind of emotional response from the viewer.

2. This head and shoulder image opens up a wider view and invites us to find out more about out subject. We see that he is holding a guitar and his face is lit up by a smile. His eyes now are smiling too although he is no longer looking at the viewer. He appears non threatening, even gentle and this impression is strengthened by the warm tones of the image. The rest of the frame is filled with white background so we still don't have much information about the person.

3. This torso image includes more contextual information allowing the viewer to make assumptions and judgements about the person in front of us. This time he is looking directly at the camera and smiles - we are now familiar with his smile and his gaze directed at us but now these elements have come together in one image. What do we make of it? We can now make some more assumptions about this person but we now feel safe and could relax a bit more - the strong, almost urgent emotional response that we felt looking at the first image, is no longer required.

4. Finally, we have the full body portrait of the same person. He is now looking away from us and slightly down. He is still smiling so we don't feel threatened or uncomfortable. We have more detail here present so may choose to make further assumptions. The balance has now shifted from this face to the hands, the guitar, his posture, the amplifier, the colour tone, the lighting, the hair and may other elements of the picture.

Exercise 2: Thinking about location

What is a good setting for a portrait and how important is it to include the surroundings in your image?

There is always a choice between leaving the background out, playing it down by opening up the aperture and making it part of the image to help tell the story. My view is that it usually depends on the context and how much the background and the location are part of the narrative. Recently I had a discussion with the Communications team of East Anglian Air Ambulance about some suitable settings and backgrounds for the photos of their staff and volunteers. It was clear that the volunteers themselves preferred to be photographed in front of the helicopters and the Comms Team said this kind of background helps to make the images stand out more and convey the story. After looking at some images in their publicity materials, I could not agree more with this view.

Where a background does not represent an important part of a story, it might be helpful to select more of a neutral scene that does not district attention. A well chosen neutral background helps to focus on the main subject, manage the contrast and could event bring out the colours and tones of the portrait.
Needless to say, there are many settings and backgrounds that could be used effectively for a portrait. Being a photographer at heart, I see them everywhere as I go about my life - on daily basis and regardless whether I have my camera with me or not.

This exercise for the OCA course People and Place is about finding out a number of such backgrounds whilst also thinking about the most suitable focal length, lighting and camera position. I wanted to make this task a little more challenging for myself so I decided to see just what I can find in a small confined area.

Last week I found myself near a small park in Adare, Ireland with my camera and a half an hour to spear. I thought I would see if I could find some suitable backgrounds but also look out for those that would not be a good example.

Here are some of the backgrounds that I found there.

The park in Adare was small but very well kept so it was a pleasure to have a walk around the area. The day was cloudy and the ground was quite wet but at least it wasn't raining.

Thinking of a suitable location for a portrait, my first focus was on the garden benches dotted around the area. The first reason for choosing them is that my subject would be more relaxed and comfortable sitting rather than standing (as long as the bench isn't wet of course!). This might also give me more time to, what people call 'fiddle with my camera' - or to put it in a nicer way, prepare to the shot.
I thought that this particular bench (below) would be a good setting as it back onto a bush serving as a natural and consistent in colour backdrop. Bearing in mind that this choice of backdrop colour might not be so suitable for someone with a darker skin, assuming I am about to photograph an Irish person here in Adare this should provide a good setting. The light on the day was good for portraiture as the sun was behind the clouds. The light wasn't completely flat as we can see some shadows under the bench but there were no harsh shadows from the direct sun.
Photo 1

This setting and background would be suitable for a full body portrait as well as torso and closer crop. I prefer to keep the bench slightly at an angle as I think it creates much better dynamics and movement within the picture. I would open up the aperture to blur the background if I were to go for a closer crop. This way the focus would remain on the subject.

Having found one suitable bench setting I decided to study the rest of them to see how different angels and settings can vary the outcomes. This bench would make a more challenging setting for a portrait. Because there is no solid and consistent background behind it, a lot would depend on the camera angle to make it work as a portrait setting. For example, positioning the camera slightly higher would give a more of a solid and consistent background but might not portray the person from a suitable angle ('looking down on someone' isn't always the best position for a general portrait). Depending on the subject, the first photo (below, with the bird, flags and street light) might be an interesting setting that 'tells the story.' It is taken with a standard lens and might be suitable for a full body portrait.

Photo 2

Photo 3

My next bench again has a good solid and consistent in tone background behind it - in fact it is so close to 18% Grey that it would be easy for the camera meter to make the right choice of the exposure setting. I set my zoom lens to 100 just to make sure that a nearby bin isn't included in the picture. The surrounding area is clean so nothing would distract the attention.

Photo 4

I played with the camera angles to see the best camera point of view. My preference would be for an angled lower position, to the side of the bench, as in photo 3 below. I would ask the person to tilt their head slightly and would perhaps go for a torso portrait.

Photo 5

Photo 6

Next I came across a number of green benches, each one of which was in a slightly different setting. It was amazing to see how the same bench could look so different and it was clear that not every one of them would make it a suitable setting for my portrait.

I felt that the camera angles in photos 7 and 8 might make the shot more interesting.

Again, the areas is clean and tidy and the background is relatively consistent so there wasn't anything distracting attention from the main subject.

Photo 7

Photo 8

I wasn't too keen on a straight shot like the one below as it seems too flat and uninteresting.
Photo 9

The trees behind this bench (below) might be a distraction so I don't think this setting is the best for a portrait.
Photo 10

Horizontal background? Why not!
Although a vertical surface is often used as a background to a portrait, I thought it would be important not to neglect any suitable horizontal surfaces. I love them and often use them, my favourites include grass, blue sky (for head and shoulder shots) and leafy ground. I find that they often work well as long as there is consistency of colour or tone. Not everyone would agree to be photographed in this way and some people might not be able to lie down on the ground for physical reasons so it would be important to be sensitive and sensible when considering this as an option.

I thought that the bench itself would make a reasonably good background for someone who is prepared to lie down and stretch on the bench and look at the sky! (photo 11).
Photo 11

The following two backgrounds would be suitable for a portrait. They provide consistent tone and uncluttered surroundings allowing to focus on the face. The are suitable for head ans shoulders, torso of even a full body portrait.

Photo 12

Photo 13

Whilst walking along the park I found this beautiful place which I thought would be a nice atmospheric setting for a full body or a group portrait. The surroundings would form an important part of the picture so it would be important to keep everything sharp in focus. I would use a tripod for this portrait and start with a standard focal length.

Photo 14

Photo 15

Trees, tree trunks (photo 16) and tree vegetation (photo 17) can be used as background settings for a portrait (as long as a tree trunk is sufficiently wide and does not have a pattern on it that could be a distraction).

Photo 16

Photo 17

The following three photos show the backgrounds not to be used for general portraiture - unless it's intentional. These tree trunks look like human faces so would distract the viewer from the main subject.

Photo 18

Photo 19

Photo 20

A shop window on the way out of the park (photo 21) would also fall into the category of not to be used as a portraiture background. The main reason is that it's already full to the brims with the visual information in the form of different objects, colours and shapes. It's busy and it's cluttered so should not be used unless it's has something to contribute to the portrait/ image/ storyline.

Photo 21

Photo 22 - This would be a good place for a general full body portrait and the light is very complementary (as long as the subject can be positioned to minimise any long and sharp shadows on their face).

Photo 23 - A clear wall is a good general backdrop for a portrait (full body, torso or head and shoulders) as long as the patterns won't distract the viewer from the main subject.

Photo 24 - In contrast to Photo 21, the photo below is an example where what seems to be a busy and cluttered place can actually serve the purpose of a portrait background. On my recent trip to London I decided to continue my explorations of any potential backgrounds and examine what kind of background a person might choose for their own portrait if they are given a choice.

I had taken many photos on that day, some of which I intend to use later in the course, but I wanted to include at least one example here.

Alex (Yorkie) is a Londoner and a poet, homeless at present. We were talking about his poetry, London graffiti and where home was for each of us. Alex saw my camera and I offered to take a photo of him. He was very positive and, as often happens he asked where I wanted him to pose. I said that I'd like him to choose a place that he likes, a place that represent something to him or tells his story. He took me to this fence (photo 24) and I took a photo of him as he wanted.

This was a very interesting experience as we seemed to swap the roles: it's usually the photographer who directs his subject telling them where to look, where to put their hands and what face expression is required. I felt that it was quite liberating for both of us to choose the setting in a different way. I felt strangely empowered. The background chosen by Alex was part of his story, something that he associated with strongly - and I hope he felt in some way empowered too.

I would definitely like to explore this more and hand the choice over to the people who are photographed making them a more active part of the image making!

Photo 25

Photo 26

I am including a page of my scrapbook most relevant to this exercise:

Exercise 3: Experimenting with light

My friend Nathan agreed to be my sitter for this exercise and I spent over an hour experimenting with various light settings at my home studio.

1. A spot light is placed to the right of the camera. The sitter is positioned 45 degrees to the camera and is facing the key light. This set up gives strong deep shadows on the left side. It could be quite dramatic.

2.Two softboxes are positioned on both sides of the subject. This set up gives good overall even light for the scene. As an option, a stronger spot light might be used on one side to create some soft shadows.

3. As in the set up 1 but with an additional fill light positioned to the left. This set up still creates a lot of shadows on the left hand side of the subject.

4. The main (key) light is moved from the right hand side of the subject closer to the camera. It now illuminates the short side of the face and creates a Rembrandt effect (a triangular patch of light just beneath the eye). A fill in light is to the left of the camera.

5. Both lights are set to a higher f-stop. The key light is positioned at a higher angle to the subject.

Following the practice session I was able to experiment a bit more with my lights. I am including a selection of images that in my view worked quite well.

An example of rim lighting set up.

A two light set up with a background light positioned on the floor.

The main light is to the left of the camera with the background light on the floor.

An example of butterfly lighting effect.

Exercise 4: An active portrait

In the past few weeks I have had a number of opportunities to photograph people who were posing for a portrait in a relatively formal setting as well as those people who were involved in various activities when being photographed. What a massive difference it makes for both the photographer and the sitter!

In the first instance, my subjects were mostly focussed on me and my camera work and I found myself working harder - talking to them, making comments or suggestions and generally keeping some kind of conversation going to make them feel more relaxed and forget for a moment that they were being photographed.

In the second instance, my subjects were focussed on what they were doing so I felt at times unnoticed and free to move around, change my position and the camera angle, experiment with different settings and ideas or even stop to check the results on the camera screen.

I have noticed in the past that it helps to talk to people who are being photographed about the things that they like doing, such as hobbies or leisure activities. It also worked for me in the past to show interest in their particular craft or skill and ask them to demonstrate their technique or some results of their favourite activity. I found this especially useful as it helps to switch their focus from my camera to their favourite craft, especially when my subject gets really tense or freeze in front of the camera - no smile, a frozen, forced expression on their face, an awkward sitting position etc - I am sure we are all familiar with this kind of situation. It's just amazing to see how quickly it helps people to relax, feel and look more natural. The outcomes are often good, showing spontaneous facial expressions and alive with passion.

With these thoughts in mind I was really looking forward to completing the OCA exercise 'An active portrait' which required me to show my subject in the process of some natural to them activity. My task would be to focus more on the portrait rather than demonstrating the activity that they are performing; on the person's face expression rather than the details of their action.

A perfect opportunity came up soon as I was asked to take part in a street festival in Cambridge. This event presented me with a wonderful chance to photograph some of our well-known local professional and street performers.

For this exercise I focussed on a local singer who was happy to be photographed and was very relaxed in front of my camera. The setting was outdoors, the day happened to be dry and quite mild so it wasn't too cold for the band to perform and for me to work with my camera. The light was natural and the sun wasn't too bright on the day so there were no strong shadows - a perfect setting for a series of portraits. I used my Canon 5D with a choice of zoom lenses to cover the focal length from wide angle to telephoto. As there were plenty of natural light I opted to work without any flash.

The instruments and speakers were positioned on the pavement and my lady singer was sitting on a small stool with her back to a front door of a local shop. The location was agreed in advance with the fair organisers so I did not have any influence on it. I thought it would be a nice extra challenge for me to work on.

When I got back home, I reviewed my photos in Adobe Lightroom.

Screenshot 1 below shows a selection of images from my session.

Whilst reviewing the images, I also reviewed the strategy I used to approach my subject: moving closer to the singer to eliminate the cluttered background, deciding how to position the straight lines within each frame etc.

The surroundings were not special or attractive so after taking a few general shots with my wide-angle lens I decided to crop the shots showing just my subject and her instrument as below.
Photo 1

Photo 2

I then decided to move even closer and devoted most of my time working with my telephoto lens to catch those beautiful moments when her face expression changes. It was fascinating to watch her face as she sung so I spent most of my time focussing on that and trying to catch the magic of the moment.

Photo 3 - Moving closer to my subject also helped me to get rid of the slightly distracting advertisements on the background - see the two images below for comparison.

Photo 4 - I tried to make sure that the instrument forms a natural line across the frame and not parallel to the frame edge to lead the eye of my viewer towards the subject's face.

Below is a selection of the images that I thought were interesting and more successful in showing the singer's changing face expression.

I think that the images 6 and 3 captured the moment well.

Photo 6: I like how the lines within the image (the instrument, microphone, angle of the face and positioning of the hands) are working together to lead a viewer's eye to the centre of the image. Comparing photo 5 and 6, it is amazing to see how a very subtle change, such as a slight turn of the head, could have a significant impact on the resulting image. The background is nicely blurred allowing to focus on the main subject. The gentle smile on the singer's face is working well and create a connection with the viewer. The eyes are looking across the image, not straight out like in photo 5.
Photo 3: I think this photo captured a very engaging smile and a sense of joy on the singer's face. Again, I think that the straight lines within the image work well together creating a dynamic but harmonious picture. The background is more prominent but in my view it isn't too obstructive. It also adds a bit of vivid colour which seem to suit the image and make it brighter.

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 7 could be cropped tighter to get rid of the background space on the right and bring the subject closer to the viewer. I am including a second photo (7a) below, to show how a slight crop helps to make the composition work better hopefully resulting in a more balanced image.

Photo 7

Photo 7a

Photos 8 and 9 are lively, dynamic and playful. I like the face expressions captured in these two images. However, the images aren't as engaging as photos 6 and 3. The main reasons for this might be:
- the singer is looking to the left and out of the image, not across the image
- The hand in photo 8 does not work for or add anything to the image
- The microphone is positioned closer to the middle of the frame and the line is too short to help the viewer's eye or create a flow/ dynamic.
See for yourself if I am right!

Photo 8

Photo 9

I also experimented with different angles (front, side and back) as well as some close up shots of the singer's hands. Below are some of the images which I thought caught some interesting moments.

Photo 10 is a close up shots of the singer's hands. I thought it would benefit from an even tighter crop - the second image 10a shows the result of cropping the image and changing the angle and the direction of the natural lines within the image - in my view it offers a better balanced photo.

Photo 10a

Photo 11

Photo 12 shows quite a nice shot taken from the back/ side of the singer. I usually try to be mindful of the straight lines within an image which go parallel to the frame edge but in this instance the lines created by the instrument worked well.

Photos 13 - 16 captured the changes of the singer's face expression. It is interesting to observe how each photo changes with the direction of the singer's gaze. More on this in the next blog!

Photo 13

Photo 14

Photo 15

Photo 16

Generally, I think the session was productive and a good learning exercise.

My key learning points are:

- be mindful of the lack eye contact and the main subject's gaze being directed down, away or out of the frame

- watch out for the natural lines within the image and try to position them to lead the viewer's eye

- consider the background and foreground carefully, use aperture controls to manage how the background appears on the photo

- it's challenging sometimes to catch an interesting and natural looking face expression so pay attention and focus on person's eye and face

- an active portrait makes the photographer's job easier in some ways but might come with its own challenges: difficult lighting, lack of space to move around, can't just pause and rewind (well, not always!).

Exercise 5: Eye contact and expression

How important are the subject's face and their eyes in a portrait? Having photographed a number of people in various settings over the past two weeks, I am more than ever aware of how important to get this element right. It is perhaps one of the most important things that makes the difference between a snapshot of someone and a photo portrait that people remember.

How important to have an eye contact with the subject?
This is a matter of preference and often depends on the context. In one of my sessions I photographed a lady singer performing on the streets of Cambridge. Her preference was not to look straight at the camera but maintain an eye contact with her audience. The photos below captured her changing face expression, her wonderfully warm and relaxed smile, and her eyes following the audience from the left to the right and back.
I think the best photos were those that captured her looking slightly to the side but not too far off the centre (the camera) - photos 3 and 5 - but also photo 1 that gives the viewer the sense of movement/ dynamic and anticipation that the singer is about to turn her eyes to the viewer.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Two more images to compare - this time my subject looks over my head to their audience and then looks straight at me with a smile. Both images are usable but would possibly work best in a different content: the second image is engaging more directly with the viewer.

In a different photo session whilst photographing Alex (below) I asked him to look at the camera and then look away from the camera. I was directing Alex throughout the session as we were chatting gently and I found it relatively easy to catch the changes in his face expression as he got serious, then smiled, then looked away, then tilted his head down, then slightly to the right and then to the left.

This was a useful experiment in terms of learning more about the significance of eye contact, head positions and face expressions and how they change the feel and character of a portrait.
It seems that there aren't any rights and wrongs here but endless nuances and variations that affect the way the portrait looks and experienced by the viewer. In the photo of Alex looking straight to the camera, his eyes are engaging deeply with the viewer as if asking a questions or looking for a connection or an answer. In the photo of Alex looking away, it does not disengage the viewer but suggests thoughtfulness and some
story behind the image creating a different level of engagement.
Main lessons learnt through this exercise are:
- the importance of the face and eye expression for the storyline of the portrait
- maintaining communication with the subject who is being photographed helps to achieve the desired result
- a use of tripod is helpful making it easier to maintain eye contact
- it is important to establish rapport with the sitter / subject to make the atmosphere more relaxed and comfortable for everyone involved (the photographer and the photographed).

I am including some pages of my scrapbook most relevant to this exercise:

Exercise 6: Review a portrait sequence

Review a portrait sequence

Earlier this month my former colleague asked me to do a formal head and shoulders portrait of her that could be used for publicity and marketing.
We met at the event in London and stayed behind to do a photo shoot. I had my camera, a tripod and a flash with me. We discussed and agreed that we'd like to see a smiley and friendly image.
As we started the photo shoot me and my colleague continued chatting and because we have known each other for a number of years we both felt relaxed and comfortable. I liked the way my colleague kept talking to me throughout the session although it meant that I had to take a few extra shots (as it is difficult for people to smile and speak at the same time and we definitely agreed on trying to capture a smiley face). There was a moment when we both fell silent, I simply continued shooting and then the conversation continued to flow. There was another moment when she suddenly became quite serious and I simply pointed it out to her and encouraged her to smile. I have to say that she was brilliant - easy to work with and very encouraging.
We tried two different backgrounds - both of which were neutral. There were a few technical problems: for example we did not have sufficient space to position my colleague far enough from the background so there was an issue with strong shadows behind her.
We never agreed how long we were going to spend on this photo shoot but at a certain point I think we both felt that we have probably done enough. I checked the images on my LCD screen and was satisfied with the result.
Below is a screen shot of my portrait sequence and one of the shots that we selected to use. I had to use Photoshop to remedy the shadows and adjust the colours/ brightness slightly.

Exercise 7: Focal length

I took these images at a local community event using two different zoom lenses. It was always not possible for me to get close enough to my subject so I relied on my telephoto zoom to get some close up shots of people.

This photo was taken with a 90 mm lens.

This photo was taken with a 150 mm lens.

This photo was taken with a 200 mm lens. I like the way the background appears more out of focus.

50 mm lens. Good fair angle without any distortion

20 mm lens. Distorted angle.

70 mm. The image looks flatter and the background is out of focus.

This exercise was very useful as I usually take a lot of photos at public events when it is not always possible to get closer to your subject. It's very helpful to know what focal length is the best to capture the subject's facial expression and which is best when you want to include a bit more of the background.

Exercise 8: Varying the pose

I had a session with my friend Nathan that was specifically dedicated to different postures. I used a black background in my home studio and we tried a number of sitting and standing positions. I also took some close up photos with various hand positions. I am including a selection of images here that I thought were interesting to share.

I thought this was a very natural gesture and I was pleased to capture it though it probably has a very limited use in studio photography.

This posture looks a little tense. The head is turns away from the viewer and there is no eye contact.
Private? Disengaged? Thoughtful?

I like this hand gesture - it is thoughtful but also quite alert.

The combination of a smile and a hand movement create a feeling of openness and trust - and as a result add a little hint of vulnerability.

This posture gives Nathan a totally different look. Very thoughtful and sober. Eye are closed which might be read as a sign of tiredness or associated with being deep in thought. It is also quite trustful.