people | alan frost photography

Posts tagged ‘people’

Whitesands Bay – late in the day

Whitesands

Taken on the first evening during my recent visit to Pembrokeshire, this shot was taken late in the day as the sun started to set. There were only a handful of other people about, all pleased to be at this rather lovely sandy bay.

It’s a location which is popular with surfers but on this occasion there was only one person with a board, but I like the separation and variety of the other characters in the picture. The man walking his dog, the young child running towards his or her mother who is looking out to sea. We do not know if there is a connection between this group of people. It doesn’t really matter, for they were doubtless enjoying their time there, just as much as I enjoyed the scene and taking a few frames.

More people at the Goodwood Revival

A couple of days ago I posted an entry with the first selection of people shots taken last weekend at the Goodwood Revival. You can read that post by clicking here.

This second set includes another eight images which I hope you will enjoy. They all try and capture something of the party atmosphere which descends upon Goodwood Motor Circuit every September.

The girls from St Trinian’s School were very much in evidence this year. Originally a cartoon strip created by Ronald Searle in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, he wrote a number of books and in the 1950’s some films were made which featured Alastair Sim (in drag) cast as the headmistress. Great fun.

A more serious moment as two ‘cleaning ladies’ listen to The Earl of March making a presentation to David Brabham the youngest son of the late great Sir Jack Brabham. A picture of the presentation can be seen below.

All over the motor circuit, stalls and shops authentically replicate the feel and times of the post war era. This shot below of ‘The Old Bicycle Company’ was typical of what can be seen.

Ladies don’t often wear hats these days, so there is always the concern as to whether or not it’s still in place and hasn’t shifted in the breeze.

Another ‘underground’ shot, this time of a young lady framed by two film posters – ‘North by Northwest’ by Alfred Hitchcock and ‘Jailhouse Rock’ starring the one and only Elvis Presley.

An England football fan tries to take my photograph with her old camera, while I try and take a picture of her and her friend, with mine. Somehow I think she forgot to load any film but you never can be sure!

I have written about the Goodwood Revival on previous occasions and there are links below if you are interested.

2012

The Silver Arrows at the Goodwood Revival Meeting

The Characters of the Goodwood Revival Meeting

Goodwood Revival Meeting – the last entry

2014

Goodwood Revival – the cars and the people

2016

People at the Goodwood Revival

There is also a Gallery page featuring the Goodwood Revival, and you can see that page by clicking here.

Do click on any of the images in this post to see a larger version which will open in a new window.

People at the Goodwood Revival

Each year the Goodwood Revival has a theme and this year was no exception. As you entered the circuit, a group of rowdy football fans could be heard shouting “C’mon England” whilst waving scarves and banners. Wind the clock back fifty years and The Revival was celebrating England winning the World Cup against Germany.

Whether it’s the people, the cars, the planes or the many stands, there is just so much to see and enjoy. It’s like one big fancy dress party with the majority of people wearing clothes from the 1940’s, 50’s or 60’s. Quite frankly there is no other event like it in the world today.

I have photographed this policeman and his wonderful vintage bicycle before and it was good to see him again. That’s the beauty of this event – you very often bump into the same people and they are always happy to stop and have a chat.

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this young lady astride a Harley Davidson, although quite what the ape was doing in the background I’m not sure!

On the other side of the road from the circuit there are yet more stands, a huge marquee which stages the Bonhams Auction of cars and memorabilia, and a fairground.

As always the Glamcab girls were there, always ready to smile and pose for the cameras.

I will be posting a further selection of pictures very soon. In the meantime do click on any of these images to see a larger version.

For anyone interested, all these photgraphs were taken with a Leica M9-P, imported into Lightroom and then converted into monochrome using Silver Efex Pro 2.

Main Exit – dissecting the visual components of a photograph

Main Exit

I often ask myself the question – ‘Why does a photograph interest me and hold my attention for more than a few nano seconds? What are the various components of the image that make it visually appealing to me and maybe to others?’

In answer to these questions I thought I would try and dissect the key elements of this photograph which I have called – Main Exit. Do click on the image to view a larger version as this will help you see all the detail in the picture.

To begin, the image is monochrome; obvious I know, but a colour image of the same picture simply wouldn’t be as interesting. This shot is all about tone, texture, contrast and the overall composition. Colour would be a distraction. There is though a subtle tone which has been applied in post processing, which may not be immediately apparent.

The main focal point is the man in the top right hand corner walking into the building. We can’t see all of his body or his head, but we do see a reflection of his pale jacket and he stands out against the dark background. White on black will always draw the eye. He is framed within a dark square which ties in well with the square crop of the image itself. It’s virtually a picture within a picture.

A square crop doesn’t always work but in this example I think it enhances the overall composition. There is a strong diagonal lead in line from the bottom left hand corner which takes your eye to the main subject of the picture. There are paler lines in the ground which also lead the eye. These are in contrast to the vertical lines of the modern windows. The ground also slopes upwards, so that the metal base of the building narrows to a point where it meets the man. This aids perspective and adds to the sense of depth.

Reflections always provide visual interest because they distort reality. The older buildings are all askew, there is half a car and half a waste bin. Behind the glass there is a person sitting down which begs the question as to what’s inside and the purpose of the building itself.

Top right there is a sign which says ‘Main Exit’ but the arrow points in the opposite direction to the man entering the building – has he gone through the wrong door?

As well as being a contrasty image there is also the visual contrast of the new and old buildings, the young person behind the window and the older person walking through the door. The contrast in texture between the ground and the mirror like surface of the windows.

Lastly a border has been added to provide a frame round the image.

For me it makes a visually appealing image, as the sum of all the component parts make for an intriguing story, complete with different textures and tones, all held together by strong compositional and geometric elements as well.

I have found this exercise beneficial and I hope you have enjoyed my ‘dissection’ of a photograph interesting. Arguably the approach could work just as well on images that you don’t like, as well as the ones that do. It’s worth a try.

Downhill shopper – returning to a forgotten image.

I am rather impatient when it comes to processing a SD card full of images. I get home, download them into Lightroom and with luck a number will jump out at me and the processing begins. More often than not these are the pictures which I remember taking and I simply can’t wait to see whether or not I have captured something I like.

I have been told that it can be beneficial to do nothing with a card of images, just download them and then leave them to mature for a good while, perhaps six months or more, before taking a more in depth look at what you shot on the day. Given the passage of time you no longer remember all the shots that were taken, and images which might have been written off on first viewing are in fact worthy of consideration. Perhaps a different or new processing technique will reveal an image which works after several months but might not have done had it been processed within hours of the shutter being released.

‘Downhill shopper’ is one such picture. It was the third shot I took in the lovely city of Bath on the ABC of Camerawork workshop with Andy Beel at the beginning of November last year. Whilst I can recall taking the picture it didn’t say much to me at the time, but a year on and given a high contrast and grainy look to the photograph, I now think it’s worthy of sharing on my blog. There is little or no detail, just outlines of backlit figures, long shadows and the knowledge that you are looking at a busy street scene of shoppers. The rest is down to your imagination. The elderly lady and what appear to be ski poles, give the image its title.

Here is a link to the entry about my day in Bath with Andy Beel.

ABC of Camerawork course with Andy Beel in Bath