A sequence of composition

This exercise is designed to help you think about the practical process of composing an image. I made several attempts at getting a sequence together, including a Sunday market and a walk in the park. This posed several problems not least of which was being able to compile a cohesive sequence of images, which I came across in most outdoor settings. Many people don’t behave naturally when they know they are being photographed, as it wasn’t always easy to be discreet with my equipment. Perhaps a longer telephoto lens would’ve helped me to accomplish this, but then they do tend to be much larger! I am quite a shy person at first, so maybe if I was more able to break the ice with strangers I could get them to pose more naturally. However, I found it easier to get very good ‘storytelling’ images when there were willing volunteers. I was asked to shoot a wedding for a friend of a friend, and I felt this was a perfect opportunity.

 

 

 

 

 

The groom is leaving for the wedding hall. I’ve tried to capture the groom in various poses to show off his beautiful gown. Indian subcontinent weddings tend to be very colourful so this is something I’ve tried to capture in these images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These images are of the groom and friends and family. The entrance to the groom’s house is traditionally decorated so I’ve tried to capture some of this. A traditional Indian dhol (drum) player has been hired for the occasion. He gets to perform at length in a later stage of the ceremonies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next sequence was of various images to capture the beautiful limo that would take the groom to the hall.

The lavish interior of the car along with some more shiny reflections. I think this emphasises the luxurious setting.

I’ve captured a reflection as this is very aesthetically pleasing.

The groom shares a joke with his brother, and this is a moment they can hopefully cherish for years to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These images were of the groom’s brother-in-law and brother just before they got into their cars.

The groom as he is gets out and walks towards the hall. This also helps to capture some more of the gown. There was plenty of sunlight at the time so it was important to take advantage as it could likely be night by the time the groom leaves the venue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The groom and procession as they walk towards the wedding hall. I’ve tried to capture wide shots as well as telephoto. Wide shots are able to tell us a lot more about the surroundings.

This sequence of images captures the moment when the groom tries to get into the hall. Traditionally the entrance is ‘guarded’ by children who demand payment allow entry for the groom’s entourage. After some amount of haggling a price is agreed. However, if this isn’t favourable to the children they will spray the guests with glitter and party poppers.

This is the moment the groom and his procession got sprayed.

The bride’s side have children, usually cousin’s or siblings who wait armed with party poppers and spray!

 

This is just a small sequence of images from the whole of the day, but I think it serves as a way of demonstrating my intent and style of shooting. I try to obtain as much candid photos as possible, as I feel this ‘tells the story’ of the day. I generally don’t like giving directions to people as I prefer them to be as natural as possible. I like shooting weddings on occasion, but I always feel a bit nervous despite having shot about 25 weddings. I think this is a good way for me to keep focus and the pressure helps to keep me working. Perhaps some of the crops could have been better but I feel this sequence is a good general indicator of my style.

Focal lengths and different viewpoints

I was using the EF 24-105 lens so I had a good range from widest to telephoto. I decided to use a small building within Victoria Park as my subject.

At 105mm telephoto, I had to stand much further away. The building looks flatter and compressed. Vertical and horizontal lines look more like they should.

At 24mm wide angle, I had to stand much closer to the building to ensure it filled the frame. This results in those parts of the building closest to the lens to look larger. The roof and sides move away from the camera; this is known as foreshortening. The chimney has been partially blocked from view due to foreshortening, and because I had to point the camera upwards. This gives the image more depth, but horizontal and vertical lines slope away from the viewer.

Focal length and angle of view

I have a full frame Canon 6D with a 24-105mm lens. This should provide a ‘standard’ view at around the 50mm mark. However, at first it seemed like I was getting this at the 70mm mark. I started thinking this may be due to the viewfinder not being 100%. With some practice and repeated shots I realised that the 50mm focal length was indeed the ‘standard’ focal length.

This is the 35mm view. As I knew this was wider than the ‘standard’ focal length, I wasn’t expecting this to look the same through the viewfinder as with the unaided eye.

This is the 50mm view. At first I wasn’t sure if this did indeed look the same through the viewfinder as with the unaided eye. After several practice shots and repetition, I convinced myself that it looked around the same.

This is the 70mm view. This isn’t too different to the 50mm view, however it is more constrained.

 

Fitting the frame to the subject

The parks in Tower Hamlets hide wonderful sculptures and murals. They make ideal subjects for photographs. I found an unusual example in Millwall Park near Mudchute Station.

My interpretation of a conventional viewpoint.

I’ve tried to shoot this without much thought for composition, with the subject sitting right in the middle of the frame.

This shot was my attempt to place the subject within the context of the surrounding landscape.

 

 

I’ve placed the sculpture on the right hand side of the frame, with the Canary Wharf buildings serving as a backdrop.

 

 

This is the detail shot.

 

The sculpture provides an interesting surface so I zoomed into the detail. I felt this provided a decent opportunity for a detail shot.

 

 

 

The subject fits the frame exactly in this shot.

This shot was fairly straightforward. The circular sculpture was a natural fit into a square frame.

 

 

 

 

 

Shutter Speeds

Meath Gardens is a wonderful little park in Tower Hamlets that overlooks Regents Canal. At first I had intended to go there as part of the project on ‘Fitting in the Frame’. I happened to find a railway bridge next to the footbridge which leads to the park. The footbridge was a perfect vantage point from where I could shoot the trains as they sped past. The static backdrop of Canary Wharf was distinctive, and would hopefully be a nice contrast.

At 1/250 second: This turned out to be a boring shot. I thought the motion had been stopped but I should have increased the ISO to increase the shutter speed since I was on maximum aperture of f4.

At 1/160 second the movement of the train becomes a little more interesting. The graffiti on the bridge also adds some static interest.

1/125 second: the motion has become more blurred and is beginning to look a little more exciting.

At 1/30 second, the motion has a nice, effective blur. The background and particularly the people under the bridge are starting to show motion blur. Perhaps a tripod would’ve come in handy.

1/30 secs

1/30 second

1/10 second

1/10 second: the cyclist’s motion is blurred, which creates a nice contrast to the aesthetically pleasing blur of the train. The slow shutter speed also helps create a streaking effect.

1/10 second

1/10 second

1/10 second: The 24-105 lens used has image stabilisation built-in, which has helped to reduce camera shake. However a tripod would’ve certainly eliminated any blur due to camera shake and allowed for lower shutter speeds. Having said that, these pictures are at the smallest aperture of the lens, so an ND filter would’ve been needed.

 

 

Focus with a set aperture

As soon as I saw the focus exercise, I remembered the many ‘Boris Bike’ Stations in London. I felt these would be perfect candidates for this exercise. I wanted to find a bike station with a full row of bikes, as this would help create a scene with a lot of depth. This was difficult probably as the bikes were in use frequently due to the nice weather. I made sure to use the widest aperture available on my lens.

Focus is away from nearest bike

Focus closer to nearest bike

Focus on nearest bike

I find the first image doesn’t have a place to settle the eyes once you’ve scanned from left to right. The second image is better and is arguably the best. It focuses on the second nearest bike and so allows you to scan from left to right with a point of focus in between. I quite like the last image as the basket holder on the bike in focus has been warped so is not in line with the others. This breaks the pattern somewhat and adds interest.