Photo Projects
Every year I take a few moments out from camera advice and start a new photography project. Over the course of the next few weeks I will go back over a few of the projects that I have put together. I will talk briefly about what inspired me to start them and a little about each image.
Smoking Project
After the smoking ban in the United Kingdom I started noticing large numbers of people smoking in the streets. They were hanging around outside offices, pubs, and what looked particularly strange, hospitals! Suddenly there was this activity that was being forced out into the open. There was a new community that would brave all types of weather and inconvenience just so they could smoke a cigarette. I therefore decided to document this activity.
Preparation
I decided that I would cycle around London, which is where I live and am from, looking for smokers. I had never taken portraits of people in the street before so I was not quite sure what to expect, but I thought I would just ask thier permission and see what happened…! I had a wish list of the type of people that I wanted, which included office workers and people outside hospitals, and anybody else who looked interesting. I used my Canon 5D and took a 24-70 mm 2.8 zoom. I also took a couple of flash guns which I was going to put on compact stands and fire remotely to try out some different lighting and give myself a added challenge.
Hospital Image
I started by cycling down to a central London hospital. It was a cold overcast day. I unpacked my equipment and put the lights on their stands and waited… and waited… and waited! Finally out came a patient who wanted a cigarette. I approached them to see if they wouldn’t mind me taking a shot of them. Unfortunately they did mind! Rats! So, my wait continued. After another half hour, and being asked if I was a paparazzi by various people, out came another smoker. This time they were quite happy to be photographed so off I went, quickly setting up the lights and snapping away before they finished their fag. I liked the result. I think it is odd that someone would smoke outside in the street in their dressing gown, especially when they are recovering in hospital.
Security Guards
A few days later I was cycling through Mayfair and I came across a couple of guys smoking outside the back of an office block. I hopped off my bike and asked if I could take some shots. They had in fact just finished their cigarettes. I thought I’d push my luck and asked if they’d like to smoke another…?! They said they would, but not for another half hour. Oh well, I went off got a coffee and came back later. I knocked on their security window to see them working hard inside…?! They were happy to come out . I set up and they sparked up. The result you can see below.
How did the shots turn out?
I was happy with the shots I was getting. Taking pictures in the street was harder that I had imagined in some ways. Finding photogenic people and locations for one thing. Then trying to set up and get a shot in the slim time corridor I was allowed was a real challenge. I did more than just these three in London, but decided that next I would like to try some shots outside London as well. I will post some of these up at a later date.
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