This series is the result of an an assignment for our photography course: shooting interesting street scenes, without looking through the viewfinder. Your comments are appreciated!
Hi Hermen, thanks for your elaborate reply. It matches my thoughts pretty closely, and the reason I quit following these seminars is because I didn't like the teachers' approach.
And yes, I do like to think out of the box and set my own assignments, experimenting with various techniques and approaches, but at times, I feel I revert back to the more familiar fields, and I do miss that "stok achter de deur" element.
In a way, Usefilm also offers a good challenge in assessing photos of others and having mine scruitinised, After having been a way for a while, and shooting basically only for commercial purposes, it's good to broaden my horizon again, and I find usefilm a very good tool of doing just that.
Hi Hugo, talking about these classes: I think I was very lucky with the teachers I got. Their approach and photographic style was far from conventional (have a look at their studio web site: dijdelenco.nl). Also, the workshops we did were sometimes in places that I would not even have thought of before joining their classes (old industrial areas in Germany, Charleroi, night photography in the harbour of Antwerp). For me as a student this was very refreshing. I still like my good old landscapes, but now I know there is much more than that.
But don't be envious - I am sure you can find a good teacher as well, if you look around. And of course you can make your own assignments and challenges (well... you do that already, for example with your triptychs). Trying out a lot of different things, experimenting and discussing the results with others is the best way to improve yourself. Being in a class is only of secondary importance. For me it is just sort of convenient to have a weekly meeting ('stok achter de deur').
Regarding your comment to my photo: I don't remember making the tilt with consideration. I was just struck by the loneliness that this scene radiated, with this lonesome man on a large, almost deserted parking place. I think that the image tilt was just a -not undesirable- side effect of secretly taking the shot ('shooting from the hip'). Still I think the result could have been better - the large van is probably too distracting, and the man is merging too much with the background. But that is the consequence of this kind of photography - the limited control of composition can turn out good or bad...
Hi Hermen, thanks for your explanation. it describes my experience with this sort of approach perfectly. Purifying, or thinking out of the box is, IMO an ideal method to regain the crispness, freshness and unforced feel about (or in) a photo... It made me rethink my decision to quit those classes. (haven't decided yet, but at least, it revived the process) From what you've written, I can only be envious, at times I just feel rather "stuck", if you know what I mean.
In light of that discussion, I can't help to think the tilt in this image is done without consideration or thought. Yet it's too extreme to pass as an unwanted / undesired tilt (implying there has gone a certain amount of thought into this photo) which surprises me a bit. Enlightning stuff, though. Keep it comming!
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