I visited the Zed Nelson exhibition entitled Hackney - A Tale of Two Cities at the Philadelphia gallery as part of the Bristol Festival of Photography to get some ideas. As the title suggests, Nelson's images are all about the contrasts between the underclass and the upwardly mobile in Hackney with many in between; consequently an element of background is essential to provide context to the image.
Two of his images demonstrate this:
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| Nelson Z (2012) untitled, year unknown, Hackney - A Tale of Two Cities. Bristol: The Philadelphia Gallery 3-17 May |
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| Nelson Z (2012) untitled, year unknown, Hackney - A Tale of Two Cities. Bristol: The Philadelphia Gallery 3-17 May |
I selected three outdoor and three indoor locations, as follows:
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| Olympus point and shoot. f3.5; 1/30; ISO 100 focal length 28mm |
The Bristol-Bath cycle path is a favourite photographic location for images for me, not least because use it three times a week to commute to work. It was this thought that prompted this image taken with a point and shoot camera - an ideal complementing location for a lycra clad cyclist, with the cycle path itself in shot on the right. Once a torso fills the front of the seat, we will have a setting with reasonably consistent tone and features yet no distractions.
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| Canon EOS 450D with EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM. f4; 1/60; ISO 800 focal length 40mm |
This staircase suggested to me as an ideal for a black and white whole body portrait. The back lighting is potentially a problem but it is not directly behind the subject so could be used effectively. The location suggests a softness of texture and is certainly consistent in tone.
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| Canon EOS 450D with EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM. f5.6; 1/750; ISO 200 focal length 24mm |
Perro Bridge in the heart of Bristol docklands is an ideal location for a portrait. The background is retained as a feature but not the main subject (as with the gas holder in Nelson's image above). The structure of the horn forms a natural border to the left of the image. I would see this as a contrasting background.
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| Canon EOS 450D with EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM. f13; 1/60; ISO 800 focal length 40mm |
his disused railway carriage on Bristol's dockside was ideal for a location for a full body shot on the open platform. The slightly less than immaculate background needed a "railway subject", who by chance emerged as we shall see.
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| Canon EOS 450D with EF24-105mm f/5.6L IS USM. f13; 4 sec; ISO 800 focal length 24m |
The choristers' pews at Bristol Cathedral suggested themselves as a location. There is a softness about the wooden structure; possibly the ornate structure and the lights are a slight distraction, leading the eye to the left but for a sideways image, I think this might work, although probably requires the subject to sit well forward.
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| Olympus point and shoot. f3.5; 1/30; ISO 100 focal length 28mm |
This is my desk at work, ideal for a contextual shot. There is clutter but some of that would be hidden by the subject, and the papers and computer on the desk are an important feature, adding context to the shot.
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| Canon EOS 450D with EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM. f13; 1/90; ISO 800 focal length 35mm |
The railway wagon was selected for the location with a subject. I had in mind just such a subject when taking the location and this gentleman (unknown to me) agreed to be my subject. I like the slightly leaning forward pose with right hand on pillar and right foot in front, making this seem like a purposeful action portrait. The context is perfect; the Hi Viz jacket does catch the eye at the expense of the subject's face, but I view that as very much part of the portrait - it is his uniform.
A useful exercise that made me realise the potential for contextual portraits, but also the hazards of including too much distracting background.
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