I haven’t shot a model, or engaged in formal portraiture since late November, primarily due to the pandemic and consequent lockdowns. However, this enforced confinement forced me along other creative avenues.
Product-based work has always been part of my photographic diet, but I’ve always been drawn to candid social/reportage stuff. Much of this boils down to being discrete, knowing your camera/settings, shooting fast, and being attuned to your environment.
Aside from spotting creative moments, it can avert a combative encounter. Body language is equally important. Stand with confidence, as if you belong there and most people won’t notice. Act furtively and it's game over.
Continuing this theme, I typically alternate between primes-23, 35, and 50mm 2.0, 2.8, and 1.8, which cater for most scenarios. When it comes to people, a decent amount of emotional intelligence is key. I may shoot a homeless person but do so in a subtle, non-invasive way. People and their stories fascinate me. I shot a few portraits with Kenny back in 2020.
His story and that of so many just illustrates how vulnerable we are to ourselves, the will of others, or a chain of events. The more I learn, the less I am certain, and this can lead to an acute sense of vulnerability. Akin to motorcycling, this can ensure a heightened sense of awareness and quashes complacency but left unchecked, is potentially debilitating.
Growing familiarity with the Fuji X100F has confirmed what a brilliant camera it is for reportage style work. Beautiful to hold, fast lens, and easily accessible settings mean I can capture scenes while remaining under the radar. A 50mm is useful when I want to focus on something or capture a candid portrait/interaction from a discrete distance.
Living in London’s poorer districts before gentrification swept in, coupled with experiences of civil war, were good training grounds. Subtle changes in mood can indicate the onset of danger. The young woman wandering towards a checkpoint with a blank expression... Is she seven months pregnant or packed with plastic explosives?
These things are nuanced and often incredibly subtle. Football hooliganism-the precursor to an incident is intense, not necessarily menacing before it erupts and becomes distinctly primal.
I’m looking forward to a staged return to socially distanced modeling-based commissions and have received a few sensible approaches, which I am following up.
