Body Language is all we need

I've been watching 'Tribe' by Bruce Parry (cool name!) on DVD this week and I've been enjoying it. Parry has such a sprit for 'getting in there'. I felt compelled to go and look for interviews with him and came upon one in which he spoke of certain things which resonated with me very much and I feel I must share with you.

When Parry is out there, trying to bond with tribes, his interviewer stated that "The secret of assimilation, he reveals, is that he never attempts to learn the language: "It gets in the way of eye contact and human understanding. The quickest way to bond is to offer to carry something, to eat their food, drink their [sometimes polluted] water."

I bring this up, because on all of my travels, when I've been making photos of people, I've often found language gets in the way.

This is very timely because only last week, I was speaking to a girl in the office I now share  (I've moved into a nice office in the centre of Edinburgh), and one of the girls was asking me if I learn to speak in the language when I make images of Cubans / Ethiopians / Cambodians / Indians / Nepalese....

My answer was no... I don't use verbal language. I use a lot of body language and I'm convinced that the people I photograph have a better understanding of 'me' than they would if they could talk to me. As Parry stated in his interview:

"It gets in the way of eye contact and human understanding. The quickest way to bond is to offer to carry something, to eat their food, drink their [sometimes polluted] water."

That is, in a nutshell, exactly how I feel about my exchanges with people I make images with: When I encounter someone, I get involved, and I have to communicate through my body.

We do listen to each other through our body language, and despite what someone says to you, often we're aware if their body is saying something else.

Well, it's just like that.

I'm a pretty open, easy going person, so I just act myself and see what happens. Often it works very well and I'm able to get up close to someone and make an image of them without them being frightened.

The other thing that really got me, when reading the interview with Parry was that he said :

"I used to worry that I would be embarrassed at dinner parties because I would be out of touch. But having travelled so much, I find the news thoroughly repetitive and negative."

Having done a lot of traveling myself, I think I understand what Parry is saying because each time I return from abroad, I'm aware that I seem to suffer a sense of  'not belonging to where I'm from'. Scotland, or the British Isles, seems like a strange place. People are insular. They have worries about small issues. Or so it seems. It's just that each of us, lives in our own bubble of 'reality', and I think what Parry is saying is that it's easy to become wrapped up in all the problems in our own societies, and not appreciate the good that is around. I've certainly found that on my travels... really poor people in Bolivia, who are happy, just existing. They have food on their plate, they have a home, their loved ones are healthy and things are good.

The same in India, if things are ok today, then that is all that matters, because tomorrow is tomorrow.

The same for Cuba... and Cambodia.... these places don't have a long term view. They are dealing with the more fundamental aspects of existence. They are just trying to 'be'.

I think as photographers, we should try to get out there. To experience. To see the world.

It gives us a chance to see a new perspective, but perhaps more importantly, it gives us a chance to appreciate things that we didn't acknowledge about our own societies, and to also question the way we go about living our lives too.

Surely that is no bad thing.

Ethiopia

I've been a bit swamped lately, and I've only just literally started to work on my Ethiopian image this afternoon. But I'm a little troubled. My Nikon Scanner's software isn't supported anymore and I can't get it to work on Snow Leopard, so I've had to resort to buying Silverfast. Talk about clunky. Talk about confusing. Talk about being able to screw up a scan so easily.

I used to work in Software, and I know it's easy to make a hash of stuff (hey, I was never that great a programmer), but the user interface could really do with an overhaul on their software and more importantly, so could the workflow. It's rubbish.

Anyway, here's the very first test scan I've done. I think it's going to take me a few weeks to get to grips with scanning on Silverfast. It's always painful for me having to learn new software, get used to the way *it* wants to work, rather than it working the way *you* want it to work.

Hope you enjoy this first taste of my new portrait images from Ethiopia. I have no idea what is in store at the moment because all I have is a big box of negatives all sitting in their sleeves at the moment, and a cumbersome way of scanning them on a Canon 9000F to see what the digital-contact-sheet holds.

One lens or two?

I'm busy writing some chapters for the eBook I'm working on about Street Photography, and I've been diverted to reading on Photo.net today about David Alan Harvey. I've loved his photographs for some time now, and he's a very simple shooter, only taking with him a Leica, 28mm and 35mm lenses.

I've been busy writing about how I prefer prime lenses and that I prefer to go out with only one or two lenses with me. Often it's only the one lens I use. In the case of India and Nepal last year, the entire collection of images I made were shot with my Contax 645 and an 80mm lens. I didn't need anything else.

I'm a big subscriber to keeping things simple and cutting down on the amount of gear I travel with. It can be back breaking bringing too much kit with you, but it can also inflict a sense of creative constipation because you also have too many choices at hand. You think that bringing all the lenses you can think of will mean you're going to be prepared for just about any photo situation, but the truth is more often the case that we just confuse ourselves with what to use and when.

It takes time to master lenses, but that's not really the issue at hand. It's more about immediacy. If you have one lens on your camera at all times, you learn to work within the confines of that. I prefer primes because they make me roam a location and work the scene more. I also prefer primes because I don't have to think about different focal lengths. I make do with what I have. I also prefer one lens because there is no delay in choosing another one. I also start to 'see' every potential encounter in the focal length of the lens I have on me.

Using one lens makes it easier for me to 'visualise' and be proactive, rather than reactive. And it also means I'm much more free to move around.

a book on Portraiture

For the past week or so, I've been collecting images and stories from my trips around the world for a forthcoming ebook I plan to release about Street Photography, or more specifically, portraiture in a street environment.

It's coming together really nicely at the moment and is going to be a bit of a whopper this one I feel. I have three sections to the proposed ebook now:

Approach

This is where I discuss the conscious and subconscious decisions I make whilst out shooting.

Technique

This is where I discuss the kinds of lenses, the types of film, the choice of light I use and the pre-picture taking techniques I use (my camera for instance, is always pre-focussed).

Street Stories

This is more a 'making of' section, where I discuss what happened on a case by case basis with each of the images I illustrate.

I have topics like 'From Within - getting into the picture', a section on body language which is very important. How you convey yourself to your subject can make or break the exchange.

Which is really what portraiture is : an exchange or dialogue between you and the subject.

Anyway, it's very exciting. I'm really enjoying writing this one as I think I was originally wondering how I would approach it. But now that I've laid out the guidelines for each of the chapters, I'm on a roll now.

I keep getting some folks out in the web call me a 'landscape shooter', but that's only really part of the story for me. Originally yes, I started in landscapes, but I feel that in around 2004, things changed. I'd been interested in shooting people for a long time, but I had simply never made the leap. It all seemed to happen for me in 2005 when I went to Cambodia.

Armed with a collection of cameras, I remember trying each of them out to find which ones worked best. The EOS 1n was put away pretty soon as it was too obtrusive for me. I had a Bessa R3a which was a joy to use and most of my subjects didn't take me too seriously with my small, quiet camera. But strangely, I got the same response with my Mamiya 7II. It was possible to make street photos with a big camera so long as it was quiet.

I've moved onto the Contax 645 system now, primarily because the Mamiya7II has hopeless close focussing (it's a rangefinder) - it's possible to get away with some street shots like this one below:

Anyway, time to get on with my writing, which is great fun because I get to relive the experiences of being back in all the places I've been to. Sort of like a virtual holiday :-)

Monochromatic Colour

I shot this in Jaipur, at the hotel I was staying at. There's nothing posed about it from my recollection and as far as I remember, the girl was very happy to have her photo taken, but she's got quite a strong stance in the image. There's almost a defiant expression there and it certainly took me back when I saw my contact sheet for this - I took so many pictures of people while I was away, I've found that I seem to have suffered blank out periods where I really can't remember anything about the interaction.

But I guess that is a good thing, because it allows me to take the image for what it is, rather than what I wanted it to be. That's the beauty about a bit of distance between shooting and processing.

Now, the reason why I wanted to show you this image is because I think it's fairly mono-chromatic. All the tones are sort of reddish-brown. Personally, I love it (but I'm apt to like my own work - it's what I do - so no surprises there). This is one image that would be very tempting to turn into a black and white because it just has different shades of the same colour, but then again, there's nothing wrong with having a colour image that is mono-chromatic. There's a lot of warmth in those tones and that is something that would, I feel be missing from a black and white image.

Wedding Girl?

My encounters with the people I photograph can sometimes be fleeting. Take this image for instance. One minute I'm wandering the 'blue city' area of Jodpur and I've passed several places of worship with sounds of music and clapping.

Then I turn a corner, and this little girl is on her way with her mother somewhere. I don't speak the language, but I'm able to open a dialog and quickly we're on the same page and i'm able to make this shot.

But I don't know where they were going, or what the occasion was. Does it really matter I ask myself? I guess it doesn't, and in some ways, not knowing allows us to conjure up our own emotion and mood, our own idea of what was going on.

José

While I was in Bolivia, I was taken to a remote village where no tourists go.

The 'road' to the village was a test of nerves, even though we were in a 4WD vehicle. What surprised me the most was that when we got there, I couldn't help but notice a bus that had managed to travel the same impassible road.

I stayed for a long weekend, under the stars, in my tent, very, very cold for the first night. The family I was staying with offered me a Llama skin to put over my sleeping bag. It was rather heavy but a welcome reprieve from the high altitude cold.

Anyway, I'm digressing a wee bit here as I attempt to set the scene for this shot.

This is a picture of José. He's a farmer of Alpaca and Llama. His sister and brother all live in the same farm and he has never been to La Paz or to any other town outside of his small village. I woke up on the first morning there to find him standing in his doorway watching everyone, like he'd never seen people before. I introduced myself and asked him for his picture. What I loved about the whole exchange was that he had no preconceptions of how to stand, how to look and didn't go into that terrible 'cheese' mode that most people go into when presented with a camera. He simply didn't change one bit, so this is a shot of him, with me standing perhaps about a foot away from him.

I love the shallow DOF when using the Contax 645 f2 lens up close. I think this was shot at f4 to make sure that most of his face was in focus, while at the same time, render his bomber jacket with a creamy out of focus bokeh.

Tibetan Portrait

This is a portrait I shot using my newest toy, a Contax 645 system with a standard lens. Notice the shallow depth of field? It was intentional, but perhaps it's too much. I'm not that precious about things and I'm very happy with the image. But perhaps next time I'll ease off with using f2 and shoot at f4 instead, or perhaps I'll shoot both?

There's a softness there and a glow which I feel is only possible with film. Certainly not achievable with a digital 35mm slr system anyway, to my eye at least. It's purely personal of course and you may feel differently and also have proof to back up your alternative view point? If so - I'd love to hear from you.

I've been too busy of late. Far too busy to process and work on my images from Nepal and India, and in three days from now, I'm on a plane again, this time headed for Patagonia and Bolivia. I've got three film systems with me. Two systems I know really well - a Mamiya 7 and an Eos 1V. Why 35mm you might ask? Well, because on reflection, it seems that 35mm 'looks' better to my eye than digital does, and it has a flexibility to it that is not apparent in the larger systems.

I spent a good week up north on the isle of Eigg (ground work for an upcoming workshop I'm doing there in September - check out my workshop page if you want to come along), and had the most wonderful weather. Lots of snow capped mountains so I'd like to post you some in the coming days - time permitting.

Baktapur Girl

I'm just heading off for the highlands, but before I go, I thought I'd post this image. I shot this in Baktapur, a village on the outskirts of the Kathmandu Valley. There are a lot of Hindus in Nepal and on this occasion there was a little ceremony going on.

I'd been out shooting in the early hours of the morning in the daily Kathmandu valley fog, when I kept on noticing small girls being escorted through the town all dressed up. But it was all elusive - the shot I wanted to get. So I let it pass. Then around midday I came across a little building where there seemed to be something going on. Upon entering the courtyard, I could see lines of girls all dressed up, with doting mothers keen to have them get more attention than the others. I'd like to say I knew what was going on, or that I understand the Hindu culture. Is she a living Goddess perhaps? (they appoint a girl every now and then to be a living goddess), I do not know. But it was the perfect opportunity to make some images and this was certainly one of them that when I clicked the shutter - I knew I had a nice composition.

It was shot with a Contax 645 and standard lens. The lens was focused as physically close as possible. The film was Kodak Portra, which I love for it's warm tones. I don't think the image is finished yet. It's my first scan from the Contax and I'm really pleased with it.  I found this camera really nice for portraiture work and now I'd like to find out if it's ideal for landscape work too.

Each camera system has its strengths and weaknesses. As much as I love my Mamiya 7, it's not really ideal for portraiture work, or in particular - getting in close.

I don't like to advocate the promotion of camera gear, simply because I feel there is too much of it. I've lived and worked with my Mamiya 7 for 8 years and I know it's flaws and I also know where I want to be going with my own photography. You can only reach that by building your experience and learning to work and get the most out of your existing systems. It's all too easy to just keep buying more gear, but on the other side of the coin, when you know you have limitations in your system, then it's time to find that missing something. I feel the Contax may be it.

Berber Portrait & thoughts on Film

This is one of my favourite shots from the films I got back from Morocco. Situated in the north part of Marrakech, he was actually sleeping in a big metal wheel barrow when I came across him. The streets are filled with smells, sounds, activity - sensory overload. So I think I was drawn to him because he was stationary. Anyway, he was one of the most willing participants I had. Sometimes a photo just falls into place, other times it takes a while to get it right. This one just fell into my lap.

I've finished editing the Portra Morocco shots. I just need some time now to put them up on my site. They are similar to my Cuba and Cambodia shots. I just feel so much more happy about them compared to my previous Morocco shots. The colours are right this time, I've got a lot more portraits too. First time I went to Morocco I came home with a few sparse portraits because I hadn't learned what it took to get them. The culture is difficult, people don't respond to tourists like they do in Cambodia (warm, welcoming) or Cuba (discreet, proud). The Moroccan is a distant person, privacy is valued much more, highly religious, general culture make for very difficult photo taking and I'm not going to do candid shots because it's so easy to offend someone.

Anyway, regarding film, my first shock was how grainy it is. After using digital for a few years now, it took a bit of adjustment to going back to looking at grainy film. But conversely, I had to do very little to the images - the colours were there, and that 'texture' or '3D' look or 'glow'. Conversely, digital is flat, you have to work at bringing the colours out, and when doing that, it really screws with skin tones.

It's hard to describe, and I guess I shouldn't need to. If you need me to describe the different look and feel that each medium has - then you can't see it.