Following feedback from my tutor on Assignment 2 I have re-edited, re-shot images and re-written the assignment notes which were possibly the weakest part of the assignment as a whole – as overall I was pleased with the pictures, especially since he was a significant step outside of my comfort zone.
The Humanity of Litter.
For assignment 2 – Collecting, I have loosely followed the suggested theme of views – specifically looking at litter in the busy urban landscape of Hong Kong.
The idea stemmed from a solitary cigarette packet I saw in the street. Litter is usually something people don’t pay much attention to. Hong Kong is relatively clean city regarding litter, given its population density and, therefore, it is the small solitary or groups of items that seem to draw my attention more than anything else
.Statement of intent
Illustrate the throwaway consumerist society that we are a part by showing the ‘humanity” of the discarded pieces of litter. By producing a set of images in the late afternoon/evening in the Mong Kok & Jordan area of Hong Kong (later expanded to other regions and times of )
To achieve this I used:
- Crop sensor camera (EOS M3); with
- Fixed focal length of 22mm (equivalent to 35mm on full frame)
- All images are shot at f4 with Auto ISO (for handheld shots without the constant need to adjust for changing light)
General overview.
The reasoning behind the above is that the EOS M3 is small compact and has a tilt screen at the back to aid with the low angle shots and f4 because it gives shallow enough depth of field to isolate the subject but not completely remove the background. I want the viewer to see subject clearly and not get lost in the background – I want the viewer’s mind to fill in the gaps from the clues in the image.
The picking of f4 was not an accident – it came from “knowing my equipment” – know that wide open at f2 with the angle of view/focus distance I was looking for would yield much to shallow depth of field. F4 on a crop sensor is the equivalent of f5.6 on a full frame and with the close focus distance to the main subject, I feel it gives enough separation while not losing the background to “complete bokeh.”
After assignment one feedback I made more conscious decisions on the compositions during my shoot to eliminate as much as post production cropping where possible, mainly to ensure all the images could maintain the same aspect ratio and that the subject matter tied and hung together as a theme – as my first draft of Assignment one was very eclectic indeed.
Upon editing the shot, I would like to think I have been subconsciously influenced by Gianluca Cosci’s work – Panem et Circenses; however, I don’t think the depth of field of my shot is as razor thin, and also, I had deliberately included a human element to my all shots.
Images
Image 1
These cartons of lemon tea are very “Hong Kong” they are in every 7-11 or vending machine and are the drink of choice for many. Discarded, flattened and forgotten after it has served its purpose it seems to have aligned itself with the yellow lines. Is it looking to hide so as not to be swept away?
Image 2
Here the discard spoon to my eye has camouflaged itself into the scene; its colours echo the background, it’s facing in the same direction as the people are walking. Is it like the lemon tea prolonging its life after use by blending in?
Image 3
Water bottles the modern plague, the world is obsessed with how hydration; but the bottles just are discarded without a second thought. Here the bottles not only camouflaging its self with the blues echoing the background but it sits I water; is it telling us “please re-use me”?
Image 4
A smoker relies on the cigarettes for survival; they are inseparable from the packet – until the last cigarette has burned away. Here a discarded cigarette packet waiting, in hope, to be returned (perhaps by the passing taxi) to its owner, who’s life until a few minutes ago relied up it so much up on it.
Image 5
Torn and discarded a snack wrapper try to attract the passing mini-bus; it doesn’t want to lonely in last moments
Images 6
A lottery ticket is a symbol of hope when discarded its symbol of lost hope. The “body language” of this shows that loss of faith as it awaits its ultimate fate.
Image 7
While lost in a crowd and still ignored, litter sit gathered together for companionship. Is that what the items in the other pictures are looking for?
Conclusion
This was a tough challenge for me; it pushed me from my comfort zone, but the shooting to a coherent theme worked well, and I stand by my images. The initial shoot netted 21 pictures that were cherry picked to 10, and this has been cut further over the course of the re-work, which has challenged my editing.
Other things could be done with the theme if it was pushed to a longer term project (which I am considering.) However, the overwhelming thought that came to me with the images I shot initially and for the re-work was the lost nature of the litter and its “humanity” with life, and I hope that’s what the viewers sees in this revised set.