The start of assignment 2  was a continuation of my confusion when it came to collating a set of images that sat well together. I spent hours shooting pictures of crowds which were appalling pictures and did not fit the brief at all. I had failed to read the brief clearly and was not using the right combination of lens aperture and viewpoint.

My research was inadequate for this assignment and the idea for the assignment came from an image I took while I was out shooting.

I love the idea that came out of it, the humanity of litter, but after that original shoot, I should not have just sat down and edited and processed the images into a nice looking set of images. I should have started more research and tangents, looking how others have shot this type of subject. But I had just returned from a 6-week trip backpacking in South America and decided against spending a further few weeks on research in addition to the time spent on my trip pursuing a failed ideas. Therefore, I rushed to get something “down on paper” and to my tutor.

If I had researched the assignment or even simply returned home written out an artist statement, I feel that the assignment would not be quite a one-trick pony that it is. Although I do stand by this assignment, I have an enormous amount of pride it. It has its faults but from fumbling beginning it is is one of the most cohesive pieces of photography I have ever produced.

I feel I wasn’t clear enough initially with the artists statement, I eventually created, about what I wanted to show this was caused by the slightly retrograde nature of the writing.

Perhaps starting the set with an image of litter being dropped and ending with a piece of litter being swept away would have enhanced the assignment Or even taking a longer time and focus on a particular type of litter – cigarettes for example.

As the course has progressed, I have found myself being drawn back to this assignment and the potential it has. While I have been conscience not to be drawn into overly rehashing; I will look to continue this a longer term personal project.

“The re-wroked Assign 2 also improves on the original set. You place the objects in the frame in a similar way to give a cohesiveness to the set and using colour to link the rubbish to the background scene is effective.he re-wroked Assign 2 also improves on the original set. You place the objects in the frame in a similar way to give a cohesiveness to the set and using colour to link the rubbish to the background scene is effective.”

Overall I’m happy with Simons comment and the assignment overall I have been able to put across what I wanted to portray – although perhaps I can be better in illustrating my developmental steps in future assignment and courses.

Technical and visual

I very much feel that this assignment has been a win for me – as it has pushed how I put images together and how I interpret them. Also, I was able to use my technical ability with the camera and composition to good use to make interesting images from a simple subject.

However, what was the major failing of the assignment on its first submission was the poor assignment notes. I did not articulate my thoughts well enough – yes the idea came from a random cigarette packet in the street, but I did explain how I saw them all as lost little animals.

Quality of outcome

What I like about the how I have made the images as a set; technically the images are just as I wanted them – I haven’t used any complex photographic techniques.

The project can still be pushed much further over longer time – include for example the sweeping up of images. However, after weeks of walking the streets, I was able to get that shot I did consider a staged shit but the way a street is cleaned here with a bamboo brush would make it very hard with just friends, and my Cantonese is not nearly enough to explain what I want to a street sweeper.

Creativity

The “A-ha” moment on this assignment was when I was trying to photograph crowds with the underlying theme of mobile phone and saw a solitary cigarette pack in the middle road in the centre of one of the busiest areas of Hong Kong it looks like a lost animal or child waiting for something. Once that was in my head, the other images came together very quickly. It’s not the most creative idea but it as I said, in my earlier comment, it’s a big leap for me.

What I have realised is I’m not researching enough to feed my creativity, I rely on my skill with the camera – this has to change.

Context

This the first major creative project I’ve undertaken in photography in years perhaps since my day doing a City & Guilds in photography in the late 1990’s. I have relied on camera ability and my surroundings to inspire me. I have done one shoot on a theme with the camera club or friend but nothing like this – to me this was true art. I enjoyed the whole process of interpreting the images and also producing images that we minimally processed using Lightroom presets and the occasional global tweak of exposure.

Now on to the rework of assignment three then I and focus on part four the language of light with a clear mind.

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.

When I submitted my assignment 2, I was quite proud of my work as it was quite a departure from what I have ever shot over the many years I have been a photographer. I deliberately kept my assignment notes to a minimal length after my notes for the “square mile” were a bit too technical based.

While I did feel the major flaw with the work was it was a one trick pony – to which my tutor agreed to a degree it was with mixed feeling that I read the feedback.

Highlighted feedback Ass 2

Yes, the images sit well as a set and are technically well composed, but my tutor said l I am too focused on the technicalities of the shot (which is a fair point). Also, that I am tending to see the exercises and assignments as just that, exercises which need to be completed not just a mini project which needs time to develop a little (again another fair point).

My tutor also queried my experimentation on the setting and situations – while I have not formally experimented with the camera setting I knew, instinctively, what look I wanted for the low angle shots, with a shallow depth of field and close focus which separated but not fully removed the background. Perhaps in future, I have shown why rationals by experimentation or explain more clearly in the notes

There were a couple of technical errors in the set missed focus that I missed as I edited on my MacBook air – not a good excuse I know but I’ll use this as a starting point for the re-work.

I will look at a proper statement of intent and tidy the edit up.

Will then consider additional shots with the rubbish in motion, i.e. being dropped, or trampled although I do have one shot of a show in the shot.

I will expand on the assignment notes to cover more of my thinking and why these images we shot.

On the technical side, I feel I have produced a set of images with are sharp, exposed correctly and well composed. I have deliberately used a shallow depth of field highlight the primary subject matter and used diagonal and the rule of third in composition where appropriate.

All the shots were taken on the same camera with the same aperture.

Quality of outcome


I have made a conscience effort to keep the aspect ratio of all the images the same, by carefully composing within the camera. I feel like a set the images sit well together.

Demonstration of Creativity or Imagination

Creativity is my nemesis while I feel the images set well as a set, I feel there is not enough diversity between the pictures. I have reflected, in my course notes, the set could be a one trick pony. The influence from Gianluca Cosci work may also be a little bit too dominant; although this was entirely unintentional

Context

This significant step away from my typical style of work and I have not researched it enough the theme was very much put together on the fly, which perhaps effects the idea reaching its full potential.

LITTER

For assignment 2 – Collecting, I have followed the suggested theme of views – specifically looking at litter in the busy urban landscape of Hong Kong.

The idea stemmed from an individual cigarette packet I saw in the street. Litter is usually something people don’t pay much attention to, however, it is closely related to how people live their lives in the city and you sometimes can’t help but wonder the stories behind some pieces of litter.

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.

I did the shoot while going for an afternoon walk through Mong Kok to Jordan area of Kowloon.

This assignment was shot with:

• 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)

I was quite confident in my choice of lens and aperture. The images turned out ok; overall I am pleased with the pictures. After assignment 1 – I made more conscious decisions on the compositions during my shoot to eliminate as much as post production cropping where possible and also focusing more on a single object in each photo hoping to draw out a more coherent view of this collection. I had also been more consciously thinking about my subjects before taking the shot, and convey why I was thinking the particular piece of litter meant something to me from how I positioned my shot.

Below with some of my thoughts on the images:

Image 1

The bright yellow lines and the lemon tea carton first caught my attention and I also noticed they were parallel to each other.

Image 4

The towel looked like a small wounded creature lost in a big city. I also asked myself why there was a random towel there.

Image 7

A torn lottery ticket on an empty street – signifies a broken dream, lost of hope in winning your way out of a relatively poor neighborhood.

The edit was a challenge in this assignment – I came back with 133 decent images from the day, which I reduced down to 21 and cherry picked to just 10, which I think are the best work and can be netted into a coherent set. On the downside, I am slightly concern if this is too much of a “one trick pony” with me deliberately highlighting a single piece of litter in a dramatic manner.

The litter I picked in this collection is completely at random. As an improvement, maybe I can focus on more about seeking out the litter, which has more texture or more interesting shapes by exploring in more areas of Hong Kong. Where possible, capturing litter interacting with litter instead of just with the environment setting.

I set off to my favorite shooting spot on Mong Kok; with the idea to shoot the late afternoon crowds around he main tourist market. I had the idea of using a low viewpoint to give a bug’s eye or child’s eye view of the goings on over a period of a few hours, from a few different spots

Over a small break for a can of soda water, I quickly reviewed my images and whilst they were ok – they didn’t stand out to me. It was time for a re-think and I started with a very, very low viewpoint taking a more landscape type of image. This triggered a creative thought when I caught sight of a discarded cigarette package.

I spent the rest of the afternoon shooting extreme low viewpoint; I guess these could be called cityscapes which are focusing on a single piece of litter in the foreground of the scene. Litter is omnipresent in our life, but it’s a detail we often over look.

Attached are my contact sheets from the afternoon.