There are many opinions in the photographic community on this question. For some, landscape images should only include those elements that are naturally occurring in nature - trees, mountains, rivers, lakes, sea, rocks and so on. Others are happy to include a ‘strategically placed’ person in their landscape images but draw the line at including human-made features, while still others feel that their images are enhanced by the inclusion of a human, or even a human-made, feature. One of the photographers that I admire and have followed on YouTube for some time is James Popsys. James is a very successful professional photographer whose website and videos showcase his individual approach to photography. Two aspects of his work stand out for me. • James believes that a photograph should be about something rather than of something. He suggests that a photograph should tell a story which encourages the viewer to ask questions and wonder about what is happening in the image. • James takes the view that including a human element in a photograph helps to tell the story and serves to involve the viewer in the image. His images regularly include people or animals but will often also feature human-made aspects of the environment such as bridges, stone walls, fences, huts, even houses and telegraph poles when they add to the story of the image. I can relate to the James Popsys approach to photography (maybe not the telegraph poles!) I particularly like to include old human-made features such as old walls, bridges and fences, while buildings such as castles, old churches and the occasional lighthouse feature regularly in my photography. Most of these landscape elements have existed for many decades or even centuries and are an important link to the past. They encourage us to think about the lives of those who built the structures and reflect on how these structures have become an integral part of the landscapes we know today. I am not averse to including people in my landscape images, though I try to deliberately place them in a way that will enhance the image. In addition, I frequently include more modern human-made objects as they often tell a story in a way that the scene on its own doesn’t tell. I think that sometimes the addition of a human element in an image tells the story better than if it showed landscape only. I often include a seat in an image as it gives a human eye point of view. Looking from the point of view of a statue or sculpture can give the same effect. I think the bridge gives an added element to the leading line, which leads the viewer to the steps in the background. While the bridge and steps are both human-made I am happy to include them. I think that using the groynes as a leading line out to infinity enhances this coastal image. Do you agree? James Popsys likes to include telephone wires in his images. In the first image I included the wires then took a second image in which I removed the wires. I prefer the second version but it is a matter of taste. The same scene, one with the addition of a human element, one without. You choose. Can a good landscape photograph include a human element? Would you be happy to add a human or human-made element to your landscape images? Share your thoughts below.

Vila Real de San Antonio, Portugal When I am travelling, one of the most interesting things to do in photography is to capture some documentary style images of my travels. The name suggests that in this type of photography we are documenting or telling a story , of a place and its people, with our images. We want to tell a story to the viewer. Storytelling will help to engage the viewer. To be effective, this type of photography has a few basic requirements. We must look for interesting subjects, frame these in such a way that they draw the viewer’s eye, and use our photographic skills to present the image in the most compelling way. With each image, ask yourself, ‘What story do I want to tell with this image?’ and 'How can I best tell that story?' Here are 7 tips that will hopefully help you to create great documentary photographs of the places you visit. 1. Do your research. Before you travel, check out the area, its main characteristics, recommendations for places to visit. The more research you do before you go, the less you will miss when you get there. 2. Plan the type of images you want to include . For example, you will probably want to include images of people, buildings, markets, and so on. You might like to capture local artists at work, shoppers in the market, street vendors, people having coffee. You might want to find interesting bus or train stations, cafes or street signs that tell the story of the place. A typical street cafe in Vila Real 3. Tell the story of the place by including people, their interactions, their expressions and emotions. You might get close to capture an old person’s face or capture an animated gesture. Having a morning chat 4. Include images that are characteristic of the place. This might be seen in the design of the buildings, the layout of streets, the places where people congregate. You might juxtapose the old with the new, shadow areas with light. Sometimes the addition of a travelling companion can add to the story of your visit to a place 5. Include people in their natural environment. It is good to be an observer. Watch what people do, where they go, who they meet. Show them in these places. 6. Make at least 3 types of images of each scene It is suggested that to tell our story more effectively in documentary photography we should use three distinct types of shot. The first is to set the scene with a wide-angle shot, often called an establishing shot, then choose medium focal length to give a closer, more detailed perspective and finally a close-up angle of each scene which will convey a more intimate picture. A series of images will show the essence of the places you visit. For example, in a street market we could have a wide angle shot of the entire scene, a medium angle shot showing details of items on an individual stall, and a close-up image to show individual shoppers, interactions between people, and so on. Street markets are common in this region of Portugal and Spain so a series of images can be used to tell a story 7. Use different perspectives. You might find a high building and shoot down to the street below or look up and capture something interesting from ground level. You might shoot from waist level rather than eye level. If you can avoid taking all your shots from the perspective of a standing adult your images will be more interesting and this will help to make your story more compelling for the viewer. VIla Real from 9th storey apartment Vila Real marina at sunset Some final thoughts It is important to set yourself time each day for photography rather than taking pictures on the run and feeling rushed. An important part of your photographs will be your composition. Take your time to compose properly. Plan where to go and what you would like to shoot there but be spontaneous too. After all, you are away from home – make the most of your time and enjoy everything. Whether you are using your camera for your documentary travel photography, or your phone, try to get the best images that you can get. Experiment with different perspectives and various focal lengths, or try out different apertures and shutter speeds. Think about what you will do with your photographs afterwards. Will you put together a slideshow, use the photos to tell the story of your travels in a blog or compile your images in a book? Whatever you will eventually do with the images, you will need to have a good variety of different types of images to choose from. You won’t show all your images; some will suit your purposes better than others. You will want to create a compelling series from your photographs, and you won’t be able to do this unless you have plenty of images to choose from. Most documentary photographers will say that captions are necessary in this genre of photography. Captions add a narrative to the story and help the viewer to understand your intention. A caption will not describe literally what can be seen; it will give some additional information that will enhance the photo and enrich the viewer’s experience. Captions need to be relevant; words chosen to support the story you are trying to convey. You may enjoy the location you are visiting, after all you chose to go there, but not everyone will share your enthusiasm, especially as they are not sharing your experience first-hand. For that reason, it is important to present your documentary travel story in an interesting and engaging way. You will do this by choosing carefully which images to share so that you create a compelling series that will bring your travels alive to the viewer. Do you have any more tips to help improve documentary travel photography? Why not share them?

Main shopping area, Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal In a short time I hope to return to a family apartment in south-eastern Portugal. I will be based in Vila Real de Santo Antonio, a traditional Portuguese fishing town built on the banks of the Guadiana river and overlooking the Spanish town of Ayamonte, which is a mere 10-15 minutes ferry ride away. The town resembles Lisbon in many ways and is an ideal location for people watching, taking long, leisurely strolls and stopping to browse at the many small shops and market stalls. I hope to visit Ayamonte as well as some of the neighbouring Portuguese towns such as Monte Gordo and Tavira along with the picturesque villages of Castro Marim and Cacela Vehla. I travelled here last year without my camera, and relied on my phone camera for images. This year I hope to bring my small Olympus OM-D EM 10 Mark ii and two lenses as well as using my phone camera for backup. The question I am asking myself is – what type of photography will I do while travelling this time? I will certainly take some tourist pictures of areas that I am visiting for the first time. These will be kept as memories or for showing to family and friends (if they’re interested!) but they won’t be part of my photography journey. It is to continue to enhance my photography journey that I am considering the question, What type of photography will I be doing? 1. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY The narrow streets of Vila Real and surrounding towns are ideal for doing street photography; for capturing daily life as it happens around me and picking up on some of those intimate scenes involving local people. Street markets, people going about their daily routine, human interactions, interesting or unusual activities, even eye-catching outfits will all be worth watching out for, as well as capturing people illuminated in pockets of light between buildings. Street photography is a genre I really enjoy doing and the ability to visit several different places and observe daily living with my camera will present many new photographic opportunities. In addition, street photography is not so much about technical perfection as about capturing what is true and real, and that is something that appeals to me. Last year I took a short stroll each morning to this local shop to buy fresh bread, slices of juicy melon and oranges. It is a favourite place for local residents. I think this photo tells a story of a regular morning in this location 2. URBAN LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY In my view this is a slightly different genre to street photography in that it allows me to include buildings and landscape features that represent the area that I am visiting and which is different from the area in which I live and where I normally photograph. Urban landscape photography can include wide urban vistas, taken from a high vantage point, or intimate images of architectural features common to the region. It can include busy streets or crowded markets, or feature an interesting building bathed in sunlight. It can encompass the unique shapes, colours, patterns and textures which give a flavour of the local architectural style or it can be an image from a low perspective using the interesting cobbled streets or tiled paving as foreground interest. The main square in Vila Real 3. GENERAL LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY This region of Portugal is rural as well as urban and has beautiful coastal areas where there are many opportunities for general landscape photography, and Vila Real has a great marina with lots of one of my favourite photography subjects, boats! There will again be a variety of options including wide angle shots of seascapes, riverside scenes and buildings in the context of their landscape. There will also be intimate landscape shots to be found in many locations, as well as opportunities for some abstract images, and I relish the chance to explore and discover something different. Vila Real marina 4. DOCUMENTARY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Documentary travel photography may well be a combination of the above genres of photography. Essentially, this is different from travel snapshots in that it is an attempt to document or tell the story of the location through images. However, it isn’t confined to any particular genre and, in a sense, anything that helps to tell the story and capture the essence of the place is acceptable in documentary travel photography. Traditional style church in Ayamonte, Spain. I think the inclusion of a person descending the steps might have improved the image. I recently wrote a post called 7 Tips for Documentary Travel Photography which you might like to read. Photos included are from a previous trip to Vila Real de San Antonio. 5. NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY Night photography is not something I have done a lot of, mainly because my entry-level camera is not really up to the task. However, since I now have a Google Pixel 7 Pro phone camera, with dedicated night mode, I am eager to see what I can shoot after dark. *** I am looking forward to this photographic adventure and the images I bring home, and while I will mainly focus on the types of photography mentioned above, I will also give myself permission to capture anything else that catches my eye!

On a recent visit to my local library, I picked up a book called Take Your Photography to the Next Level by George Barr. I was intrigued by the title as, after four years of learning photography, I feel ready to take my photography to the next level. A quick scan through the book suggested that this book was slightly different to the norm. Many of the images are quite abstract. They are images of unusual objects or parts of objects or of subjects photographed in unusual places. They are not beautiful images in the conventional sense of the word, yet they spoke to me enough that I wanted to borrow the book and read on. Before I read what George Barr has to say about elevating our photography to the next level, I want to give myself the challenge of coming up with my own ideas on how to do this. The Beginning Four years ago, I began my photography journey. I have since watched countless YouTube videos, followed the advice of professional photography teachers as they share their tips, and I have now taken hundreds of photographs, some better than others. But overall, although I know I have made some progress, I still feel stuck at a beginner level. And I want to move on. Moving On Picking up this book has inspired me to think about what I have learned so far, and to think about what I need to do now if I am to take my photography up a notch. A quick internet search will throw up lots of ideas about how to do this, some of which will be more effective than others. Without first reading the ideas of any photography writer, I have come up with three main approaches that I think are necessary, at least for me, if I am to make further progress and elevate my photography from beginner to improver. 1. Be fanatical about composition I put this as my number one because for me composition in photography comes before anything else and changing my attitude towards composition has been my most effective learning tool. As is often the case with amateur photographers, I used to stop at a scene, take out my camera and press the shutter. I didn’t ask myself, ‘what is my subject?’ I just took a picture of the whole scene. Today, I try to make images differently. I look for a definite subject that I want to capture and then I try to draw the viewer's eye to my subject by using some of the compositional tools I have learned, such as leading lines, natural framing, and so on. I pay attention to the whole frame, check that there are no distractions on the edges of the frame, ensure that there is separation so that elements in the frame are not overlapping and that my subject is not too close to the edge of the frame. An S-Bend leads the viewer right through the frame Symmetry, or near symmetry, can work well as a composition technique I like to find examples of natural framing What do I mean by being fanatical about composition? I mean that we need to keep foremost in our minds that composition is king in photography. Composition is what helps us show the viewer what it was that excited us about our photograph when we took it. It is by paying close attention to the finer details of composition, by spending time and effort in getting our compositions just right, that we direct the viewer’s eye to the parts of our image that we consider most important. By doing this we make better photographs and elevate our photography to a new level. Sometimes we have to wait for the extra element, in this case a bird, to complete the composition 2. Shake it up Most of us, as beginner photographers, take the same types of photographs in the same way. We shoot similar subjects repeatedly, usually from a standing position, often at the same time of day. And then we wonder why we don’t seem to be improving with our photography. If we want to take our photography to the next level, we need to shake things up bit, start doing things differently. Just a slight change in perspective can make a huge difference to the look of our image. My morning photography outings usually take me to one of my local parks. If I simply captured images every morning from the same standing position, they would be very similar and soon become boring. Instead, I try to shake things up. I get down low, I shoot up using a wide aperture. I experiment with different lenses and different focal lengths. I try to find different subjects, sometimes shooting woodland trees, sometimes capturing some of the more intimate woodland details. On other occasions a waterfall will be my subject, or I’ll chase the morning light streaming through the trees. I get close-ups and even enjoy getting an abstract image or two. At other times I’ll take a trip to the coast or into an urban area for some street photography. I am open to trying new things, to testing new ideas and to working on a new skill. I keep changing perspective and changing genres so that my photography doesn’t become stale, and this helps me take my photography to the next level. 3. Dare to be yourself One of the biggest roadblocks to moving on in photography is our own lack of confidence. We need to learn to express ourselves in the way that we want to express ourselves, not just follow the crowd in terms of photography styles. I'm not even talking about developing your own style here, whatever that might be, I'm talking about not being afraid to experiment, to be creative, to be daring. Shoot what draws you, what speaks to you, what fires your imagination. You might not always show your images to anyone else – or maybe you will – but you will certainly grow as a photographer by doing things your own way. This is not by any means a beautiful image, or even a well composed image, but I like the way the sun produces reflections in the window and the tiny watering can visible in the top left window pane When I first thumbed through the pages of George Barr's book I was intrigued by his unusual choice of images. There are many abstract images of industrial objects and parts of random materials (such as the bottom of a steel drum!). They are not images of beautiful things, yet they have a certain beauty. Barr has been criticised for including ‘mundane’ images in his book, yet he has sold millions of books, so that tells its own story. The surest way to remain stuck in a rut creatively is to allow others to decide what we should do. The world’s most creative people did the opposite. They did what they wanted to do, despite the critical voices. If we are going to take our own photography to the next level, we need to reclaim our own creative voice and make images for ourselves. What is wrong with capturing raindrops on a garden fence when the sun is glinting on them? Why not capture light wherever it shines? When we see a beautiful shadow on a wall who cares if it’s close to home or not particularly beautiful? I love to capture objects that catch my eye and bring the images home to give them a closer look. These images always remind me of an enjoyable morning out with my camera and, if nothing else, that makes them special. Conclusion If, like me, you want to take your photography beyond the beginner stages, there is lots of advice available to you. I have found that some of these solutions work in the short term and can give your photography a temporary lift. But long-term I believe that a few changes in attitude and outlook are necessary. I have outlined three approaches that change the way we think about photography and I believe that if we take these approaches on board, and if we put them into practice at least some of the time, we will gain much improvement in photography terms. What has made the biggest difference to your photography?

Recently I visited family in Co. Leitrim close to the Shannon Blueway. The Shannon Blueway is a walking trail along the banks of Ireland's longest river, the Shannon. I had done the walk many times previously but on this day my intention was to go out on my own with my camera to see what I might capture. When I awoke that day the first of the autumn mists had descended and I had to take advantage of this rare weather event which was quickly disappearing. Later in the morning I set out on my Blueway walk. I must say first off, my walk was fantastic. The sky had turned cloudy but the air was warm and calm. Birds were chirping all around me and there were people out walking, running, cycling, canoeing or sitting at one of the many pause points along the trail. Despite being a lovely day for walking it was a disappointing day for photography. I just couldn't seem to find a composition. While the hedgerows were beautiful, nothing stood out as a subject. The vibrant colours of summer had disappeared and left behind dull greens and browns. Ferns were beginning to die and trees had not taken on their autumn clothes. There was ample evidence of summer having gone and autumn not quite there yet. And nature was in the waiting period between two seasons! Despite the lack of good light and no clear subjects to photograph, I did press the shutter a few times. Below are some images of the day. What do you photograph when there's nothing to photograph? Just get out with your camera - you'll always find something!

In a recent post I discussed the four different types of photography I hoped to employ during my time visiting Portugal and Spain. Writing the post before leaving home helped with my preparation for my travels. I began to think in terms of the photography I hoped to do, which encouraged me to think in terms of variety and helped me to avoid repetition of the same types of image. Thinking ahead helped me to structure my photography, plan what I wanted to do, and avoid taking rushed images. On some days I was able to go out with my camera for a planned photo shoot, while on other occasions I came across an image while out and about. HOW I DOCUMENTED MY RECENT TRIP STREET As it turned out, most of the images I took come under the category of street photography. This was not surprising as I was staying in the small town of Vila Real and I had many opportunities to go out with my camera and observe what was happening on the streets. This was a change from my normal living situation as I live in a suburb with few people around. Normally I have to travel to find street photography opportunities so I made the most of what was on my doorstep every day, including great light. Each morning I waited at this spot to capture a figure in the beam of light. This street cleaner provided a good silhouette. So did a person with a dog. Each morning I loved to capture images of people doing what they always did. In the pleasant morning sunshine the atmosphere was relaxed. There was no rush into the day! Working to get the town ready for summer. Out in threes! As I mentioned in my last post I like to have some triggers in mind when I go out to do street photography. This gives me a better chance of noticing things on the street. For example, one of my triggers is colour matching so I was in the right place at the right time when a man dressed in red walked past this shop. As I was staying in a small town I was pounding the same streets several times a day and since there were only so many opportunities for photographs I felt that it might be a good time to experiment and try something creative. I experiemented with reflections, layering and taking pictures in crowded areas. This is a photographic departure for me but a good learning experience. Here are some of the results. URBAN LANDSCAPE I like to capture aspects of an urban landscape that are characteristic of a place, and often very different from the place I live in. I tried to get a good flavour of the area by photographing many different features of the urban landscape, such as pattern and shape or the variety of colour in the buildings. There are also many examples of the contrast between old and new. The beautiful... ... and the not so beautiful. My morning photography walk took me along the marina on the banks of the Guadiana river. The marina provided opportunities to capture general landscape images although it was difficult to get a variety of different perspectives. Experimenting with both colour and black and white gave a slightly different perspective to similar scenarios. DOCUMENTARY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY It can be difficult to accurately classify images taken in urban settings that you visit as a tourist. Are they street photographs, urban landscape images or, if they are documenting your visit to a different place, are they more accurately described as belonging to documentary travel photography? The boundaries are somewhat blurred. The images above tell a story of a place. None of them tell the whole story although when put together they give a flavour of that place. They show the beauty and the decay, the loud and the quiet, the crowded spots and the empty spaces. They show the people, the events and the buildings that provide the backdrop to it all. Whatever the genre of photography might be called, the main joy is that of getting out with your camera, observing, being part of the place and what is happening there, capturing images that show the very essence of the place and its people. Photography is the story I fail to put into words. – Destin Sparks

The dictionary definition of the term TRIPTYCH is: a set of three associated artistic, literary or musical works intended to be appreciated together. A triptych typically refers to a work of art that is divided into three sections or presented in three parts, usually presented in vertical form. Alternatively, there can be a middle panel which is larger than and flanked by two smaller works. However, the term is also used more generally to describe anything with three parts which are connected to form a single unit. It is this latter definition that is often used in photography. It refers to three photographs which can be displayed as a unit due to their connection with each other. Connections can be based on a range of criteria such as: similar colour taken in the same general area three different views of the same subject similar style, e.g. all abstract Triptychs can be used in any genre of photography and can be adapted to suit all weather conditions. Here are 3 advantages of using the triptych technique in photography. You will probably think of many more. #1. This technique offers you increased opportunities for creative photography You are not using the same techniques for each image and that encourages you to think more creatively. Knowing that you will take three connected images means you will not be limited by one shooting style. You might have a wide-angle shot, a close-up shot and a mid-range type shot to illustrate your chosen theme. One example might be in a coastal area where you capture a wide-angle shot of a building or distant ship, a mid-range shot of sea and rocks and a close-up of a piece of seaweed on the sand. The more you look for creative opportunities to use the triptych technique, the more inspiration you will find. These three images were all taken in the same area but show very different aspects of the area within a small radius. #2. This technique encourages use of photographic skills Instead of capturing just one image at a location you will be looking for three images that have a connection. This will encourage observation, careful planning to get a good composition, use of different techniques and camera settings, and careful consideration of the type of images you want to capture. You may want to tell a story with your image set; you may want to create a set with a similar colour theme; you may want to create a set of images using different depths of field. Whatever your ideas, you will be utilising many of your existing photography skills, while learning or improving many more. The three images above were taken in the same area and show different aspects of the same subject so technically they form a triptych. However, for a triptych to be successful to me it has to meet another criterion - would I like it displayed on my wall? In this case the answer is no as there is too much included in the images and I prefer simplicity. However, the possibilities for experiment are endless when practising this technique. #3. This technique encourages us to print some images Most of us will agree that images look better in print than on digital media, yet most of us don't print our images very often. The triptych technique is based on displaying three images as a unit and this may encourage us to consider printing our triptych sets, possibly changing our display regularly. The three images below, taken at the same location, are on display in my home in large format. I have several variations of the scene and I regularly change the display. Triptych images are generally displayed in vertical format so it is worth remembering this while out shooting. I also believe that if our eventual outcome is to print and frame out triptych set of images we will pay more attention while capturing our photographs to ensure that we end up with images that we are proud to display in our home. Each set of three images will look much better when printed and displayed as a unit of three than they do on digital media. I hope I have convinced you of the advantages of trying the triptych technique in your photography. If you haven't already tried this technique, you might like to give it a go. Happy shooting.

If, like me, you enjoy doing street photography you will know that the best places for doing this type of photography are big cities and towns where there are lots of people and a lot going on. But many of us don’t live within everyday commuter distance of large cities, and even if we do it may not be possible to travel there all the time. What if we live near a small town with very few people on the streets? Is there any point in going out with our camera in this type of environment? I am going to suggest that there are lots of benefits of doing photography in small towns. For a start, every time we go out with our camera, no matter what the location, we are learning something new and improving our craft. We are also spending time enjoying the outdoors and doing what we love, and that can’t be bad. But what are the more specific benefits of doing photography in small towns? I have identified 7 particular benefits that I have discovered from my own experience but there are probably many more. 1. It is great for beginners Doing photography in a small town is a great way for beginners in photography to ‘cut their teeth’. The pace is slower, you have plenty of time to wander and look around and decide what you want to capture, and you begin to discover what I believe is an important concept in photography - what it is that conveys the essence of the place you are in. When I first started street photography I went to a busy place with a lot going on and I really didn’t know where to start. Being in a small town, strolling around with your camera and soaking up the atmosphere, gives a sense of the street without the hurried pace and confusion of the city. That will come later! 2. It encourages observational skills Arguably we could say that all types of photography encourage observational skills but I think small town photography does this in a particular way. We are not focusing on people so the emphasis will be on what could be called still-life street photography, and this gives us ample opportunity to observe buildings, markets, street furniture, street sculpture, street art, advertisements, signs, shop fronts, displays, reflections, features unique to that place, and so on. Street sculptures can make interesting images Colours and shapes make interesting images and often show up in small locations. Graffiti can make an interesting abstract image. Even rubbish bins can feature in this type of photography when captured from a unique angle. 3. It can be done in any small town, village or hamlet If we can vary the location so that we are not visiting the same location all the time we will have a new experience each time. Every small town and village has its own unique character and features. Some have a river nearby, others have unusual buildings. Some places make creative use of colour in their environment, many make a great effort to welcome visitors and to be inviting to strangers. This ethos permeates their town or village and is reflected in their street environment. When I get a feeling in a town that it is open and inviting to visitors I want to stay there for a while, amble around and capture some of this atmosphere. It is a uniquely different type of street photography. 4. It helps you find ‘triggers’ Working in a small town helps you watch for 'triggers’ in a relaxed environment. Many street photographers go out with some triggers in mind, some particular ideas as to what would make a good photograph, and they watch out for these or try to seek them out. Again, a small town can be a training ground for spotting triggers and I have often seen catchy shop names or signs in small towns that are not so prevalent in cities. Another option is to take a shot that has potential but isn’t quite there yet, and make a note of how it could be improved and what it would need to make it a worthwhile image. Even if the answer is more people or a busy environment it is still a worthwhile exercise. For example, I like taking pictures of threes. When I keep a lookout for threes in a small town environment, even if the subject is not very interesting, I am training my eye to spot more interesting threesomes when the opportunity presents itself in a busier place. 5. It facilitates the hunting approach to street photography There are often considered to be two common approaches to street photography – the fishing approach and the hunting approach. In the fishing approach the photographer finds a background or scene that he or she likes then waits for a good subject to come along. Some photographers wait long periods of time to get the picture they are looking for but it pays off if they come away with a successful image. The hunting approach is where the photographer keeps moving around, watching what is happening, on the alert for an interesting scene or subject, ever watchful as a hunter hunting its prey. The fishing approach requires people to move into a scene whereas the hunting approach can be adapted to hunt for ideas, hints, suggestions, and sometimes nothing more than potential images but in the midst of many misses there may be one hit, one gem that stands out in some way, and the hunt has paid dividends. This image is not that gem but I think it's a good example of finding something when you spend time hunting and trying to be a bit creative with what you find. 6. You get to see the real place Usually in street photography there is a tendency to go to more crowded spots. That’s where the most people are and where most things are happening. But it’s often not where the real people are. In small towns, or the outskirts of bigger towns we can get a more authentic view if the place and appreciate the location from the point of view of the locals. 7. You can look for abstract images Abstract images can be found anywhere and are not unique to small towns yet the unhurried pace can lend itself more to looking for these type of images or creating them from the scenes around us. I plan to do a whole photography shoot taking only abstract images, just for enjoyment and to see what I can capture. Benefits of doing photography in a small town: final words I have tried to give some suggestions as to why I think it is worthwhile considering small towns and villages as legitimate street photography venues. Even if these places are not considered proper street photography locations they are good for our overall photography, even if just for practising our skills and enjoying a photography outing. Do you do photography in a small town? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Recently I was contacted by Brandon Ballweg, street photographer and founder of www.composeclick.com , and asked if I would do an interview for a series he was doing on his website. I was happy to agree and found myself included among more well-known photographers. I pointed out in the interview that I consider myself to be primarily an outdoor photographer, and I am interested in many types of outdoor photography rather than exclusively street photography. However, over the last year I have developed a great love for street photography and was delighted to share my thoughts about my new-found passion. One of the questions which Brandon asked was, 'What is the point of street photography?' It is a question which set me thinking about the essence of street photography. Is street photography more than just snapping random people in the streets? Does it have a real purpose? Below is the answer I gave. Brandon Ballweg: What do you think the point of street photography is? My answer: On one level street photography is an enjoyable genre of photography that allows us to go out with our camera and become part of the street theatre that is playing out before our eyes. We get to observe things that others may not even see, witness the humorous, the quirky, the weird happenings that are part of daily life on our streets, and capture these moments for others to see. Street photography brings joy and fulfilment to the photographer, and we have only to look at the work of any of the great street photographers to know that it also brings immense pleasure to the viewer of the images. On another level, street photography is an important part of our social history. The photographs of great street photographers of the past have left us a uniquely valuable visual legacy documenting a way of life that is no more. I recently visited a photography exhibition in my home city of Dublin, Ireland. The exhibition was not based on the work of any one photographer but rather was a collection of photos from amateur photographers who had documented life on the streets of Dublin in the nineteen fifties and sixties. The exhibition gave a real flavour of life at the time and spanned a range of topics from children's street games to snapshots of the everyday lives of the local people and they presented a vivid picture of living conditions common in inner city Dublin at the time. These photographs are a real example of how photography provides a glimpse into our past. Contemporary street photographers, particularly those whose images stand out in the crowded field of contemporary street photography, are now documenting places, cultures and people’s way of life for future generations. Street photographers also have an important role in documenting pivotal events of our generation, as witnessed by the ‘tough’ photography of Joel Meyerowitz resulting from being given exclusive access to Ground Zero. In the last few years too, images of people going about their daily routines wearing masks will forever be a reminder of the time of the worldwide COVID 19 pandemic. I think the important role of street photography in our society shouldn’t be underestimated. You can read the full text of my interview here

There are many different opinions on street photography. For some photographers, it is the only type of photography they enjoy, and they have discovered how to achieve a good street image every time they go out. Other photographers may find street photography appealing but don’t live close enough to a city or town to give them opportunities to practise the genre. Some photographers may specialise in landscape or general photography and only dabble in street photography from time to time. Others may find candid photography on the streets to be a daunting prospect and something they tend to avoid. There are also those photographers for whom street photography has no appeal whatsoever. In fact, that was my earliest experience – a belief that it wasn’t for me! When I started photography, street photography wasn’t on my radar. I was anxious about getting too close to people on the street, afraid that I would be encroaching on their privacy. But that was not my only hesitation in giving this genre a try. I honestly thought that street photographers just captured random images on busy streets and I didn’t see the appeal of that. Fast forward to today and I can say that street photography is becoming one of my favourite types of photography. But it has been a journey to get to where I am now; a journey of learning from others, experimenting, opening my mind to new possibilities and being happy to enjoy the experience rather than expecting perfect images every time. Recently I began to think about why I find this type of photography so interesting and captivating. Why has street photography ‘grown on me’? I think it boils down to a sense of being part of something bigger, a sense of involvement, almost a feeling of playing the part of an extra in a huge street drama. The main actors in the drama are the people who populate the street – the daily commuters, the workers, the shoppers, the coffee drinkers, the friends and lovers, the dog walkers, the families, the animals. The scenery, or backdrop to the drama, is the city or townscape - the streets, shops, offices, bus and train stations, parks, signs, hoardings, colours, light and shadow. The action is what is happening involving these actors and their environment. It is about how they interact - the intimate gestures, the looks, the interplay between people and places, the humorous incidents that take place unexpectedly, the strange juxtapositions – all the things that make up the drama. As street photographers we are part of the events unfolding around us. We observe the bigger picture. We hear snippets of conversations. We watch interactions among people. We share a unique moment with people we may never see again. And by standing by with our camera, ready to capture images of anything interesting that catches our eye, we see things that others don’t see. Our camera allows us to express our unique view of what we see around us and present it to the world. To sum up I hope I have answered my question, what makes street photography so captivating? Street photography is a unique genre of photography that is loved by many. It is this uniqueness that really appeals to me. I love the sense of capturing a moment that will never come again. But it is not a genre that is easy to master or immediately successful. I believe that we have to fully immerse ourselves in the drama of the street, become an observer of street life and appreciate all that we see, if we are to make interesting street images. It may not be easy and it may not appeal to everyone but street photography is a genre that, with patience and perseverance, we can grow to love.

When we think about what makes a good photograph, we usually accept that one of the variables is composition – how the photographer has composed the image. A good composition is essential if the image is to appeal to the viewer. A simple image will stand out, but so also will a complex one; colour will stand out, and so will black and white, if the composition is right. When an image stands out for me, when I gravitate towards it, I can't always explain why but I know that certain compositions just work for the viewer. I believe that when a photographer, through a combination of experience, learning and intuition, knows exactly how to achieve an interesting composition and to make good use of the available light, there is every chance that the resulting image will stand out for the viewer, regardless of whether that image is simple or complex, shot in colour or black and white. I have struggled to understand exactly what makes a good composition and how to achieve that. I know that the human eye is drawn to how an image is presented in the frame and that composition guidelines that help to make the image more interesting and visually appealing have been around for centuries. However, I have found that putting these guidelines into practice when composing an image is not always easy to do. A few things have helped. # TAKING LOTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS This might seem obvious but taking lots of photographs helps us to develop an intuition for good composition. As I began to critique my own images I could see where a composition didn’t look quite right, and I could look for ways to improve the image. Sometimes a slight crop would improve the composition but more often there were glaring faults and I had to accept that I needed to learn from my composition mistakes and try to improve next time. # TRYING OUT DIFFERENT COMPOSITION TECHNIQUES I have studied the various composition guidelines (there are a lot of them!) and tried to incorporate them gradually. Not all the composition techniques will be needed in any one image, and some will be used more commonly than others. I try incorporate techniques such as adding a foreground and mid-ground element to provide depth; framing my subject within the frame, sometimes called sub-framing; using leading lines to draw the viewer's eye into the frame and varying perspective to provide more interest for the viewer. I might spend some time making use of a technique such as leading lines until I feel happy that I have mastered the use of this technique, then work on another. This approach has helped me keep composition guidelines at the forefront of my mind so that I avoid making any glaring mistakes. # STUDYING THE PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERS The third way that has helped me overcome my struggle with composition is studying the work of great photographers. Spending time with photographs that have withstood the test of time is a good way to help understand what it is that makes them great. I try to work out how these master photographers have placed elements in a frame in such a way that we are drawn to look at their images time and time again. I find that the best way to study the master photographers is to see their images in print. Photography books allow you to spend time looking at a photograph and to come back to a photo you like time and time again. Photography books are not cheap but I often find a gem in my local library, and second hand bookshops are also a good source to try. I have also invested in one or two collections and these have helped to introduce me to photographers I may have been unaware of but whose images are sufficiently highly regarded to be included in a compilation. A FINAL WORD Getting to grips with composition in photography is not easy, yet in my opinion it is the single most necessary aspect of photography that we need to master if we are to create good images. I hope that some of the suggestions above will help you if you are struggling with composition. Above all, keep shooting.

In my last post I said that in my opinion composition is the single most necessary aspect of photography that we need to master if we are to create good images. I believe that to be true, but does it mean that we have to slavishly follow composition rules? We hear a lot about composition rules in photography. Although many photographers like to refer to them as composition techniques rather than rules, there is undoubtedly an accepted set of conventions of composition designed to ensure that our images work for the viewer. Tradition tells us that there are certain ways to compose an image to make a visual impact on the viewer. All photographers are aware of conventions such as the rule of thirds, the golden spiral, the golden triangle, balance in images, and so on. Line, shape, form, number and scale all play an important role in composition, as does the relationship between elements in the frame. While it is important to pay attention to these conventions, it is equally important to trust our own instincts regarding composition. We usually have our own innate sense of what looks right. When we look back at a series of photographs, we tend to have a good idea of the ones that work and those that don’t quite work. However, we often come across a dilemma. We are not sure that if we trust this innate sense while we are composing our images, rather than being bound by rules and regulations imposed from outside ourselves, the viewer will also recognise the ‘rightness’ of the composition? We are constantly encouraged to place a compositional grid on our camera screen and place our subject(s) along the intersecting lines. But if we allow ourselves to be bound by these types of restrictions, are we in danger of losing our own sense of how an image should look? Indeed, our own originality? Obviously, there is a body of evidence to suggest that the human eye responds in a particular way to certain visual stimuli. We don’t want to risk composing in a way that will not have visual appeal. So, we must strike a balance. We must ensure that we neither relegate composition to a set of rules nor completely ignore time honoured conventions of composition. But there must be a place for using our intuition, our natural instinct for how a photograph should work, for looking through the viewfinder and ‘seeing’ in our own way. HOW EDITING CAN HELP COMPOSITION To continue the point that we usually have a good idea of which images work, it is often in an editing program that our innate sense of the rightness of a composition kicks in, and by careful editing we can achieve the look we want. If nothing else, by examining our own images, and establishing what works, we train our eye for composition and develop as photographers. CELEBRATING THE UGLY In The Complete Guide to Photographic Composition, author Tony Worobiec writes: “…if we become over-concerned with composition we may not truly engage the viewer. With some images the creation of a disquieting mood is more important, and it may be necessary to introduce ‘ugliness’ and imbalance in order to achieve this.” This rotting leaf may not be beautiful, and if it had been lying on the ground it would probably have been ignored, but the sun lighting it from behine adds a beauty that is not always seen. FINAL THOUGHTS - WHO DO WE TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS FOR? The answer to this question might well influence our approach to composition 'rules'. If we are interested in taking part in photography competitions, if we show our work on social media to get as many 'likes' as possible, or if we simply value others' opinions of our photographs then we are likely to want to stick as closely as possible to the accepted 'guidelines'. But if we photograph for ourselves, if our own opinion is the only opinion on our work that matters, and if we want to develop our own unique way of taking photographs then maybe we will want to 'break the rules' occasionally, experiment with different ways of doing things, be courageous, try and fail and try again. I believe that our photography will benefit more from this approach than from slavishly sticking to rules. Here are some images that may not be considered to be ‘perfectly’ composed, nor are they beautiful images, but they have a certain something that I like, and I am trusting my instincts in showing them. What do you think?