XT-4

Here we are in week 7 of following the projects in the book 52 Assignments: Street Photography by Brian Lloyd Duckett. I’ve been free-ranging across the themes a little, but with this assignment completed I’m now back on track with the sequence in the book!

This time the assignment was to create a series of six images where signs are the star; where there is a connection between a sign or text of some kind, and other elements of the image.

I found this one quite challenging – more than I had expected. Sharon was with me but following a different assignment (she’s part of a group of photographers working on a project to catalogue all of Melbourne’s surviving city laneways), which meant we were focusing on different things. I found I missed the capacity to ‘bounce off’ each other in exploring the theme. We were also constrained to a specific city block as that’s where Sharon’s laneways were located, and as it happens it was a block where I used to work. That meant I found it a little tricky to find new ways to see the very familiar.

I returned home from the afternoon’s photography feeling a little deflated, almost certain that I hadn’t managed to capture anything of any relevance or connection to the assignment. However, when working through the images in Lightroom I was quite pleased to find pretty much six images that I was comfortable with. So, not a loss after all! Some of the sign/text <-> image connections are perhaps a little too vague or small, but see what you think anyway…

Here we are in week 6 of following the projects in the book 52 Assignments: Street Photography by Brian Lloyd Duckett. I’ve been free-ranging across the themes a little, but we are almost back in sequence with the book now!

The assignment this time was to go out after dark and produce a series of nine images, all focusing on a shared theme or idea. As usual, I kept my focus local rather than venturing into the city.

I’ve done plenty of street photography at night over the years, but I must admit it’s been quite a few years since then! It was good fun to get out there with a theme in mind as well – my focus this time was food places, and being on the outside looking in. Lots of interesting things going on, from in-depth conversations to diners lost in thought. Here’s a tip – apparently 9:00pm on a Sunday night is the perfect time for frozen yoghurt, judging by the length of the queue! Sharon joined me on this assignment again which always makes it more fun and interesting. Sharon focused on neon lights (and other bright signs) – who knew our local shops could be such a rich source of images across multiple themes and ideas?

I also had to remember how to process night photos, and ended up really enjoying the whole exercise. Thank goodness for long weekends so that I could be out so late on a Sunday.