For a long time, getting the focus right on the subject was important to me. What was the point in taking a photograph unless the subject was pin sharp and crystal clear? Surely photography was always about every detail and every aspect of the subject being in focus? So I’d go out, armed with my camera, survey the scene, set my lens to f8, raise the shutter speed to 1/1000, then take the shot, confident I will get a nice sharp photo. Recently, that’s shifted…
Of course, I still take shots where the subject is in sharp focus, but I’ve gradually shifted away from that being my default, starting to look more at shapes, lights and forms, giving the viewer something to figure out. Not too much that it becomes almost impossible to discern what the subject is, but enough to make the viewer do a little bit of work. It is much more about a sense of the street rather than accurately portraying every detail, every element of the city.
In a way, I guess this is a natural progression. I tend to enjoy art that demands investment from those engaging with it. Whether it be films or books, I like something that challenges me, that gets me to do some work. I tend to find myself less interested in art that presents the obvious, the popcorn movie or the page turner. Every now and then I’ll indulge of course, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying something light. But it’s not what gets my juices flowing, what gets me interested, engaged, talking, thinking…
Sure, this kind of photography is very in vogue (and owes a lot to the popularity of Saul Leiter’s work), and can sometimes veer into cliche. However, I find it a valuable process in understanding the importance of form and light, and not just worrying about whether my subject is in focus. Learning different techniques and approaches are, in my view, an important step in developing as a photograpger. This approach isn’t an end point, it’s just part of the learning process. And it’s a part I am very much enjoying.
Here’s some shots taken around Shoreditch and Liverpool Street Station.