the zoom lens and perspective (again!)

camera about 75 cm from the model's face, zoom at 17mm

I have written about the zoom lens before. Today I return to the subject, because the use of perspective is essential for the rendition of your subject. Very basically speaking: when you zoom out, and go close, you get depth in a photo with large and small: those elements close to the lens appear big, those further from the lens appear small. This can give very dynamic photos, and I use it frequently. Once on assignment in Zambia, the man from the project I was photographing said: you go close to yur subject, don't you? I thought for a moment and I realised it was true. I did not think about that very much, I just created the image in my viewfinder. When you go close and zoom out, the viewer also feels close to the subject, and that draws him in. So for reportage, if you want a subjective feel, a feel that the viewer is on the spot himself, it can be good to go real close.

On the other hand wide angles' distortion can be unpleasant. The opposite is true when you zoom in and take distance: the parts of your subject further fromteh camera don't seem so much smaller than the ones closer to the camera: the perspective is compressed. If you want depth when zoomed in, usually your best option is to open up the aperture, and use selective focus: only the distance from the camera you focus on becomes sharp, everything closer or further becomes unsharp.
Today I got Tinashe to model for me. Thank you Tinashe. (by the way, if you need a great wedding cake in Malawi, contact her, her cakes are delicious and beautiful! https://www.facebook.com/alinafetinashe.kanjanani)

So when you are close and zoomed out the part of your subject close to the camera appears bigger,

the part further from the camera appears smaller. When photographing people, it is often best to keep the camera at eye level, so the viewer will identify with the subject. If you are close and have the camera at your model's eye level, you look down on the legs, and because of for-shortening, they come out short. In most model photography that is not what you want.

camera about 10 meters from the model, zoom at 135mm

 For the next photo I moved back about 10 meters and with a telelens of 135 mm I got her to fill the whole photo. Again the camera is at her eye level. You see now, that her legs come out much longer, here we do justice to her natural beauty.

If you are in a confined space and have no option of moving back 10 meters, often the best compromise is to move back as far as you can, maybe have the model a bit closer to the back wall and hold the camera at her waist level. This is not as flattering for the face, as you look up and that way emphasize the chin, but it is much better for the legs than the camera at her eye level. In a full length photo the face is less important than the whole body, that's the point of a full length photo.

But nothing beats taking distance from your model to bring out the legs to their full potential.

The photos story 3: photo series

In the previous blog entry we looked into the photo reportage. This time we are looking at the photo series. The photo series is different from reportage. In reportage the photos follow the subject through time. In a series, time does not play a role. A number of connected subjects is photographed less or more in the same way. It can be people, or it can be different subjects. A very strict example of the photo series is the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher. You can find some of their work here:

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/becher-pitheads-t01922

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/95

http://japanorama.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/image-by-bernd-and-hilla-becher-ii1.jpg

http://japanorama.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/becher001.jpg

You see that they specialized in industrial monuments, photographed in very much the same way. The subject totally fills the frame, the camera is precisely horizontal, the angle on the subject is the same, even the weather: it is always overcast. Because the photos are so similar, you are invited to compare the subjects, and see the similarities and differences.

In the photo series variation is usually less than in reportage or photo essay.

A less strict example of the photo series is here, a story by Thoko Chikondi about small scale vendors in Blantyre. They are photographed in a less strict way than the Bechers do, but still you see strong similarities.

A particular favorite of mine is the work of the Zimbabwean photographer Kudzanai Chiurai. Here he photographed the same model in the same way: from the waist up, camera below eye level, with the same background, only the model is dressed differently for each photo.

An example in my own work is this portrait series about the youth and the forest. A series of photos of young Malawians, with some way they benefit from the forest. Some are photographed closer, some a bit further off, but always the young person is the main subject.

The photo story 2: reportage

In a previous blog entry we have seen that the basic challenge with a photo story is the tension between coherence on one hand and variation on the other. We need coherence to give the reader the feeling that the photo story is one piece of art, not a random collection of photos. On the other hand we need enough variation to keep the interest of the viewer.

To create coherence, there are three basic forms used to construct the photo story. Many photo stories do not follow any of the three to the letter, but most successful photo stories do fall in one of the three categories, more or less. Once you understand these ways of thinking, variations will come to mind when you are creating a photo story.

The three basic forms are:

1. Reportage: the story follows the subject through time. Most wedding photography follows this form: the bride dresses up, goes to the church, the officiation, the posed photos in the garden, the reception from beginning to end. Also this form is used commonly in photojournalism
2.  Photo series: in  photo series time plays no role, but a number of similar photos are juxtaposed. Often the style of every photo is the same, but the subject different though related. For instance in a portrait series, we place a number of portraits of people who have something in common together. Then the viewer will see the similarities and differences between the subjects.
3. Photo essay: this form shows the subject in many different ways. Because there is not much formal coherence this form is not easy to hold together: if the style and subject of photos are not similar enough, the story may fall apart into separate photos that together do not feel as one work.

In this entry I will show a reportage. Later we will look into the other forms.

The reportage below is about night fishing in Senga Bay. The reportage is actually part of a larger photo essay about the fishing village there, that is under threat from a project developer trying to evict the fishermen. It is not uncommon for a large photo essay to have sub-stories in the form of reportage or photo series.

In the photo reportage and the photo essay, often variation is achieved by using four different types of photos:

1.     Establishing photo: a photo that shows the place where the story takes place. Usually from a distance with a wide angle lens so you get an overview. This photo is often the first one shown, but that is not necessary. And of course there is no reason for it to be the first one made, even if it is the first one shown. More complex photo stories may have more than one establishing photo for different locations.

2.    Action photos: in reportage these often form the core of the story, how the action develops. They show what is done, and how it is done.

3.   Portraits: we as people are social animals, we like to socialize. This also happens in a photo story, we are interested in the people that are portrayed; a good portrait gives us the chance to see who we are dealing with

4.   Close-up or detail photo shows us something small, depicted big in the photo so we can see the details. This gives visual variation in the story.

There are other ways to create variation, for instance with wide angle versus tele lens (and the perspective they create) or with camera angles, using vertical (portrait format) versus horizontal (landscape format) photos, or even square ones. Different lighting situations can be employed, and a whole lot more. The challenge is to use variation in such a way that the whole story still feels as one.
You can find another example of reportage photography here (by Bonex Julius)
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.108877715955044.15230.106561352853347&type=3

NIGHT FISHING IN SENGA BAY

the beach and the lake (establishing photo)

two of the fishermen (portrait)

fueling the lamps used for the night fishing-(action photo)

When it is dark they set off for the lake - (action photo)

At dawn the fishing boats return to the beach - (landscape or action photo)

a young boy with some of the catch - (portrait)

the catch (close up)

the fish is sold right at the boat on the beach (action photo)

Scale

A photo can be displayed at almost any size. This means you don't know how big the depicted objects are in the real world. Sometimes this is the whole point of the photo.
This morning when I woke up, I found a big spider in my bedroom. I decided to remove it, so I caught it under a glass. Then I wanted to show my European friends what interesting wildlife we have in Malawi, so I made a photo of it.

The photo does not show how big the spider is. But the only clue you have it the glass, which could also be any size. I added a matchbox, we all know the size of a matchbox, so now you know the zsize of the spider. When I saw the photo on my lcd screen I realised it had the added advantage of adding a splash of colour, which emphasised the drab grey brown of the spider.

The photo story

One photo can say a lot (“a photo is worth a thousand words”) but often it is not enough. Then we make a photo story. With a photo story we can show many different sides of the subject and that way create a clearer, more complete, and often more subtle and nuanced image of the subject. A photo story must have enough cohesion to work as one work of art, as well as enough variation to keep the interest of the viewer.

Almost always we limit ourselves to a subject to create cohesion. The subject can be broad or limited. A broad subject is more difficult, because it is not easy to hold the story together. Another way of improving the cohesion of the story is style. Often we use one specific style of photography for a story. Usually all photos will be either in colour or black-and-white. If we make most photos handheld in black and white with extreme camera angles, then including one photo in colour with a very strict composition with the horizon straight may not look like part of the story. We would need a strong reason for including one photo that is very different in style from the others. In this example the reason could be: you make a photo story about the long career of a musician, and you use a number of photos of stage shows over the years made in black and white, and add a recent studio portrait in colour.

Variation can be created by using different types of photos, like a long shot versus close up, vertical or horizontal orientation, and different aspects of the story as subjects.

Here is a photo story that I did about the township Zingwangwa. All photos are street photography in black and white with sepia colouring. People are the centre of attention as I was interested in peoples lives under these circumstances. All photos were made handheld. Most are middle distance but there are two closer ones there.

For most photos stories I think ahead and make a list of the photos that I am looking for. I keep checking my list as I am working to make sure I do not miss opportunities. I sometimes add to the list as I am working and get ideas from the people I talk to, or from what I see.

I do not stick to my list tightly, but use it as a guideline. In the Zingwangwa story I did not make a list, I just went there with a friend and saw what I came across. That results in a looser type of story, not so tightly constructed. I was not looking for only highpoints of action, but also for daily life events, people sitting around waiting, or not involved in anything unusual.

More about different types of photo stories later.