Travel & Humanitarian Photos
I teach a number of photographic workshops in Asia which are invariably good fun and I tend to get as much out of them as I hope my students do. However, one of the techniques that I can’t teach on a workshop is the “wait and watch” technique. It’s served me very well over the years and is simplicity itself. It involves nothing more than finding a place to sit and… err… waiting. Whilst I could probably explain to my students the benefit of checking the area where they’re planning on parking their derrière in order to avoid embarrassing stainage when standing again, there’s not much else to it. As it involves sitting in that one place for extended periods, twenty minutes, perhaps an hour, it would be difficult for me to justify including it in a half-day workshop. Wouldn’t it?
So, let me describe how it works to you, dear reader, then at least I’ve explained it to somebody. I find a place that think has some photographic interest. Often a wall with an interesting texture or, as in this case, an alleyway with a shaft of light falling into it. Then, after checking carefully, I sit my a*se down and get comfy. I might take a test exposure or two before a potential subject appears, making sure that I’m capturing the full dynamic range of the scene and I’ll think about composition. In essence, I’ll set up the framing and exposure for a shot and then sit and wait for somebody to walk across the frame and complete the picture.
In this case, I found a perch beside two women who were sitting on a small platform outside a row of houses. The alleyway looked interesting and the light filtering through the overhead rooftops looked good, a bit bright, but worth a closer look. I took a few frames of people walking up or down the alley and some are OK. I’d been chatting to the two women. I say “chatting”, I mean that we were all doing the Indian/Nepali head wobble as that was our only common language. It was all very friendly and we were finding it so amusing that I hadn’t noticed the two girls, I assume they’re sisters, walk past me until one of the women called out to them.
They turned and paused, clearly trying to figure out what this bizarre man was doing in their alleyway. Check out the body language in this shot, there must be some kind of mirroring going on as the younger girl watches her older sister.
The older girl approached, encouraged by the woman I’d been talking to – perhaps an aunt or, if not related, certainly a friend of the family. The younger girl was clearly trying to figure out if I was going to be worth the effort of re-tracing her steps.
They hung around for a bit, trying to look cool and uninterested in me but obviously keen to see the pictures I’d taken.
The older sister decided that some enthusiastic bag gymnastics might speed the process up and began flinging her school bag over her head.
I eventually dug out a bag of Thai Airways cashews that had been hiding in my camera bag since the flight from Bangkok. That was it, no sooner had I passed them over and the woman beside me given strict instructions that they were to be shared fairly than the girls were off.
Heading home and discussing how best to share their cashews no doubt.
The important thing about this sequence, for me, is that I photographed it in a very different way than I would have when I first came here several years ago. It’s interesting to notice as your technique changes and, hopefully, improves. These shots show much more of the context of the scene whereas before I’d have been tempted to photograph the girls’ faces only. Rather than concentrating on them alone, I’ve tried to include some of their surroundings and I knew when I took up my position at the end of this alleyway that I’d be looking for a wide-angle shot. I think it’s worked OK – at least, I quite like this sequence. If I had to choose one then the second shot is my favourite. I love that little girl’s expression. What do you think?
To me, they are absolutely perfect shots. I have watched your image taking change over time & photographing “in a very different way” has really paid off. Whilst the images all stand alone, as a sequence they tell an intriguing story. Your location is very cleverly selected with the varying textures, that conveniently open window, & interestingly that green plastic bucket which just makes it! Your luck was perhaps in discovering those two absolutely gorgeous children!! If you wanted to convince anyone that sitting and simply waiting is a really important thing to do, then I`m sure that nobody would need much persuasion in following your advice after seeing these absolutely cracking shots. Frankly, I`d have thought it worth waiting for a week if I could have captured any of these!!
Interesting series, quite emotive.
Number two is definitely my favorite.
Great shots
Great set, especially shots 1 and 2…It’s really good to see Bhaktapur in a different perspective
Absolutely wonderful Gavin. As Heath says though they all stand out well on their own, as a series they are elevated to something so much more. If I had to pick favourites it would be 1 followed very closely by 2.
Gavin, What a great set of images – I love the lighting. I agree, I like image 2 best – the expression and the reflected light in the eye is wonderful. But, I also like the way, that collectively, the images show a story. The other very strong point that came across to me in this set of images is the fact that the images clearly show that you are engaging with the subjects – there is also a story unfolding in their expressions. And as for including the environment, that was a good choice. Not only does it put the girls in context, it reveals more about their surroundings, and that streak of light running down the street, adds to the view and lifts the image.
For me, I think story telling is another skill to add to our bag of photographic tricks. Sometimes images work as stand alone, sometimes they work as a set, and sometimes they do both. In this set you have both. As far as including the technique in a workshop is concerned, I think if you use this set of images, and explain the technique and rationale, it would be worth adding.
I was wondering – did you shoot on manual (the meter readings look very similar)?
Thanks
DT
I really love shot number 2. Outstanding!
Gavin I love the light in these photos. Number 2 is my favourite too. I wish I could be patient enough to sit and wait an hour. I will add that to the list of the million and one things I want to learn!
Really nice stuff. Nepal agrees with you. I especially like #2 (the girl in the foreground) and #5 (he first one of them walking away). There’s a wonderful air of mystery in that image with the leading light and darkness in the background.
jack
Not much I can add that hasn’t already been said. Simply delightful. And as for image #2 (my favourite): I’d sell my soul to the devil to get a shot like that!
Another batch of terrific shots, Gavin. You have a real gift for relating to your subjects. The girl on the left in photo #3 would make a superb image on its own, in my opinion.
I love the second image as well as the last image.
I hate them all but as a favour to you I’d put them in my portfolio just so you don’t have to tell people you shot this crap. (Gorgeous work, Gavin. Man I miss Bhaktapur…)
Love your blog…my favourite pic is the 2nd image.
Oh man, just freaking awesome Gavin. No doubt you were a very happy man leaving that alleyway: nothing beats that feeling of knowing you just nailed a shot…or in this case 6 shots.I actually think my favourite might be #6- there is just something so whimsical about it: I love the way one little girl has her arm on the other, the schoolbag is almost dragging and the way that you have shown the whole alleyway “Its a story”.
The girls, the real subject, just seem to pop off your pictures. Well done.
Hello Gavin love the pictures especially nos 2 & 3. Just shows what you can get in the way of fantastic pics if one is prepared to just sit & wait its surprising what goes on.Keep on photographing.
Hi Gavin,having been to this location 23 years ago with my wife,your superb images took us back there,we could almost smell the place,number 2 is brilliant.
Funny how in our frequently rushed world we find it hard to sit still for more than five minutes but, as you’ve shown brilliantly, sitting and doing nothing can be a perfect recipe for great photographs. Whenever I feel the need to sit down for a while I always convince myself I’m working!
Great blog Gavin and good to see another LPI photographer out doing their thing.