John Londei
Londei is a British photographer who started a series called 'Shutting up Shop' in the 1970s and captured images of small traditional shops over a fifteen-year period. All the small independent shops he photographed have now almost all gone and this series pays tribute to an era that has all but disappeared. Each one of his images are very unique as there are a range of different kind of shops: pharmacies, flower shops, family run grocery shops and many more. The series not only captures shops from London but also other regions in the UK. Londei also spoke to the shopkeepers and said that all the shops were very well cared and cherished for which I think gives his images more meaning.
Tom Hunter
Tom Hunter photographed shops in Bethnal Green and Hackney, capturing the diversity of contemporary everyday life in the capital. Even though the photographs capture the shop as well as the shopkeepers, it is ultimately these shopkeepers that are the focus of our attention. The images show a quiet side to the shop as there are no customers, however there is always a sense of the anticipated customer, as the shopkeepers wait to serve them. The photographs are not about the surface appearance of the shops, they bring out the feel of the place. In the photograph of the newsagents, we can see health and safety notices and fire extinguishers, which suggest the way society is ordered.
First Response
For this task, I went out to Muswell Hill Broadway and looked for small independent shops. I wanted to capture portraits showing the owners and the small details of their shop that really make the shop what it is. I think my images are quite successful as I have some more close-up portraits but also some further away shots. I really like how in my second image of the 'Hampstead Butchers', you can see a shop-worker but you can also see meats behind him which tells the viewer what sort of shop it is. I also really like how in the first image, the man is engaged with the camera. However, 'Hampstead Butchers' is not an independent shop so for my next response I will make sure I am just focusing on small independent shops as that is the aim of this task. I also went to 'The Bakers Of Muswell Hill' which is an independent shop, and captured the woman working. I like how in the first image she is getting the bread out of the rack as it makes the shot more natural. I also like how you can see the prices of some of their products as this gives it away that the shop is small and independent as the prices are hand-written. However, I would have liked to capture more portraits of the people working there and more details in their shop.
Hampstead Butchers
The Bakers Of Muswell Hill
Second Response
I decided to do a second response for this task as I wasn't that pleased with my first response and I didn't capture many images. One of the reasons why I didn't get many images in my first response is because many of the shop owners were reluctant for me to take a portrait of them. Also, I didn't really focus on the details of the shop, which I think was essential for this task as the small details are what makes the shop intriguing. Additionally, the images I took were not of the actual shop owner, they were just an employee. I think it was important for me to do a first response and then go out and do it again, as I can learn what worked the first time and what I can do next time in order to improve my images. Even though, I went to Muswell Hill broadway for my first response, I don't think I took advantage of the fact that Muswell Hill is known for their small independent shops, so I wanted to make sure this time I solely focused on shops that were either family-run or independent.
W Martyn
The first shop I visited was W Martyn. I think this shop was perfect for this task as it is a traditional and old-fashioned family business which was established in 1897. My images were successful as I captured details in the shop but I also got to capture a woman that had been working there for many years. When capturing her, I used the rule of thirds which makes the image very effective as you can see the background of the shop and the types of products they sell. I particularly like the first image below. In the shop there was two tills and one of them was behind this wall with a small opening to serve customers. I really like how all the products around this till are arranged quite neatly and you can see behind the till there are more products hanging on the wall. Even though these images were successful, I could have maybe tried and taken more close-up images of the products they were selling.
Carlton's Cleaners and Launderers
I also went to Carlton's dry cleaners which is run by a husband and wife. I asked to photograph the wife first as she was the one behind the till but she refused so she got her husband who was at the back of the shop and he was very friendly and he gave me permission to photograph him. He is actually the owner of the shop which made the image more effective. I quite like how he is in the centre of the image as it shows how he is in charge of the business. However, I didn't get many shots of the shop as it was very small.
Broadway Pet Stores
Lastly, I went to a pet store in Muswell Hill which is also a family-run business who have been running this store for over 40 years. This pet shop has been in the same location since the 1930s. I managed to photograph the couple together. I positioned my camera in a way that made them not be in the centre of the photograph. Their store is very small and everywhere you looked there was many pet products.
Somos Brasil by Marcus Lyon
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Somos Brasil is a multimedia exhibition and book. These high quality portraits explore the diversity of Brazilian identity. Over a six-month period Lyon toured Brazil exploring the most diverse corners of the country with a producer and sound recordist. Together they mapped the ancestral DNA, personal stories and visual identity of over one hundred remarkable Brazilians. Somos Brasil draws three elements of identity: visual, spoken and genetic together to cast light on the personal, social and cultural diversity of Brazil.
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Richard Avedon: In the American Midwest
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Richard Avedon (1923-2014) was born and lived in New York City where his interest in photography lead him to join the Young Men's Hebrew Association camera club when he was twelve years old. In this series, he photographed different people in Texas. He carried a white backdrop with him and pinned it to the outside of buildings to create a makeshift studio. This blank, seamless backdrop is used to really bring the attention on the person and it removes all contextual evidence. Even though there is this blank space, it almost makes the viewer feel as if they are getting to know the person. The pictures may only be their mute selves but in fact, they tell a story.
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'In North London'
In this task, I went around Muswell Hill and wanted to try and capture different people with a white backdrop. We had to go out in pairs so one of us could hold up the white backdrop and the other to photograph. It was quite challenging at first to ask random strangers to photograph them but after asking a few, it got easier, however some people refused to have their photograph taken. The use of the white backdrop removes all contextual evidence and brings the viewers focus onto the person photographed. In total I got 4 different people. Even though I initially aimed to photograph at least three people, I realised that I should have actually asked more people as I would have had a greater range of ethnicities and races. I decided to to use Avedon's technique of editing the image into black and white to see how it would look. I put the coloured photograph next to the black and white one. I like both the coloured and black and white images but I prefer the coloured images when the model is wearing coloured clothes as I think it looks effective with the white backdrop. For my second response, I want to ask a greater range of people so that I have a variety of races.
Second Response
For my second response, I wanted to photograph a wider range of ethnicities. I went to Muswell Hill Broadway again and stood outside Planet Organic as many people walk past there as there is a bus stop and many shops around. I think I was more successful in photographing a wider range of races. I used the same technique as my first response with the white background and I again really like how it almost makes the viewer feel as if they are seeing the vulnerable and pure side to the people photographed. In one of my images, I photographed a ginger woman who was wearing a blue scarf. This contrast between the ginger and blue and the white background really makes her stand out and makes her seem more "interesting". I also really like the second image of one of the site managers at my school. Even though he is not looking directly at the camera, I still think the image is effective as you can tell that he has a very bubbly personality. However, I think some of my image were not composed so well as sometimes they stood quite far from the white backdrop which meant when I was editing my images, I had to crop them quite a lot in order to get rid of areas that did not have the white background.
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Columbia Road Flower Market
I visited Columbia Road Flower Market and documented it. On Sundays the street is transformed into an oasis of foliage and overflowing bucketfuls of beautiful flowers. The market has been happening since 1869. For the past half-century, however, traders have regularly been selling seasonal flowers and plants at bargain prices. What really stands out is the the independent nature of Columbia Road Flower Market and the sense of community felt as you browse the forest of foliage. I went at around 12pm and it was extremely busy and hectic which made it quite difficult to capture the workers as they were constantly moving around and shouting. The images I took definitely portray the essence of the market. I like how the vibrant colours bring the image to life. I would have liked to have captured closer portraits of the workers but as I said, it was extremely busy.
Paul Tucker
Paul Tucker is a London based photographer who did a project called 'Allotments', where he wanted to photograph the life cycle of an allotment, from its dormant state in March to rapid and full growth in August. His images give a sense of emptiness and seclusion which really contrasts with the city's hecticness. Allotments are plots of land given to local community members so they can grow their own fruit and vegetables. The tradition dates back hundreds of years, to when poorer people needed the land as their main source of food. People see their allotments as a place where they can go to when they need to get away from their stressful lives. There is a real sense of community in allotments. Many people also have an allotment as it really helps the environment; growing organic vegetables benefit the environment as it help limit the amount of pesticides and other harmful chemicals in the soil.
My Response
I visited the allotment in on Creighton Avenue, Muswell Hill to try and respond to Tucker's work. I was very lucky with the weather as it was very sunny and there were clear skies which made my images very bright which did not have to be adjusted on photoshop as much. There were mostly old, retired people when I went and I was able to capture one man that was gardening and who looed very happy with this plot. I really tried to focus on details which really make up the allotment. For example, I photographed two sheds as I thought that sheds are very important features to allotments as each one is owned by different people, storing different things in them. One improvement that could be made, is that I could have photographed more people there as I just managed to get one. Maybe on a weekend there would be a wider range of age groups as when I went, it was on a weekday so everyone was probably at work.
The Allotment in Muswell Hill