Photo Story - Process

Week 0: Fotomuseum Art Reflection

This photo reminded me of my own relationship with my father. Tessa Posthuma de Boer talked about how her father wouldn’t allow anyone to direct him because he was also a photographer. Therefore, whenever she attempted to photograph him, he would put something between them. This seems to be a common trend with photographers because they usually prefer to be behind a camera and get uncomfortable when they are suddenly in front of one. I love how her father’s hand and her own camera both block the view between each other, but it also represents their special connection through their shared love of photography. This portrait is also authentic because it’s an example of what he would always do when she tried to photograph him.

My father was also a photographer and throughout the years I ran into a very similar situation. We would butt heads about photography styles and directing and he would make silly faces if I ever tried to take a portrait of him.

This is a beautifully constructed portrait as well. The shallow depth of field, the catchlight in his eye, and contrast between the light on his face and the darkness of the edges all lead my eye directly to his. The soft lighting creates a nice texture and separates him from the background well. Since the viewer is lead to his eye through his hand, the viewer knows that this was the photographer’s focal point from her point of view. I like how this symbolizes the way they view one another, both in this exact moment and as photographers.

Week 1: Subject Idea

Week 1, Assignment 1: Mind Map and Project Idea

For my photo story project, I first wanted to do a story about stagehands and the importance of the arts are not recognized enough. However, I struggled to gain access into theaters and performance venues to create such images.

I began to think about what else inspired me. I love exploring and meeting new people, and the way I've handled being in a new country where I know no one has proven that I have a skill for talking to people fairly easily. Even as I struggled with my original idea, I was going out and trying street photography in the city — which is not my strong suit. I would find beautiful light and kept my eye out for things that represented the city to share with friends and family back in the U.S. Any time I've gone to a new part of the city, it has felt quite different from the last. The neighborhoods in Amsterdam all have their own personality and unique traits that make the city extra fun to explore.

I loved seeing how many people from all over the world were in Amsterdam at the same time I was. Even though I am a foreigner here, I have felt welcomed and not too out of place because a large amount of people here are not locals either. Even though directness is common and can be taken as rudeness in the Dutch culture, strangers have only been kind and helpful to me.

I decided that I wanted to document the diverse areas around Amsterdam as well as the diversity amongst the people here to represent how the city has felt welcoming and open to me. I wanted to show people back home, people who don't know a thing about Amsterdam, and those who know this city inside and out what I noticed about this unique place along with the connections I got to make during my time here.

Wanting to challenge myself, I chose to take portraits on the street. I have a lot of experience taking portraits over the years, but not so much in spur of the moment situations. I've also gotten used to creating photo stories with a beginning, middle, and end through my assignments as a photojournalist with my university newspaper back in the states, so I wanted to create a longer term project that was ongoing instead. Also, even though I am good at talking to people, I become shy and overwhelmed whenever I try street photography. I wanted to practice going up to strangers and making new connections while still taking photographs.

Mood Board

Brandon Stanton - Humans of New York

One photography book I've owned and been inspired by for years is Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton. This is a photoblog of street portraits and interviews which he collected on the streets of New York City in 2010. On each page, he has portraits of people he saw and/or talked to and added quotes, their life stories, or a personal story about how he took the photo. I love how as a viewer I can see the person's personality shine through in just one image. I also love how the blog-like captions add context about the people and create a deeper interest for me as I flip through the pages.

Stanton's goal was to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street to practice his photography and catalogue the people in the city. He began to interview some of them as the project went on. Since then, there are two bestselling books and he has now traveled to 20 different countries to tell stories around the world. He gained a large following on social media where he would share these stories as well.

One photo I easily remember is a full body portrait of "the green lady." Next to the photo, there are these quotes:

"So do you do a different color every day?"
"No, I used to go through different stages. But then I found that I was happiest when I was green, so I've been green for 15 years."

This is quite a simple portrait, but that is good because she is very bright so it isn't too busy, plus this still captures her essence and personality. The caption adds an extra element to emphasize what the visual photo tells on its own, while also humanizing the photographer and adding more of his perspective. I think viewers tend to forget about the photographer behind the camera sometimes, but this reminds people that this was an exchange between two humans.

I love following documentary and travel photographers who's jobs are to photograph people, stories, and communities all over the world. It's so inspiring to look through photo books and see a collection printed of work made with a purpose in mind. I've been studying photography for many years now, but I've never started my own personal project with a theme before.

This photo is paired with the quote: “I could look poised in a paper bag. These are ladies’ pants, I don’t even care.”

Stanton looked for some people where he mostly noticed their style. I like that he had these people pose almost like mannequins so the viewer would focus the most on the fashion element. I appreciate how he used natural light and blurred out the background, but I can still see where he is on the street. I love that the quote gives this "mannequin" personality. This is also a very simple portrait, but when it is put within a collection of work, this man is cataloged as one of many New Yorkers. The simplicity is a stylistic choice to make the person and their uniqueness the main point of the photo.

1/5

Matt Humphrey

Humphrey is an international award-winning photographer from Brighton, UK. His photos involve live performances and behind the scenes that visualize the process of it all. He takes intimate portraits and documentary photos that immerse the viewer into the realm of entertainment. He has taken photos for multiple films and has clients like Lions Gate Films, Universal, Royal Academy, and National Theatre. He’s a two-time winner of the BJP Portrait of Britain Prize, has an exhibition at the Leica store in London, and published a book called Curtain Call: A Year Backstage in London Theatre.

Humphrey has a selection of photographs under the title Backstage on his website. These photos are all very close to the main subject and most were taken with a wide angle lens. I love how he uses the limited lighting in creative ways to highlight the subjects. He frames his main focus beautifully in every shot within dark and light spaces. The compositions are carefully constructed, very clean, and simplified to have more impact. Many of his photos are in black and white, which I think helps with any noise from working in low light situations. The contrast also becomes more prominent this way and helps the photo not look too busy. I think I love his work because I relate to his style and I see myself taking photos with a similar approach. The photos capture many different emotions from the performers both on and off stage. I can feel the anxiety from some before they go on stage and the passion while they are performing.

I want to be able to capture emotion this strongly in my own work as well by considering where light is coming from and what feeling it creates. I also want to use color and composition like he does to frame his subject and represent their emotions within the moment too. Since I'll be working with whatever light is available, I am inspired by the way Humphrey finds available light to his advantage.

Week 2: Theme

My main theme is about openness and kindness because these are qualities I admire about the people of Amsterdam. Since this city has been so welcoming for me as a foreigner, I want to show what this feels like visually. I want each individual portrait to tell a story about who the subject is and the moment we shared, but when the portraits come together, they tell a larger story about Amsterdam in general.

Assignment 2: Mood Portraits

Since I wanted to go take portraits that evoke openness and connection between subject and viewer, I decided to practice doing this with myself. To become more comfortable in front of the camera, I decided to listen to some orchestral music that inspires me. I connected my camera to my phone and let it shoot while I listened to the music. I love this shot because I looked over at the camera for a second when I felt nostalgic about the song. I think someone who looks at this photo could feel like I am looking at them like an old friend, sharing a moment that brings back memories. The eye contact and the authenticity of the moment help create this natural connection.

A black and white self portrait reflecting how music inspires me.

Week 3: Semiotics

Assignment 3: Signs

This man’s connection with his phone and the position he is holding it in is a symbol that he is connecting with his fans even though the stadium seats are empty. You must know the cultural meaning of live streaming or recording yourself for people to see on social media. The sign that reads “Montefiore” is also a symbol because this is an advertisement for an organization in the US, meaning this setting is probably in the US. An icon in this photo is the drumset, the lights, and the wires around the man because this means he is on the stage of a concert. The lights around the venue and the empty seats are an index that this is before a show.

The denotation, or the subject, is a performer on stage before a concert taking a video or photo for social media. The connotation is that even though the venue is empty, the performer still connects with his fans through the use of social media. The facial expression he is making in this photo is pathos because he is excited and talking to the phone. The logos connects his surroundings to the context of when this is: before a concert.

I want to focus on pathos to convey emotion, kairos to capture a specific moment where I connect with my subject, and indexes that reflect my theme of openness. I will get close to my subject and use this angle as an index that the person I am photographing is friendly and has built some kind of trust with me to let me get that close. I will wait for the opportune moment when their emotion shows off their personality and what kind of a connection we made. If they are smiling and making eye contact, this is an icon that they were open and connecting with me.

Week 4: Formal Elements

Assignment 4: Form

In this photo, the photographer chose to place the subject in the center of the frame. He used leading lines from the buildings and the line of cars to direct the viewer's gaze directly to the woman's face. He used a shallow depth of field to blur out the background, as well as a longer lens to compress the view. This helps keep the focus on the subject since her outfit is very busy and so is the background. Even though the background is blurred, context clues like the buildings and the taxi still show that they are in New York City. The image is in color to bring out the matching colors in the woman's style. The lighting is soft and natural, so it seems like this was taken on a cloudy day. He exposed for the woman rather than the sky as well, so this also probably means it was cloudy. Because the photographer centered her and clearly made the focus on her, the viewer understands that she gets attention on the street. Since he kept the photo in color and made her outfit sharp, it tells the viewer to notice her outfit and think about what it says about her personality. Based on these elements, a viewer can see she is a funky, hip, and confident New Yorker.

1/5

I went out one day and tried out my idea by talking to street performers and people I saw in Museumplein. I tried taking an action shot of a dancer in front of the Rijksmuseum, a photo of an accordion player as he performed, and regular portraits of people I met that day. Since I was mostly thinking about how to approach people, I wasn't focused on the lighting as much and ended up with light that is too harsh in the first photo. The photos in the tunnel were alright, but I didn't make a connection with the accordion player and the portrait of the man doesn't say much about him. The portrait of the man in the tour ticket booth is also okay, but the indoor lighting doesn't look flattering or professional. The last photo is my favorite and is an example of what I would like to achieve with portraits through this series going forward. I love the side light and the textures it brings out, and I love the eye contact during the action. I like how he is framed within rule of thirds and the shadows in the background make the scene more interesting. There is also a catchlight in his eye which makes the photo pop even more. I think this photo captures a special moment, and my goal is to take more portraits like this.

My plan is to frame people within the rule of thirds in a landscape frame to show both the subject and the place they are in. Since my project is about the places and not only about the people, I want to blur out the background a bit to bring focus to my subjects, but not too much so the viewer can still see the details of the environment. I have taken a few test images where I didn't get close enough to the subject so there isn't a clear connection between me and the person. I want to shoot with a fairly wide lens to show how close I can get to the subject to refer to the trust level and open nature of my subjects. I don't want to get so close that it distorts the subject's features, however.

I plan on finding the best natural light in the moment and using reflective surfaces to bounce light onto the front of the subjects as much as possible. This is mainly because I feel using a flash would take away from the naturalness of the moment as I meet strangers on the street, but I could use a flash as a fill light if necessary. I'll stay outside for this project and avoid indoor fluorescent lighting whenever possible. I want to keep the majority of this project in color to show the vibrance and overall joyful feeling of Amsterdam.

Week 5: Editing and Text

A man from Egypt who had just completed the Amsterdam half marathon. He stopped me on the street to ask for a picture with his medal.

Assignment 5: Editing

Inspired by Humans of New York, I would like to add text with these images to show a little more of my own perspective during these interactions. I could tell a story about how I found these people, or talk about what I learned about them. In the future once I take more photos and get a wider variety, I would like to say where they are from and where in Amsterdam the photo was taken. This will add evidence to my story about how diverse Amsterdam and its people are. Above is an example of how I would add a bit of context about who the subject is and how I met him.

The order of my photos in this series doesn't matter too much as it does not have a beginning or and end. Once I have more photos at the end of my time in Amsterdam, I could organize them based on the areas they were taken, or I could mix them up through the collection. I had some photos that I liked, but I didn't learn enough about them or the lighting was not good enough, so they were scrapped.

When it comes to editing, I want to stay in the basic rules of photojournalism where no photo manipulation is allowed and I will only do basic exposure and color temperature edits. I also want to bring up the color vibrance a bit, but I will not change what the colors actually are.

I have taken photos in many areas of the city, but I still want to shoot in the Bijlmer area, the Noord area, the NDSM werf area, and the middle of the city center since these are all areas that have very different environments. I would like to show more of the touristy side of the city and more older locals who are always there. My project will not be 100% finished by the deadline because this is an ongoing project that will continue until I leave. I want to continue capturing moments such as these wherever I travel in the future as well to build up a larger collection. I think this project will inspire me to do some longer documentaries back home as well because I now have a deeper appreciation for where I am from.

Result