Street Photography
This weekend I ventured away from the safety of the coast and headed inland for a little taste of city life. Giving the fact that we are seeing record breaking temperatures here in the UK this week, perhaps a trip to Leeds in favour of the beach might have been an oversight on my behalf.
None the less, I went, I saw and I shot.
All just for fun. Enjoy.
It has been another strange one and yes we can’t mention Christmas 2021 without covid. It’s just a way of life at the moment but we made the most of it - I’m hoping you did too!
So I have been mixing it up as of late, and i’m sure some of you have noticed a few black and white images making their way into the work that I’m putting out into the world. I made a decision a few months back that I wanted to dive back into the monochrome world and this Christmas was going to be solely documented in black and white. Back to basics you could say - just snaps of little moments that happened.
Heres’s my photo essay of Christmas 2021.
Enjoy
Steve surprised us by walking through in what I can only describe as a skin tight Christmas jumper, we thought had got more tattoos for a minute.
It was a hit! We laughed.
..and the back
Granny surprised us by pulling out a sandwich bag from her handbag, containing her slippers.
Why are they in a bag inside a bag?
Granny: “incase they smell, silly”
Do they smell?
Granny: “No”
A lovely spread.
of course you need matching elf costumes
this is as much as you need to know about Lydia
right, just one serious photo please
Granny, look this way for a photo
it doesn’t matter
guess what Santa brought
Gem made a nice little job of the table
Gem keeping warm
ladies and gentlemen, the king.
A very quiet covid Christmas dinner
This is probably the best photo I took all Christmas.
you know it, another very lovely spread.
The only thing missing here was a bottle of port. don’t worry, I pulled it out the cupboard later on.
of course she had to win
What do you call a reindeer with no eyes? No idea.
Cheeeeeese
he might have been nodding off.
We had a few drinks
Em had a few sweets, it has the same effect as the drinks ha!
Oh to be 7 again, swing me!
more drinks were flowing by this point
something tickled Gem
Clearly having a good time
Time to open the bubbly. So you probably need to know Mick is a big kid, he very much likes to shake up the Champagne while opening it.
Nita swiftly removed the bottle from him.
I asked if I could help do some drawing, I was told no.
Its clearly a cat. I was very wrong to suggest it might look like a bat.
someones getting a little tired now.
drinks and cards! I actually really enjoy this. I should have had a glass of whisky to go with it.
Getting Nita a crack a smile took all my ‘professional photographic experience’
You gotta find the corners and edges first! I did not know this.
a phone box. Just because. well you don’t actually see that many of them now.
Bradly came down for the day to shoot around the fitties with me. It was great to head out and shoot some different stuff over Christmas.
:)
a very nice effort.
Someone was very spoiled this christmas, they got a new swing, and a deluxe tyre version at that!
!
something quite Eggelston about this. I very much liked it. I told Brad a few times that I very much liked this too.
Toby was tied on his lead to the side of Brad. He would sit and wait whist Brad lined up and shot the scene, as soon as the shutter went, he would jump up ready to go. He knows its time to move after each click.
Im wondering if I can teach Gem this.
/ /
Yeah I have had a few nights on the rum too!
time for your close up Toby! This was requested by Karl Bailey. Here you go buddy!
Like a pro! Just getting bright enough to hand hold the camera at this point, what a treat!
You know when you look back at vintage cars form years past. Well one day this is going to be worth something. the photo, not the car lol!
Circles and triangles.
I just liked this composition, something pretty pleasing to my eye. I think I told Brad this a few times as well haha!
someone went all out this year
Probably my favourite scene / landscape from the Fitties. Brad and I both stood appreciating the view. We concluded it’s the flag that makes it.
How very refined of us.
Roll change. Have you heard of this new tech that’s going to be massive? You won’t ever have to change your roll again. I’m not sure its going to catch on though.
Hello mr dawgy
One of these days the kids that climb to the top of this ride are going to fall off, and I’m going to feel so bad whist I photograph it.
the latest in Ford engineering technology. I give you the cup shelf.
it was fooking freezing. I don’t know what he was thinking.
That glorious moment someone actually won something!!!
Time for a bit of street photography around the city of York.
“uncle Dan, can I tell you a secret - Daddy got a speeding ticket”
I often walk my plants too. it’s good to get them out the house for a bit.
the Christmas tree holding pen.
Do you remember when people used to sit and read news papers?
This one reminded me of a blank 35mm frame.I got some funny looks as I lined up to shoot a window of ‘nothing’.
not another bloody jigsaw!
the phone has her now!
Apparently if there is a steamed up window and you don’t shoot it, you are breaking some kind of photographic law. I thought I’d better take a frame to be safe.
you just know he’s up to something.
Everyone drinks gin now. It’s very trendy!
I had a rum, correction, a double rum. Im so avant-garde.
Yeah, you spotted me.
Even Santa got Covid!
Only after I shot this photo did I notice I was snapping a fellow Leica shooter. I feel he would have approved.
So, a weeks worth of Christmas holidays, a shit load of drinks and probably more food consumed than the local McDonald’s drive through.
Mike, could you visually sum that up for us?
Perfect!
I have had a few conversations recently with different people that have mentioned that I seem to have got it all figured out with my photography and creative process.
Its interesting how people perceive my work from different perspectives, so let’s burst this bubble to get it out the way – I have very little figured out. I think Instagram has a lot to answer for on this misconception. Its easy to look at something online and draw conclusions based on your own thoughts, but this is often all they are.
Everyone’s process is different so there is no one size fits all when it comes to creativity. The only thing that seems to be a common thread when I’ve talking to other creatives, is taking your own path. This again is something different for everyone with a variety of starting points and different forks within it to navigate.
I have been taking photography somewhat serious for about 16 years now but its only in the last 4 years that I would say that I have got onto a path that I’m now enjoying. In these last few years, I have seen many people pick up a camera for the first time and get onto a path that has led to great places. But that is their journey and as tempting as it may be to try and replicate what they have done, it would not work. How do I know this, well trying to mimic would only get me so far faking it. The biggest realisation I had was that I had to produce the work that really excites me, it’s the images that I produce as a default setting. This doesn’t mean I don’t have to try, I have to put a lot of effort in, but I know I have to produce the images that satisfy my eye. This thought process was the start of the path that I’m now on – making the images that I care for and that aren’t reactions to what I think others might like.
Its seems that the genre of photography that I’m interested in has taken an exciting turn in the last few years and with that has come some approaches that I’m not a fan of. A competitive edge seems to have taken root and I see many feel the need to get onboard with that. For me, I’ve never really been that competitive, probably why I like photography. It’s a chance for me to walk out into the world and explore it with a camera. I very much enjoy the creative process and when I get into the flow of it, hours can pass by without me noticing. This is what drives and excites me, and probably the only thing that we can figure out. Once we know what we want to do, we have to put the work in to actually doing it. The more you work at it the more it pays off.
This is the lure of photography, it looks so simple, and yes, the mechanics of it are once you lean how to control your camera. The hard part is working out what to point the camera at and when to capture that moment. That has very little to do with the camera and all to do with what’s going on in your head.
So what do I know, what have I figured out?
Be honest with myself about the work I want to produce and produce it!
Take inspiration from others but don’t copy.
Be patient – 16 years and counting.
Turn my weaknesses into strengths – I don’t know what I want to photograph but I know what I don’t like, so I just please my own eye. (sometimes that leads to images that not many others like but that’s fine).
There are no short cuts so take the harder path and put the work in.
Take the rough with the smooth, there are many knock backs but learn to ride over them.
Most importantly, to enjoy what I do – otherwise why bother!
Welcome to the great British seaside town of Cleethorpes.
I know it is late and I have been meaning to put this blog post together for months now but i’m going to blame this on COVID, it is probably not COVID but you know, its been a strange time. Last year (2020) I organised a street meet up from a small group of photographers, we all met here at the seaside town of Cleethorpes. I’d imagine most of you reading this will recognise this place from all of my own photos - it is pretty much the place I exclusively shoot, because this is my home.
It was great to meet other like minded individuals from different backgrounds and all with a passion for photography. It is always great to be around individuals like this, I rarely get chance to spend any time with other creatives, let alone a whole day with a bunch of them! This opportunity was as much for my benefit as it was for the others to make connections with one and other.
It was such a great day and I certainly had a fantastic time shooting and witnessing how others worked my stretch of the beach. Something that I don’t often get to do as Cleethorpes is somewhat nestled away on the north east coast of the uk (for those of you that don’t venture to the north of England). It is always very interesting for me to see how others interact with the environment and what catches their eyes. I have become somewhat of a solitary photographer and as such find my own ways to photograph and make the most of situations. shooting with others and bouncing ideas was great and gives me a sense of what is going in my photographic peers.
A big thanks for those that came along and join in durrig the day, we did have a few others join us at various points through the day to take a few shots and to just say Hi. Below are the images form the guys that spend the full day shooting and sent me their favourite photographs.
Matt Feeney
Mark Sugden
Michael Murray
Nina Weatherburn
Just to end…
Heres a few portraits if the guys that I quickly took whilst we stopped from some lunch.
Recently I was interviewed by Anshul Raj Khurana of By Lanes Of Your City, on my photography.
Anshul- Street photography is going through a lot of definitional changes nowadays. How do you define street photography?
Dan- To be honest, when I'm out shooting, I tend not to think of the definition or any parameters for that matter, as I find that would inhibit my work. I believe photography is an art form, and trying to place it into neat little boxes often puts too much restraint on the creative process. I think I throw a very loose terminology around what street photography is for myself, images that are taken out in public that are of natural moments as they occur. I see so many artists and photographers today working in so many ways, and a lot of these are falling under the category of street photography but, at the same time, help redefine it into something new and dynamic.
I think sometimes it comes down to the honesty of the photograph that you are taking. I try to make images that are uninterrupted and as natural as possible. But not all of these images are what possibly a purist street photographer would classify as 'street photography.' I often venture into the realms of abstract and pull on many influences to produce the work that I do.
I always end up being back to projects that I’ve shot. Although New York wasn’t really a project it was more of me just reacting to the sights and sounds of the city. Nonetheless I always head back from time to time to revisit the photos that I captured. I think it’s such an important process to revisit those images as time passes on they take on new meanings with more impact. As much as I love shooting in colour I started my photography practice in black-and-white. I am very fond of looking at black-and-white images and I think New York lends itself beautifully to the monochromatic look.
for me it’s such a therapeutic process to revisit these photographs and rediscover those moments I had forgotten. Reworking them into black-and-white images adds a new dimension and timeless aesthetic to these forgotten moments. So I thought I would share my recent re-discoveries of some forgotten images with you and also my rekindling with monochrome work.
these are just a few of the images that I have cherry picked and processed to black-and-white, I hope you enjoy them.
I have just been to see an image from my latest series exhibited as part of the Photography on a postcard, being shown at The Print Space – London.
Obviously the rest of the time was either spent drinking or street shooting, or my favourite – combining both drinks and photography. This always leads to some interesting / creative images (I’m not saying that they are all in focus but still interesting for me to look at later)
After arriving in London we soon met up with a friend and fellow street photographer; Dave ( @david_lindsley_street ) and spent some time catching up and walking the south bank snapping as we walked.
The rest of the time was spent mooching around the city and exploring the different little boroughs. I hadn’t really gone with anything in mind to shoot so just reacted to what I saw while I was there, like I normally do.. here’s the photos:
It’s no secret that I have been putting a fair amount of my time and creative energy into photographing the seaside. To be more precise, the Cleethorpes seaside that I now call my home, in my latest project; By the Sea. Recently have spent a little time away and travelled down to the East of England while I have been walking the streets (and seaside locations) photographing what I find.
I never really have much of a plan of what I’m going to capture. I believe working in a reactive way to the situations you find yourself in is less inhibiting but this is just a process that I loosely use. It’s great at time to head out without no real plan and shoot what you find but sometimes this can be a bit of a pain, especially when you’re not finding situations to photograph. Going through times of little or no inspirations always happens and having shot for several hours and coming away with nothing can get a little frustrating. Then again the beauty of street photography is no never know what you might unearth around the next corner. There’s always that day when you review you photos and find that hidden gem of an image that didn’t seem to be much at the time but after reviewing away from the situation often completely changes how I feel about the images.
For many of the images that I have shot on this trip, I think that I have allowed my ‘By the sea’ project to influence my shooting on new places. Perhaps that could be down to my own growth and maybe I’m becoming more sensitive to images around the coast. I’m not saying this is something negative, it’s just an observation that I have made on my own work.
Street photography and travel complement each other, it gives me the chance to experience a whole new place and react to it in my own way. I’m not saying that to produce ‘street photography’ you need to travel, in fact producing images around your own environment I believe speaks more about your experience than traveling to a new place to speak from your own voice. On the other hand it’s always nice to get away and experience new things plus immerse yourself into a new situation and react to it with a creative process. And let’s not forget that if I travel to somewhere as beautiful as Croatia I’m defiantly going to react to it photographically.
I didn’t know what to expect from Dubrovnik other than a few people that had previously visited the region had expressed just how beautiful that they had found the city. I don’t tend to do too much research on a place like this before visiting as I don’t want to taint my view (photographically speaking) or take influence from what other photographers have produced, as then I start looking at a place from their perspective instead of my own. So having arrived on the shores of Dubrovnik I was first struck by the intensity of the light and then by the beauty of the historic walled old town that decorated the cliffs above the blue shimmering Mediterranean waters.
As we started exploring Dubrovnik I was drawn towards the historic charm of the place and much of the region had retained its roots without subsiding into today’s commercialism. I very much started to see the art of the city and allowed myself to become absorbed by the light has it ornamented the people and stone.
As the English summer has started to dawn (and by that I mean a few nice days in a row before it clouds back over) I have made the most of it and headed to the coast with my girlfriend. Yes the coast is on our doorstep but we decided to travel a couple of hours further north to Scarborough for the change of scene.
As always I carry my Leica and take any opportunity to shoot whatever interests me and the English coast always provides a plethora of visual feasts to be had. So I have continued to shoot and I am starting to build a small collection of seaside images of surrounding coastal towns, like I have said in a previous blog post I am drawn towards the coast so it’s obvious that I am going to collect scenes from these places. Now at the same time I am shooting a project called by the sea ( www.danbaker.me/by-the-sea ) and was intending on producing images of the Cleethorpes seaside but after sharing these images with a friend and fellow street photography, he had suggested that they should be a part of my current project. I hadn’t really considered expanding the project to surround coastal towns but after thought it made sense.
This is what I love about street photography and the creative process; having the opportunity to share and talk about images with others. I’m not only talking about my work but having the opportunity to see and discuss others work too. It’s always great to reach out and see what other photographers are doing and have going on in their lives. so thanks to those who have already got in touch!
I feel at this point I need to say that if anyone would like to talk about any work or ideas, or even just say hi, then feel free to reach out and get in touch, I would love to hear from you and I find the creative process really comes alive when you start exploring these new avenues with others.
Shooting around a city always throws up some interesting situations to photograph, sometimes things stand out but other times the scenes take a little teasing out. I would like to say that the cities give different results but the truth of the matter is that it’s my perception that changes. Sometimes I hit the streets in a particular mind set and depending on this will dictate how receptive I am to the scenes around me. Leeds is a city that can throw me in a couple of directions; sometimes I can shoot and get a few results where as other times I can come away with nothing. Today I have come away with a few images which is always better than nothing but on reflection I always want to be more articulated with some of the images that I take. The trick is to keep shooting and keep practicing, so I continue to shoot and I’m always looking for that great image.
I had an interesting conversation with a friend today. Let me set the scene; we drove down a street that I hadn’t seen before and I was amazed at the amount that was on offer to photograph. It was one of those places where every few meters there was that magic where things were happening and teeming with life, even on this rainy day. To me it was like an epicentre of street scenes and I said how amazing and rich the street was. Sadly I was driving, I didn’t have time to park up walk and shoot the area.
My friend said that there seemed to be lots to photograph around this street that would make the place look bad, in the context that it would interest me. I found this comment intriguing and replied with; how can I make the place look bad? Surely the place is ‘bad’ or undesirable and the photograph is a representation of what the place is, therefore the place ‘looks bad’ and I’m just capturing what I see. And this got me thinking too; everything is subjective and the place ‘looking bad’ is more of a comment from a perspective which as we know can vastly vary.
I guess this leads me to the question, Am I making the places that I photograph look bad or is this just from a certain perspective. I don’t know, I mean I’m not intentionally going out thinking I want to take images of subjects that make them look bad or negative. I photograph things that interest me, yes I can show a frame of a situation but that image is of something real that is actually happening. I’m not making a judgement on that, I’m leaving that to the viewer.
