April's assignment in my online photo group was to 'take a photo of someone you don't know, either posed or candid'. That's a real challenge for me. Partly because I'm so deaf, I find it hard to engage with people I don't know - and I feel voyeuristic taking photos candidly. I had to have a go though...
First, I took the photo of Alex at the mining museum. Though I would have liked a less cluttered background, I wasn't entirely comfortable about 'posing' him, so it was a bit rushed. Then I decided to have a go at taking some 'street shots', trying to catch people unawares. My new camera makes street photography slightly easier as it has a tilting backscreen, so I can compose surreptitiously and avoid lifting the camera to my eye. Still a challenge though. Somehow, photos with cluttered backgrounds taken by Martin Parr look OK; photos with cluttered backgrounds taken by me look... cluttered. At least the top shot doesn't have a cluttered background.
The lady and the two boys were enjoying a picnic. I've blurred the boys' faces a bit as I'm never very happy showing identifiable pics of children on a public blog. I've a friend who is mother to adopted children and, as she points out, it can actually be dangerous to show identifiable children in identifiable locations. Some children's lives are very precarious and you just never know.
In St. Peter's Square in Manchester there was a small group of 'Remainers' (Manchester for Europe) trying to convince people that staying in the EU is essential. They didn't have to work too hard to convince me... but others perhaps were less open to their message.
I spotted two older ladies just sitting watching the world go by (as the saying goes). It reminded me of my childhood, sitting with my parents on a bench somewhere. I think I asked what we were doing and mum said: 'Watching the world go by'. After a while my sister asked: 'When is it coming?'
Some friends were having a warm chat over coffee:
and a little girl was running through the water jets, without her shoes but still in her (very wet) tights.
I find it very sad that the innocence of childhood has been totally taken away from us by sick perverted males and even sadder that thousands of aforesaid have been proven to be those whose calling was to clean our souls. I never go to church now, these people destroyed it for me. Sorry, I no longer believe.
ReplyDeleteThe question of having children's photos posted on the internet is thought provoking...and so sad. Predatory men are small in numbers, but do exist in their hidden ways. I wish we were safer, or perhaps at least more innocent...like before we knew about all these problems. I do like your candid photos!
ReplyDeleteIt's not necessarily/only sexual predators I worry about. Some fostered and adopted children are at risk if their birth family is able to trace them.
ReplyDeleteThe second to last shot is my favourite.
ReplyDeleteI generally speaking try to avoid taking photos of children.
I like that first one a lot, Jenny!
ReplyDelete