lessons with kate - eugenia maximova

do we see things differently?

Here's a really interesting article on how female and male photographers see things differently. Click here to read.

Viva la difference! It's great to celebrate diversity in all its many forms.

this week's photographer

Eugenia Maximova is not a photographer I had come across before and I very much like her work. 

I love this quote from an interview she gave with Kai Behrmann, the founder of 'The Art of Creative Photography'...

'Life is a patchwork, assembled of numerous unique, irregular and often controversial pieces of circumstances and choices. You can arrange what appears to be unpleasant at first glance into a beautiful composition.'

You can read the full interview here.

the challenge

This week's challenge was to take some shots on the theme of, 'say yes to life with a passion'!'

what did I do?

I returned to Villa Park, but this time choosing the start of the story not within the ground itself but on the walk to it.

Witton Road is the bustling, colourful heart of this predominantly Asian area. It's crammed full with groceries, shops selling Asian clothing and sweets and all manner of take-aways.

At first sight it may look ugly, but look again and you will find its vibrant beauty.

The story ends within Villa Park and I wanted to capture that glorious moment when a goal is scored and the crowd erupts. It's like being buoyed on a euphoric wave of emotion as everyone rises to their feet in unison to celebrate.

On the technical side I wanted the photographs to look as if they were shot as a series of Polaroids. I therefore chose a desaturated colour setting on my camera.

what did I learn?

So often the best photographs are to be found right in front of us.

birmingham 4.0 - reflections on a city

 

 

 

 

birmingham 3.0 - street life

 

 

 

 

 

the lady whose head was bitten off by a pound sign ... and other stories

Last week I attended a fantastic workshop at Wednesbury Library run by leading UK photographer, Niall McDiarmid. Niall is a softly spoken Scot. He has a fantastic eye for insightful detail and his photography boasts the inspired use of muted and complementary colour.

One of the exercises Niall sets us is to go into Wednesbury to shoot some street portraits. I love encounters with random strangers and strike up conversations with a number of fascinating people. The sun shines brightly, not good conditions for photography, but after a few initial rejections I find a number of residents who are happy to have their picture taken.

On our return to the library Niall chooses some sample photos from each workshop participant and provides a very helpful critique of what we have shot. The picture above prompts Niall to observe the lady with the shopping trolley looks as if she is about to be eaten up by the pound sign. He suggests a more subtle background for the future ... but I can't resist including his critique in the title to this piece!