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!
