CCC Forum

The west end of Canterbury Cathedral is currently undergoing extensive renovation. The upshot is that the ceiling of the nave is currently obscured by scaoffolding, but that has provided an opportunity to install this amazing sculpture.

I like the sculpture. And the pictures not too shabby either. It does what it says on the tin - hides the scaffolding!

Couldn't you have cloned out the chap on the left or are you leaving this as an example in your Lightroom demo?

davidb wrote:Couldn't you have cloned out the chap on the left or are you leaving this as an example in your Lightroom demo?

Thanks for the feedback, David. This is not a competition image, more a record of a sculpture which I found attractive and works well in its setting. Compositionally, the figure on the left would have worked better on the bottom right of the image, for reasons which I will explain in my lecture next week. Personally, I like having the people in the picture and would not want to remove any of them. They are there, enjoying the cathedral which was built to be seen and impress. That said, it is only a quick "grab" shot* and I was not going to wait until everyone organised themselves into more aesthetically pleasing positions. If anyone wants to take inspiration from this and travel to Canterbury to achieve something better, there will be no complaints from me.

The cloning and healing tools in Lightroom are useful, although not as comprehensive as those in Photoshop, so taking out the figure would not be particularly easy. I have altered some distracting details, such as lights in the ceiling, which is reasonably straightforward. Anything more really does involve the use of layers in Photoshop and its greater range of options.

* In a recent competition, the judge dismissed one of my images because it was a "grab shot", as if that is a derogatory term. Some of my best shots have been taken on the spur of the moment when I have seen something which was only there fleetingly. I have a few disparaging epithets of my own for judges who make such comments.

I have no problem with most of the people in the image - they appear to be enjoying the sculpture. It's just the chap walking out of the picture!

A lot of your work IS grab shots; what else is street photography but grabbing a shot on the spur of the moment. I thought judges were photographers who should understand candid shots.

davidb wrote:It's just the chap walking out of the picture!

I agree that, compositionally, his placement is not ideal and he is a slightly distracting element. Had he been more cooperative and positioned himself on the right, he would would have been looking into the image and taking our gaze with him. Does the fact that he is looking out to the left matter? Yes, clearly it does, but not to the extent which you might imagine. More about that on Wednesday. And quite possibly next February as well, when I speak about perception.

While it would have been beneficial, I did not want to spend time either removing or moving him for a shot which will not ever be a part of my more serious work. I have a more than sufficient backlog of images which are better candidates for my attention.

davidb wrote:A lot of your work IS grab shots; what else is street photography but grabbing a shot on the spur of the moment

Yes, a lot of street photography is a reaction to what is happening or anticipation of what is about to happen. That does not always apply and posed images are equally valid. Sometimes the shot can be static or a combination of fixed and dynamic elements. Martin Parr was the guest on BBC2's evening programme last night about the Chelsea Flower Show. He had been commissioned by The Guardian to shoot there, but as he said it is the sort of event to which he would have gone anyway. Not for the displays, of course, but to photograph the people. One image he wanted was of someone sniffing a rose. That required him to find a bloom both in a good position and with an attractive scent. Then he had to observe the passersby and predict whether or not they were a sniffer. Sometimes he got it right, sometimes he didn't.

Martin Parr's Chelsea Flower Show photo essay is here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... hoto-essay.

davidb wrote:I thought judges were photographers who should understand candid shots.

As for the appreciation which judges demonstrate for different genres of photography, let's just say that it varies by individual.