The course progresses

I am two assignments away now from finishing this course, which I must admit hasn't been at all easy.

I enjoy photographing people and I really thought I would have long finished this by now. It is not to be I have had a change in circumstances meaning that I don't get as much time to devote  to this as I would like but mainly I have found it has taken me right out of any form of comfort zone.

I am happy to try different ideas with my photography and enjoy the opportunity to photograph different things, however street photography I find challenging to say the least.

I think a lot of this could stem from feeling venerable in a crowded place on my own with my camera and half expecting to be challenged about my intentions. I appreciate that not everyone wants to be photographed therefore I take care not to be intrusive and try not to point the camera at one individual for too long, I also avoid getting children in photographs unless they are part of a large group of people and can't be avoided. I know this is  a whole subject matter in its own right about photographers and the way they are treated at times by the public and also the police. The thing that amazes and at the same time frustrates me is that it is normally people with decent equipment ie dslr cameras that are questioned and yet in this day and age of the camera phone a lot of these are more than capable of taking a close up photograph without anyone being aware. The majority of photographers who carry plenty of equipment with them are only after achieving one thing, the perfect photograph. I guess the average person doesn't appreciate the amount of time a photographer will devote to getting that one photograph and will stand and make adjustment to his settings and position until he is completely happy. The casual snapper or even someone who is trying to hid what they are doing will stand for thirty seconds or even less and take the photo. Maybe that is food for thought to the public in general.

I may well revisit this page at another stage of this course.