People Make Glasgow

"The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street."   Robert Doisneau 

PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW -  visual sociology

Arriving in Glasgow on a sunny afternoon in February, I felt I was truly in the role of a street photographer.  Unlike my previous photoshoot, this time I had researched and prepared for the outing.  Having read that when photographers take to the streets prime lenses are out in full force, I decided to trade in my DX lenses beforehand and invest in the second-hand purchase of both an 85mm and a 35mm lenses for my FX camera.  This meant that using a prime lens would encourage behaviour which in turn should lead to an improvement in photography skills, for example, your feet become the zooming action.  Thomas Leuthard, a contemporary international street photographer from Switzerland, travels all over the world and offers online courses as well as street photography e-books available on the internet has been an inspiration to many starting out taking photographs on the street.  
http://thomas.leuthard.photography/    

Leuthard  writes that "a prime lens is best because it is sharp, fast, small and affordable" and that it is also important to know the exact distance from where you should stand.  He advocated the 85mm for a full-frame camera so starting with the 85mm to allow me a longer focal length and therefore more reach, I had a wander round the city. Capturing candid shots was quite exhilarating and I felt very animated as I focused on studying human behaviour on the streets.

 Ladies waiting for the bus in West Nile Street 

Girl waiting to cross the road

Chatting in Buchanan Street

Taken through the glass canopy of Buchanan Street Underground

Couple absorbed with mobile phone 

This made me recognise the relationship between sociology and street photography and how they are inter-linked.  It was good not to have any preconceived ideas of what I would capture but to have an open mind and be prepared to adapt, rather than photograph evidence to support a pre-chosen theme.   All the above shots were candid and I especially liked capturing the girl waiting to cross the road, as I followed Leuthard's  e-book advice and stood across the road from her at the traffic lights on the other side of the street.

An original candid but after interaction I got in close and took some  portrait shots

While some street photographers believe purely in candid photographs, street photography can also happen when you engage with the person being photographed such as I did in the following images.  

Chips and Irn Bru

On duty at the Argyll Arcade in Buchanan Street

Eric Kim, a young South Korean street photographer, based in California, has had his work exhibited and published.  He has been interviewed many times for photographic articles, stating that he sincerely believes in the ethos of Open Source learning, as he shares videos, interviews and e-articles along with regular blog posts.   He has a huge following on the internet, especially his blog which is considered the defacto Street Photography blog:- http://erickimphotography.com/blog/start-here/

Busking in Argyle Street

Kim states that street photography does not necessarily have to be candid.  "To me plainly put, a "street portrait" is simply a photograph of a stranger in which you ask for permission".  He thinks there isn't really a difference between street portraits and street photography but considers street portraits a sub-genre of street photography.  He puts emphasis on the sociology of street photography and what we can learn from studying humanity and engaging with people from all walks of life whom we meet on the streets.  Certainly, I found that once you overcome your fear of approaching strangers, interacting with people on the streets of Glasgow was a very enriching experience.  

Indeed, People Make Glasgow!

"For me, a great street portrait is an image where I can look into the soul of the subject, and relate or empathise with them on a human level."  Eric Kim