There wasn’t really a lot I found to work with outside London Metropolitan University on the Holloway Rd. The building had a huge image on its front, but it was tall and difficult to do anything with.
So it was basically people, banners and placards, like many protests, although a strong wind made it hard for people to hold up the larger banners. It was sunny and so there were some deep shadows to contend with, either with fill flash or burning and dodging in post-processing to bring down the sunlight areas and bring up the shadows, or both.
In this image I had to lighten the shadow area on the woman’s face and darken the sunlit areas on her face, hand and arm. I did a little less work on the man at the left and you can see a difference in contrast in his face – obvious when I point it out. I processed the image in a hurry to get it onto the ‘wire’ within a few hours of taking it, and cut a corner too many, though I doubt if many of those who viewed the picture would have noticed.
Taking these pictures I was thinking very much about gesture, expression and of course framing. Choosing the right angle from which to photograph is critical, and when speakers are using a microphone or megaphone, how and where they hold this is vital.
Although the subject of the photograph is essentially the speaker, watching the people around him and the background are essential. None of the pictures I took would rank among my most interesting, but I felt I’d done a pretty good job with what was avaialable. You can make up your own mind by looking at the set of pictures on Action For London Met Students on My London Diary, which also has more about why the protest was taking place.
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My London Diary : Buildings of London : River Lea/Lee Valley : London’s Industrial Heritage
All photographs on this and my other sites, unless otherwise stated are by Peter Marshall and are available for reproduction or can be bought as prints.
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