Is this Art?

[Bluey71]

About two months ago I was sitting in a cafe in Birmingham, watching the world go by - like you do. I was sitting in the corner of the room looking inwards - towards other customers drinking and eating etc.

As I was looking around I became aware of what I think would have made a great image. To the right in the middle ground was a woman sitting on a tall stool facing a wall away from the center of the room. Off to the center left of the middle ground was an old aged couple facing each other whilst they ate, and off in the background was another woman sitting on a low couch, head bent down as she read a newspaper.

All four people looking in different directions, with no connection to each other except the space they shared.

At the risk of boring you all, this kind of fascinates me - people from all walks of life cross paths for fleeting moment in their lives, never to talk, greet or know each other and frozen in an image - captured if you like at the moment they were closest to each other.

Is this Art?

[GeoffWessex]

Yes.... I think it would definitely work.... some of the more 'high-brow' photo journals wet themselves over this kind of shot - preferably if it's a fairly murky black and white.

[aRitsos]

Yes it is. Even if you haven’t made the photograph, your description works as a fantasy of the moment. So it works as a graph = writing. What is missing now is to see your image as a print with light = photography.

What title would you give at that photograph ?

Very good description indeed !! αR

[Bluey71]

Sadly I didn't own a digital camera at the time, it was at that point that I started to think about getting a new camera - which I did this week.

I often get the same feeling sitting on a train - you get identical ingredients for a similar image with lots of people sharing a small space with no other connection to each other. I tend to put it into some sort of perspective by imagining a a blank piece of white paper with lots of scribbles on it in pencil. Every line represents the line of someones life, the path they take through life. Where those lines touch represents moments like the one I described, in places where you get lots of people crossing paths.

Now that I have that new camera, I can maybe see the beginnings of a new project.

Edit: Yes Black and White is exactly what I had in mind.

[AndyStevens]

Definitely sounds like art to me - Henri Cartier-Bresson immediately pops to mind.

I love people watching too and those 'moments' would look great as a strong B&W. However, I've always found these people are always in a world of their own - until a camera comes out of a bag... Even shooting from the hip hasn't work well

Good luck and looking forward to seeing the results!

[Stormsong]

Bluey, what would be interesting too is to have the overall picture, and then candid studies of the individual segments that make up the whole image. By the way, art is what you want to make of it - it is one of the most subjective (and therefore polarising, if you will excuse the pun) topics on this planet. Your definition and my perception/interpretation of art would of course not be the same thing. That's what makes it great. And what better way to capture or create art than with a digital camera? Have fun!

Regards
Denise

[Bluey71]

Originally Posted by AndyStevens

I've always found these people are always in a world of their own - until a camera comes out of a bag... Even shooting from the hip hasn't work well

This is what made me go for the D5000 - that articulating LCD on the back is hopefully going to make taking candids a little easier.

[Bluey71]

Originally Posted by Stormsong

Bluey, what would be interesting too is to have the overall picture, and then candid studies of the individual segments that make up the whole image.

Do you mean crop out separate parts of the main image, or totally different shots of the same people that are in the main image. Both are interesting ideas.

Can't wait till the weekend now.

[AndyStevens]

Originally Posted by Bluey71

This is what made me go for the D5000 - that articulating LCD on the back is hopefully going to make taking candids a little easier.

Thanks for justifying my upgrade to the new 60D

I have tried several tactics - like setting the self-timer then walking away to get a cuppa with camera on bench/table/seat (obviously not wandering too far away!). Perhaps it's my apprehensive glances back that give me away! And does the D5000 have the discreet shutter option?

And Stormsong is giving me ideas... A montage with an overall image as a background with candid's as panes/elements within. Or a big fat triptych of expressions.... Or.....hmmmmm.....

[Stormsong]

I meant have an overall image of the scene, and then zoom in to individuals in the scene and take separate photos of them; Andy's idea of a montage is a good one. Another idea is to get a friend to pretend to 'pose' for you but in fact you shoot the people behind him/her and when people see that you aren't focussing on them, they soon carry on doing whatever it is they were doing. Also, it helps if you turn the focus beep off (better still, use manual focus), suppress flash and ramp up the ISO, which will also give a gritty grainier image.
Gosh, I would love to see the results @ bluey and AndyS . . .