portrait

I've now decided that I'd like my book to be a portrait of Leeds, containing 12 images of black and white photography of people in and around Leeds. I would like the images to reflect some of the different areas of Leeds, such as the richer and the poorer areas and the diversity of culture. I borrowed and SLR from Vernon Street and went out to ask some strangers whether I could take a photo of them. Below is a test contact sheet of my images, and below that is the contact sheet with the correct exposure time.

I really like the image below of the old man outside of a pub. This was in Armley, just outside of Leeds. Unfortunately, he was holding a pint in one hand and a cigarette in the other next to the no smoking sign but moved them out of the photo. Taking close up images of strangers proved to be quite a difficult task, as most people said no or looked uncomfortable when I asked them. This fellow asked if he could take a picture of us if we took one of him, so we obliged cautiously. I'm definitely going to use this picture in my book, as I think that it shows quite a lot of character, and the background shows a slightly more grotty part of Leeds.

I really like the image below, as the focus and contrast is just right. I think that the man's face shows a good depth of character and the only thing that is lacking is a related background. He was leaning on his car door which you can't quite see on the picture. Unless I can replace this image with one with a more interesting background, I shall be using this one in my book.

Below is a photograph which I took whilst waiting for the bus to Armley, it was one of the first so i didn't quite manage to pluck up the courage to ask the man if I could take a photo of him so I settled for the back of his head. I like the busy road in the background but am unsure of whether I shall use this for my book.

This is probably my favourite image which I took of Rachael outside of Vernon Street. She stood nice and still for me so the focus is sharp on her face which I really like. I shall definitely include this in my book as it also shows the younger student side of Leeds. In the background is a sign for Leeds College of Art and Design, which I wish was clearer but I think that the crispness of the photo really makes the image which is good enough for my book I think.