Working on my Major Project

I have reached the point where I need to think about what I have got and what I need to complete this project successfully. My portfolio is based on examining the many ways in which people re-enact or follow traditions thus keeping history 'alive'. So far I have photographed Maypole dancing, Morris Dancers, Clog Dancers, Military and various periods such as Tudor and Victorian. The opportunities are many and the difficulty, which at first seems more an opportunity, lies in the sheer number of activities across Britain that take place between April and October.

Initially, I have to admit, I went to an event and took as many photographs as possible (the delights of digital!) and then went through them discarding those that were no good and retaining those that I felt had potential. Here lies the problem. I have to have some idea what the final outcome needs to be but initially this depends upon what I have taken. The end product seems always to be in flux.

I have every reason to believe that I will have plenty of material for the final portfolio. Indeed the problem is likely to be a surfeit of riches. What I need to do is think through the type of images that I want in the final analysis. So far I have images such as the following that include the general crowds that were at the event.

It would be just about possible to crop this image so that only the couple enjoying a picnic lunch would be visible but the result of this would be to destroy context. The image includes 'spectators' i.e. those not in 1940's dress or, in one case, using a modern digital camera. The question I have to ask myself is does this matter? In my view that, in this case, the presence of spectators is acceptable as the two central characters dominate the scene. Another image in this category suggests that within reason the presence of spectators is not a problem.

Here again the children dancing around the Maypole are the dominant element  and so the spectators do not detract from the image (inclusion of the Maypole would have markedly improved the level of information given to the viewer). 

Occasionally it is possible to isolate the re-enactors from the spectators completely as in the following image:

The shot shows the uniform of the 1914-18 soldier and has the advantage of a sense of movement and purpose. The presence of the soldiers seems to jar in an otherwise idyllic pastoral scene. This jarring could be used to point out the clash between reality and rehearsal but would drift away from the purpose of the overall project.

It is not difficult to get individual shots and these are very tempting. The following shot is quite powerful because of the detail captured within the image.

It is an image that would be a positive addition to a portfolio but I did wonder whether there is an argument for cropping the image to highlight just a small detail as in the following image.

There is a wealth of information in this image that can be decoded by the knowledgeable viewer. 

Where does this review leave me.

The presence of spectators is not necessarily a bad thing providing the main subject is dominant within the image. 

General shots can be powerful but there is a need to ensure that there is movement and purpose within the image to offset what could easily become bland and uninteresting.

Shots of the individual (essentially portraits) have much to offer but that a complete portfolio of this type of shot would probably not be successful.

Severe cropping where the remaining element of the image is capable of interpretation can add interest to the whole portfolio.

The next task is to make a selection of the images taken so far to use in my submission as part of Assignment 3.