Portraits & Participation

Portraits &Participation Photography by Michael Critchley

Dedicated to my wonderful wife Francine, who listens and encourages and is always there to keep me focused!

What would I do without her?

Portraits & Participation The design and photography in this book are Copyright Š2013 by the author Michael Critchley.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any mechanical or electronic means without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Photography: Michael Critchley Design/Text: Michael Critchley

Portraits & Participation To quote Wikipedia: “There are essentially four approaches that can be taken in

photographic portraiture – the constructionist, environmental, candid and creative approaches.

The environmental approach depicts the subject in their environment, be that a work, leisure, social or family one. They are often shown as doing something – a teacher in a classroom, an artist in a studio, a child in a playground.

The candid approach is where people are photographed without their knowledge going about their daily business. Whilst this approach taken by the paparazzi is criticized and frowned upon for obvious reasons, less invasive and exploitative candid photography has given the world superb and important images of people in various situations and places over the last century. As with environmental photography, candid photography is important as a historical source of information about people” This book is about environmental and candid portraiture of people participating in work or leisure activities. A common enough theme yet one I seem to be drawn to more often.

“Music is my life!”

Born, raised and still living in Belgium, Cyriel has been playing the accordion for nearly eighty years. After the war he became Belgium Accordian champion and formed a dance band called ‘The Honolulu Boys’ before joining the fulltime army in the mid-fifties where he continued playing his music in the army orchestra.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 800 1/320 @ ƒ3.5

Just Good Friends Covered in and smelling of brown sticky gravy, these two opponents pose for the camera after their demonstration bout at the 2012 World Gravy Wrestling Championships.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 800 1/320 @ f8

Lest We Forget The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War 1 and whose graves are unknown.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 400 1/250 @ f6.3

Belgian Conga One evening my wife and I met a troupe of Hungarian folk dancers giving a performance at the Festival of Light on the streets of Donk, Belgium.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM ISO 800 1/2 @ f5

Artist Blacksmith Located and working on the Wirral in Cheshire is this Artist Blacksmith who kindly agreed to let me photograph himself and his apprentices at work. Although well lit with tall windows and white walls, a high ISO rating was needed in order to get anything hand-held.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 1250 1/30 @ f4

Training for the Channel crossing My wife and I spent a week in June 2012 on the Isle of Man, driving around and photographing anything and everything. Late one evening we were photographing an old fishing house in a bay when this group of swimmers emerged from the water. Cold and shivering they told us they were training for a cross-channel swim.

Rather them than me!

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 400 1/500 @ Ć’9

John – Isle of Man John is part of the maintenance team for the Manx National Heritage on the Isle of Man. We found him re-pointing and re-thatching one of the houses in the historic village of Cregneash. He loves his job!

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 125 1/60 @ f9

Bar Blanc This lovely bartender, surrounded by glass, attracted my attention as I walked into Raymond Blanc’s restaurant opposite Covent Garden in London. The light coming from large windows was even and bright enough for a quick shot which is all the time I had before the manager caught her eye and she disappeared, Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 400 1/50 @ f10

Hubert – Roadside Café/Bar/Tabac On our journey through France in September 2012 we stopped at a roadside café on the main road in a small village. We ordered the regions sausage and chips and I took Hubert’s portrait and chatted whilst we waited for our meal to appear.

I got two good shots I’m happy with.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 320 1/60 @ f2.8

The Wheel I like the different directions that each person is looking – the main person looks forward, the girl is looking to the left, the young boy is looking backwards and the couple are looking to the right.

Canon EOS 7D EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM ISO 200 1/100 @ f9

Commemoration Ceremony This war veteran and colleagues patiently wait in the hot sun for the arrival of the King’s representative to begin an annual event that takes place on the 2nd weekend in September at the Canadian, Polish and British War Cemetery in Adegem-Maldegem, Belgium.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 400 1/1000 @ Ć’5

Flower Power An interesting centered-composition of halves with shapes, objects and colours. Only the face says there’s a human here. The white triangle, created by the wind blowing the cloth, points to the face as does the lamp in the top right.

Even the text draws the eye to the face.

The central column has two sets of flowers and two metal hinges and there are two boxes to the right.

Canon EOS 7D EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM ISO 400 1/320 @ Ć’10

Terry – Isle of Man Located in the Manx National Heritage village of Cregneash on the Isle of Man is this small carpenters workshop. Terry, one of the few remaining coopers, demonstrates his carpentry skills daily to visiting tourists.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 1250 1/40 @ Ć’5

Chipping Steam Fair Swing the hammer and ring the bell – a common event at most village fairs. I like the continuation of the pattern from his stand into the tattoos on his arms.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 200 1/2000 @ Ć’5

Tractor Enthusiast The Chipping Steam Fair is a mecca for all sorts of steam engine enthusiasts. You can only call yourself an enthusiast when you have the braces to prove it.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 200 1/200 @ Ć’9

Jim – Motor Mechanic/Antiques Dealer Jim has been restoring this typical yellow American bus – now painted dark blue – with the intention of touring around England when he retires. Complete with kitchen, toilet and shower, double-bed and even a wood burning stove he can’t wait to get it on the road again.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 200 1/30 @ ƒ8

Banjo Player I was drawn to this bright, clean, banjo sitting amidst a mass of tools on Jim’s (previous page) well-used workbench. He and some friends had just finished a jamming session, with guitars and banjos, amidst the tools and repairs – a musical session they have most weekends while customers peruse the bric-a-brac section of the workshop.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 1250 1/60 @ f4.5

Car Salesman He may be faceless and without identity, but this opportunistic shot is quite intriguing and funny.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 640 1/400 @ Ć’5.6

Chocolate Delights Belgium is renowned for its chocolate shells, but the chocolate also comes as many other mouth-watering delights.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 500 1/8 @ f5.6

Pop Idol I couldn’t help but notice the similarity between her face and the T-shirt and was lucky enough to get a quick shot before her next customers.

A very busy stall at the fairground.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM ISO 200 1/40 @ f9

Blue & Pink I noticed the simplicity of this mobile vendor and the young boy washing dishes in the corner.

I stood for a while with the 300mm lens poised waiting for him to eventually turn round, then eye contact and click. One shot and he was washing dishes again. I like the arrangement of the shapes and colours, even the stars on the left.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 200 1/200 @ Ć’8

Ghost Train A somewhat symmetrical composition of columns, curves and colour. The top and bottom grey areas are broken by a riot of colour through the center.

Canon EOS 7D EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM ISO 200 1/80 @ Ć’5.6

Spray ‘n’ Pray This stall was bathed in yellow light streaming through the canopy adding extra warmth to the already yellow-toned prizes.

Canon EOS 7D EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM ISO 200 1/250 @ ƒ9

Haworth 1940s Weekend This is one of several events that celebrate the 1940s, where people dress up in 40s attire and parade around the old Yorkshire town of Haworth. The main street, although crowded with visitors and participants, has a wonderful, friendly atmosphere – ideal for candid and environmental portrait photography.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 400 1/250 @ f7.1

Haworth 1940s Weekend Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 400 1/1000 @ f7.1

Haworth 1940s Weekend Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 400 1/250 @ f7.1

Stuart – owner of Pennine Models I had passed this fascinating model shop in Haworth many times thinking I should go in and have a look, but I was always going somewhere else. This day I was browsing the shop window when Stuart arrived to pick up the mail. He and his wife had been out walking the dogs and allowed me to take a quick photo before a group of customers came in.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 800 1/80 @ Ć’7.1

The End of the Day Two guys finishing off a hot days work with a well-earned drink.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 200 1/250 @ f5

“Stop. That’s fine.”

I like the position of the driver directing the loading of the coal and the simple shapes of the left hand side. The reflection of the driver in the front-loader mirror is a bit of luck.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 800 1/200 @ f8

Busy Blacksmith The main features in this shot are the two fires.

The bottom anvil points into the scene where the eye travels upwards to the other anvil pointing at the RH fire. The two fires and their warm colouring link the LH side to the RH side.

The tools on the LH furnace help direct the eye through the scene and onto the back wall with the other tools.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 1250 1/25 @ f5

Cutting Corners The man cutting stone and the bench, frames the activity of laying the stones in the background.

The eye travels from the face down to the saw and stone which points right, then continues up the red trolley (or round via the circular pattern of stones) to the figure against the wall and back down to the saw through the wheel in the centre.

I like the angles of the trolley handles and the pattern in the wall.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 250 1/160 @ f8

Commemoration Ceremony Reflective and self-absorbed with their own memories at the Canadian, Polish and British War Cemetery in Adegem-Maldegem, Belgium, An annual event that takes place every year on the 2nd weekend in September.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 400 1/1250 @ f5

Commemoration Ceremony A WW2 veteran taking a photo at the Canadian, Polish and British War Cemetery in AdegemMaldegem, Belgium. An annual ceremony that takes place every year on the 2nd weekend in September.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 400 1/400 @ f5

Catching the Sun I like the composition of the two benches, the placement of the rings on the wall and the woman sat on the end of the bench. I like the fly on her leg but I hate flies!

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 320 1/2500 @ f6.3

Performing Arts An arty shot – from a low angle – of a performing artist at an arts festival in front of an art gallery.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ISO 640 1/320 @ f5.6

Losers Revenge Having just come second in the final of the Dragon Boat race, the losers vent their revenge by showering the victors with spray.

Canon EOS 7D EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 400 1/640 @ f9

“I have been an Art Director/Graphic Designer for over 40 years and using cameras for longer.

Now, with those years of experience behind me, making images with the camera – photography and paintography – is what I enjoy most of all.

I see designs of shapes and spaces all around me and when I look through my 3x2 viewfinder it’s as if I’m designing a double page spread in a brochure or magazine. Perhaps it’s because I’ve always needed empty space in photographs to insert a headline or a block of text, that I compose my photos in this manner.

I like the space to surround my subject and I will quite often divide my compositions in half or thirds with more emphasis on the open space.

This space is not wasted but is left there for a reason – it is part of the design.

Let the image breath.”

Michael Critchley