Through the eyes of Alex Webb

Yesterday evening we descended upon Leica City in the Royal Exchange to hear a talk by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb on Street Photography and the Poetic Image. Polly's hero is Alex Webb, but she's also a massive fan of Matt Stuart whom I attended a Leica Street Photography workshop with a year or so ago. I offered to introduce them and she found it difficult to stop shaking his hand once she'd started. Actually, he didn't stay for the talk because he said he had to run home and be a daddy (not just that he was scared of Polly). After the talk, I mentioned to Alex our obsession with triangles because of his love of a triangular composition, and he looked as alarmed as Matt had earlier. He's just told us that he doesn't intellectualise have enough to, he leaves that you others (Polly).

 

 

Alex Webb is an intriguing Street photographer, he has a unique and distinctive style. I can admire much of his work but find some of his images too noisy, too busy and cluttered for my tastes. When I review my own street photography I prefer the images with cleaner lines, negative space and punches of color or all monochrome. I particularly struggle achieving photography calmness at a street market, especially Portabello Road market. So imagine my delight with today's London Street Photography Meetup challenge with channelling Alex Web and his style at Portobello Road Market.

 

 

 

I did find today's challenge difficult, as I suspected I would. I think I managed to locate some tenuous triangles. I rather liked the photo of the paparazzi descending on the extravagantly dressed Indian gentleman with silk flowers on his shoes, a multitude of vibrant scarves and his headdress adorned with plastic fruit. I left the nose in top right, I decided that it added to my attempt to channel Alex Webb. I don't know why, but in homage to him, I've opted to not intellectualise it!

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Messing about near the water

Bank holiday's London Street Photography Meetup was actually sunny...well most of the time. We congregated in Little Venice to create a five picture story of the annual Canalway Cavalcade. I hadn't really liked my picture story from Angel when, coincidentally we spent most of our time down by the canal, so here's another chance to redeem myself.

 

 

 

 

I veered off my usual desire to capture images of the street in dramatic monochrome and embraced a blue sky, fluttering bunting, a plethora of painted enamel plates and jugs, glistening polished brass, canal narrow boats and barges (it's all about the width!) cheek by jowl on their moorings or snaking along the canal to show off their prizes from the day.

 

 

 

 

The unaccustomed Polly Meetup balmy weather drove most of the smaller spectators to succumb to ice cream or messy candy floss it seemed, and I had my camera primed.

 

 

 

 

The challenge is to create the story arc: setting the scene, introducing characters, action shots and the details. Ideally I didn't want all my five shots to show children heading for sugar highs, so I needed to pick the five carefully...definitely a challenge!

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Brick Lane & banter

So I'm back, I've returned for another fun London Street Photography Meetup lurking, mingling and stalking, this time around Spitalfields and Brick Lane. We were looking for a gesture, a face in the crowd, an expression.

We met a dapper man who was undeniably totally off his face. Not sure on what, but heavily self medicated! Luckily he took a liking to Darren plus he thought Polly could be David Gilmour's wife, Polly, so I could steal a few shots of him. Other than the name, there seems to be no resemblance! Did I say he was as high as a kite?

Also managed to take a sneaky shot from the hip shot of Bruno, who I met last time.

Met some new Streettogs too, the bizarre, straggly wig sported by the Pastafarian (I'm not sure I can explain) will remain with me for a long time! We retired to the pub for a few drinks and plenty of banter.

I felt that I should post-process all the resultant images in black and white, perhaps channelling those Streettogs of old. I think I've found a new weekend past-time instead of hibernating!

 

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