Visual arts always tell a story without words or sounds. The story starts with what the artist saw or felt, but ends with how it becomes interpreted by the reader or viewer.
In street photography, that story is mostly anticipated by the photographer who contextualizes structures, colours and people and, waits for the story to unfold. The pleasure of pressing on the shutter release at that critical and “decisive moment” is the reward for carrying a medium format camera hanging from your neck and walking miles in crowded streets.
Here are a few examples of how I like to anticipate the story through body language as a form of expression.
A. People looking at other people: There can be two or more people in this “frame” who may be communicating through facial expressions or by how they occupy the space among and around them.
Circus actors in Baltimore, Maryland: One of my favorite body language photos I took in the backstage of a circus. It shows listening, tiresome from smiling during the act, or perhaps disappointment following a mishap in the routine.
Street fashion parade, Barceloneta, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona: This is the photo at the top of the page. Costumes, umbrellas, and make up were made for B&W photography. The expression of the woman holding an umbrella is full of pride but also of past experience with streets shows. I took a number of sequenced photos of her as on that day I was carrying a 1970s Nikon F2 with a motor drive.
Edinburgh, Scotland: “Dirty Dick’s” is a popular watering hole in that city. There was a rugby game on that day and the post game crowds were thirsty. They were surely talking about the outcome of the game, but given the body language, I wonder if all were supporters of the same team.
Virgina: I took this at an art show when I noticed how the artist was looking at a couple going through his prints. In psychology, it is often found that crossing arms means feeling defensive, anxious or insecure. Was the artist worried that his work is not appreciated?
Seoul, Korea: This photo has been published as a book cover. I took it at the Seoul International Airport after seeing a young woman napping next to the moving walkway. It is a photo of anticipation as I waited the two flight attendants to reach the napping woman. But I did not know that one of them will look at her with such a photogenic facial features.
B. Individuals in a crowd: In this case, the body language expression is confined to one person and it contrasts the attitudes of others around him/her.
Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy: I first this man’s hair shining in the sun as he walked in the crowd. It was as is the sun’s rays had beamed on him only. Then when he walked through me and my Minolta Autocord TLR, I could see him all expression in my waist level finder. The rest of the crowd looks totally without any character!
Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland: This young woman was in a world of her own, away from the passersby. Her elongated physical features and the facial expression tell a story of being in deep thought, and perhaps in distress. For a person with a camera, her expression had to be captured.
Highland Games, Prescott, Arizona: We do not see her face, but she is watching the ball and chain thrower in full action. I assumed they knew each other and that she was cheering him in her own quiet way. Her seemingly calm expression contrasts nicely with the intense effort he is displaying.
Each of these six photos had a certain story for me that I did anticipate. The moment of freezing the moment on B&W film did indeed capture that story for me, but I know that each viewer will “read” another story, depending on their past experiences.
And that is why I accept that any of my photos are not mine once they are published – they belong to the interpretation of the viewers.
March 5, 2023
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment