Ken: A tribute

Smoking

I recon this might turn out to be my favourite street shot from London. Might be too soon to judge as I haven't seen them all but it's my kind of street shot. I like street photography that has some regard for its subjects and while I love humour in street photography I hate seeing people mocked, that ain't humour, that's sneering.

The boys just look like that break is well earned. It's packed round Chinatown and the store being closed and all the goods gone of the shelf's hints at a busy day and it being late in the day. But I recon there day's far from over.

Three waiters

Another thing:

Photographs that work well in colour usually work well in black and white to. Not quite the same in the reverse which might sound like bullshit but it's true and easily tested. Try it

London

Well it turns out that we were 30 years too late to take on the Krays. So we met the Smith's instead and to our surprise (and Dave's relief) there was no bloodshed or gang land violence.

But I did shoot a lot of people in London

That includes The Smiths...

More later


Later:

Ange with Zippo

It's not PC to say but man some people look cool smoking. I could never carry it off, I looked like some SS officer in a black and white war movie, camp as Christmas in a nutshell. Ange is more like a spy in a war movie, she's cool under fire/zippo

Check out Dee & Kras in each eye

Saint Smith

Ange proving that sometimes it's better to ask for permission than forgiveness

I shot this lady and her dogs. Didn't get a good shot but I got a good shot of the girl that did.

Tate Modern

A Big Event

Yesterday I went to see my old school, a Big Event they called it. It is being destroyed this summer, so have a party!

I'd not been back since I collected my failed O'level slips and a few CSE passes. 16 years old I guess. It was a rough old school and walking round yesterday nothing had really changed. I met an old teacher (Mr. Eve) and a mate (Vic) I'd not seen since. I shot a lot of pics. But this one of the doors . . . . I spent five years of my life going through those doors, and it's just the same apart from the pink and will be gone in a month or so.

What a day of memories.

E Block

Kras

Ask

Eddie

Some of the very best street & none street photographers were/are very shy. Robert Doisneau's first shots were of torn posters and cobbled streets, he was too shy to shoot people. Later you can see people shot from a safe distance but balanced perfectly with the working class (just thought I'd get that in) neighbourhoods of Paris he loved.

"When it comes down to it, constraint's no bad thing. My shyness censored me, and I took people only from a distance. As a result, there was space all around them"



People don't know it, or don't believe that I'm shy. I work around it in funny ways, like I don't mind speaking to a room of 200 people but other times I'm too shy to go to a BBQ. Anyway...

This isn't a street shot, it's a portrait. This is Eddie from Kirby Lonsdale. Had a pint with Eddie and took some portraits of him. I would never of got this shot without asking. And while I do recon it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, there are times when you can work around it.


Bit like shyness really

indicommons

A great resource of archived photographs from around the world linking to flickr for more. Well worth checking out.

indicommons

Kras

Summer time in England

Some days you wake up with a good feeling. This day I had a good feeling right through to my bones and till the late hours. Truly one of the best days for me. A Summer time in England (stay with Van the Man, one of the best songs ever)

Can you meet me . . . . .

in the long grass . . .

Kras