3rd Shoot - Bradford Again

I'm back again with another shoot in and around Bradford. However, this time around is slightly different. I will be using the prime lens from my York shoot which is 18-135mm so I can capture some more candid street photography without having to stay close and give away that I'm shooting. I believe this is a better decision because not only does it make it easier to shoot, but I can get some really amazing depth of field with these lens so the background is mostly blurred. Here are my contact prints:

I am really starting to enjoy doing this project and it's even more amazing when I get good results with my images. I know this lens is primarily used for portrait but I just feel like it does street photography just as much justice. Here are some of my images:

With good timing skills, I managed to capture these two teens on quad bikes and I quite like how it doesn't look staged at all. I also managed to get their facial expressions although they had no clue they were being photographed. I like how the background is these houses because it links with my intentions of shooting the area just of how it is.

During lunchtime, it was a good time to shoot these local builders who were having their breaks and just shoot candid. I quite like this shot because there's a builder who's walking towards the camera and then this other builder in the back in their relaxing space. I like how coincidentally there's the Skipton building society branch in the back and there's a blue van just turning in the road. 

The best thing with this shot is this gentleman's facial expression. Of course I was stood way back but just to capture this still has been a good opportunity where you can freeze the moment. I also like how there's some depth of field with the image because the background is blurred so the focus is purely towards the foreground. I like that there are people walking around in the back with food because I want my images to represent what is normal as possible.

This is a cool shot because I managed to capture a smile whilst these people were just getting in to the taxi. I think the picture speaks for itself and you would know what is happening from looking at it because there's a taxi and people. I like how the rear passenger seat was open and you can see the taxi driver through his half open window, these factors make the image more interesting.

I think this is a well considered shot because I composed this using the rules of third. I wanted to make the man in white the focal point in the image and it's just portraying centenary square in my images and how it's a chilling spot. I like how the frame is filled with people & families so it looks very busy, and you have people with different ages and backgrounds.

This was taken outside Ginger Goose and I think it's a good timed shot. I like how this man is smoking while walking and I just about captured his leg movement. With the shot, I think I was aiming for that natural everyday effect and I quite like how it was outside this pub. This is a location in Bradford that usually has older aged men stood outside having a smoke. But if you didn't know that, the image speaks for itself because you can see how casual it looks.

This is one of my favourite image from the shoot, I just love how the moment was captured. I was walking along The Broadway car park and thought this is a great location with the yellow and grey colours from the road crossing signs. I was walking behind this man in front and I just loved how his fashion-wear fitted with what I was aiming to shoot. He had his hood up, carried a backpack and wore a tracksuit. I feel like this is what is commonly worn by the youth in Bradford so I managed to capture that in this image. I quite like how I also captured him whilst walking so his body position is actually natural. This may be used as a final because I like the colours and the composition with the lamps, I feel like this fits with street photography in a contemporary way.

Here is another image that was taken in an area in Bradford. These 3 mens were all riding bikes and I noticed they stopped to check their tyres so I was lucky to grab a shot before they set off. I quite like the settings in this image because there's traditional Bradford houses in the back and there's also clothes hanging outside.

Whilst at the bus stop, I captured this shot because I realised how this man was just sitting on his phone. I think this was something to capture because in this day and age, we have smartphones that we're addicted to so I thought I could portray this message in my image. I also quite like the fact the bus stop isn't too packed so it kind of shows as to why he may be using his phone because it's quiet. But this is also just an everyday activity so I thought it's a good shot to fit my theme.

This image was just a candid moment of these men having a conversation. I think I was focusing on the composition on this image and thought of using depth of field on the right side and use the road lines as leading lines in to the image. Along with the people in the image, I also like the road sign that is captured for the no right turns. I like how colourful the image is and it makes a great contemporary street photography image.

Homelessness is a big issue in Bradford and I captured this man that was walking around asking around for loose change. I didn't shoot his face for a specific reason because I didn't want to reveal his identity. But I feel like it's a great shot in expressing this because I've used shallow depth of field so he's fully in focus and you can see his hair perking through his hat and even by his body expression, you get to understand and interpret this image that this man is actually struggling.

This is almost a juxapostion with the old and young. I think with this shot, I was focused on capturing the atmosphere in the town. I quite like how the youth is walking past and then there's adults stood around the pub. I think by looking at the individuals, you can see their fashion sense, their age groups and you get an interpretation from that. To me, this really puts Bradford in one image.

In this image, there's a Muslim man who is walking and I captured this whilst the sun was setting so he was covering his face. I think the facial expression in the image has got him to his natural reaction. I also managed to shoot someone who wore an Islamic outfit like in all my images, you see the different races and backgrounds come through, which does look positive because it's diverse.

Lastly, this is another image which is just capturing these two men who sat on a bench looking at a phone. It's definitely become a current trend that can be archived because it documents the way technology has evolved and we're constantly using phones that can do so much now than just a phone call. I found the bins in the back to be interesting because it contradicts how much we have evolved in some ways but then we have something that could possibly be left abandoned - well that's my interpretation.