| ABOUT the Panoramas 4: Not Just Camera in Hand |  |
Page 4 of 4 |  |
It gradually began to dawn on Chris that this post-production selection of figures was, in effect, quickly becoming a return to the kind of flexible working method that he'd used previously - when painting. [NB. Chris' Fine Art degree is in Painting]. A method that he'd reluctantly sacrificed when making the switch to Photography in the first place:
"Of course, in determining the exact position for the camera I was already making decisions about the relative positions of the elements of the scene within the over-all image but now, with this newly regained ability to determine which figures to use where within that arrangement, I was no longer confined to compositional decision-making camera in hand. I could effectively continue to refine and rework how the image worked throughout a much longer process - much as, say, Canalletto must have done: A splash of red on a tunic here to balance the expanse of something else opposite. That sort of thing".
So, in effect, he discovered that he could, throughout post-production, take a metaphorical step back (as if from the canvas) to assess what adjustments might be called for for the image to become more harmoniously constructed.
"Whilst I realised that this was just one method of working, it struck me that it was one that hadn't much been persued in landscape photography".
A return to the city to implement the new techniques followed. "City Life: Cowcross Street, Smithfield" (see left) being just one early result.
Soon thereafter a large corporate commission for a series of West End panoramas added further impetus - especially in light of the client's requirement that some of the locations be recorded both by day and night.
So, for example, the night-time images eventually took advantage of both wet pavements (to reflect brightly lit shop window displays) and slow shutter speeds (that transformed passing figures from acutely sharp individuals into impressionistic blurs of colour). This, Chris felt, was more in keeping with his intention of representing the busy city streets.
This ends this "About the Panoramas" section.
To see how the Panoramas have moved on since, please choose from "IMAGE Collections" in the main menu, above.
| ABOUT the Panoramas 4: Not Just Camera in Hand | |
Page 4 of 4 | |