The Street Project

It’s hard to say why the style of street photography appealed to me over many other photographic themes. But I guess the most exciting part is the idea of rebellion. I am able to walk through the streets and capture the movements of strangers. I have learnt how to hide the identity slightly without ruining the mystery of the image.

Through the use of travel photography, I have learnt the lesson of different cultures but with the ability to achieve capturing powerful street photographs, I am able to convey the messages of local people. By capturing strangers in their natural environment I am capturing the scene for how it really is. I have grown up to see false people as well as brutally honest people. It is rather refreshing to witness the natural movements of people and know they are not creating any sort of false pretence or lie, by showing the true reality. I guess in some ways I should have studied psychology because how a person behaves can totally change the mood of the image I have taken. I have completed a number of street photography shoots in the South East of England and every new place I visit presents me with new emotions to reveal and convey. Street photography is a risky style of photography where you rely on shooting complete strangers without their permission but I feel like this only increases my desire to continue.

The understanding I have, to change the way I photograph each scene and emotion, allows me to capture more natural scenes where the camera may be positioned at a slight angle. This adds a unique quality which allows each image to look totally spontaneous. To create the best photos, one must look at their surroundings and themselves and use this as ammunition for each and every photo. Part of the image relies on the area where the subject is positioned. The negative space helps to frame the person, allowing them to appear more visible but also adds a story to each and every scene. See, I don't know any of the people I photograph, yet it feels as though I do. Through the use of imagery, I am able to capture a moment that is truly ours, as though through my images I live with them.

But overall, the thing I find most satisfying is the idea that in that split second, you are able to see a scene through your viewfinder, and in that second you have to make a choice. Life offers you an opportunity and your intuition will tell you when to click the camera. In that moment, the photographer is creative. Capturing a moment, that no-one else can take. In that moment, you have captured something which can never be again. If missed, it is lost forever. If missed, that creativity is lost always. If captured, it is stored and treasured forevermore as a memory. As a street photographer I am constantly playing with the optimum time to capture an image. Sometimes it works and other times it fails. But what I have learnt most is that sometimes the images which you think have failed actually become your favourite when viewed in a different setting. This is why I truly believe you cannot just see that a photograph is right, you have to feel it as well. However, this isn't something you are born with!

I have successfully finished four years of photography education now and one of my favourite and most aspiring photographers that I have come across was Elliott Erwitt. He is a french-born street photographer based in the USA. What fascinated me was the use of everyday items to frame the subject. For example, ‘California 1955’ shown below. The wing mirror focuses our eye towards these two subjects and shows the love they have for each other. With every image he captures, he is able to present the emotion of the subject(s) and the passion he has for his profession. One famous quote which I believe to be very true is ‘To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.’ - Elliott Erwitt. This quote couldn’t be more true. The idea that an observation can be lost in a second and finding this observation in an ordinary place is what makes it interesting. I tend to shoot street photography in town centres rather than city centres because it is just an ordinary scene in the background. I also have the added bonus that there are less people on the streets to confuse the image. I have learnt that when I photograph a scene, I have to imagine I am being photographed, also. By doing this I am able to capture the feeling portrayed by the subject.

It is hard to say how long I will continue adding to ‘The Street Project’ but I know for certain I am not done yet.

My American Dream

There are many different places I want to visit in my life and I am fascinated by each and every culture. I am very lucky to have been given the opportunity to visit many cities that I always planned to visit but also to meet people from countries I have not yet visited. In particular, USA and Italy were two places I wanted to visit the most. With varying languages and, in the most part, varying weather, I found these destinations fascinating. New York has always been a place for dreams and I too have fallen into this stereotypical group of people who believe their dreams will come true there. I think that the difference with my American dream is that I don’t expect much to change. My American dream consists, simply, of the idea I will live in America when I am older. It would be hard to say that, for my whole life, I have dreamt about this because I cannot remember my thoughts as a young child. But I can confirm that the 6 or 7 year old Bethany had dreamt about this just like many other children around the world. In March 2016, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime, to be apart of the school music tour in New York. I truly felt as though I could test this dream. Like many dreams a child has, I expected my own dreams to stay dreams so this fantasy was a real adventure.

Now as a nearly 18 year old, I question why this dream has remained whilst others have become rather unappealing. I must answer this question with the answer ‘it was meant to be’. I don't believe in fate, or rephrased, I don't believe that if you sit back, everything that should happen, will happen. But I do believe that if you try to succeed, events that should occur, will. Therefore I truly believe that moving to America is my fairytale and fate, only I have to work to get there.

Travelling has always been a fascination of mine and I'm not totally sure why. I have always been inquisitive and I guess the inquisitive mind will ask questions about the rest of society, so the natural thing would be to investigate through travel but I believe there is more to it than that. The ability to travel freely around the world has enabled a slightly wild and excitable child to find her place in an ever-changing world. I have seen how many different people live their lives and have learnt from this. I am lucky to have had an excellent education throughout my life and I am very grateful for this but I believe I have learnt many of my life skills through the ability to travel. It sounds cringy to add a quote to this but Saint Augustine said ‘The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.’ So I guess for a child that never felt like they read enough, the only other option was to travel, to read those extra pages.

Possibly the best place I visited when I was in New York was Ellis Island. This is potentially the most powerful place in the world for its memories and dreams. Over 12 million immigrants entered the United States of America through Ellis Island to start their American dream, from 1892 to 1954. My photo of the Ellis Island entrance is shown below. Fascination started as soon as I entered the building and learnt about the screening and entry criteria. Immigrants were labelled with different symbols if they appeared to have some form of disability. It was interesting as well as heart-breaking to understand that many who entered Ellis Island were sent straight back due to discrimination. When I read this, I wondered how much had actually changed. This was definitely done on a more public scale but discrimination of this form and many others still occur in modern America and in the modern world. So I question whether the society we live in today has improved in any way. I think in some cases my answer would have to remain ‘no’.

I guess some people would question my timing for starting a blog, and of all topics I could have chosen, to choose travel, I must be stupid. But I believe this is the perfect time, being able to present my own point of view, I am able to show the positives and negatives of the modern world I live in and I am able to show how the ability to travel has shaped the way I view the world today and in history. The American Dream has always been a theme that mesmerised me. When I think back to studying Of Mice and Men in senior school, I was overwhelmed by the way the author presented this optimism as a hinderance to the evolution of the two main characters. But as a nation we naively assume that this dream can only be positive. This helped me understand that there are always two sides to every story. I am going to University in September (hopefully :D) and will begin to learn more but I wanted to start shaping my own future. I thoroughly enjoy travelling and photographing the scenes I see, so creating a website and blog, for this, sounds perfect. I chose to study Geography at A Level in the hope that I will learn more about my country and the world around me. Which, if nothing else, has taught me appreciation of my life but choosing a University degree in American Studies will teach me the skills to understand the connections and partnerships between countries. Also, I truly believe that this is the best way to follow my American dream. It is only topical that I should write this post only a few days after America celebrated their independence because every person celebrating that day is able to celebrate their own independent American dream they are living because of the country's independence. It is a human dream that is personal to every individual.

Having said earlier that the two places I have wanted to visit in my life the most are USA and Italy, it may sound unrealistic that my school chose for the music tour to be in Italy this year. The only explanation for this is fate! This time, however, we went at the end of June. We visited two very famous cities as well as many small towns. We stayed in a Municipality called Brenzone, on the Eastern side of Lake Garda. We performed in cities like Venice and saw sited in Verona. Simply, the age of cities like Verona, has allowed me to understand the progression the human race has made and the decline too. Many of the buildings, I was lucky enough to visit, were built nearly 2000 years ago and are still standing today. One example of this is the Arena di Verona (shown below), which was build in AD 30 and is still seen today, even after the major earthquake of 1117. But I compare this to the city of London where many old buildings, which are not even close in age to the buildings in Verona but are knocked down to build brand new office or apartment blocks. From visiting these buildings in Verona, I have learnt a new appreciation for vintage. By the protection of old buildings, you are preserving the dreams and fantasies of ancestors and previous generations. We all have dreams and, I for one, would hope that future generations would not ruin those dreams. That is how I view cities like Verona and Venice; a place where dreams are maintained and preserved.

I found the Torre dei Lamberti quite symbolic because it was positioned in the centre of the city. This is one of my images below. This is a clock tower built in 1172 and its purpose was to look out for the city of Verona and warn its citizens of any danger. It was built in the centre of the city and is visible from every corner. I believe this to be similar to the idea of fate. Fate will look over us and protect us if we are deserving of this protection.

Whilst in Verona, we were very lucky to be shown round by a tour guide. His knowledge and understanding of the city, I was standing in, helped me understand further the stories not visible to the average tourist. He revealed the devastating effects that earthquakes and fires can have on a city like Verona, but also showed the resilience to move on from such devastation. After earthquakes and fires, much of the building work fell down, such as the outer wall of the Arena di Verona, but instead of it destructing the lives of the local people, they decided to move on and built foundations on top of the rubble. It is rather cheesy to say, but I believe an important lesson was learnt here; when things get you down, you can let it drag you down further or you can rise up from it, build new foundations and start again. This is why I honestly believe that travel teaches everyone valuable lessons for life. My best tip though, is to get a tour guide, as they tell you all the extra things you cannot see with the naked eye!

It is hard to know what my future holds but I know it will be centred around travel and the lessons I have learnt from it. And I know for certain, photography will document my every move. (P.s these are all my own images, hope you enjoy :D )