Whatever the Weather
Assignment S51
Don’t be one of those street photographers who only ventures out on a warm, fine day! Instead, view “extreme” weather as a good thing and the perfect reason to get out of the house with your camera. Snow, rain, ice, fog, strong winds, sunshine – anything but a gray day is great for street photography and adverse conditions can be turned into an advantage.
This assignment is all about observing and recording the changes on the same street under different weather conditions. Your challenge is to shoot four images of the same scene from the same position in any of these conditions: sunshine, rain, fog, ice, wind, or snow. Find a good position-one where there’s always plenty of activity, such as a crossroads or street corner-and revisit it at different times of year.
Observe people’s demeanour and behavior in different conditions; see how they react to a big gust of wind or an unexpected downpour. Be prepared for “the unusual in the usual”-an umbrella blowing inside out or someone squinting in the harsh sunlight; it is these oddities that will add depth to your pictures.
View the Images
Technique
- Take creative control of your camera to emphasize the conditions (such as underexposing to saturate the blue in the sky or using a slow shutter speed to add some deliberate motion blur).
- As with many other projects, it’s a good idea to work in either color or black and white; mixing the two will be less effective, especially in such a small body of work.
Field Notes
- Umbrellas can form a good focal point for your scene.
- Protect your gear from the elements and carry a chamois leather in your bag to keep your camera and lens clear of water.
- Take plenty of batteries out with you in low temperatures: batteries can really suffer in the cold.