I had the chance to photograph two local stonemasons. I approached them and asked whether I could photograph them later in the day and, with the promise of some tea and biscuits on arrival, they agreed.
When photographing people you haven't met before try to get to know them a bit before you rattle off 100 shots. It is important to be interested in your subject- this always makes better photographs, as your subjects feel more comfortable in front of the camera.
This is something we cover in my workshops - whether it is an old fishing boat in the English Channel or a street portrait, often 3-4 photographs at different angles is better than trying to fit in all the information in on one cluttered photograph.
1. An Individual portrait (in action or posed):
2: A Close-up or Detail:
3. A Different Perspective: Often I use a foreground subject with the subjects rendered out-of-focus in the background (they must be recognisable though)!
4. Then, a wide-angle shot to give it a sense of place.
Photography aside, I am now a dab hand at stone masonry and really enjoyed getting to know Dave and Mike.
If you would like to improve your photography, take a look at my individual workshops
John
Great little tutorial very clear and concise and well illustrated. Nice portrait of movement in the first image followed by a very interesting detail shot. The bottom wide angle photograph is perhaps my favorite though! Good leading lines with the wall and this line is mirrored by the road... The axe that has just been left in the crop also shows how aware you are of your framing a very strong black and white image. You have a real eye for the wide scene setters throughout your work. I notice that on your 'workshops' page you have an image from a game shoot? Do you run game shoot workshops?
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