Gridlocked

Weekends at the moment see me photographing roadside egg sales and signs. With my mania for making grids these signs are an obvious subject. I don't have a good enough selection just yet to make a good grid, but I've put a preliminary dummy together to give myself an idea of what it might look like.

As this poultry thing progresses I've been thinking of looking at poultry supplies and suppliers. While I was out and about I decided to call in at a local corn merchants, that also sells fishing tackle, to have a look at the chicken feed. As I walked in a voice asked, "What are you doing here?" A former fishing tackle shop owner I hadn't seen for almost ten years was behind the counter! This connection made it simple to find the right person to ask about taking some photographs in the shop.

Usually I have a speedlight in my bag, but today was the day I left it at home because I'd been messing about with it. I was stuck with either the horribly mixed and dim light in the shop or the pop-up flash. However, I did warn the manager I'd be back!

Having had a look round I'll have a better idea of what I want to get photographs of next time. However, there's even less room in  the shop than in a poultry show so I might have to dig out my widest lens as well as the flash gun. But that will bring another set of problems. Namely the distortion ultra wide lenses can produce, and the alteration in perspective created by having to get closer to things to make them large enough in the frame.

The combination of artificial lights and flash really messes with the colours of things, and the deep shelves weren't helping matters either.

The idea of making portraits of people appeals to me, but being naturally reticent of talking to strangers is a huge obstacle. However this poultry project has proved to me that asking, and getting, permission to photograph people is a lot easier than I'd imagined. Watching how other people do thing is always fascinating and a great way to learn. At least for me. I've always found it easier to learn how to do something by watching and imitating. That's why it was interesting to watch how Laura Pannack goes about directing people while she shoots her street portraits.


Of course I also like grabbing shots of unsuspecting victims. People I know are the safest bet. But even then I'm liable to get an adverse reaction!

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