Photography Creativity Question

[LovelyLadyLux]

Since my camera has been permanently attached to my hand and fingers for a little better than a year AND cause everybody in the town knows me AND cause I've been snapping photos of all and sundry .......well to make a long one short.....I'm tasked with making a calendar for a local non-profit of their homeless program which has been pretty successful.

The outreach workers are getting permissions from those who will agree to have their photos taken etc but yours truly is coming with the camera.

I've had a few thoughts on what would make a good series of photos but I'm asking for, needing, wanting, begging for "IDEAS" and "CREATIVE INSIGHT" (cause as the day to start shooting is coming closer I'm getting more and more nervous).

These calendars are to be given away by this Agency as 'gifts' to staff, directors, managers etc. They'll be sent out as Christmas gifties to other Agencies.

The idea is to capture the social issue of 'homelessness' here (which is truly epidemic) and to show how the various families this Agency has worked with have moved from homelessness to obtaining and maintaining housing.

Any ideas? Thoughts? Inspirations? Anything is appreciated Pleaseeeee!!! :):):) (Methinks my nerves are getting to me about this project) Has to be finished by end of October.

[Clandestino]

A sword with two blades, the ideas is ok, but showing the blemish of being poor and living at the margin of the society can hurt the still remaining part of their humad pride.
For example i hate people shooting everywhere in poor countries, walking in the steet or being among people, without asking them before. But also if you ask, they agree but they didn't know your later aims with the photo. May you will store it on a computer, sell it for a magazine or competing at an international photo competition, putting it to any community site for showing them to the whole world?

If you ask, you explain your aim and they agree, this is the correct way, but 'playing the paparazzo' among poor people, such as homelesses, equal if you show their faces or not, get ther las piece of human proudness away....

[FABlux]

Difficult you need to show the poverty aspect but nobody wants to look at a miserable calendar. How about bright cheerful pictures with small B & W inserts, sort of before & after?

[LivinginLuxor]

Firstly, I think the subject really cries out for B/W photographs - colour would somehow detract from the subject.

Take a look at the work of photojournalist like Don McCullin to see what I mean - http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Do ... 80&bih=839

I'd concentrate on contrasts - cardboard boxes close to modern shops, people sleeping on park benches in pleasant parks - that kind of thing (but that could be seen by some as intrusion). You could try a late night food run, or inside a hostel. Then as a contrast, boarded up housing that could be renovated and used as housing again, especially if they are close to modern buildings.

But it is truly a difficult subject and I would feel as if I was intruding into another world.

[Kiya]

LLL a very difficult subject but I was thinking on the same lines as Fablux

Difficult you need to show the poverty aspect but nobody wants to look at a miserable calendar. How about bright cheerful pictures with small B & W inserts, sort of before & after?

[Grandad]

LLL, I think Stans suggestions are on the mark, if you can find examples similar to those he suggests. At least one after darkness shot.

A mix of mono and colour would give interest to the range of pictures. And, as others have suggested avoid intrusion, make any people in your shots incidental and not the focus unless you have their agreement.

Have your camera set at a high resolution....most important for quality reproduction especially if the calender will be glossy.

Take many shots in each situation, the best can then be selected later. Try to take your shots in good light.

Don't rely on multi point focussing all the time. You may need to switch to spot focussing or even manual. Sharpness is essential for reproduction.

It is a big challenge and I can understand your apprehension. Just approach it with confidence.....you can do it.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Thanks to you all for the suggestions. Anybody whose photo may appear will have been fully informed and will have given and signed a complete consent. This is NOT going to be a "papparazzi" shoot with me jumping out of the bushes to quickly snap shots of people in various poses.

I'm not sure 'yet' if the Agency is going glossy or not. It will depend on the production cost(s) to them.

I was thinking along the line of black and white too. I had a thought of black and white and somehow incorporating colourful flowers or something colourful to signify good/hope/ positiveness etc. but wasn't too sure that the point of 'colour' would actually convey what I was meaning. Somehow showing a stark dismal nothingness in contrast to plenty. In this area there really are not boarded up houses etc. "Most" of the homeless live on the streets in the store fronts.

Agency run Shelters are full to overflowing and mostly hand out mats for sleeping on the floor. People are allowed in in the evening but must be up and out early in the day.

This particular Agency has has quite a few success stories of being able to get people into housing and keep them there. They want to show this - kinda a 'before and after'......All suggestions were appreciated!

[redsaffy]

Although I think Stan's idea is great how about showing the different social problem in a kind of seasonal way??

Sorry thinking while typing ie. in the summer showing the colours of summer but with the social aspect incorporated in to it homeless person on a bench run down housing estate ect..
or for winter time have a night shot with a make shift fire with people gather round it with the aspect of being out in the cold obviously my ideas are a bit stereo typical but

Just an idea

[LovelyLadyLux]

Am learning very quickly that being 'creative' is hard work and lots different than just going out and snapping off photos randomly. I'm finding it is relatively 'easy' to take photos depicting homeless but it is very difficult to take a photo and have somebody think "working poor" and/or "going paycheque to pay cheque".....Am stumped on how to capture that. Been thinking about trying to find dirty kids wearing too small clothes, holes in shoes etc. Am finding that working poor are lacking symbolism, at least I am lacking in being able to come up with symbolism to represent low income.

The initial request was 12 photos for a calendar. Now same Agency has asked me to take a whole bunch of photos so that they can have a slideshow presentation going in the background at a fund raising breakfast they're going to be hosting in a month or so......I'm thinking a whole bunch of shots is easier than 12 AND the more I'm trying to get something interesting for a calendar I'm really not too sure that anybody is going to want a calendar of this ilk.

These are some of my latest pictures......would appreciate what they say to you (and GRANDAD I'm sparing L4U the BLOB photo!!! )












**Ok I've tried to edit this a few times but ??? have no idea 'WHY' today I'm not able to make photos appear on here. Just the cyber vagueries of L4U......???











Again - sorry I can't seem to get a photo posted on here. Sometimes I'm full steam ahead and I can post photos not problem. Today it just isn't happening. Sorry

[Helsx]

Hi

These links don't work...or is it just me?

[LovelyLadyLux]

I dunno why they don't. They were resized and them all in the Album Miscellaneous. Sometimes I can get pictures on here 'no problem' then other times there is nothing I can do to get L4U to allow me to post a photo. Quite annoying and I have no idea what CyberGod makes Photos sometimes appear and sometimes not on here.

They're all filed in the Miscellaneous Album but can't make 'em appear here at all.











Sorry - can't get 'em to appear. I tried going into the Album a different way in the hopes it would make the link work but no cigar.....sorreeee

[Grandad]

LLL, I accessed the pics via the Misc album.

Sitting will not fit the necessary format, shame because if the person and bag were closer it could work.

I like the man scavanging in a bin....that looks OK

The cardboard is good but as the hands are visible (and they are good) it needs a head, even if bowed with the face obscurred.

The alley needs some point of interest, it has no focus. Someone dossing in the alley would have done it.

The door is devoid of any interest, a couple of spent syringes would get that message.

Trying to be helpful LLL. You need to have the final format in mind, probably 3 x 4, and the picture needs to have a focus and convey a message.

[Horus]

LLL, I have copied your pictures here for you
Although I did get some strange results in preview when I omitted a blank line between photo's, maybe it is your picture sizes

I felt that Number 1 needed a huddled person in the doorway, maybe with their head turned away.

And for Number 2, perhaps some empty flat cardboard boxes to signify that someone was sleeping rough in the alley.

I am afraid that the others did not really convey any real message to me, but they may do to others Keep taking the pictures, you will know when you get a good one

[LovelyLadyLux]

Thanks for the feedback! Truly appreciated. I'm fairly confident I can capture 'homeless' but 'working poor' is something else.

As for capturing syringes and huddled people that isn't that difficult just dangerous! The more inner city areas around here are not that accessible in some respects which is why I was down there on the middle of a Saturday afternoon.

I'm going to keep at it. I'm kinda favouring the black and white but I saw a photo of Grandad's that was black and white with just some colour and it was quite powerful as the colour really brings you to that point in the picture........

AGH the life of a paparazzi isn't an easy one!! ;);)

Oh - and H - I put the photo lines with spaces, together, modified the line - I tried lots of combos in the editing to get the pictures coming out. Last week I had no problem at all but today nothing was coming out at all. Thanks for posting them for me H! Appreciate it!

[Grandad]

LLL, regarding the mix of colour and black and white that you mentioned, you can do this with Picasa under 'Focal B & W'.

However, you can only isolate a circular area and adjust the level of blending from the colour to the B & W.

With PSP you could 'select' the area you want to keep coloured and then reverse the rest to B & W. It means you can select an irregular area like a person, and adjust the colour and the B & W independently to strengthen the image.

[Horus]

Ah, Grandad now we come back to that old chestnut of Photo manipulation I was going to suggest to LLL that maybe a diagonally split picture that juxtapposed the two sides of being rich or poor may make a good picture. Maybe something like a person eating in a good restaurant alongside a person scavenging for food, or themes on similar lines, but like I said, it will require some photo manipulation

[LovelyLadyLux]

Ohhhhhhhhhh - LOVE that idea! Two photos side by side showing opposites.......Way COOL! Dunno if I'm 'good' enough to do it but I'm thinking I'm gonna try! Great idea!

I made the B&W in Picassa and I've straightened using Picassa too. Didn't realize about the focal aspect to colour though. Will research it. There is just 'so much' to learn for my poor old brain.

Totally appreciate the tips, thoughts, suggestions! Thank you all so very much! Truly appreciated! :):):):):):):):)

[Horus]

LLL, this is the sort of image I was trying to convey to you, where one side is all joy and light, whilst the other is only a fading memory of the other picture, but the colour indicates a little hope remaining. I have also shown the images as having a gap between them, so tearing the two groups (of society) apart from each other.
I used the analogy of flowers as I don’t really have any photos that would fit your own situation, but I think you may get the idea.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Yes! I DO get the idea and it is honestly TERRIFIC!!! I'm not sure I have any photos that would be suitable (unless I take some) Hmmm - how novel a thing for me to do - go out and take photos! ;)

Seriously that is a great example and with just a bit of colour it does signify hope too.

I'm off in two hours to my first photogrphay 'lesson' in digital photography. Once I pass the first two levels the third allows me to enter a photo editing class which is also in a series too and this I sorely need.

So much to learn and so little time and so OLD a brain and grey matter!!

Thanks for the idea H and the inspiration. I think you're hit the nail on the head of what we need our flyers to look like.........NOW to accomplish that!

[Kiya]

Good Luck to you LLL with your 1st lesson I'm sure you will enjoy it