With assignment 1 in the post and a number of philosophical questions asked if not answered, it is time to get back to the projects and the gradual build up of material for Assignment 4. I am back to colour, not necessarily for good, but at least for the next few months. Robert Frank has always used B&W, even his newer imagery remains mono, however, it is not his medium that I want to bring to my photography but his observational style and way of constructing challenging photographs. Colour or B&W, it really should not matter.
I am still approaching my social documentary work through the model of street photography, using a small discreet camera to try and capture the essence of the people of Munich as they go about their lives. With each project I am trying to address a different aspect of life in the city, yesterday it was the River Isar and the city "Beaches".
The Isar is an Alpine river, ferocious in the Spring as the snow melts, but placid in Summer if there is little rain. As it passes through the city center the flow is managed and in the location I have chosen for this project is shallow and although fast flowing quite safe for bathers. The banks make for an ideal escape from the heat of the summer, and large crowds of people emerge to enjoy the sun and cool off in the river.
Every few hundred meters a bridge crosses the river permitting an overlook, ideal locations to experiment with this project on high viewpoints. I have taken two approaches to the photographs, a shallow angle that captures the sense of the crowds and places the people into the landscape or a near vertical look down that isolate sunbathers or walkers from the surrounding environment.
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