The Street Is A Stage Pt.2

Walking through London, i hadn't yet found a subject that i was strongly drawn to. I stumbled upon something/someone interesting every 5 minutes because the streets were full but i was never fully satisfied with the shot. I also didn't feel like there was a strong enough story behind a lot of them. That was until i stumbled upon this character. The stage was set. You could see him from the other side of the square because his plastic bottle structure towered over the busy commuters. He was definitely there to make a statement and i knew i had to capture it. It was perfect because this man was quite literally engulfed by all the people swarming to cross the road but he still stood his ground, looking above them and focusing on his own little world. All the people around him became rather invisible as soon as i started photographing him. I was aware of them yes, because they wouldn't stop walking into me, but his character animated the shot so much that they became immediately less important.

The shots below were taken after we approached him and initiated a conversation. You can see his expression change completely because i doubt he gets much attention from the passing public. As sad as it is to admit, people have priorities and hardly notice statements like this. But it takes a person like him to not think about that element and think about the people that will look at him and take a minute to think about the change that needs to be made.

I asked if he'd be comfortable with me taking photo's of him and he eagerly agreed, asking if i wanted him to carry on with conversation or face the camera. I told him to carry on as he was so i could capture each little expression on his face.

I tried a variation of angles and focused on different parts of his banner to see what worked and what didn't. Composition wise, i wasn't too keen on the above. I think his hat was a key part of the photo for me so of course i wanted to highlight it but i think i was a bit too close/invasive for this one. It seemed a little over exposed and quite clumsy. The colours aren't very saturated and the bottles at the top are cut off. His face is also cropped very strangely at the side.

I like this one (above) more than the last one simply because it shows more of his character. You learn more about him though this image and that's what i want to try and achieve. I like how the bottles at the top of the photo almost act as a frame. I also like how direct the 'Your Earth Needs You Now' sign is. Your eye is immediately drawn to it and it's possibly the most important message.

I did ask him to look directly at the camera this time as i felt like i had enough shots of him engaged in conversation. I was particularly drawn in by his kind eyes. I wish i'd got a closer shot of them but i wanted to get everything in. A person's eyes are the window to the soul and his were so kind and pure. A very light, grainy blue. I like how he's smiling in this image. He looks proud and i was so happy to capture that because that's how he should feel.

The thing that drew me most to this man was the fact that he wasn't forcing his views on anyone. He was peacefully standing by with a simple message in the hope that people will come to their senses and be moved by his banners.