A thought on the arcade

After visiting the arcade in Weymouth I remembered that there is one also in Bournemouth down on the seafront. I went down to visit that one with questioning gambling and why people do it. As I was there I thought I would have a go myself and changed a pound up into two pennies. I used the 2 pennies in the machine and slowly started gaining some money back. I won back approximately 60 pence I think, so not the lot but over half. I then used this again as I thought I may win back more but I lost it all, well I did win back 2p. The buzz you get from winning thought does seem to over run the loss of real money. I had previously looked up some facts on gambling in Britain and came about these facts:

Over 50% of adults in Britain gamble at least once a month.

73% have gambled in the previous 12 months. This figure goes down to 48% if the National lottery is excluded. Problem gamblers are most likely to be male, single, in poor health and have a parent with a gambling problem.

At the arcade I took more pictures but this time with the motive to find people that may be, or become addicted. I know that I was only in a small gambling arcade and this was not a casino but people still seemed to be changing up an awful lot of money.

These three images particularly caught my eye when thinking about how pairs can be made. The difference between the young and the old seems to be outweighed by the concentration on their faces when deciding when to slot in their money. I put these two images together on photoshop to try and create an atmospheric peice to both compliment the images and to question why the two people are there.

Why does everyone visit the arcade?

When in Weymouth I visited the amusements arcade as well as the seafront and in there I found some quirky characters. As well as that I suppose one main question to ask is why are these people in the arcade? Are they there to enjoy themselves? Is it all for fun? Is it serious? Do they have an addiction?

This first image is relatively calm in the style. It was difficult to take pictures inside the arcade as the manager had already told me off for taking pictures so I had to use the 'camera on hip' technique yet again. This meant that many of my images were blurred as I could not look at the focus or the camera itself too much without being caught out. These two image have focused themselves relatively well and the first one shows a strong foreground. They work well together because it could seem like the girl in the left hand side is looking at the man on the right. This could add emotion to the image also as the reasoning behind it could be sinister or purely fun.

Developments of finding similiarities in people

After my trip to London I wanted to find some more people that would possibly be doing the same sort of things. Obviously London is very busy and people don't stop moving and working and so on. I thought about where I could go to find people that may still be similar in activities but far more laid back and calm. I finally choose to go to Weymouth, it is the last stop on the train from Bournemouth station so it would be far enough away for me to find some strangers, hopefully doing some intriguing things.

This first combination is of two people each walking their dogs. It seems to be a great coincidence that they also both own the same type of dog which makes the image similar. The left image was taken round by the harbour and it seems to be the dog walking the woman rather than the woman walking the dog. The right image also seems to show the dog guiding the man in the right direction as he plays on his phone. Both of the people seem reliant on the dogs.

The two images were both taken at similar times on the seafront. These two are very different compared to the pairs I have put up already however I still think they work very well together primarily because of the way in which the girl on the left is standing. The slight lean onto the hip makes the two images very similar.

This image seems to have some thoughts and reflections in it. This is seen y particularly the woman on the right however also the boy on the left seems to have his head just in one mind, looking for crabs. The way in which both people have their back turned leave their actual emotion and thoughts to the viewers decision which makes the images far more interesting.

These two images has emphasis on the colour blue. The man is wearing a blue top that matches the blue on the pole and the blue of the sea. The woman is wearing a blue jacket that matches the blue of the bus stop and the blue of the car. This makes the image slightly more humorous as the pictures that were only taken by chance have created a pair.

Same movements make everyone similair

After the intriguing images on the underground I sat outside a coffee shop for some time in the afternoon. Again using the camera inconspicuously so as to not draw to much attention to the camera and so I would capture less static posed images.

These two images put together make my favourite for the day. I think they sit very well together as the actions are the same and the facial expressions are both very amusing.


The images are also a good pair, you have the man looking in but briskly walking so his image is slightly blurred however the woman is still and on the phone so still busy.

After sitting outside the coffee shop I went into a couple of other little shops and took some pictures of the passers by. These two woman could be worlds apart but their stroll is similar and the way in which they both carry their posture makes them seem similar also.

This image is quite different as its almost a flip over to the other side. The left is a man upside down and the right is a magician on a ladder holder up his batons. They both look to be in the same sort of position also, making the composition effective.

The underground movement

When down on the underground I realised how much of a confined environment it was when the trains stopped and the people were changing, so for this reason I used the 'camera on hip' technique and hoped for the best when taking pictures. I changed my zoom and focus to ensure the images turned out alright. Some the best images are just as the train is coming in, the looks on peoples faces were very amusing and this image in particular stands out as both the men are doing the same pose. I again put these two images together in photoshop along with the map of the route I took behind and changed the opacity slightly.

This next image is also put together in photoshop. Again I think it is quite amusing as the distorted man is right by the door in the top image and then in the bottom image the man is looking from the other side of the carriage and he is only just captured in the image.

These two image I think also sit well together. I man with his cello is looking right at me and then the woman with the sahri on is looking completely away. The types of people that use the tube are a very diverse range of cultures and attitudes and this image seems to define the divide that is easily brushed over because of the business of the tube.

Strangers in London

I went to London for the day and used this time to 'find some strangers' I wanted to photograph these strangers doing their everyday tasks and I hoped to find some quirky images. Two places I found particular interest in were the underground and Covent Garden. The amount of people on the trains and the types of people was amazing. I used this opportunity on the underground to look at how movement of people and pace can effect the photograph. I also sat outside a coffee shop in Covent Garden and photographed the passers by. Probably the best things that I found out of photographing the passers by was that many of them were very similar in their actions and expressions. So perhaps its the similarities in people that are intriguing rather than the fact that they are strangers.

This image was taken in Covent Garden near to the shops. I have put the 2 images together in photoshop as I thin they sit together in quite a fun way. On the left the street entertainer seems to be a statue, with no movement however on the right he has moved and has a certain rapport with the child.

This image is also quite interesting as the man is staring right at me. At the time he did look very angry prior to and after the photo was taken so I made a swift exit. The woman however does not seem to take much care in the image being taken and seems to be more interested in the birds.

This image begins to show some of the pace of London. This man was advertising on a bike with seats attached at the back. He did shout at me for taking the image as he rode by but I think the image stands well alone as well as in a group.

These guys were sitting outside having lunch, one noticed I was taking pictures and soon they were all looking, which may have defeated the object of images of people doing their own thing but I still think the image is fun as they are all on the floor and there are plenty of chairs behind them to sit on.

This image is also very intriguing. I think what works best is the fact that the picture of the woman in the show advertisement is directly above the girl with purple hair's head. This add some dynamic to the image and can also add some humour.

We can't know everyone!

After taking the pictures at my church I realised that although I knew most of the people there, in fact many of them were also strangers. With over 7 billion people living on the earth the minority that I know is extraordinary. I think I have a pretty decent group of friends and acquaintances however obviously these people are mainly people that live in Bournemouth which is a relatively small town. Strangers can change the way you perceive the world as they create a new opening to what you already know or believe. I want to find some strangers and learn different things about them. I have thought of many idea's in relation to Stephen Gill's images of the headphones and also the billboards. There can be a quotation or some text to title the image. When doing this I am obviously going to have lots to consider, firstly where will I take the pictures and find the people. Secondly how will I approach them and when doing so, how can I get them on my side to feel comfortable being photographed? Opportunities for places to photograph will be; cinema- what film are you watching? shopping in town- whats in the bag? bus drivers- whats your destination? I am very interested in creating an outcome that not only develops my understanding of different people but also has a selection of society to compare with one another.