One of the things that gives me most pleasure when taking pictures is street photography, a vague and amorphous term which covers any number of situations. Basically, it means taking photographs of people you don't know in public settings. It's kind of scary as pointing a camera at strangers can generate any number of reactions, not all of them pleasant. Still, I enjoy the idea of capturing just a taste of everyday life and, if I'm really lucky capturing what the brilliant photographer, Cartier-Bresson famously called "the decisive moment", a gorgeous slice of exquisite reality.



But for me an even greater challenge is street portraiture, i.e taking a close up shot of a complete stranger whose features are compelling. It's not something I do lightly as you have to be bold and up front. No furtive paparazzi shots taken with a telephoto lens at 300m. No, this means walking up to complete strangers and asking to take their photo. It goes against all my inner instincts and gives me no end of worry, yet the pay off is that I've been able to take some wonderful images of people.



The other good point about such an approach is that you avoid treating people as if they were some exotic yet dangerous animal in a safari park. It's a chance to depict another person's humanity, no matter what their circumstances.



In this I've been inspired by the work of Don McCullin who photographed some of the world's most violent conflicts. whenever I feel apprehensive about approaching someone I just say to be myself,

"What are you risking? "

In essence, nothing. Certainly nothing compared with the risks McMcullin took in order to get his images.

Lydia at the Sustrans fair

Lydia at the Systrans fair, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Reflected

Reflected, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Taken at the Sustrans 30th anniversary bash on CastleGreen.

The centre of Bristol

The centre, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Peeping

Peeping 2, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Dude

Dude, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Taken yesterday in the centre.

Street portrait

Street portrait, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

There are days when nothing seems to work, when whatever you point your camera at seems lame and cliched. And then there are days when all the visual riches of the world seem to be lining up to grab your attention. Vicars, ex-addicts, teen grafitti freaks and African performers were just part of today's moveable feast.

Urgent conference

Urgent conference, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Comparing notes over the latest cabinet reshuffle. At least that's what they told me.

What weather?

What weather?, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

The temperature was 16c and it was raining, but what the hell!

Street preacher

Street preacher, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Came across these guys in Broadmead shopping centre. Great as I get to poke my camera in peoples' faces and nobody minds.

Just thinking

I arrived in England just after some of the worst storms in living memory and just in time for a wave of terrorist attacks around the country. With timing like this I could make a fortune by promising not to visit other places.

It's still raining.

Being back.

After so long abroad it takes time to get back into the English rythms and so occasionally you find yourself completely at sea when it comes to the stufff that everyone else takes for granted, such as how to buy a ticket and the like.

Even stranger are the small details that catch your eye. For example I was walking by a news stand when I saw something about "bus marshalls". Bus Marshalls? I know about sky marshalls from the movies, after seeing Wesley Snipes manfully fight international terrorists (i.e a Brit with a funny accent) aboard a 747. Somehow, Wesley would find the 76 to Hartcliffe something of a come down, even if his career is in nose dive mode.

Another thing is eye contact, I think I've been freaking out passers-by out with the fact that I don't turn away immediately the moment someone looks in my direction. I'm not sure if this comes from living in Greece (Olympic gold eyeballers to a man... and woman) or to the fact that I keep on finding faces infinitely intersting subjects to photograph.

Vain swan

Vain swan, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

The swans in the centre are so tame that you can practically touch them.

Bath

Bath, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Today I hopped on a train and visited Bath, which is just 10 minutes ride from Bristol and just wandered the city enjoying the views.

For more photos click here.

Down and out in Bristol and Salonika

Down and out in Bristol and Salonika, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

I guess that Orwell's classic hasn't gone out of fashion yet, alas.

Lydia

Lydia, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Lydia is enjoying her holiday in England. I've been surprised by how seamlessly she has moved from one country/culture/language to another.

Woman in a window

Woman in window, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

If you look carefully, you'll see a woman looking out of the window in this photograph. Influenced by Don McCullin's work I tried to capture an idea of modern day working class life in England. This is what made me, what I grew up in and for better or worse seems to have remained stubbornly familiar, no matter how many initals I put after my name.

Learning more

As you've probably guessed I've been enjoying the freedom to wander Bristol on foot and just take pictures of whatever catches me eye. It has been a real education to see the city and neighbourhoods I grew up in with a different eye. One of the challenges I set myself was to take more street photographs. To prove that I could do this in England as well as Greece. For some reason, partly personal, partly cultural I feel more inhibited about pointing a camera at complete strangers here.







There are major differences in the way people way react to the camera. In Bristol people shy away from it, avert their face, change the direction in which they are walking. On the other hand in Thessaloniki, people mostly ignore it or give me a curious stare and then wander off. On the other hand most of the people in both countries say "yes" when I ask if I can take their picture, something I never would have expected.


I came aross the work of the photographer, Don McCullin, which as been a real revelation. As well as doing amazing work as a combat photographer what really struck me was his images from Britain as a documentary photography which are, if anything even more powerful.




As a result I have been trying to copy from his approach and visual style. Different times, different techniques but still there is so much that I can learn from this.

Click here to listen and read an interview with McCullin.

Touristing the tourists 3

Touristing the tourists 3, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Saint Mary's Redcliffe

Saint Mary's Redcliffe, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.