Hometown Street Photography With A Compact Camera

A broken leg sustained during ice hockey training back in late May saw me put down the camera for a number of weeks while I recovered. To every other person's delight - and my disappointment - the end of May also signalled the start of an extended wave of glorious sunshine. A bit of a rarity here in the British Isles. 

Now the weather is back to one of its familiar - yet decidedly depressing - shades of grey, I have healed enough to ease myself back into some much missed photography. To make things a little less demanding, physically, I avoided the lengthy trip to the city and instead ventured into my small hometown of Burnley to ease me back into it. 

The problem with Burnley, photographically that is (let's not get into the rest), is that as soon as you start pointing a camera around, it's going to attract a lot of unwanted attention. A street photographer's nightmare. 

Only a few days ago I witnessed a small BBC news crew filming some street footage in the town centre, which soon drew a crowd of unsavoury locals and louts questioning them. This quickly led to a fist fight breaking out between two drunken middle aged men, accusing each other of being BBC paedo’s. The news crew couldn’t pack up their tripods and expensive cameras quick enough to leave. 

Welcome to Burnley!

People in small towns just aren't used to seeing cameras on the streets like they are in cities. There's no swarms of tourists passing through places like Burnley to take pictures, and for that reason alone you can understand the local reservations. 

With this in mind - and my own less than welcoming past experiences photographing in Burnley centre - I opted to take my compact pocket camera, the Sony RX100 IV - a much less threatening companion than a multi lens DSLR or mirrorless set up. 

My first capture of the day was the boy walking nervously through an army of pigeons that had just taken flight. The slightly slower shutter speed I used here has softened the boys facial features a bit, but also meant I was able to capture the movement in the birds.
A worthwhile trade off in my opinion as his expression still registers well.

Next I headed to a spot I had passed a few times this year and wondered if there was a shot there. There is a mannequin in an empty shop window that has always looked like an enticing shot; but no matter which angle I looked at it previously, I just couldn’t find a way to photograph it in a way that would do it justice or without all the cars parked directly in front of it.

I found a solution by having it reflected in a mirror with a passer-by walking past the shop window. I’m not convinced this is ‘the’ image - I’m sure there is a better way to photograph it that has yet to present itself.

This is my favourite shot of the day, and the only one I would consider adding to a portfolio.

The torn posters and remaining glue on the dirty phone box created a grunge effect that appealed to me, and so I wondered if I could get a reflection shot through the glass with the payphone itself out of focus.

After a few test shots, it occurred to me that a story could be made by having someone on their phone as the reflection subject in focus. I didn’t have to wait long for this girl to walk into the dark area of the frame, giving me the shot I wanted - it was pure luck that she appears to be looking towards the outdated, seldom used payphone, which only adds to the story.

The reluctance to point the camera at people directly led me to take a lot of reflection shots that day, and I must admit, I see a little bit of an unintentional Saul Leiter influence in the way I took this photo and the previous one. Perhaps caused subconsciously by watching a video about Saul’s work a week before.

Everyone in town knows about the bus station clock. The lofty clockface held high by three metal poles has been a meeting point for lovers and friends for decades, and was another object I’ve often wondered how to shoot. A puddle on the street provided the perfect opportunity.

It is sometimes said by photographers, that it is harder to shoot street photography in their hometown - and I do agree with that. Maybe it's the overfamiliarity with the surroundings that make it easy to overlook potential shots. 

But at the same time I believe good street photography can be taken anywhere. After all, good light and shadows don't discriminate on location. The opportunities might be fewer and farther between, but there are shots to be found everywhere and with any camera.