Collections 2021 - an exhibition of Street Photography - is over for this year. Many members were able to visit Aspire Gallery to see the images in print there, and in QCG’s street photography book. While the genre typically dictates that the photo does the talking, we could not help but be curious about the stories behind those images. Here, some of the participants in the exhibition and book share their experiences.
Eye-Popping, Lip-Smacking Special by Chris Pigott This image was taken in West End which is often a location that provides some interesting street scenes. I was sitting in a cafe having a coffee when I noticed the lady nearby having a portuguese tart with her coffee. I focused my camera on her and thought the reflections in the shop window would add to the scene. Then the deli owner appeared in the window which was a bonus. As is often the case, I didn’t notice the expression on his face until I saw the image on the computer later.
Helping Hands by Chris Pigott I was walking through the city one night with camera in hand and was attracted by the bright and colourful lights in this shop in Elizabeth Street. I stood outside and took a few shots mainly focussing on the image of the hands projected onto the stairs in the background and the reflection of the shopper on the highly polished floors. I thought that would combine to create an interesting image. When I looked more closely I noticed the hands of the shop assistant and the hands on the sanitising station. I then changed the focus of the image from light and colour to the four sets of hands that were visible.
Wrong Way by Gaye Slade I was in China Town New Years Day heading out into the street when I noticed two One Way signs with an arrow pointing right. My thoughts started clicking around in my head. I walked out into the street and saw a young couple heading towards me. I ran back in, waited for them to come into view and took the shot.
This Vintner Knows His Market by Margo Wade I was photographing buildings in the pretty village of Millthorpe when I spotted an elderly lady pushing her walker past the Slow Wine Co. The juxtaposition between company name and walker (in both senses of the word) was too good to miss.
Talking About You not To You by Anne Pappalardo This is a serendipitous shot, taken on the ferry on the Mersey River in Liverpool in 2019. The women seated were quite intoxicated! Immediately, I knew I wanted to photograph them. I noticed the bloke in the background watching these ladies, lined him up between the two main women in the foreground, and voila - created an image which looked like these women were secretly chatting about the gent.
All Alone by Georgie Crossley This was shot in the Brisbane CBD on a Thursday. Every month myself and three other ladies known as the Thursday Girls, would go somewhere in Brisbane for a photo shoot followed by lunch. We are known as the Thursday Girls because we always took classes on a Thursday and now we always meet on a Thursday. I was actually admiring the Brisbane Post Office when I noticed the man on the steps. As I was composing the shot I realized the other two people seemed to fit the composition perfectly. It looks like all three are all alone even though the city was teeming with people.
Wait for Me by Georgie Crossley was a very lucky and well timed shot, taken when I lived in Shanghai. This is at a beautiful hotel about an hour west of Shanghai where a lot of expats would meet for Sunday brunch. The water in the foreground is the indoor swimming pool, where my children were swimming. The windows looking out to the pond and the park perfectly framed this local man and his daughter as they crossed the stepping stones. I often wonder where they had been and where they were going, as there was really only the hotel and the park in the area.
Such is Life by David Cain We had settled down for a hot breakfast in the Darling Downs’ Allora café. A battler limped in on a stick for his toastie and tea – no doubt a regular and local I surmised. Then a pair touring on a Harley Davidson arrived and parked near the battler’s mobility scooter. I compared the tourist’s circumstances with the battlers’, ditched my big breakfast and contorted myself into an almost impossible position to make the shot - with the scooter framing the Harley. No people, but such a strong message.
Unsuspecting by Nick Lefebvre In 2019, I had the opportunity to practice some street photography in London. The horses are two of the four Horses of Helios statue in Jermyn St, Piccadilly.
Sunbaking San Sabastian Style by Martin Riley This image was taken on a gorgeous autumn afternoon in 2017 in the Spanish seaside city of San Sabastian. This buzzing city is known for its amazing tapas bars and is a hotspot for people watching! On a picture-perfect afternoon we were strolling the seaside streets takings in the atmosphere (along with thousands of others!). The first thing that struck me was this interesting gentleman who was striking an amazing pose using the heat of the sun’s rays to dry himself. I wanted to capture this subliminal moment. Then I noticed the other people (and dogs) on the beach all caught up in their own worlds, seemingly oblivious of this gentleman and all the other tourists - witnessing their individuality. I loved the story of the whole scene – so many different stories representing the strange world of us humans!!
Ouch by Martin Riley This image was taken in 2017 in the ancient city of St Remy, located in Provence, France. We were lucky to be staying within the historical centre, where its ancient streets were packed during the day. I decided to get up early (European early - about 8am!) to wander the streets with my camera to see the business owners and locals setting up for the day. I must admit I was looking at the wines located in the shop in the lane opposite when I turned to see this lady setting up her clothing shop and displays. Her aggressive hold on this male mannequin made me laugh and cringe at the same time as I quickly captured the opportune moment!
And to think I was a Vegan by Mala Ranu Saw the man; ran for my camera; the man was gone. Then reappeared with a fresh carcass. I took the shot. Luck was on my side as I managed to capture the image of the cow photograph on the side of butcher’s shop. Enjoyed the pun in the title.
I Have Eyes Only For You, Babe by Mala Ranu In Petaluma, California and invited to an outdoor dance/band. Everyone was dancing and looking at the band, not my lady. She only had eyes for her babe. He was not so keen, but stayed. So a quick shot and captured the moment.
Street Watercolour Artist by Sawindar Ranu Penang, Malaysia; off the tourist patch and came upon this painter. Standing behind him, everything appeared to line up. The sky even had clouds. Grabbed the shot. The judge later told me privately it was the best composed image.
Cool Dog by Betty Collerson Image taken in Fortitude Valley during a Street Photography workshop with Lisa Kurtz. I saw this guy drinking a coffee and noticed the harmonious colour palette around him. It wasn’t until I had taken a few images and checked them on the back of the camera that I realised there was a funny resemblance between him and the dog on the advertising board behind him. I got closer, and snapped a couple more shots. As luck would have it, this one was a perfect mirror of the man and the dog’s pose.
Where are you by Betty Collerson Image taken at night in Fortitude Valley during a walkabout organised by members of the Brisbane Camera Group. I was walking towards Brunswick St when I saw this woman on the phone looking around, as if searching for someone she had planned to meet. I decided to take the photo, and include as much as possible of the street scene unfolding in front of me. There is a lot to see in this image, it is a busy image, so to direct the viewer to my main subject, I desaturated the image but kept my main subject in colour. I did this in Lightroom, and is not a technique commonly used in street photography, but in this instance I think it worked well.
Behind the Scene by Betty Collerson Image taken on Queen Street Mall. I was meeting friends on the Mall on a Friday evening and took my camera along (as you would!) in the hope of getting some images for QCG’s Street Photography June Competition. As I passed the back of this restaurant, the chefs in the kitchen and the food warming lights glowing over the clean counter caught my attention, and I decided to photograph. Again, luck was on my side. As I pressed the shutter-release this waitress came down the stairs carrying empty coffee cups. I thought she had bombed my photo. In fact, she makes it.
Laundry day by Dave McGinnis I saw this mother and son in a laundromat in West End. They were engrossed in their phones and nearly motionless in contrast to the machines and noises behind them. I was only about two metres away and able to stealthily grab the shot by using my camera's "shoot around the corner" mode.
Taking Aggie for a walk by Dave McGinnis I loved these two! The rain was pelting down, yet both dog and owner were making the best of it. I'm certain Aggie thought she was getting the better deal by being carried through the rain, while her owner was equally happy that no muddy paws came in the house.
Tossing the footy by Dave McGinnis I saw this young bloke down an alley killing time by tossing his football around. I was struck by the bright colours of the bins and the red ball and a kid just doing kid stuff. I felt very lucky to get this shot.
Untitled 1 by Lou Gilbert The march for justice in 2021 had finished. I was heading back to the city centre when I noticed the mane of bright red hair on the opposite side of the road. I crossed over to follow behind, willing her to turn around to show the protest message on the placard she was still holding up. She didn’t turn around during a three block walk but I kept shooting. It was only at the very last minute, before she went in another direction from me that I saw the detail on the back of the cardboard sign. Thank goodness she didn’t turn around. I had my street shot, in fact I had several.
The City Is Alive with The Sound Of Music by Geoff Lawrence I was in Brisbane to take some photos of the Anzac Day parade. I noticed that the bright sunlight was causing great reflections of the city scape in the polished brass instruments. So it was just a matter of finding the right spot for the best reflections, and waiting for a big instrument to come along.
Whoops by Geoff Lawrence We were sitting in a café in Seville, Spain, and I noticed there was renovation work being done in an apartment block opposite. The workman started to haul up a wheelbarrow full of tools and sand using a simple rope and pulley. This looked unusual so I grabbed the camera off the table and started taking some shots. Amazingly just as I started shooting the wheelbarrow tipped up and everything came crashing down to the street. So I have a great series of shots of this all unfolding. A real example of being in the right place at the right time – but also a lesson to always have your camera ready to shoot.
Helping An Old Lady Across The Road by Geoff Lawrence We had arrived in Santiago for a long-awaited trip to Chile, only to find the city was in the grip of large scale riots. Every night large gangs of rioters lit fires, destroyed buildings and metro stations, looted shops, and ripped up concrete pavers and street signs, with the centre of the riots just a couple of blocks from our hotel. The city was effectively in lockdown with an early evening curfew. We had already suffered from the effects of lingering tear gas, and the night before we had had to shelter in a bar where we had been eating outside after having rocks thrown at us and a water canon vehicle came to disperse the stone throwers. The streets were full of armed soldiers and police. But during the day the streets were calm and almost normal apart from the graffiti and destruction. The sight of a couple of armed soldiers helping an old lady with her shopping was too good to miss. A front on shot would have been better, but I was nervous about pointing a camera in the face of the soldiers.
Dustyesky Selfie by Rodney Nancarrow Dustyesky are billed as the world’s best genuine fake Russian choir and this photo was taken a few minutes before the start of the choir’s performance at the Woodford Folk Festival. The choir’s leader Mark Swivel engaged with one of the road crew to take a selfie, providing an opportunity to capture a candid moment of pre-show comradery.
Gaye Edwards: As a portraits-with-permission photographer, heading onto the streets to shoot strangers was both a mental and physical challenge. Following motivational QCG Street presentations by Adrian Whear, Adam Robert Young and our own Paul Cook, I faced the challenge and made three trips into the city specifically searching for some special street moments. This is what I love about our club comps and speakers - they give you the opportunity and the preparation to try something well out of your comfort zone.
Mobile With A Mobile (above left): Taken while crossing at a set of lights, camera at hip level, pointing at the shadows.
No Wheels For Us (above middle): Found a place in the city (the parked scooters) and waited. Focused on the scooters and waited for the passersby. Had many shots to choose from but liked this one for its colours and content.
Walkies: Taken at the very close of the club photoshoot at Kangaroo Point. I'd been searching for a shot which screamed "Brisbane"! And I love dogs and birds.
You will notice I didn't overcome the challenge of photographing people without their permission - no identifying faces are included!