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<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2022 \u00a9 Ari Gurdon | FUJIFILM X-T10 and XF56mmF1.2 R, 1\/50 sec at F2.2, ISO 200<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Home-based documentary photography is a best of both worlds situation. It\u2019s not just for those in urban hubs, either. A larger population will undeniably present a greater number of opportunities, but even the smallest neighbourhoods provide dynamic opportunities for exploration.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get tourists in large cities, but there are locals anywhere. Just going from one street to the next means finding completely different subjects,\u201d Ari explains. \u201cLondon has always been the backdrop to my photos, but I\u2019ve never been interested in making Big Ben or Barbican a feature. It\u2019s entirely about the characters I find here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2022 \u00a9 Ari Gurdon | FUJIFILM X-T10 and XF56mmF1.2 R, 1\/1500 sec at F1.2, ISO 640<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
There\u2019s also convenience to contend with. The wonders of the world are not so available as the streets within a 20-minute walking distance. Just as the best camera is the one we\u2019re prepared to carry, the greatest photographic subject is the one within reach. Opportunities present themselves, through sheer exposure. Ari\u2019s own image-making journey began while walking her newborn daughter, ten years ago. It\u2019s an approach she maintains to this day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI very rarely go out to photograph with a specific aesthetic or subject in mind. I always just carry my camera with me. If I walk to the shop before the school run, I have it, and if something catches my eye, I snap it. I\u2019m not someone who has time to stay in one spot, waiting for that precise moment or poignant situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can also be in the same place, day in and day out, and experience something different each time. Sunshine, rain or fog are all going to work towards very distinct-looking images, which raise different feelings in a viewer,\u201d Ari continues. \u201cI\u2019ve produced a lot of work I\u2019m happy with, just by being out at all times, with camera in hand.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2022 \u00a9 Ari Gurdon | FUJIFILM X-T10 and XF56mmF1.2 R, 1\/60 sec at F1.2, ISO 250<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
When it comes to viewing the world with a pictorial eye, Ari has had more experience than most. Those struggling to pinpoint frames may wish to consider her stripped-back ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cI use techniques that facilitate change. People behind glass are some of my favourite subjects. You can focus on an individual, but also have the outside world reflected in the window. I find that very interesting because you get more than one story in a frame. You\u2019re spoilt for choice with everyday detail like that. There are always exciting, new elements like this \u2013 even in a place you visit regularly. I don\u2019t think I\u2019d find photography difficult, even if I had only two streets at my disposal.\u201d<\/p>\n
When windows run dry, a wealth of composition classics can be narrowed in on, one at a time. Try searching for leading lines, frames within frames, bursts of colour, or subjects grouped in odd numbers. Confinement often sets us free.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2022 \u00a9 Ari Gurdon | FUJIFILM X-T10 and XF56mmF1.2 R, 1\/1250 sec at F1.2, ISO 400<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Perspective, by way of lens, is another element Ari values highly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI almost always use my XF56mmF1.2 R<\/a> \u2013 it\u2019s the best thing I\u2019ve ever bought. I do own XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR<\/a> as well, for my other work, but find it\u2019s difficult to get street photos I love. The zoom lens is brilliant. It\u2019s just about me and my process. The XF56mm perspective is how I see the world of the streets.<\/p>\n \u201cWith a prime of this length, I can\u2019t be very close to a person. There has to be a distance, to get a nice frame. That helps because I\u2019m not that brave. Maybe I am a little,\u201d she muses, \u201cbut not enough to get in someone\u2019s face with a wide lens. There is a buzz when you make eye contact with someone, certainly \u2013 and those can be amazing photos \u2013 but I mostly like to be unseen, if possible.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n