Assignment 2 'On the doorstep' final images

Here are my images selected for Assignment Two. 

I decided to use images from a number of canvassing sessions, choosing images that best reflected the range of activities undertaken. I also looked for shots that captured the 'camaraderie' that occurs when a group of activists go out together on the doorstep. The images are not consciously posed. Canvassers walk along the route door knocking at some speed so the approach here had to be similar to street photography. While I could  anticipate the kind of territory covered, the impact of the weather and the light available was unpredictable. After the first session I found it easier, quicker and more effective to use street photography camera settings recommended by Eric Kim  i.e.  P, with an ISO of 800 or 1600.

P853: F13 @ 1/400  18mm  ISO 800

P853 Every canvassing session starts with the handing out of clipboards and campaign literature which canvassers can use on the doorstep. 

I took a number of shots around the organiser and team members in a very tight space between two cars. I selected this particular image for a number of reasons. In practical terms, it shows both the preparation of clipboard and the campaign literature. More importantly for me, the composition reveals the action in front of the viewer..the organiser's hands adjusting a clipboard held in a slightly downward position in the direction of the two hands waiting to receive it. Some may say we need to see the canvasser waiting for his clipboard; I disagree, to my mind including the canvasser would draw the eye away from the clipboard and the smiling organiser. What you cannot hear is the banter causing the smile but his expression does register the optimism always present at the start of a canvassing session.

P858: F14 @ 1/320  31mm  ISO 800

P858  My intention in this shot is to show the team working the street... it captures the moment of starting to get a leaflet ready for the next doorstep placed in context by the canvasser seen behind on the right. I think this composition could have been a very static shot but is helped by the angle of the pavement suggesting movement, the inferred hand action and look of concentration on the face of the figure in the forefront. With hindsight it would have been improved by manual focusing to achieve sharper background detail.

P872: F18  @ 1/1000  18mm  ISO 1600

P872 Checking the board ..I think this is a well balanced composition ...it captures the concentrated expressions of the canvassers and board man.You can see the woman pointing to some detail on the board and there is some nice product placement centrally i.e. the plastic carrier bag which clearly announces which party is out on the streets.I adjusted the saturation here as the red jacket seemed to stand out too fiercely....

P854: F11 @  1/320  22mm  ISO 1600

P854 I chose this image to show some interaction between a canvasser and a member of the public. Technically,it is not one of the best shots taken but it is the only one which  illustrates this and as I wanted to show this key activity I had to compromise. 
On reflection the composition does draw the eye away from the canvasser talking to a member of the public to the far figure of the canvasser waiting for the door to open. Though the eye does slide over the discussion going on in the middle ground, the viewer is not  encouraged to linger and wonder what was being said.It would have worked much better had I been able to to come round the two figures and capture the expression on the elderly lady's face. Why wasn't this possible? My reluctance to intrude on what was a very animated discussion and cut off what might have been useful for our canvasser on a day when we were experiencing some local suspicion of me carrying a camera and taking photos of the team.

The image is also rather dark ( it was a dull day and we were in the shadow - I should have compensated better than my camera's P setting did) and the detail not as crisp as I would have liked.

P855: F11 @ 1/400 87mm  ISO 1600

P855 This image works well in visually describing what canvassers do on the doorstep while waiting for the door to open or in response to no one being in..I like the look of concentration  and the leaflet folded at just the right moment to show what is happening.

P873 @ 1/400  18mm ISO 1600

P873 I chose this image as being a little more dynamic an example of  reporting back to the board man showing as it does the canvasser caught in mid sentence emphasising her point with a raised hand. It works from the activity point of view but would have worked better perhaps in terms of composition if I had captured less space between the two figures as the glass panels in doorway tend to draw the eye away from the canvasser.

P865: F8 @ 1/200  73mm  ISO 1600

P865 Leafleting - a surprisingly difficult action to capture in any kind of interesting way. In the end I opted for this shot as it captures some movement through the forward angle of the
body and position of the finger  and it does show where the leaflet came from i.e. the the clipboard.

P867 : F5.6 @ 1/1600  51mm  ISO 400

P867 I had a few versions of canvassers walking along the road ...some showing speed  , some showing conversations or folding leaflets but I chose this one . Why?
I like the composition...the subtle interaction between the two figures...board man captured in mid stride walking ahead intently checking his list of addresses for the next set of houses to visit and oblivious to the canvasser coming up behind looking towards him expectantly..the street is in shadow  but the sunlight highlights the canvasser nicely ..

P859: F16 @ 1/800  87mm  ISO 1600

P859  I think this captures a 'telling' moment on the doorstep...here is a canvasser in discussion with a member of the public unseen on their doorstep. His earnest expression and particularly the way he his holding is hand in such an expressive way suggesting he is clarifying a point or trying to win over a voter.The lack of colour i.e. white backdrop and black jacket create a stark image while the background detail place the figure in context (though it is a little busy).I'd have preferred less door detail to the left. That said, it does work in conveying a 'story' of sorts.

P862: F6.3 @ 1/250  18mm  ISO 100

P862 I wanted to show that our canvassers exchange both doorstep information and their own views. I like the interesting expressions captured in this image of  'chewing the fat'.The street background is understandably busy  but the expressions and body language do stand out.

P864 : F5.6 @ 1/160  18mm  ISO 400

P864  Laughing group....I chose this image of our canvassers sharing a joke partly as a foil to other images when our canvassers looked serious and I liked the composition...originally I was going to crop the image to just less than two thirds to show their faces more clearly but I think the full length version works better showing as it does the relaxed body language .. 

P870:F14 @ 1/400  26mm  ISO 800

P870 I like the image above from a composition point of view. This is the one occasion when the many wires, telegraph and lamp posts that cover this particular ward and intrude into nearly every shot actually worked to my advantage by emphasising the sight line. Not quite a Bruce Gilden angle but a good angle taken by kneeling on the pavement. The detail of the faces, particularly the eyes is not that clear.I know that the canvasser is listening to the voter details being given by the board man while looking ahead to where he has to go...I know this from both experience and actually being there but someone just looking at the image may not and so as a strong activity shot this image works less well.

But is this a telling moment? Maybe not. However, the stance of the canvasser looking into the distance reminds me very much of the communist worker type poster...a certain determination / grittiness of expression. So it can be said to be an illustration of street canvassing in general terms perhaps.