OK, perhaps I exaggerate slightly but there's precious little "news" work to be seen, (usually) far too much "padding" for creative comfort, with Coffee Mornings, Jumble Sales (yes, really) and lately, "Xmas Fayres" (broadly the same thing but with tinsel). Sadly, this is all just because there's pages to fill, not because these events are significant or, frequently, even picture-worthy. Of course, there "might be some picture sales"... (sob..)
Right, rant over. Stop whinging and pull yourself together! Only a major shift in outlook will ever change this, it's been that way for years ("Doesn't mean it's right!" "Shut up!") so we need to crack on, even if, as Joe McNally says, sometimes "you just have to hold your nose, go to the happy place in your head and make a bad picture".
Yet sometimes you are pleasantly surprised at a Christmas Fair; there's lots of happy people, colourful stands, and an image appears that's nicely above the usual "face the camera and smile" local press fare (Fayre? "Stopit!!").
Here's one from last Saturday at a local Grammar School, where the few working brain cells remaining sparked into life when I saw this...
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Belgian chocolates and other sweet treats are sold by Joan Stanton, centre, and Jean Carvell, during a fund-raising Christmas Fair at Highsted School, Sittingbourne, on Saturday 26th November 2011. Nikon D3, ISO800, 1/60 at f7.1, 24-120mm at 24mm, plus SB900 flash, fired in bounce mode off ceiling of hall at +0.3EV compensation. |
The flash had just enough "pop" off the high ceiling that I could take off the diffuser dome, otherwise the foreground sweets would wash out, and the ambient was just bright enough to give good fill-in - although there's some 'fluorescent" green, most of the bulbs were pretty close to a warm daylight, which is always helpful. Don't really like the light fittings appearing, but it's the real world so can't do much about that other than accept them.
Almost, almost, a proper photojournalist's image...
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