Photo Essay , another addition

I hadn't been looking for another solo mobile phone user to add to this photo essay sequence - a group of people on the phone definitely, but not a single person. Anyways I was passing through Trafalgar Square from another One and Other 4th plinth change over and this gentleman was kind enough to stop his scooter and lift out his phone.
Perhaps these scooters may be personal modern technology also ?
Initially I wonders if he was going to make a call without taking his helmet off - a la scene in the movie "the Day of Jackal" - but this is a mobile phone - you can text on it helmet or no helmet.

Photo Essay - an additional image ?

Walked through Trafalgar Square this morning and took this image. Is a megaphone personal modern technology? If so then perhaps I have an addition to my Photo Essay sequence. I liked the isolation of the speaker, hiding behind the megaphone and yet no one paying any attention.

Photo Essay - selection, part 2

Selection of images for the photo essay project was made on Thursday last - see my earlier post. Interesting discussion with the others on the course on what to include and leave out. Am just wondering whether to show some examples of the "rejects" here. There are several images which I'd like to add to the final sequence (as shown in the previous post) - for example a group of people on mobiles all together, perhaps another mobile user standing outside a public phone box, and certainly a pc/laptop user. I'll look out for these in the next couple of weeks and complete the sequence.

Photo Essay - selection

Photo Essay - more

Group review of photo essay progress to date on Wednesday morning last. Am now thinking of this project in terms of "people interacting personal modern technology" rather than "people interacting with modern technology". Some suggestions were offered about further images - such as groups of people (herds ?) all on the phone ...



Added this example from Wednesday afternoon ... but still no "herd" on mobile phone users.

Photo Essay - continued

The other day was, in football-speak, a day of two halves. A funny ol'game, photography. The weather forecast was mixed, sunny intervals and showers. It turned out what sun showers there were occurred in the morning with showers in the afternoon.

Spent some time in Trafalgar Square. Lots of people using cameras, phones, camcorders. Took some photos.



Antony Gormley's One & Another project was very much in operation on the otherwise empty 4th plinth. The people change every hour on the hour - I happened to be there at a change over, liked the dynamics, took some photos (more later) and then wandered up to Leicester Square and onto Piccadilly Circus.

At last, an MP3 user.



MP3 users are harder to photograph, they're more subtle.

Then to Canary Wharf, hoping to find some suits doing lunch with their laptops.
No luck, and the weather adds to my woes by raining. Still I manage 1 or 2 images.

Decide to take the long route back to the West End ..... DLR to Stratford (Building site ... 2012 ?) and then Central Line Westbound, exiting at Holborn. Head into the British Museum to get out of the rain, and have a latte. Last picture of the day - a PC user ! Ironic that I have to get into a museum to find this.

Next Project - Photo Essay

Today I move on to a new project. Not strictly new, more of a continuation or extension of the "Atmosphere of a Place" project the other day. Here I was mostly photographing people using personal modern technology, in particular mobile phones, digital cameras. On looking back at my selection of shots from that day I included some that had neither phones or cameras. Now I'll not take a photo unless the subject matter has people interacting with modern personal technology - mobiles and cameras as before, and also mp3 players, laptops, pda. Oyster cards ? Possibly. Smart cards seem to be the way for commuters to pay for public transport usage these days. Apart from visitors does anyone pay cash anymore ?

Some more time was spent pleasantly in the Library and then subsequently on the internet looking at photographers work, in particular Anna Fox and her "workstations" (1988). How times change and people with them. In one of her images a young lady (look at the 1980's hairstyle and fashions!) is using a "mobile" phone the size of a brick. And that doesn't even include the battery. I wonder if the mobiles (and laptops) will look so dated in 20 or so years time. I think they will.