Street Photography By Mehedi Hasan

Posted By Mark on Aug 18, 2013

One of those fairly recent and beneficial features of Google+ has been the inclusion of posts in the main stream that have been +1ed by people you know; through it – because I mainly use Google+ for its photography network – I’ve discovered a lot of new photographers that I might otherwise have missed and this morning I stumbled upon the work of Bangladeshi photographer Mehedi Hasan. I’ve got a great love of street photography and any examples of it that highlight a culture or social standing significantly different from my own are especially outstanding in my opinion. So, without further ado, a selection of some of Mehedi Hasan’s pictures for your appreciation: This was the photo that first grabbed my attention. Great use of geometry to split the picture up and lead the eyes on a dance across the picture. There’s also an element of illusion in the shot where you’re not quite sure what you’re looking at at first. This picture contrasts for me the sense of deprivation in the area with an almost carefree attitude in the walking style of the girl. There’s a lot of skill in that activity. I know I certainly couldn’t do it. One of Mehedi Hasan’s first uploaded photos and I love this; I don’t know why but it conjures up feelings of romance with the two lovers locked up mere metres apart unable to quite reach one another. Elements of Romeo and Juliet too and the balcony scene. Mehedi Hasan is on Google+...

A Gathering

Posted By Mark on Aug 17, 2013

They gathered en masse under the awning of the stall, grabbing a little shelter from the light but persistent drizzle. Even from a distance it was clear that they were crowding the proprietor of the street business; it looked… odd. "Do you have any large bags?" asked the woman at the front, her eyes scanning the stall but not glancing at its owner. "I've got some small paper bags," she answered with a smile. "They should be big enough for anything you buy here." "We're after large bags," came the reply after a moment's pause. "The more impractical for wandering around the streets with, the better." I watched the lady who ran the stall look around uncomfortably. She did her best to smile again and pointed at the signs that decorated her mobile place of business. "Handmade bracelets and anklets. Silver jewellery. That's all I sell here." "We would like to buy some oversized bags," one of the children intoned. The market stall proprietor looked uneasy and turned to address the first person who had spoken to her. "No, I only sell bracelets, anklets, and bits of silver jewellery. Things like that. Rings. You know?" "You do not have large bags that look ridiculously out of place here." It came across more like a statement than a question. I could feel the silence that followed swell suffocatingly. Abruptly, the group turned and slowly wandered off as one without a word, accompanied by the rough, rolling sound of their bags' plastic wheels clattering on the flagstones. Almost all of the group, anyway. The one remaining member stared into the eyes of the stallholder, holding that piercing look for an unsettlingly long period of time before she spoke. "Do you have any stupidly large footballs?" With a furtive glance left and right the stall's owner ducked down and reached under the main tray of wares. "A fiver each or two for eight quid," she half-whispered. Google+: View post on...

Drinking Problem

Posted By Mark on Aug 15, 2013

Chichester Tramp

Posted By Mark on Aug 3, 2013

What majesty there is in being a tramp! Fresh air every day. Watch the seasons change moment by moment! Well, every moment not filled with hunting through bins for discarded food and the butts of cigarettes. See strangers grow up, form relationships, and steadfastly refuse to make eye contact with you! To live a life free from deadlines and the worries of paying bills: is it any wonder that the position of tramp holds so much respect amongst the non-tramp populace? Look! Look at the space the tramp is given! It's not the smell (it's not just the smell, anyway) and it's not because of the random talking or wheezy shouting at passersby (although that probably helps a bit); that's the space that comes from pure, unadulterated respect! Maybe even reverence! Okay, probably not reverence. Could you see yourself living this life? If so then Chichester District Council want to hear from you. A surplus in EU funding has led to the permanent creation of a new role of Fourth Tramp (pay grade Z9) with the intention being to fill this position before the start of the next school term. Applicants must have their own halitosis but all other skills can be learnt on the job and no previous experience is necessary. Chichester District Council is an equal opportunities employer. – For #StreetPics   / +StreetPics curated by +Tatiana Parmeeva and +Maria Roco  #StreetPhotography #MonochromeWorld +Monochrome World  Google+: View post on...

Portsmouth City Museum

Posted By Mark on Jul 27, 2013

Took a wander down to the museum today as there was something advertised as "a Saxon Invasion" taking place. It turns out that the reason that England isn't named after the Saxon people is that their invasions – a marquee and a smaller tent showcasing food, jewellery, and weapons – were often on the wrong end of a sturdy defence of kicking the crap out of the Saxons and telling them to get back to Saxonland (I'm not convinced that's where they came from to be honest). Still, there was a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle exhibition which was interesting (author of Sherlock Holmes as you know, a bit of a spiritualist nutball as you may know, played in goal in Portsmouth as everyone around these parts knows) and I even discovered that there's a garden area in the museum, that you can go into it, and that the view of the museum from there is actually rather splendid (as photographed). Very pleasant how you can live in a city all your life, visit a place numerous times, and still be surprised. Google+: View post on...

Buskers

Posted By Mark on Jul 25, 2013

Chichester is a reasonably affluent place and it attracts a lot of tourists on account of its… okay, I'm not entirely sure why it attracts a lot of tourists although it certainly does for some reason. Anyway, where there are tourists and locals with money there will be buskers, and in all the many lunchtimes I've spent observing and photographing people I've come to recognise a lot of these buskers. There's Guy Who Plays The Blues who's very good and doesn't really seem to make as much money as he deserves. Great voice, great skill on the guitar. There's Girl Who Plays Jazz and, again, she's very talented. Although miserable as sin. Maybe it's her jazz personality shining through. There's also White Guy Who Plays Reggae and he's an oddity; he's not bad, not great, but he just seems wrong somehow. The most successful of all the buskers is Guy Who Cannot Hold A Note To Save His Life which does make you wonder just what it is that drives so many people to throw money his way. They might be donations towards singing lessons, I suppose. And there are many more. Today we were pleased to experience a new busker to the scene and, after careful consideration, I've nicknamed him Guy Who Forgot His Accordion for now. Google+: View post on...