A Narrative Picture Essay

As specified in my groundplan, I ultimately settled on the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas market, an annual event of which I am very familiar. This fact, coupled with the fact there would be a wide variety of subjects, attractive lighting, a great atmosphere, and plenty of time meant that this was destined to be a pleasant and approachable project. The market can get very busy, so I decided on maximum portability by leaving my tripod at home, and instead using my very small and lightweight 50mm prime lens. This lens was a particularly suitable choice as it's fast, able to open to f1.8. This was very much a low-light shoot, and this lens allowed me to work with limited light without a tripod and still at relatively low ISO's. These benefits also presented a challenge in that I was without the ability to zoom, and also having a very shallow depth of field.

The types of photos I'd planned to take were covered in my groundplan, but with the shoot done the next stage was deciding how to organise and present the images. Broadly, I thought the following main 'groups' would be appropriate:

• Couples / Families
• Food / Drink
• Rides / Activities
• Items for sale

Ultimately I created a seven-page photo spread, with a total of 14 photographs. The first two and last two pages have whole-page images, with the middle three pages having multiple images per page, arranged around a particular theme.
 

Page One

This shows a full-page image of some beautifully-presented chocolate goods for sale. I chose this image for the first page as I think it sets the tone of the event, in that it is a market selling expensive, creative and unsual goods.

Page Two

I used a slow shutter speed here to evoke the sense of speed from the carousel. This image represents the other 'side' to the market, that of rides and activities.

Page Three

A selection of images to do with Birmingham's Big Wheel, which only makes an appearance at this time of year. The images here each have an individual viewpoint and closeness to the subject, from the top right image which contains the entire wheel juxtaposed with the Hall of Memory, down to a close crop of my daughter's face; looking carefully you can see the wheel reflected in her eyes.

Page Four

This page highlights the popular Bratwurst sausages - in an anticlockwise direction you can see a queue in front of the stall, the sausages being grilled, and finally someone about to enjoy the finished product.

 

Page Five

I wanted this page to show wider views of the market, emphasising the bustling crowds, and the warmly lit cabins.

Page Six

A single image of some of the crafts on sale.

Page Seven

The outdoor ice-skating rink. Like the wheel this only arrives in Birmingham at this time of year. I think this final image sums up the 'family' aspect of the entire event.

I am especially pleased with the end result of this exercise. I think it's possible to follow the 'narrative' and understand what the event is all about, from the photographs alone. I enjoyed experimenting with the organisation of the images, and also their sizing and presentation.