[How To:] make graffiti photos more interesting

[Dikkie]

Ok guys, need your help here.
I need to improve my photography, to get beyond the average photo.
In particular: graffiti.

Mostly, when I go shooting graffiti, I just frame the artwork, frontally.
Kind of dull after a while, however, I don't like to view this from the side.

Tomorrow, I'm going to shoot in an abandoned building (former school), and as I looked to photos of others who already went there, this place is boring as hell (apart from the fantastic graffiti on the walls).
Boring classrooms and hallways with nothing inside anymore, empty, everything valuable to photograph is already stolen.

The problem is that hundreds of others have been photographing that place already, and all the photos look the same.
How can you make something like that still interesting? I'm challenged to do it better, but I'm a little stuck.

I think about:
- different perspectives and angles
- making panoramas stitching different photos together

Other stuff that won't happen, but already thought about:
- playing with dof (won't be the case as I'll only take my super wide angle lens with me for the large murals)
- doing some a nightshots (not possible on a sunday morning)
- letting some models pose aside to make it more interesting (no time left finding a victim for that)

What makes a photo interesting, for you personally?
Do you sometimes happen to improve your photos, and if yes: What do you do to improve your photos in a situation like this? Do you mind to share some ideas to us all?

 

[Dikkie]

- letting some models pose aside to make it more interesting (no time left finding a victim for that)

Ok, got myself a gnome from my garden...
- will need to pose obligatory in front of the walls
- won't get paid a buck.
- won't do some naked shots neither...

 

[The_Traveler]

Shooting graffiti seems just to be recording other people's 2 dimensional art.

 

[ann]

this is when pp can shine

 

[Dikkie]

this is when pp can shine

PP ? :sun:

 

[table1349]

One important thing is to find interesting graffiti. Most isn't. Check out images of the graffiti paintings on the Barrio Cafe in Phoenix Arizona.
One example
http://endoedibles.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/013-Barrio-Cafe-33.jpg

 

[Dikkie]

One important thing is to find interesting graffiti.

The question was not to find graffiti, or where to spot them...
I found the graffiti already... I'm going to visit this place tomorrow:
Flickr Search: graffiti ronse

The thing is that I want some tips to make a photo of a graffiti more interesting, than just the regular in-front-view, or the graffiti as is.
I want to capture the building or surroundings of the graffiti on an original way, but the building is so dull and boring that it's requesting a big effort to get it better than what's already on flickr.

 

[KmH]

pp = post processing, ie - image editing

The main issue is you can't separate the art (graffiti) from the background. Separating the subject from the background is often called 'pop'.

When shooting a 3-D subject we have a variety of options for separating the subject from the background - distance, selective focus, lighting rations, using focal length to control the 'depth' in the FoV.

If you start including the building or surroundings the graffiti losses scale and visual weight in the image and the building and/or surroundings gain visual weight and start to compete with the graffiti for a viewers attention.
In an editorial context including the building/surroundings can aid and enhance the editorial content, but as a photograph by itself the graffiti would often become a secondary, or even tertiary subject.

I recommend you undertake a study of visual image composition as a means of helping you better understand the limitations inherent in trying to create pop when photographing 2-D subjects.

 

[Dikkie]

Hmm, yeah.
I already edit each photo manually with postprocessing.
As I shoot in RAW, each photo needs to go through my raw editor (ACDSee in my case) before I publish.
And I don't do batch things

 

[BobSaget]

This comes from a little bit of experience on the subject. Think about graffiti and it's setting. As The Traveler pointed out you can wind up just taking a pic of another man's art. So just framing the paint wont do. If you have an off camera flash shoot it at the work and get a bit of the surroundings in frame. encompass a window leading out of the building, broken bottles and empty spray cans on the ground etc. you want to relay some of the emotion of the art of graffiti. I think about sneaking around alone in abandoned buildings. I like to take these at night for that reason.
I haven't looked at your work, but post processing probably inst the issue. If successful, You should be able to look at a raw photo and see that it stands out then hop on ps and fine tune it. Obviously graffiti looks good with vivid colors. Good luck!

 

[weepete]

What makes a photo interesting, for you personally? ThIs is a difficult one to pin down as it's a very broad question. Generally speaking though I think there are three main elements that make good photos work more than the average.

1. Compsition needs to be good, by that I mean that your eye should be kept in the frame and should contain enough interest to keep it in the frame. It needs to be balanced as well.

2. Great light. This should be pretty self explanitory but great lighting can change a boring photo into an interesting one.

3. The photo should tell a bit of a story, a different way of looking at things, have a point or ask a question of the viewer. This can be done by trying to put it in some kind of context, adding things in or taking away things. I think that you should also have some idea of what you found interesting about the scene and try to explain that photographicly to the viewer. It helps if the shot has a main focal point, otherwise its just some stuff.

All this is general though and won't apply to every photograph or concept, it just depends on what you are trying to get across to the viewer.

Do you sometimes happen to improve your photos, and if yes: What do you do to improve your photos in a situation like this? Do you mind to share some ideas to us all? I try to add some context, even think of the feeling of a place and try and capture that somehow. A quick example would be photographing a painting, if you just shoot the painting it's just a picture of some stuff, shoot it being painted or viewed and you open up a whole world of creative opertunities.

A lot of graffiti photographs are just as Lew says, they are flat and while the record the artwork well that's all they do. Ity may help to explore the themes of abandonment, neglect, decay, disuse, isolation, lonleyness, the frustrations of youth that are quite often the themes of these type of shots

 

[fokker]

Shoot at night and use a torch or headlight to 'light paint' parts of the photo.

 

[timor]

I found the graffiti already... I'm going to visit this place tomorrow:
Flickr Search: graffiti ronse

But man... that's not graffiti, this are murals.
Good luck with photographing it in possibly exciting way, but as Lew said, record of other peoples art or documentary about theirs location etc.

 

[xj0hnx]

One important thing is to find interesting graffiti.

The question was not to find graffiti, or where to spot them...
I found the graffiti already... I'm going to visit this place tomorrow:
Flickr Search: graffiti ronse

The thing is that I want some tips to make a photo of a graffiti more interesting, than just the regular in-front-view, or the graffiti as is.
I want to capture the building or surroundings of the graffiti on an original way, but the building is so dull and boring that it's requesting a big effort to get it better than what's already on flickr.

To me, the ones by Carloslippens are the best of the bunch, good compositions, definitely more interesting than just straight on photos.

 

[Dikkie]

PETE by Dirk Desmet, on Flickr



Docus the Gnome by Dirk Desmet, on Flickr


Ok, posted some 'selfies' above... Had no time yet to postprocess the others, yet... will follow later !
(don't mind the crappy bokeh, didn't have my prime lens with me, just a wide angle with f4.5 as largest aperture)

At the moment, a lot of graffiti were already overtagged by vandals. The most of the building was vandalized: all windows broken out etc...
The building was aswel empty, nothing special to shoot... So yes, most of my pics were copies of the murals... a few of them a little more artistic, but there were not much opportunities to shoot the themes of abandonment, neglect, decay, disuse, isolation, lonleyness, the frustrations of youth, as weepete mentioned. (read: I'm not good in these themes )
Couldn't be there at night for light paintings, is a good idea though.

Few other photographers were there too, and few models posing for a clothes line of a fashion store. Busy location, as it will be demolished next month.