Brief
Create a series of between six and ten photographs from one of the following options, or a subject of your own choosing:
- Crowds
- Views
- Heads
Use the exercises from Part Two as a starting point to test out combinations of focal length, aperture and viewpoint for the set. Decide upon a single format, either vertical or horizontal. You should keep to the same combination throughout to lend coherence to the series.
Litter – Assignment 2: Collecting
For this assignment, I’ve followed the suggested theme of “views,” focusing specifically on the presence of litter in the busy urban landscape of Hong Kong. The idea stemmed from a single cigarette packet I saw discarded on the street. Litter is something most people don’t pay much attention to, but it’s an inseparable part of urban life. It often makes you wonder about the stories behind these pieces of trash and what they say about the people who leave them behind.
Upon editing my shots, I like to think I was subconsciously influenced by Gianluca Cosci’s work Panem et Circenses, particularly his use of shallow depth of field. While my images may not have the razor-thin depth of field he’s known for, I intentionally included human elements in all my shots, which set them apart from his more solitary focus.
I shot this assignment during an afternoon walk through the Mong Kok and Jordan areas of Kowloon. The gear I used was:
- Crop sensor camera (EOS M3) with a fixed focal length of 22mm (equivalent to 35mm on full-frame)
- All images were taken at f4 with Auto ISO (for handheld shots to accommodate changing light conditions)
I was confident in my choice of lens and aperture. The images turned out well, and overall, I’m pleased with the results. After the feedback from Assignment 1, I made more deliberate decisions regarding composition during the shoot, aiming to minimize post-production cropping. I focused on framing shots that highlighted a single object in each photo, hoping this would give the collection a more cohesive theme. I also paid closer attention to my subjects, aiming to convey why a particular piece of litter resonated with me through how I positioned my shot.
Thoughts on the images:
Image 1:
The bright yellow lines and the lemon tea carton caught my attention. The lines are parallel, which creates an interesting visual harmony.
Image 4:
The towel appeared like a small, wounded creature, lost in the vastness of the city. I couldn’t help but wonder why a random towel was left in such a public space.
Image 7:
The torn lottery ticket on an empty street feels like a metaphor for a broken dream or the loss of hope—especially in a relatively poor neighborhood, where such tickets might symbolize a chance at escaping difficult circumstances.
The editing process for this assignment was a challenge. I came back with 133 decent images from the day, which I narrowed down to 21 and then carefully selected just 10 that I felt were the best and most cohesive. On the downside, I’m slightly concerned that the series may feel like a “one-trick pony,” given that I’ve intentionally highlighted a single piece of litter in each image.
The litter I captured was chosen randomly, but for future shoots, I could focus on seeking out litter with more texture or interesting shapes. I’d also like to explore the idea of capturing interactions between different pieces of litter, rather than just isolating them within their environment.
