- Joined
- Thursday March 30, 2017
These photographs are of people in prison transport vehicles - the name of the thread is slang for the small cubicles they are locked into during transit. This might be being taken from remand to court for proceedings or between-prison transfers. I have taken the decision not to use any pictures where the prisoners are identifiable as I don't think this would be ethical. I actually have no idea who most of them are - and I have no idea as to the outcome of their situation. They could have been cleared of charges by a jury or had the case against them dropped. So - no faces. I find these pictures strangely beautiful.
I'm sure you will have seen the situation on television - this is the working environment when trying to get this sort of picture. All the images following are fails from a professional - and money making - point of view. Just to set the scene. Taking pictures through the windows of moving vehicles - be they prison vans or cars - fall into the category of the 'Dark Arts' of being a news snapper. No two of us have the same technique. It seems random and arbitrary when you get a money-maker, you can get a result one day - worthy of a front page - and then the next day nothing. Same technique, same cameras and the same light - totally different outcomes. For me - it's about shutting down the ambient light, getting a very wide lens as close to the glass as possible and lighting it up like a Christmas tree. I'm not going to give away all my secrets though. Oh - High Court Glasgow, I'm one of the monkeys on the left.
The prisoners - fairly obviously, can see you - you get an interesting range of responses -
Finally - We can't get this sort of picture anymore - the contract for the prison transport changed a couple of years ago and they use different vans. Most importantly they have double layered windows with a reflective coating facing out. You can't get flash through it - believe me we have tried.
To end with my favourite image of this series - it might initially seem so - but those aren't her fingers.
Thank you for looking. Yours - I.
I'll tag people that liked the original van picture. @Helveticum @Barry Giddens @Wayne Pritchard @Blademonkey @AnthH @udrako @William Dobson
I'm sure you will have seen the situation on television - this is the working environment when trying to get this sort of picture. All the images following are fails from a professional - and money making - point of view. Just to set the scene. Taking pictures through the windows of moving vehicles - be they prison vans or cars - fall into the category of the 'Dark Arts' of being a news snapper. No two of us have the same technique. It seems random and arbitrary when you get a money-maker, you can get a result one day - worthy of a front page - and then the next day nothing. Same technique, same cameras and the same light - totally different outcomes. For me - it's about shutting down the ambient light, getting a very wide lens as close to the glass as possible and lighting it up like a Christmas tree. I'm not going to give away all my secrets though. Oh - High Court Glasgow, I'm one of the monkeys on the left.
The prisoners - fairly obviously, can see you - you get an interesting range of responses -
Finally - We can't get this sort of picture anymore - the contract for the prison transport changed a couple of years ago and they use different vans. Most importantly they have double layered windows with a reflective coating facing out. You can't get flash through it - believe me we have tried.
To end with my favourite image of this series - it might initially seem so - but those aren't her fingers.
Thank you for looking. Yours - I.
I'll tag people that liked the original van picture. @Helveticum @Barry Giddens @Wayne Pritchard @Blademonkey @AnthH @udrako @William Dobson