A comfortable situation - photography

The weather was reasonably bright but cloudy. The procession was to take place at 11.45 followed by the proclamation at midday. In winter, sunlight only reaches the High Street in the afternoon, so I was not surprised to find that the street was shaded and the light was flat. This light was unlikely to bring vibrancy to the subjects.

I was able take some photos of the procession walking up the street as well as some portraits of the dignitaries dressed in their elaborate costumes.

Procession led by Guildford Town Crier

Nikon 18-200mm at 28mm: Iso 200 f8 for 1/60th second

Whilst there were police escorting the procession and keeping the public to the sides, they fortunately allowed me and a couple of other photographers to move ahead of the procession taking photographs. I chose a low viewpoint to accentuate the stature of the town crier.

The photographs in Jakarta Inside Out often use unexpected viewpoints to make the image more interesting.

Town Crier portrait

Nikon 18-200mm at 70mm: Iso 200 f8 for 1/40th seconds

The Town Crier shared a joke with one of the others in the procession - maybe about the antics of the photographers? I have the feeling he was enjoying his moments in the limelight.

Reading of the Proclamation

Nikon 18-200mm at 36mm: Iso 200 f8 for 1/60th seconds

I did not find a visually interesting viewpoint to photograph the ceremony itself. In fact, almost everyone in this photograph is frowning. I missed the best moment which was when the hats were raised when giving Three Cheers after the National Anthem was sung.

Mace-bearer

Nikon 18-200mm at 170mm: Iso 200 f8 for 1/20th second

I took numerous photos of the dignitaries in their robes, looking for someone with character and visual appeal. This is the picture that I liked best. The man holding the mace over his shoulder is looking up and is presumably engaged in conversation with his neighbor. The composition seems to work, and I think it is because his head stands out from a couple of adjacent faces below and above him.

Conclusions

At this event, there were two other photographers presumably professionals working for the local press or magazines. I took their lead in moving ahead of the procession to take photos. During the proclamation, they took a few shots from in front of the crowd where I was located. Before the National Anthem however they moved away, and I think they took up a position where they could see the crowd giving Three Cheers. Clearly, they had planned their photographs well.

The event was one where the official party were on parade in their traditional uniforms and they were obviously aware that they would be photographed. I had no particular reservations about taking photographs in this situation.

On the other hand, it took some self confidence to take up position in front of the parade and to sit alone in front of the crowd to take photographs whilst the ceremony was taking place. If the other photographers were not there, I am not sure that I would have risked going out alone in front to get a clear view.