written by Colm Mcmullan
Last month saw a welcomed and long overdue return to the Raw Photographic monthly outing. This time, our adventure involved taking to the streets of Belfast.
With the sun shining and the city centre buzzing, the venue didn't disappoint for our "Street" walk. Belfast presented a city full of opportunities! While some of us dabbled in videography, the rest of us snapped up sights we hadn't foreseen. That's the joy of street photography, stumbling upon the unknown and unplanned.
Our first opportunity? A group descending the Europa hotel as they abseiled in aid of charity, and excited onlookers cheering outside the Crown Bar.
After a bit of excitement, we made our way into the heart of the city. We walked and talked, and enjoyed getting to know our new members who had joined us face to face for the very first time!
Our chitter chatter continued as we made our way to the Corn Market. Here, we had a bit of relearning to do. For some of us, it had been a while since we adventured with the camera. But after we quickly reminded ourselves what an aperture even was, we settled right back into routine.
At this point, our members scuttled off in smaller groups in search for the best photo opportunities. Members could be seen sniping their lens through windows, doorways and even bins to get their desired shot. Eventually, the group joined together and we casually made our way to North Street. There, we would be welcomed by recently painted street art and wall murals.
On the way, our members plucked up the courage to approach strangers and ask to take their photo. To our pleasure, that was a great success. Others took to modelling for one another, as some of us required subjects for environmental style portraits. That means, portraits taken of people in their usual environment.
By this time, our members were starting to feel the hunger. So, we made our way to the City Hall for some much needed refreshments. Once our bellies were full, we had a spike in energy and set off to view the goings-on at St Georges Market, the Cathedral Quarter, University of Ulster and Royal Avenue.
Eventually, like all good things, the day came to an end. It was a very enjoyable outing and was great to see our members getting back to using their cameras and sharing techniques with one another. Not only that, it was a joy to see our members interacting confidently with strangers and growing in the courage to ask to take their portraits.
We look forward to seeing members' photos from the outing in this month's Photo of the Month competition - which is all about Street Photography.
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