Late last year I spent a couple of afternoons at the Borough Market in London. I have always found markets to be intriguing places. The traders are usually full of character – self made individualists most of them who are by nature fiercely proud and protective of their independence. The Borough Market in the South East of London has been there in various forms for hundreds of years. Today the market as a whole is run by a non-profit organisation (although all the traders are there to make a living). The market has a wide variety of produce and is well worth a visit.
As with most photography, the objective is not merely to produce a picture of the subject but to capture the essence of the place – to portray the life, texture, colours, personalities etc. which reflect the character of the place. I found that in busy markets it is not practical to work with a tripod. There are too many people around all the time, you cannot be subtle about being there and you cannot get the best angles for the shots you need. In most instances I try to be as inconspicuous as possible and get natural, unposed shots, whilst respecting people’s space. If I get the slightest sense of unease from a trader or member of the public I back off.
Another thing about not intruding on the scene is to make use of ambient light and not use flash or other lighting. This often means that you are working on the edge with difficult and inadequate light and may have to push the ISO or the exposure. Because you will likely be working with a wide open aperture, you will need to be especially aware of focus and depth of field. One aspect which I found needs some attention and which can be a problem or an asset is the different light provided by sunlight on awnings and sun umbrellas. This will provide a distinct tint, depending on the colour of the covering.
Images of the London Borough Market
I captured a series of images of the Borough Market towards the end of 2009. This was to have been for a 2010 calendar but in the end this did not happen. A set of the images can be seen here.
Visit the Borough Market web site.
