London Chapter

Street photography and candid photography has always been ubiquitous encircling the world. The subject of these photos differ between photographer and their interests and style. Captial cities; known for their hectic and diverse cultures, afford photographers to capture a range of diurnal affaris. London - with it’s historic values and tourist attractions has been widely famous for ample professional and amateur photographers and artists alike. However, the past few years have seen an extensive modulation in the subjects of street photography.
  To fully divulge yourself in London’s assorted cultures, one must embrace all areas (from estates to mews). Famous for the extortionate levels of wealth, the tony surrounds of Knightsbridge and Mayfair attract an array of cultures. How has this changed street photography? Every summer, it has become a frequent occurance for wealthy native Arabic people to import their marvelous, gaudy, rare automobiles - and conjointly, the augmentation of automobile street photography.
  One young photographer has made his name by capturing these outlandish cars nesting amongst the beautiful backdrop of London’s streets. Penfold is not known to the world, but like most famous photographers - is famous within his category. “I'm 19 and really into cars and photography which together make a great match. Recently I have got much more into automotive photography, doing private shoots, photographing cars on the street and going to events”. A humble quote from  Penfold further enforces the idea of how new and modern capturing the automobile is.

Head Turner [1]

Penfold's photographic capabilities need to be as versatile as possible. With the unpredictable British weather, the lighting available will be as dynamic as can be. 'Head Turner' is a beautiful photo, with a beautifully fitting title. When breaking the photo down, it becomes evident that Penfold is naturally talented at taking a photo in the moment. All of the subjects present in the photo would be gone within a split second, therefore Penfold would have to act within a dramatically short time period. The photo itself is rich with natural light and natural colors. The photo generally has a very yellow tint of sunlight among it, but the rich greens of the trees add to the warmth of the photo. The main focus of the picture is of course the menacing McLaren. The sharpness of its lines and the deep black coloring emphasises the extreme contrast in the photo. The juxtaposition between the natural scenery and the man made machine is ever present throughout the photo. As the title suggests, this car is a natural 'head turner'. To a sense, this adds a sense of humour into the photo. The man, slightly out of focus to the right of the image is on his Boris Bike and is starring aimlessly in adoration at the car. This makes the viewer question and come up with the thoughts that must be going through that mans head at the time... The photo does however break a few rules. The common rule of thirds grid has been applied, however, the main subject of the photo is marginalised - allowing for the cyclist to be involved in the photo.

DMC [2]

When a car is parked up, Penfold will have more time to compose his images and think them through. 'DMC' has been thoroughly thought through and composed. The arrow on the left of the image is pointing in the direction of the car which will lead the viewer straight to it. Furthermore, what makes the car stand out so much is the contrast of the colors. The analogue colors, with the yellow predominating the image again allows the viewer to be naturally drawn into the car. This is helped by the leading lines of the green building. The window frames point down toward the car. The depth of field in the image has also been carefully thought about. The soft focus if the sign on the left makes it appear as though the viewer is looking round at the car, maybe even in secret - not wanting to disturb it. The contents of the sign connote the type of art that is being produced. 'Contemporary Street Art'. This clever detail adds to the intricacy of automobile photography, and is clear evidence for what sets Penfold aside from everyone else.

CONCLUSION UNSURE



Sources:
[1] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexpenfold/9660549559/
[2] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexpenfold/8994639929/