Hi,
I shot those photos for a protest campaign against the cutting of funds for youth work. The photos were printed in 16"x11" and put on posters with slogans. The poster were held all over the city by people who just stand still in a white working suite and didnt say a word. It was a "silent protest"
I will write the slogans under the photos.

When I shot the photos, I wanted them to look like if you would pass by and just have a short look at scene, just like a snapshot. The idea was, to show what will happen if funds get cut.

http://www.observedreality.com/fotos/campaign/1.jpg
Violence prevention - no longer possible in youth houses

http://www.observedreality.com/fotos/campaign/2.jpg
Homework help - no longer possible in youth houses

http://www.observedreality.com/fotos/campaign/3.jpg
Youth house with no home

http://www.observedreality.com/fotos/campaign/4.jpg
Drug prevention - no longer possible in youth houses

http://www.observedreality.com/fotos/campaign/5.jpg
Streetwork 2004

http://www.observedreality.com/fotos/campaign/6.jpg
One of the last exemplares of it's kind.

http://www.observedreality.com/fotos/campaign/7.jpg
"We used to be allowed to spray in our youth house..."


Comments and critics would be really great!
Thanks guys, I hope you like the pictures.
Snoogie

noone?
:(

i think being involved in something like this is great. so many times youth programs fall by the wayside and forgotten about. to the beaurocrats its just funds, but to the youth that use/depend on these services it means a lot more to them.

i especially like the homework picture and the drug use picture. in fact, i like all of the pictures. the only gripe i have is with the lighting in the first picture. you used a flash on top of the camera, right? it definately make the scene very easy to see, but it creates a flatness and artificiality. i think, from a lighting stand point, that you could have created more depth and atmosphere to the picture if you had directional light source off to the left side of the camera. it would have lit all of the parts of the scene that you needed lit, but it would have also created hard shadows on the actors faces. then to minimize the shadows caused by the side light, put a soft light on the ground by the wall, but off camera. preferably from above, if possible because it is more natural.

i'm still just learning lighting, so you might have to play around with the placement of the lights, but i think that what i described would be a good starting point. other than that, you did a great job. keep up the great work. :)

Interesting photos for sure. I think the drug use one holds a great deal of power.

Nice work.

Thank you very mich for your comments Glyphon and Chris.

Glyphon:
Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I couldn't use any extra lignting because I don't have the equitment for that. I do have a photolight but I could not use it because there was no power supply for that in the subway station.
Thanks anyways

got a strong flashlight? :)
that would work well for the key light (the one on the left side). and i don't know of the availability of these in germany (i would imagine they are there), but here in the states there are battery powered fluorscent lamps. those would work really well for the background light.

something like this flashlight (http://www.safetycentral.com/entwowayspot.html) would work for the key light. might need 2 of them. and something like this (http://www.safetycentral.com/pocfluorlanf.html) for the backlight. maybe not this 2 flashlights specifically, just examples of what i'm talking about. :)

keep up the good work.

Yeah, something like that would make it I guess...
I think I have to save some money. Pupils are poor...

yeah, i'm a poor student too, and it can be hard finding what i need. i probably wouldn't have thought of those things either, but last semester my teacher told us about those. just look around a local store for whatever is cheap. and think creativily :)

interesting! i must say that first. the third one is my favorite one. i don't know what it is about blures that i like. but i like them.

I love the subject and the whole series, but I would do some photoshopin' (color adujstments, glares, glows, etc.)to make them look more professional. To me, right now the set looks like it was shot with a webcam.