El deber de cuidado se adecúa a la vida social para no convertir el Derecho penal en un lastre con una limitación de la libertad de actuación que en el marco del

Assignment: Find any kind of building under construction (from a glass and steel skyscraper to a wooden shed) and photograph it.

Goal: Look for more than posts and beams-people; bulldozers;

machinery; tools; heaps of dirt, stone and metal, etc. Make sure, however, that you stick to the construction theme (no portraits of people who just happen to be near a building site, for example).

Tips: Don't just stand back and shoot a distant building project. If you do shoot from a distance, make the foreground and background work together. Try to find visual har-monies between them. Make sure that something ties them together.

For example, locate lines leading to the point of interest, and emphasize them.

Try a combination of overview and detail shots: the silhouette of a building's frame against the sky, a bulldozer pushing a mound of earth, a hand holding a hammer, a nail or screw in a piece of wood or metal.

How do the construction workers (or carpenters, etc.) relate to the build-ing? How does the building relate to them and to its environment?

Student photograph by Lynne Mattielli.

Student photograph.

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Several distinctive features make this image unusually compelling: juxtaposition of the leaf over the face (which is both unexpected and slightly disturbing), interplay of the textures of leaf and skin, and the penetrating eye peering at us through the shadows. (Student photograph by Mia Lobel.)

chapter 14 People

oving from photographing objects and places to photo-graphing people is likely to be a bit unsettling. Not only must you think about composition and ex-posure, but you must also interact with your subject. A true portrait is far more than just a photograph of a per-son staring into a camera — i t should reveal something about that person's character, experiences, feelings.

How do you achieve that? Basically, you find ways to make the camera less obvious, and ways to help the subject feel and look as natural as possible.

Since you can't actually make your camera invisible, it will always have some effect on the subject. That effect can, however, be good. Once they are relaxed, people tend to "show off" for the camera, becoming more expressive and energetic. But people who aren't relaxed just tend to get more and more nervous. So, your first task is to make your subject as comfortable as possible.

There are two ways of doing this.

The first, which is especially useful when you're photographing people you don't know, is to set the proper exposure and then keep the camera out of the way until you see the shot you want. Then you swing the cam-era up, focus it and "grab" the shot.

You may even be able to focus before-hand as well.

Student photograph by Robert Bielk.

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Student photograph by Susan Hodge.

You'll get [he best results in bright light, when an aperture of f/8 or higher will give you enough depth of field so you won't have to focus too carefully. In this case, you can rely on zone focusing, focusing your lens in advance on the general area in which your subject is located. With a wide-angle lens at f/8, for example, everything between 5 and 10 feet (or between 10 feet and infinity) will be in focus.

If you use this technique with strangers, be as sure as you can that you won't regret it. The best way to do that is either to ask permission or be sure you aren't noticed. For exam-ple, it is not a good idea to grab a shot of a motorcycle gang without asking permission first. (It may not even be a good idea to ask permis-sion!) You should always be aware of the other person's right to privacy.

A beggar on the street is not likely to consider himself a good subject for a photograph. If you can't get the shot without disturbing his self-respect, then leave him alone. Pho-tographers have earned a bad name all around the world by insulting their subjects; don't add to it.

Until you develop your own in-stincts for when it is and isn't ap-propriate to grab a shot or to request permission, photograph people with whom you are comfortable, people you know, or who at least recognize you. Then you may want to try pho-tographing people you don't know, but who are from the same social background as you. Continue to move further from your cultural

"home base" as your confidence and instincts improve. A camera is a wonderful tool for making contact with people you wouldn't ordinarily meet . . . but take it slowly.

Although the grab shot approach

is especially useful on location, it can also work very well in a portrait ses-sion. The main difference is that the subject of a portrait session (in which you take many photographs of a single person) knows that you intend to use your camera. Nonetheless, by bringing the camera between you only when necessary, you can keep the mood relaxed and casual. Chat awhile, grab a few shots, chat some more, grab a few more shots, etc.

The second approach, which is especially useful in a photograph ses-sion setting, is to place the camera on a tripod. Set the exposure and focal range and then peek out from behind it to talk with your subject. Stay close to the camera if you want your sub-ject's eyes to be looking straight ahead. You may want to use a cable release so you won't have to try to find the shutter while you're talking.

A variation on this technique, which is probably the most com-monly used of all, is to hold the camera in your hands the whole time.

You compose, set aperture and focus and then look through the viewfinder and click your photos (conversing as normally as possible) until your sub-ject begins to look nervous. Then you poke your head up, make eye con-tact, tell a few jokes or whatever else it takes to get your subject to relax.

The main thing to strive for in a portrait session is a comfortable pace for both you and your subject. If the camera keeps clicking at regular in-tervals, and conversation proceeds in a steady flow, most subjects will relax. Your instructions ("Move over there. Look into the camera. Mow-about a smile?") will gradually fade into the background. The other per-son's character will begin to surface.

You should expect to "waste" 10 or more exposures before this occurs.

Don't hold back, waiting for the one perfect shot, or you'll both become nervous wrecks. Just start talking and shooting, like it's the most natural thing in the world.

The most effective pace will vary depending on your subject and the mood you want to capture. If you want a solemn, soulful expression, try to speak slowly, softly and allow for some long pauses. Remember that you may be asking your subject to be very emotionally revealing . . . and it's only fair that you reveal something about yourself as well. A genuine exchange should be expected from both of you.

If, on the other hand, you want a cheerful expression, then talk fast and furiously until your subject gets so caught up in your great sense of humor (or bumbling mistakes) that he or she forgets about your camera.

(By the way, don't be afraid to make mistakes and admit them. This can be a very effective way to loosen up a subject. You may even want to make a few on purpose. Just be sure you stop making them after the first few shots, so your subject doesn't begin to think the whole session will be a waste of time.)

One other trick: If you can't get your subject to relax and just talk, try asking him or her to recite the alpha-bet. This has two useful results. First, it gets the lips moving and produces a variety of expressions. Second, everyone asked to do this starts laughing sooner or later.

As you practice shooting portraits, you will begin to learn when your subject's expressions will change.

This is necessary if you intend to catch them on film. Once you've seen the expression you want, it's too late to click the shutter. You have to do that just a fraction of a second before

t h e "right" expression occurs.

Shooting several frames in quick suc-cession can help, but that's no sub-stitute for the true photographer's in-stinct for what Carder-Bresson named the "decisive moment." Like fishermen, photographers are con-tinually lamenting the "one that got away." With consistent practice and a bit of luck, however, they will become few and far between.

Lighting is of critical importance in portraits. For most purposes, the best light is open shade. This may be obtained outdoors on the shady side of a tree or building, or inside near a window.

For more dramatic effects, you may want your subject to be lit more directly. If so, pay particular atten-tion to the eyes. Many otherwise good photographs are ruined because a subject's eyes were lost in harsh, black shadows. Careful positioning will usually correct the problem. If not, you may want to use a reflector (any white or metallic surface will do the trick) to throw some light back into the shadows.

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