Exercise 15: Public Space, Public Activity

For this exercise I was fortunate to be able to visit Sheffield Botanical gardens one Sunday afternoon at the beginning of September. My brother and his wife, Linda, were keen to show us the new greenhouses there which we had not see since their renovation. It was a beautiful day and ideal for photographing this exercise as the park was full of people relaxing and enjoying their weekend in the sun.

This is the view of the refurbished greenhouses that greets you as you walk through the main entrance. I thought that with the couple sitting on the grass it made an ideal introductory shot. For the second shot I thould that I would try a different angle on the scene.

Nearby were two children playing close to their abandoned trike. Parents were close by.

In the first of these two pictures a group of students relaxes in front of the greenhouses and looking in the opposite direction people were enjoying the sun whilst sitting on the park benches.

Here I have zoomed in on two couples on the benches. In th first one I chose to shoot across a flowerbed using it for the foreground.

In the first of these two pictures I photographed my brother in one of the greenhouses whist he was concentrationg on taking a picture himself. I was able to be unobtrusive as I was behind the Agave which frames the shot. The second picture of a man reading on the grass was taken at full zoom some distance away, partly to remain unobserved but also to show him in context.

Here another group of youing people are relaxing in a quiet area of the gardens whilst nearby a young family walks along the path.

A group of people here are huddled in discussion over some documents whils a mum adjusts her child in the pushchair. To ring the changes I took this shot against the light.

In some nearby greenhouses ladies in the first shot are selling plants whilst in the second people browse and are buying from the stall.

In the first two pictures above two individuals enjoy the sun the lady on the left looks to be dressed for an occasion - has she been somewhere or is she on her way I wonder. In the third picture some older people enjoy walking and looking at the plants.

For these two pictures I was looking for a different setting and a different way to frame the pictures. Whilst walking around I came across the fountain and decided to try some shots through the falling water.

Again couples enjoying the sun. I have a suspicion that I may have been spotted by the gentleman in the centre picture. In the third I deliberately used the beautiful flower beds as foreground.

I was fascinated by the couple above who were taking their ferrets for a walk on leads. They were only too pleased to show them off to me.

The Greenhoses in the Botanical Gardens are also used a s a venue for wedding ceremonies and I was just in time to catch the bride arriving for one such event. On the right and below are guests entering the green house for the ceremony whilst below right the waiters are pouring champagne.

In this final picture the roles appear to be reversed and the little girl stands hand on hip holding her pram whilst talking to her father.