6

1. Unit 57: Photography and
Photographic Practice
Research of other photographers
work (P1, M1, D1)
Photographer: Mark Pain

3. Theme or focus of images
1. In the first image we see a fencer jumping in the air with joy having just won his match.
His helmet is in hand and he looks ecstatic, while the opposing fencer looks, from his
body language, shocked and angry. The photographer has included both the winner
and loser in his image, in a style that shows both person’s contrasting feelings and
emotions. The crowd in this image are visible in the background though it is quite dark
and the fencers in their white suits are the focal points of the image. The image was
taken at the 2012 London Olympics.
2. This image depicts Jessica Ennis winning the heptathlon at the 2012 London Olympic
Games. She has a look of absolute relief on her face, while she also raises her arm as
she passes the finishing line. The image also features several of her fellow competitors,
who look disappointed. The crowd is visible but, they look just like a group of blurs as
none of the focus is on them. You cannot seem much else in the photograph.

4. 3. This image shows Usain Bolt after he won either the 100 metre or 200 metre sprint at the
2012 London Olympic Games. He has placed his finger on his lips and is still running, so
this was most likely taken in the immediate aftermath of the end of the race. A fellow
sprinter is running alongside him but, looks frustrated and still in concentration mode.
The crowd can be clearly seen in the background but, they are all a mere collection
of blurs as the main focus of the image is on the two sprinters. You can see the boards
at the side of the running track which show you that it is London 2012, though there is
not much else.
4. This image shows a double-amputee sprinter during the 2012 London Paralympic
Games. He has two blades for legs and is lifting his arms in a triumphant fashion by
flexing his muscles for the cameras. He looks quire relieved with his win and is in the
phase of slowing down post-race. The other competitors in the race can be seen in the
background and they all look very determined. The crowd can be seen but, like the
previous images, the focus is on the competitors and they are therefore blurred. You
can make out a blurred timer and side-boards in the distance but, not much else as all
of the focus is on the sprinters.
Composition
1. The photographer will have most likely been stood by the side of the fencing platform
and chose to include both the winner and loser in the image, in order to show the
contrasting emotions, body language and reactions. If the photographer had stood
further away or zoomed out, he would have likely captured mere black space and the
less than visible crowd. So, it made sense for him to only have the two competitors in
the majority of the frame. By framing only the competitors in the photograph the
photographer is showing a clear message of winning and losing. If any other elements
were involved in the image, it would take attention away from this theme.
2. The photographer has clearly stood at the end of the track and has zoomed in, as he
would have been far away from the racers as they passed the finishing line. The
photographer chose to include all of the competitors in the photograph to show the
contrast between the winner and the losers. If the photographer had zoomed, out the
only additional information we would have received would have been more crowd
and in general, more empty space. By framing only the winner and the losers, the
photographer is only focusing on the race and is basically showing the result of the
race.
3. In this image, we see Usain Bolt putting his finger to his lips as he has just won the race.
The decision to capture this will be due to the photographer wanting to capture the
personalities of the racers and in this case Bolt’s is shown to be one of slight arrogance
and cockiness. The other racer still looks determined and in a serious manner, as he is
only likely to have just finished the race. The photographer seems to have been stood
in the middle of the arena on the inside of the racing track and almost definitely
zoomed in. If he had zoomed out he would have captured more of the crowd and
possibly some of the other competitors but, this would have taken away from the focus

5. on the winner. By only framing the winner and loser, the message is simply shown to
literally be one of winners and losers. He captures both sets of emotions and the
contrasting elements add a good effect to the image.
4. The final image shows a Paralympic double-amputee after winning his race. The
photographer will have been stood at the end of the track and will have zoomed into
capture the winning athlete. If he had zoomed out he would have only likely captured
more of the crowd and arena, which would take the focus away from the winner. He
captured the winner flexing his muscles as he had just won the race and will have
done this to display the racer’s distinct emotions and personality. This is similar in style to
the one he did with Usain Bolt. The image may have been cropped to only be on the
winner and the other competitors, to convey the message of winning and losing.
Techniques used
The photographer will have used a very fast shutter speed, as he subjects of his images were
moving very fast when they were captured. To avoid blur a fast shutter speed would have
been very necessary and he will have most likely used a setting to rapidly take images in quick
succession.
The ISO will have most likely been low for the second, third and fourth image as they were in
an arena with a plentiful source of lighting. The fourth may have been slightly darker due to
being indoors and so he may have used a slightly higher ISO setting.
The depth of field is quite narrow, as there are only a few elements in each photograph that
are sharp, with the crowd and arena in general being very blurry. This would generally mean
that he would have had a low f/stop, in order to primarily focus on the competitors.
The photographer will have used the rule of thirds in order to get good, structured images that
are easy to look at and aesthetically pleasing. The winners of each event are in the vicinity of
a fellow racer and the combined elements are in equal proportional locations within the
frame. For most images, if the rule of thirds grid was placed over them, the intersecting points
would be occupied by a competitor.
Strengths & Weaknesses
I like that in his set of images, Mark Pain has captured the competitors in their winning
moments and manages to capture their emotions, body language and reactions. This also
applies to the losers of the events. The fact the images focus on all of the competitors, gives
off a message of winning and losing.
Strengths:
• Good, quality images.
• Captures the emotions of all of the competitors well.

6. • Focuses especially on the winners and their reactions.
Weaknesses:
• Some of the images elements are too out of focus, mostly for some of the racing
competitors in images 2 and 4.

7. • Focuses especially on the winners and their reactions.
Weaknesses:
• Some of the images elements are too out of focus, mostly for some of the racing
competitors in images 2 and 4.