8 x B&W Street Portraits

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dubaiphil

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Phil
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My first picture post on here, so by way of an introduction here are 10 street portraits from where I used to live - Dubai. The non tourist areas of the city are a photography goldmine and the workers very approachable and photogenic.


1. Stall owner in the Fruit and Vegetable Market

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2. Worker in one of the souqs in Deira

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3. Labourers outside a mosque in Deira at night during Ramadan

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4. Store owner relaxing in Deira at night

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5. Onion seller in the Fruit and Vegetable Market

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6. Stall worker in Deira at night

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7. A porter resting in the covered sides streets of the general souq in Deira

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8. Three taxi drivers waiting for fares in the Fish Market

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Thanks Ian - all were taken with permission apart from the last shot which was completely candid. That was my first shot with my 85mm and I sat to change lenses with these guys opposite me.

Because of the language barrier I tend to shoot these guys how I find them and ask them to just hold whatever pose they're in.
 
Hi Phil, That's a really great set of images you've posted, the B&W PP is excellent by any standard. Good composition and eye contact, what more can I say. Looking forward to seeing some more.(y)

George
 
Great set of street portraiture. The b&w processing is very well done but sometimes I think street photography in markets can look better in colour
 
Superb set, I particularly like the impact of the first and number 6, beautifully processed!
 
Thanks Marcus, Sarah, Simon, George, Steve and David

@ Steve - I convert to black and white after processing in colour so have colour versions of these shots. However for consistency I tend to post black and white for my street photography as some just don't work in colour with bright coloured distractions taking away the focus on the subject. So if I'm presenting a set I'll generally post B&W, but individually sometimes post the colour shot.

#3 I actually prefer in colour as it gives a different feel to the image:

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And #7 is diffferent in colour as instead of the usual white and off white clothes that are worn this guy's sporting a more trendy number with a henna coloured beard

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Nice set, I prefer the B&W to the colour versions though. Number 8 is my favourite, love that the third guy along is looking towards the other two.
 
These are great images, love the B&W and agree with your comment on B&W often providing better focus in street when colour doesn;t let the focus stand out. Look forward to seeing more of your work
 
Superb set of images. Not only great mono conversions but you've captured a sense of connection with the subjects. Well done for asking and setting the images up rather than shooting from distance. #1, #3 and #7 I feel were the pick of the bunch for me. Thanks for sharing.
 
Really great images and work really well in mono. Favourite one for me is No.8. Great capture, closely followed by No.6
 
Thanks guys. I always used to just shoot street and candid photography in the souks, showing a side of Dubai that not many associate with the city. I printed a few shots once and returned to the areas to hunt down the subjects and gave them out, and these guys were very grateful. They work for, by Western standards, not a lot of money and only see their families once every two years so were very pleasantly surprised that someone should show an interest in them and give them a gift of a photograph which they generally sent home to their families.

After that my candid cover was pretty much blown so I tended to focus more on street portraiture in these areas.
 
Thanks guys - the light in #1 was fantastic - natural skylight equivalents of 1 softbox left, 1 softbox right, and 1 softbox behind the camera - all are processed as far as I'd go in colour through PS and Nik Color Efex, followed by conversion using Silver Efex
 
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