First go at street photography

Karl12347

Karl12347

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Karl
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I have been getting more and more interested in street photography lately and decided to have a wander today with the camera. It was so so cold out and after 15 minutes I was ready to stop as my hands were getting numb. Anyway I would appreciate and feedback on these photos.

I saw this chap outside a coffee shop, people watching whilst having a smoke, not the least bit bothered about the cold or the wind.


Cold man by Karl Forster, on Flickr

Also come across this chap wandering the high street trying to get people to donate for age concern. He really was trying his best to get people to sign up, think his face says it all.


Age Concern by Karl Forster, on Flickr
 
I quite like the first shot, but the black and white conversion needs more contrast - I'd up the blacks for a start.

The second shot would be more interesting if we could see the face of the person the chugger is talking to.

Phil
 
Good start Karl. Don't be afraid to get in close. Street Photography is a very popular subject, I love getting out there. I put together a video from a trip to London earlier this year. I love getting in close to get the expressions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f73YTPvHwRo
 
Agreed Artona, getting in close works so well, a lesson I had to learn not so long ago Karl. Also, finding the moment with some real expression in it draws the viewer in and makes them care about what is going on.

Shot one is my favourite, it is well exposed and I am intrigued why the word 'bottom' is in the reflection. Only smokers drink outside this time of year, exhaled smoke would have been interesting potentially.

Post production could tone down the brightness of the jacket in shot two. It can be really hard but for shot two it works well if you can get the reaction expressions of people being approached in the street. It requires work on angles to capture both the approacher and the approached. When you do this you will quickly get several shot to create a series. Often different demographics react to charity muggers, street entertainers etc differently and the contrast in age groups etc can be interesting.

Keep at it, it gets easier with every trip out into public. Enjoy the hunt, I treat every street photography trip like a safari :)
 
To be honest, neither of the shots do anything for me.

#1: to me, it's just a man at a table. there is no story behind the image. I agree with one of the other comments about the increase in blacks / contrast in PP too.

#2: again, in my opinion it's just a group having a conversation in the street, no depth or meaning to it - I'm also really not a fan of digital colour for street, it just looks too bland and clean in my opinion (that's a personal preference point though)

Both shots are far too distant (116mm & 122mm respectively - not taking into account the crop factor). being far away and zooming in leaves no real context with the subject, and IMO isn't street photography - I started shooting street with a 50mm, but have recently got even wider and always shoot with 28mm now

dont be afraid to go wider and be more 'interactive' with the subjects. :)

Another note, that has helped for me in recent work is that I tend to leave the ISO at 1600 constantly, at aim to shoot at around 1/250 & F8 - this narrows down the time I spend focusing on the subject.

as said, keep at it. it's pretty weird taking a photo of a random person for the first few times, but you soon realise most people don't mind.
 
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I like #2 would crop the lady right though he looks like he has a pleading look, shes saying Doughnut (sign)

8252748933_44881860d2_z.jpg
 
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Ash. said:
To be honest, neither of the shots do anything for me.

#1: to me, it's just a man at a table. there is no story behind the image. I agree with one of the other comments about the increase in blacks / contrast in PP too.

#2: again, in my opinion it's just a group having a conversation in the street, no depth or meaning to it - I'm also really not a fan of digital colour for street, it just looks too bland and clean in my opinion (that's a personal preference point though)

Both shots are far too distant (116mm & 122mm respectively - not taking into account the crop factor). being far away and zooming in leaves no real context with the subject, and IMO isn't street photography - I started shooting street with a 50mm, but have recently got even wider and always shoot with 28mm now

dont be afraid to go wider and be more 'interactive' with the subjects. :)

Another note, that has helped for me in recent work is that I tend to leave the ISO at 1600 constantly, at aim to shoot at around 1/250 & F8 - this narrows down the time I spend focusing on the subject.
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Thanks for the feedback, I did start out with my 35mm prime lens but felt that I was having to get so close to the subject that they were spotting me and changing their expressions because I was there. That was when I swapped to my 55 - 200mm lens to get the distance.

I have some other shots from the same trip, I will process these this morning and post them for opinions.

Thanks to everyone else that commented, it really does help a lot.
 
This is a much more interesting shot Karl. Humour is often a way to grab attention unsurprisingly. I guess you hadn't expected to need a fast exposure and that slightly lets the shot down, for me. But full marks for grabbing that moment.

My work is far from perfect but I have just posted a selection of shots I took outside parliament on Wednesday. I am shooting for a particular project at the moment about demonstration. Sometimes digging in for a long watch to capture the right look can pay off. http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=452543

Are you enjoying the reaction you get from people? It takes a bot of bravery to stand out there and shoot when people view you quizically, but it's well worth it :)
 
35 on a nikon crop is effectivly a 50? so perfect for the job imo. as with the usual benefits of a prime, your composition is much more thought out before hitting the shutter too. One benefit I've found of using 1 lens (my 28mm) is that I've gotten used to knowing the framing, and so you almost instinctivley know what the viewfinder will have in it when you place the camera to your eye

The shot you've just posted is far better than the first two in my opinion. it took me a while to notice that pesky pidgeon too ;)

I still personally feel that the length used (90mm equiv in this case) is a little too long. My reasoning for this is that anyone can stand at a distance with a tele zoom and take photos - it just never seems to show the subject in a context. (that being said, I have stumbled across some great street shots with a medium tele)

I wouldn't worry about altering the subjects expression either. by choosing the exposure / composition, you're effectivly already 'altering' what happened in one way or another. I also think there's ways you can get in close without altering what's happening - by trying to blend into the scene with your camera, rather than burst into the scene with your camera (if that makes sense)

as Robert Capa said - "if your photo's are good enough, it's because you're not close enough"

I honestly feel that the 3rd shot would have been better if you'd got in closer and shot the subject head on, it'd take away a lot of the background clutter which is meaningless to the photo - in my opinion. It'd have also got you a much more meaningful expression / pose of the subject. you've already altered the scene as he's looking straight at you, why not go the whole way and get in close? :D

But as I said earlier. It's strange taking a photo of someone you don't know, or know how they'll react. if you appear friendly i've found 9 times out of 10, they're friendly too.

I also try to practise this message in my photography, I believe it makes you a better photographer when out on the streets - "Don’t focus on aesthetics in your photos—but rather the message"

hope that helps a little.
 
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Asah is spot on re getting close, a lesson I am still learning. I bought a nice little Sigma 10-20mm lens for this purpose and it often gives me more context when in close.

And yes it is about telling a story. Nice message at the end Ash, I'll say that to myself :)
 
Thanks, Nic.

Just to be clear, I don't want to come across as preaching the way to shoot street, nor do I even think I'm that good at if for that matter :D these are just some tips i've come to realise helps me personally, and some thoughts I like to remember when shooting street.
 
I find a good tip for taking shots of people head on is to keep the viewfinder up to your eye for a few more seconds AFTER you have taken the shot as then the subject will simply assume you are taking a picture of something else.
 
Good one Boliston :) I tend to bring the camera down and have my eyes focused on something beyond the subject trying to look like my interest is on it not them.

With you on the preach comment Ash, I commit too many sins to do that.
 
Ash. said:
Thanks, Nic.

Just to be clear, I don't want to come across as preaching the way to shoot street, nor do I even think I'm that good at if for that matter :D these are just some tips i've come to realise helps me personally, and some thoughts I like to remember when shooting street.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, it didn't come across as preaching at all. All the tips will help going forward and hope to improve.

Don't want to push my luck with all the good advice already provided but do you know of any good articles on post processing street shots in black and white. It has become apparent that I don't really know what I am doing. I have lightroom or Photoshop.

Thanks
Karl
 
Convert to B&W and go from there... I use LR too. the edit depends on the look you're aiming for.

However, rather than worrying about the editing, try to think about the shadows / light etc whilst out shooting.

Very little processing is often needed if you concentrate on getting a good shot.
 
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