Critique Rip my Street Photography

LightPhonics

LightPhonics

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70
Name
Jamie
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey,
So a friend of mine (also a Photographer) started ripping into my street photography, suggesting I shouldn't bother with it. Now I don't mind this, as we do this to each other frequently as a means of helping each other improve. However, it made me interested to see if others shared the same opinion, as I may give up street photography and focus on landscapes which are my main passion.

Therefore, I figured I'd show a handful of my better street shots and get some feedback from all of you! So please fire away with brutal honesty, how I should improve and whether I should carry on persisting with it!

Feel free to critique the photos as a whole or pick a few individually. Thanks in advance!

1)
DSC_4119-3 by LightPhonics, on Flickr

2)
DSC_4014 by LightPhonics, on Flickr

3)
Seattle fish market by LightPhonics, on Flickr

4)
DSC_1296 by LightPhonics, on Flickr

5)
DSC_1166 by LightPhonics, on Flickr

6)
Clothes repairman by LightPhonics, on Flickr

7)
Cycling by by LightPhonics, on Flickr
 
Nothing wrong with those at all Jamie, captured the moment as you've want too.
 
2,4,5,6,7 are all winners for me.

The only problem I have with 3 is to me it comes across a little posed, and 1 I think the cyclist is under exposed, however I can say I think you have a fantastic eye 5 is an absolute stunner.
 
2 - 7 & 1 for me, in that order, I'd ditch the rest to be honest.
 
...sounds like your friend might be a bit jealous! :) I don't really 'get' street photography but I really like those.
 
5n4pdr4g0n said:
2,4,5,6,7 are all winners for me.

The only problem I have with 3 is to me it comes across a little posed, and 1 I think the cyclist is under exposed, however I can say I think you have a fantastic eye 5 is an absolute stunner.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I fully agree with that - the cyclist for sure is too dark, guess I didnt realise at the time of editing!
 
He may be a friend, but he is disillusioned.
I think you should continue.

As above, there are some great images captured. No. 2 is my favourite of the bunch.
 
These all look like fine street photos to me (except 3 which is too posed). I don't know what your friend's criticism of them is, but what springs to mind every time I see shots like these is "so what?". They don't tell me a story about a specific place, a specific set of subjects or a particular style of presentation (I know these are a section and you may have extracted one shot from some tightly themed projects, in which case ignore me). I don't know what people do with shots like these. If you know the subjects then they are possibly very good shots, but I assume these are just a bunch of random people. Do you stick them in a blog and write about them, print them out and put them on your wall, use them to connect with the subjects? Do they tell you a story that I am just not seeing? If the answer to any of these is yes, then carry on as you are getting something out of this type of photography. If not, then why are you doing it? Assuming your photography time is constrained do you "waste" it taking street photos when you could be devoting time to trips and getting landscape shots that you prefer? Are your street shots progressing? Are you getting better the more you do it or have they reached a level? My portraits have not got better for a few years now and that is one reason I have moved on to a different subject.

There is nothing wrong with these shots, nothing that says to me you suck at street and should give up. But maybe your friend thinks you could apply your obvious talent in more profitable ways. Or maybe, as everyone else suggests, he is just wrong!
 
I love doing street and I think you should continue. In 50 years time there will be a world full of posed selfie photos depicting life in the 2010's and nothing else! You are capturing a moment in time, a snapshot of life as it is today. keep at it. :) Do landscapes as well if you must :)
 
I'm a huge fan of David Gibson, Nick Turpin & Matt Stuart as contemporary street photographers who do amazing work. Elliot Erwitt is probably my all time favourite. Do a google search for those names + photography to get a view of what I think street photography is all about. If you think different, please ignore the rest!

I like the shadows in #1 but it's just a guy on a bike.
#2 is much better, and the contact between the two girls suggests a small story, but it's not enough for me to engage. The bikes are a big distraction in the bg.
#3 is a portrait. It's posed, and doesn't fit the set at all.
#4 is also a pretty good effort and is the best for me. It shows the kind of perception you need to be a good street photographer. The graffitti though is a central point to the frame and (to my old brain) is meaningless. However it's the key question of "whose hand is he holding?" that tells the story I see in the photo.
It's the reflection in #5 that makes this better than just a snap. Was that intentional? If so - bravo.
#6 & 7 don't really do anything for me. They are just snaps of people going about their day.

The street photography that I love is all about the ability to notice and see a story. Find a spot with a decent background, a bench and a take-out coffee. Sit down and watch the people that go by for ten minutes or so. Then get your camera out and work with the background and the people walking through it. This was how I started and my shots improved a lot once I stopped wandering around randomly shooting stuff. Also - research is key. Street Photography Now is an excellent book, and Joel Meyerowitz has some good videos on YouTube. He said that Street Photography is something that is really a "photography" discipline rather than landscapes, portraits or still life which still have their roots in painting or other art forms.
Good luck!
 
I wouldn't worry too much what your friend says. As long as you get enjoyment from it, I like number 7 btw. Good One!
 
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