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Archive 2016 · Mr Alex

  
 
mxwizard1
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Mr Alex


Saw this fella sitting having coffee outside a shop in Bath England. I asked to take his photo and after explaining to him I was into street photography and I was drawn to his look he allowed me to take this.

Before and afters are for your perusal and remarks..

















Jul 19, 2016 at 02:44 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Mr Alex


I think I like the second (first B&W) best because it shows his left hand. It might have been better if all of that doorway could have been eliminated.


Jul 19, 2016 at 03:10 PM
eeneryma
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Mr Alex


Some general suggestions on portraiture:

1.) I like to shoot with a longer lens. I believe the D7000 is an APSC sensor, meaning that shooting at 28mm is a full frame equivalent to shooting at at 42 mm. For shooting portraits, it's usually recommended to have a lens that you can set to 75-125MM. In this case, it would have avoided the optical irregularity of his close hand being large and out of proportion to the rest of the body.

2.) I generally ask people to take off their sunglasses when I take portraits. I'm not sure how comfortable you were with this gentleman, or how cooperative he might have been, but seeing his eyes would have produced a stronger portrait. You know that old saying that "the eyes are the gateway to the soul."

3.) When composing portraits, try not to cut off hands, fingers, elbows. If you do have to crop limbs, there are suggested rules about where to crop to make it less noticeable.

4.) Also when composing , take into account distracting backgrounds, something Ben has suggested and I agree with.

All that being said, I compliment you on approaching someone you didn't know to ask to take their portrait. Many people are not confident enough to take this step. You often meet the nicest people and come away with some great portraits and stories. Keep at it.

Steve

PS Karen is the resident expert on portraits. Perhaps she'll chime in.



Jul 19, 2016 at 07:09 PM
sbeme
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Mr Alex


Good comments above
I like the BW for simplifying the image and reducing distracting color elements.
The last is my pick, but would be improved with more chest. The tighter crop reduces some of the wide angle lens distortion.
As Steve commented, a lot of portraiture is done with an effective focal length in the 70-120 mm range hence the Canon 85, 70-200 lens popularity).

Scott



Jul 20, 2016 at 07:39 AM
mxwizard1
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Mr Alex


Thank-you everyone for the insight...It is a learning process for sure.

I'm getting more comfortable asking people if I can take their photo. I try and make them feel comfortable with me and tell them -why- I want to shot them. Alex was a little sheepish at first but I told him that I loved his look and was really into Street Photography. I asked him his name, thanked him for allowing me to photograph him, told him my name and that I was from Canada. He was still sitting there an hour after we left and I thanked him again as we walked by.

I understand your point about the eyes Steve, but his look with them on was too cool.

This image is a true reflection of my illness....Shot and Run.. I get I need to better my technique in composition and visualization of the subject. In my haste to capture the image the things that you all talk about get forgotten.

Haste makes waste....

Thank-you

Tim





Jul 20, 2016 at 11:28 AM
eeneryma
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Mr Alex


mxwizard1 wrote:
Thank-you everyone for the insight...It is a learning process for sure.

I'm getting more comfortable asking people if I can take their photo. I try and make them feel comfortable with me and tell them -why- I want to shot them. Alex was a little sheepish at first but I told him that I loved his look and was really into Street Photography. I asked him his name, thanked him for allowing me to photograph him, told him my name and that I was from Canada. He was still sitting there an hour after we left and I thanked him again
...Show more

Hey Tim, The more you work at it, the more comfortable and confident you'll become. What certainly deserves the most credit is that you got out of your comfort zone and seized the opportunity.In life as in photography, you deserve applause.
Steve



Jul 20, 2016 at 03:51 PM
Rbedw
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Mr Alex


Eyes are the porthole to the soul. Where are eyes?


Jul 21, 2016 at 05:55 AM
mxwizard1
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Mr Alex


Rbedw wrote:
Eyes are the porthole to the soul. Where are eyes?


I agree, but I like the "Joe Cool " look he has going on...




Jul 21, 2016 at 11:55 AM
AlainPre
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Mr Alex


My favorite is the second from the viewpoint of the composition / framing
But I can see too much things in his glasses : you for example.

A small vocabulary precision: for me this is a portrait. Street photography is about people who do not know they are photographed.


--
Alain (photos)



Jul 21, 2016 at 05:21 PM





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