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Archive 2017 · Street Portraits

  
 
No Regrets
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Street Portraits


Went to our city's farmer's market where we close down our main street and have many vendors selling fresh produce, organic foods, beautiful flowers as well as having various musicians performing.

I thought I'd try a little "street photography", something that is totally new to me. I decided to take my 200f2VRII with the Nikon Df. Probably not the most popular choice due to it's size, but was thinking with it's fast autofocus, and reach... it would allow me to take images of people without getting in their faces so to speak.

Here are a few from that day...

#1) I took this one because I liked the contemplative look on her face...

DSC_5584 by Don Sawall, on Flickr


#2) I took this one because of the look of determination on her face. She was clearly a woman on a mission

DSC_5587 by Don Sawall, on Flickr


#3) This one because of how intently she was listening to her friend's story...

DSC_5591 by Don Sawall, on Flickr


#4) And this one because he was simply one of the best guitarist's I've ever heard. Simply outstanding!

DSC_5581 by Don Sawall, on Flickr


Seeing as how I am new to this type of photography, any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated

Best wishes,
Don



Jul 11, 2017 at 09:08 PM
FunkyPDB
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Street Portraits


I guess my question is what's your angle? I see a lot of street photography that makes an attempt to create an artistic statement of some kind and often incorporate the environment to some degree. These to me don't seem to have that aim and are more portraits of people. If that is simply your objective then the fourth image of guitarist works best in my opinion because he is doing something. The three women are just standing there and in my opinion would only be interesting to them or someone that knows them.

I admittedly don't do this kind of shooting so take my words with a grain of salt



Jul 11, 2017 at 10:00 PM
Almass
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Street Portraits


There need not be an angle or a story or a narrative in street photography or any photography.
It is a 2d visual.....simply. You see in it whatever you want to see.

In this case, for me, I see it as a celebration of unaltered human beauty....and I like it.



Jul 12, 2017 at 04:19 AM
tmak400
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Street Portraits


I too like to shoot people at crowd events and I swear I have a photo of the girl in your first photo that I took at a concert in Neenah! The first photo is my first choice because of her expression and your cropping.


Jul 12, 2017 at 07:54 AM
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Street Portraits


FunkyPDB wrote:
I guess my question is what's your angle? I see a lot of street photography that makes an attempt to create an artistic statement of some kind and often incorporate the environment to some degree. These to me don't seem to have that aim and are more portraits of people. If that is simply your objective then the fourth image of guitarist works best in my opinion because he is doing something. The three women are just standing there and in my opinion would only be interesting to them or someone that knows them.

I admittedly don't do this kind
...Show more


Hi FunkyPDB,

I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my images. In an attempt to answer some of your questions...

When you state that my images are "more portraits of people" than that of street photography... I would have to agree with you. That is why the title of my thread is "Street Portraits".

"What was my angle..." I cropped the images to showcase the individual and was attempting to capture that individual's mood as shown by their facial expressions. (Hence the caption at the beginning of each image.) If I had not done the crop, each person would have just simply blended in with the mass of the other people walking along the busy farmer's market and their expressions/moods would have been lost or overlooked, in my humble opinion.

I feel that this farmer's market was too crowded for me to do more of an environmental type of street photography, especially with the focal length that I was using. This day was simply a spur of the moment idea and was truly my first attempt at something like this.

I do appreciate everyone's comments whether they are constructive criticism or complimentary, as I'd like to learn as much as possible.

Best wishes,
Don



Jul 13, 2017 at 12:02 AM
No Regrets
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Street Portraits


Almass wrote:
There need not be an angle or a story or a narrative in street photography or any photography.
It is a 2d visual.....simply. You see in it whatever you want to see.

In this case, for me, I see it as a celebration of unaltered human beauty....and I like it.



Thank you Almass for your kind words and your understanding

Best Wishes,
Don



Jul 13, 2017 at 12:04 AM
No Regrets
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Street Portraits


tmak400 wrote:
I too like to shoot people at crowd events and I swear I have a photo of the girl in your first photo that I took at a concert in Neenah! The first photo is my first choice because of her expression and your cropping.


Thank you Tom! There is a very good chance that she is the same girl as this farmer's market was in Appleton. I'm glad that you liked my photograph and could appreciate how I captured her expression. That tells me I succeeded in my attempt

Many thanks,
Don



Jul 13, 2017 at 12:07 AM
KCook0
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Street Portraits


I'm a novice at SP myself, and these are a whole lot better than my initial efforts. Public events certainly can be a gentle introduction to SP, I often shoot art festivals. I leave my DSLR at home, due to the loud shutter. My mirrorless (Olympus E-M5) also has a mechanical shutter, but without the mirror slap it is pretty quiet. If you try the zone focus technique with a WA, then fast AF becomes moot. I usually go with a WA, then crop like mad. Different strokes for different folks. Which is part of the fun of SP.

#1 Put the biggest smile on my face, 'cuz I'm a sucker for pretty hair.

#2 This is really a pretty nice exercise in hard lighting. Very good impact. And impact does count in SP.

#3 Does not show her friend, so I do not get your story for this shot. Meh.

#4 Begs for a B&W treatment. Which is very popular in SP.

As SP, I'd say #2 and #4 are the strongest shots here.

Or sumthin like that,
Kelly Cook



Jul 13, 2017 at 02:39 AM
No Regrets
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Street Portraits


KCook0 wrote:
I'm a novice at SP myself, and these are a whole lot better than my initial efforts. Public events certainly can be a gentle introduction to SP, I often shoot art festivals. I leave my DSLR at home, due to the loud shutter. My mirrorless (Olympus E-M5) also has a mechanical shutter, but without the mirror slap it is pretty quiet. If you try the zone focus technique with a WA, then fast AF becomes moot. I usually go with a WA, then crop like mad. Different strokes for different folks. Which is part of the fun of SP.

#1 Put
...Show more

Hello Kelly,

Thank you so much for the excellent feedback on my images! Yes, next time I try my hand at Street Photography, I will definitely use a wide and go with zone focussing. I think my Zeiss 21 or 28 would do nicely and then as you say, just crop as needed

I like that you made comments on each individual image. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

#1 I'm with you. I'm always attracted to beautiful hair as well, and the bright sun did a nice job of highlighting her hair.

#2 The sun that day was extremely harsh indeed. I'm glad that you enjoyed the impact that it made on this image.

#3 I almost didn't post this image due the very point that you made... it does not include her friend in the shot. The reason why I didn't include her friend in this photograph is because she was almost completely blocked by at street lamp post and therefore wouldn't have made for a nice image at all. When I cropped that part out, I could still see the expression on subject's face... so I was torn on whether or not to post. I should have probably left this one out

#4 Here is a quick B&W version of the guitarist for you to compare...
DSC_5581 by Don Sawall, on Flickr
DSC_5581 by Don Sawall, on Flickr

Thanks again, Kelly for the excellent feedback. I always love learning and this is a great way to do so!

Best Wishes,
Don



Jul 13, 2017 at 04:43 AM
CMYK Designs
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Street Portraits


No Regrets wrote:
Hello Kelly,

Thank you so much for the excellent feedback on my images! Yes, next time I try my hand at Street Photography, I will definitely use a wide and go with zone focussing. I think my Zeiss 21 or 28 would do nicely and then as you say, just crop as needed

I like that you made comments on each individual image. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

#1 I'm with you. I'm always attracted to beautiful hair as well, and the bright sun did a nice job of highlighting her hair.

#2 The sun that day
...Show more

The BW version works way better for me, but a tighter crop is less distracting in my opinion...







Jul 13, 2017 at 06:24 AM
Crisjm
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Street Portraits


Nice work, last one for me.



Jul 13, 2017 at 10:27 AM
Brev00
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Street Portraits


I am not particularly a fan of shots of young, attractive women walking out in public. Perhaps if there is some contextual interest or story to them. I might rather have seen these with less cropping as I think if a subject is strong enough, he or she should carry an image with other elements in it. It is interesting to me that your strongest shot here, in my opinion, is the last of the man playing his guitar. The action is interesting and his pose with the guitar is dynamic with all the angles of his arms, legs, and guitar. It has an integrity of composition that appeals to me. The blurred background colors and shapes are in themselves appealing and also complement the subject in terms of tone and color.

I don't see such integrity in the three first compositions. In the first, he plastic cup does not seem to have a compositional purpose other than that it was there. I do like the inward shapes of the blurred people in the background. It is well cropped in terms of including her arms with some space in the frame. Interesting nails and bandaid which does reward careful viewing. Her expression seems to be just a passing blankness to me. Not really carrying a mood whether happy or sad. Nice focus and detailed hair. I do not care for the bust forward pose in the second nor the cropped person drinking from another plastic bottle, holding another plastic cup, what appears to be a bag and a cropped arm. Edges are an element that is important to me as they show, to my eye, a decisive, clear intent on the part of the photographer. The third is the most successful of the first three for me. The abundance of yellows with her hair and blouse straps being in close harmony are especially nice against the well blurred background. Nice skin tones and a focused, positive expression. I do not care son much for her posture with slumped shoulders and head tilted forward. The crop at her midchest and arms seems awkward and tight providing less story than I would like. What is the reason for her expression? Why shoot her in particular? Where is she in the world? The fourth image tells a story. The reason for taking the picture seems nearly explicit. HIs hat, glasses and expression along with his unshaven face show character. Other aspects I previously mentioned. So, nice pic and way to end on a positive note (from my perspective).



Jul 13, 2017 at 11:16 AM
Big Appa
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Street Portraits


I like these shots, particularly of the ladies. I like taking photos of flowers, for their beauty. I see the same in these shots, lovelies in their natural settings.
Buy the way, I like the black and white conversion of the guitar player, but I don't think I like the cropped version.
Ah, sweet life..it's something, isn't it!

Ed



Jul 13, 2017 at 02:37 PM
RickJames
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Street Portraits


DSC_6446_Col by RickZPhoto, on Flickr


Jul 21, 2017 at 05:42 PM
charles.K
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Street Portraits


Nice shots! Personally if I am using a longer lens with a D810 or D750, then it is the 70-200/2.8 so I can vary the composition to suit quickly. Generally I use a fixed 35, more so 50mm and sometimes an 85mm for street portraits. Do engage with people. This will often bring the personality of people to shine. Generally it is a run of few shots to capture the natural and authentic expression. With gear keep it simple.
































Jul 23, 2017 at 03:09 AM
airfrogusmc
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Street Portraits


Hi Charles,

I tend to agree with you. I generally like to get in close and I tend to use a 35mm of FF. I think this was shot with a Leica M Monochrome and a 35 Lux FLE. I think by getting in close you also bring the viewer in with you. It is a very different look and feel than if you are shooting from a long distance with a long lens.



And another








Jul 23, 2017 at 02:55 PM
Arka
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Street Portraits


AirfrogUSMC and Charles.K provide excellent examples of why the wider angle perspective, and more intimate relationship with the subject, generally results in a more interesting "street" portrait. To the OP, I find the last image in your set of the guitarist to be somewhat effective narratively, though the light is harsh. The rest feel like long-distance grabs of people without much context, in fairly unflattering light.

Oh, and Charles, I would have a very easy time keeping everything "simple" if I had a Noctilux to put on my M240. :-p



Jul 24, 2017 at 09:48 PM





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