Hey everyone, I like to do a lot of street photography and, now that I have a decent focal reach, have started to take pictures of people, as well.

I want to improve and maybe you can give some pointers if you notice anything in the pictures below. I would appreciate it. Thanks for looking.

#1

Joosay-
I'll give you my opion. Opinions may vary! All are given in a friendly tone with the intent to help.
It seems as though you've done some reading, and/or someone has told you about the rule of thirds. Some of these shots would benefit from ignoring that rule.
#1 - Too much empty space on the left, and it doesn't enhance the shot. She's a pretty girl. Give us a tight shot of her face and that pensive expression she's showing.
#2 - I find this kind of humorus. Obviously the sign isn't doing much good keeping folks out.
#3 - Not enough going on to interest me. A tighter shot of the uniformed folks would help.
#4 & #5 - That's the idea! Getting closer physically and metaphorically.
#6 - This is cool, and would be even cooler with a wider perspective. I don't know your gear limitations, however.
#7 - Sorry, just doesn't grab interest.
Again, these are opinions! I hope it helps and gives you food for thought.
-Tim

Thank you!
I've been thinking that a lot of my pictures are following the two-thirds law too much. I really appreciate your opinions and will try to keep them in mind when I shoot again

I would have shot the girl the same way as #4 and 5 but there were a lot of restrictions - distance (that picture was already shot at my max 300mm on a crop camera), and people in the way.

Joosay,
I'm pretty new to capturing candid street scenes, but that never stops me from offering my opinions....

I'm pretty much in agreement with Tim on the images.
#2 is pretty funny and a keeper
#3 has an interesting angle you are experimenting with, but not enough interaction and a bit distant from the cops
Love the processing in 4 and 5, but 4 might work better either with eye contact, or some clearer hints about what he is viewing. 5 is my favorite. I really like the processing, off centered subject, expression, quiet, non-distracting background

Scott

I happen to agree in general with what Tim said except on #4 where I think you have the wrong angle.

I would also play a little bit with the treatment of the images. Here is an example:

Thank you to all who have critique'd!

Kaden K. -
Any hints on how you achieved that effect?

There are several ways to get there. I used the focus function on a plugin called
Dreamsuite. You could mask/layer for focus in PS.

This image was enhanced by isolating the girl and softening it.

Others my require different treatment including just enhancing colors. Here is another example:

Cranking up the colors makes all come alive louder.

I'll look up tutorials to do some masking on PS.

Thanks.

Good idea. I think that image works primarily because her glance connects
beautifully with the viewer. Where as the broadway image I like the colors
and the warmth you have on the original post (balanced) but isolates the
viewer from the scene. It needs to be a tad more overwhelming. Color
maybe the key there. It makes the viewer less passive.

Love #6. What if you make it a bit shallower DOF?
But the busy street might be your intended shot in this picture.
It's just get a bit busy for me.