Some more Street Photography

[Rebel]

Took a stroll around the city again today, I changed the settings on the camera to pre-focus at a distance of 1m and try to concentrate on my framing more.

I think its an improvement from the last shoot but still not as sharp as I'd like and I lost some potentially good images due to completely missing the subject and chopping off heads.

Also the sun has been out for 2 days now so not the best conditions!

Anyway here are the images, C&C appreciated:

#1 - I liked these two as they were back to back almost mimicking each others actions, also if you look closely I make a guest appearance


#2 - No idea what the guy has his hand up to his nose for? Too much caffeine perhaps?


#3 - The guy in the hat was pretty drunk, looked an interesting character. (in fact, that pub is full of them!)


#4 - These two caught my eye as being from two completely different backgrounds but enjoying a Greggs together.


#5 - Unfortunately a sad and common sight around the city, I was wondering what that book was.


#6 - Lucky shot this, but I liked the way the arrow points at the seagull.


#7 - The first shot I took, I think?


#8 - Unsavoury looking character, thought twice about this one. But then I seen we were standing next to a butchers in Swansea market and imagined him as a crime figure nicknamed ... "The Butcher"



Thats it for now, I am really enjoying this street photography lark. Sneaking around and observing people!

[Shadowman]

Nice series and nice conversions. You are really getting good at this.

[Rebel]

Nice series and nice conversions. You are really getting good at this.

Thanks John, I'm enjoying it!

[flashback]

Matt, it appears you're getting the hang of it. You've got a lot of good pics so either you're on a lucky streak or you have a heck of a lot more you trashed.
I like the conversion to B&W. I know some prefer color or think of street photography in B&W as a passing fade but to my mind, removing the colors from an image makes it about the subject(s) and in the end, that's what street photography is all about; the subject(s).
Strictly a personal thing but I don't shoot the homeless, to me it's kind of low hanging fruit and taking advantage of someone at a point in their life I can't begin to imagine.
Anyway, you've managed to get some really good images, specifically 1, 2, 7, 8 & 6 (in that order).
#1 is great all the way around; composition, lighting, focus. It's exactly what I consider SP to be about.
#2 same as above. Just a photo of someone can be boring, it's when an image makes you pause and consider what all is going on, has gone on or is about to go on.
#7 it looks like he's 'vaping'? E-cigarette? In any case it is a great capture with that amazing stream of smoke/vapor. And with his eyes locked onto his mobile it really says 2016.
#8 shame you weren't able to capture his whole body, but as it is, his look and whatever it is he's carrying, in front of 'Butcher' most certainly projects an ominous tone to the image. The man looks like the American actor John Goodman, and if you've seen his recent movie...even more chills to this particular image.
#6 is really a neat image. It looks so much like a hood ornament I had to look twice to recognize what what going on in the image. In this case, your pre-focusing to 1m is likely the reason you got this shot.

For me I most often zone focus, focusing my camera to about 18 feet. I set shutter speed around 300, f/stop at f/11 and ISO on auto. This gives me a near limit of <9ft (~2m) and a far limit of DOF at infinite. Purely a personal preference but I do prefer the entire image to be in focus. I find it less distracting than looking at a subject in front of which -and/or behind- is OOF.

If I'm out with my dog, my camera is around my neck about mid-chest, I seem to get better images than letting the camera hang lower down. Without my dog (seldom) my camera is in my hand and a lot of those times.

I don't know what you're shooting but I use a Nikon, so I have shutter set on Q (Quiet). It surprisingly makes a big difference in audibility of the click. Factor in street noise and it's virtually silent.

One final thought, I use a 35mm lens and once I've set the focus to 18ft, I turn off the auto focus (either on the lens or body, both work) and to make sure I don't accidentally jog the lens a bit and changing the focus I put a piece of black electrical tape on the lens to keep the focus ring from moving.

Keep on keeping on, street photography can be addictive because it's never the same and, if you're like me, constantly on the move (prowl) you can cover a fair bit of territory.

[Rebel]

Matt, it appears you're getting the hang of it. You've got a lot of good pics so either you're on a lucky streak or you have a heck of a lot more you trashed.
I like the conversion to B&W. I know some prefer color or think of street photography in B&W as a passing fade but to my mind, removing the colors from an image makes it about the subject(s) and in the end, that's what street photography is all about; the subject(s).
Strictly a personal thing but I don't shoot the homeless, to me it's kind of low hanging fruit and taking advantage of someone at a point in their life I can't begin to imagine.
Anyway, you've managed to get some really good images, specifically 1, 2, 7, 8 & 6 (in that order).
#1 is great all the way around; composition, lighting, focus. It's exactly what I consider SP to be about.
#2 same as above. Just a photo of someone can be boring, it's when an image makes you pause and consider what all is going on, has gone on or is about to go on.
#7 it looks like he's 'vaping'? E-cigarette? In any case it is a great capture with that amazing stream of smoke/vapor. And with his eyes locked onto his mobile it really says 2016.
#8 shame you weren't able to capture his whole body, but as it is, his look and whatever it is he's carrying, in front of 'Butcher' most certainly projects an ominous tone to the image. The man looks like the American actor John Goodman, and if you've seen his recent movie...even more chills to this particular image.
#6 is really a neat image. It looks so much like a hood ornament I had to look twice to recognize what what going on in the image. In this case, your pre-focusing to 1m is likely the reason you got this shot.

For me I most often zone focus, focusing my camera to about 18 feet. I set shutter speed around 300, f/stop at f/11 and ISO on auto. This gives me a near limit of <9ft (~2m) and a far limit of DOF at infinite. Purely a personal preference but I do prefer the entire image to be in focus. I find it less distracting than looking at a subject in front of which -and/or behind- is OOF.

If I'm out with my dog, my camera is around my neck about mid-chest, I seem to get better images than letting the camera hang lower down. Without my dog (seldom) my camera is in my hand and a lot of those times.

I don't know what you're shooting but I use a Nikon, so I have shutter set on Q (Quiet). It surprisingly makes a big difference in audibility of the click. Factor in street noise and it's virtually silent.

One final thought, I use a 35mm lens and once I've set the focus to 18ft, I turn off the auto focus (either on the lens or body, both work) and to make sure I don't accidentally jog the lens a bit and changing the focus I put a piece of black electrical tape on the lens to keep the focus ring from moving.

Keep on keeping on, street photography can be addictive because it's never the same and, if you're like me, constantly on the move (prowl) you can cover a fair bit of territory.

Hi Jack, thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it!

To be honest I took about 40 photos today, some of the same subjects from different POV. I think that will go down with experience.

I prefer street photography in B&W, but I can't pin down why, maybe its because all of the 'masters' I've been looking at shot in B&W?

With regards to the homeless person I understand fully where you are coming from and was apprehensive, but when I think about it, it is a part of life and a part of the street and I want to show it accurately.

That guy is smoking an E-Cigarette yes

The camera I'm using is a Ricoh GR II, its a compact camera so not many people notice it which I like. Its a cropped sensor so I'm shooting at 27mm, but it has a built in feature to switch to 35mm and 47mm.

It is a very quiet camera with just a little 'click' when it goes off which is undetectable with the street noise.

You are right, its very addictive! And I think I'm like you, I am constantly on the move! Next time I head out, I'll put my GPS map on to show the route and distance covered on a particular outing.

Thanks again Jack

[Sergio M.]

Matt, as John and Jack have said, you seem to be getting the hang of this. I really like these.

I like your guest appearance in #1. Nice technique; seems to have worked a charm. The ladies seem totally oblivious to you going by. #2 keeps one interested because you have to wonder why he's doing that. In #3, I find the two men going in opposite directions and each carrying a white bag a nice juxtaposition. Also the man's bag in the foreground has numbers on it and so does the menu in the background (pretty cool). #4 is just a nice slice of life of two people enjoying their meal. #5 is a good capture of a scene I see all too often. You said that in #6 you got lucky. Don't downplay it because of that. If you hadn't pressed the shutter you would have missed it. Even the great HCB said he was lucky. That's one of the things I love about sp. Sometimes I get home and I've captured something better than what I was shooting at. You see something and you're just drawn to shoot it, and you come back with a gem. #7 is a cool shot. I like all the smoke you captured. Last but not least #8. Kudos for seeing the juxtaposition and capturing it.

It's good to hear you are enjoying it. I certainly do. I too log quite a few miles when I'm out there, but that's part of the fun for me.

Sergio

[Rebel]

Matt, as John and Jack have said, you seem to be getting the hang of this. I really like these.

I like your guest appearance in #1. Nice technique; seems to have worked a charm. The ladies seem totally oblivious to you going by. #2 keeps one interested because you have to wonder why he's doing that. In #3, I find the two men going in opposite directions and each carrying a white bag a nice juxtaposition. Also the man's bag in the foreground has numbers on it and so does the menu in the background (pretty cool). #4 is just a nice slice of life of two people enjoying their meal. #5 is a good capture of a scene I see all too often. You said that in #6 you got lucky. Don't downplay it because of that. If you hadn't pressed the shutter you would have missed it. Even the great HCB said he was lucky. That's one of the things I love about sp. Sometimes I get home and I've captured something better than what I was shooting at. You see something and you're just drawn to shoot it, and you come back with a gem. #7 is a cool shot. I like all the smoke you captured. Last but not least #8. Kudos for seeing the juxtaposition and capturing it.

It's good to hear you are enjoying it. I certainly do. I too log quite a few miles when I'm out there, but that's part of the fun for me.

Sergio

Thanks Sergio,much appreciated!

I've just noticed in #3 that they both have canes as well

[William W]

#1 is good candid street work - the juxtaposition is fantastic.

Following on from the technical advice mentioned in your other thread - 1/800s and F/5.6 are much better choices. As can be seen image #1 is very sharp.

*

A few more points:

Try holding (and shooting) the camera in one hand not two: that will give you much more flexibility and speed to frame the shot.

If you are moving try to momentarily freeze your movement to make the shot - this is very important for shots like #1 when the camera is at 90 degrees to the Subject and it (you) are waking transverse to the Subject.

Probably setting the Focus Distance a bit further than 1 mtr. would be better - but what ever distance that you set it should be a typical and comfortable distance for you to work.

I'd encourage you to explore other genres of Street Photography, not just candid hip shooting - people (total strangers) will generally engage with the Photographer and this is mainly and solely dependent upon the ATTITUDE and APPROACH of the Photographer.

WW

[Rebel]

#1 is good candid street work - the juxtaposition is fantastic.

Following on from the technical advice mentioned in your other thread - 1/800s and F/5.6 are much better choices. As can be seen image #1 is very sharp.

*

A few more points:

Try holding (and shooting) the camera in one hand not two: that will give you much more flexibility and speed to frame the shot.

If you are moving try to momentarily freeze your movement to make the shot - this is very important for shots like #1 when the camera is at 90 degrees to the Subject and it (you) are waking transverse to the Subject.

Probably setting the Focus Distance a bit further than 1 mtr. would be better - but what ever distance that you set it should be a typical and comfortable distance for you to work.

I'd encourage you to explore other genres of Street Photography, not just candid hip shooting - people (total strangers) will generally engage with the Photographer and this is mainly and solely dependent upon the ATTITUDE and APPROACH of the Photographer.

WW

Thanks William, I do forget to stop when I'm taking the photo A LOT! And I'm def going to set the distance a bit further next time.

Cheers

[William W]

Good oh!

[RBSinTo]

Thanks William, I do forget to stop when I'm taking the photo A LOT! And I'm def going to set the distance a bit further next time.

Cheers

Matt,
I did a little Google search and found some information on your Ricoh camera and using Hyperfocus to achieve good depth of field while street shooting:

http://www.waloszek.de/gr_hfd_e.php

I hope this is helpful.
Robert

[William W]

^ useful commentary, thanks for sharing it.

Note that the figures apply to all APS-C cameras, not just the Ricoh, though the commentary addresses the "Snap Focus" feature which I think is really neat functionality.

One leverage of using any APS-C (or smaller sized sensor camera) for street photography when Shallow DoF is not the aim, is the inherent larger DoF for any given shooting scenario and also those smaller sensor cameras are also usually physically smaller, which can be another advantage.

Also note that one photographers "acceptable focus" might not be the same as your own - and much of that depends on how each of use typically views our images.

WW

[Rebel]

Matt,
I did a little Google search and found some information on your Ricoh camera and using Hyperfocus to achieve good depth of field while street shooting:

http://www.waloszek.de/gr_hfd_e.php

I hope this is helpful.
Robert

Thanks Robert, appreciate that! I'll check it out later.

[RBSinTo]

^ useful commentary, thanks for sharing it.

Note that the figures apply to all APS-C cameras, not just the Ricoh, though the commentary addresses the "Snap Focus" feature which I think is really neat functionality.

One leverage of using any APS-C (or smaller sized sensor camera) for street photography when Shallow DoF is not the aim, is the inherent larger DoF for any given shooting scenario and also those smaller sensor cameras are also usually physically smaller, which can be another advantage.

Also note that one photographers "acceptable focus" might not be the same as your own - and much of that depends on how each of use typically views our images.

WW

Bill,
I find this whole discussion to be several levels more complicated than I can fathom.
Perhaps that's because my laughably backward, hopelessly, outdated gear from the previous century is so simple and lacking in all the features that have been mentioned by the various posters.
Cameras with shutter speed dials, manually adjustable aperture rings,, wide lenses marked with distance and depth of field scales, combined with hyperfocus, and shooting from the hip or chest is very easy.
Robert

[george013]

Bill,
I find this whole discussion to be several levels more complicated than I can fathom.
Perhaps that's because my laughably backward, hopelessly, outdated gear from the previous century is so simple and lacking in all the features that have been mentioned by the various posters.
Cameras with shutter speed dials, manually adjustable aperture rings,, wide lenses marked with distance and depth of field scales, combined with hyperfocus, and shooting from the hip or chest is very easy.
Robert

Newer is not always better or easier.

George

[Manfred M]

Newer is not always better or easier.

George

But certainly cheaper.

I was very careful when shooting from the hip with film just because of the associated material and processing costs.

I'll be quite frank, while I am still often thinking like a film shooter when I press the shutter release, I will have to be honest and confess I will shoot a lot more frames because of the low incremental cost of doing so.

[george013]

But certainly cheaper.

I was very careful when shooting from the hip with film just because of the associated material and processing costs.

I'll be quite frank, while I am still often thinking like a film shooter when I press the shutter release, I will have to be honest and confess I will shoot a lot more frames because of the low incremental cost of doing so.

I meant the aperture ring, distance ring and the DOF scale on the older lenses. You just read your DOF straight from the marks on the lens.

George

[dubaiphil]

You seem to be picking things up quickly, Matt. Give me a shout if you fancy a prowl in London at some point - I'm due another visit soon....

[IzzieK]

Excellent shots, Matt! I tried SP while on vacation, but until I edit them will I get to find out what was thinking when I took those shots. I am learning from you and other on this. In this series, I particularly favoured #1...and your guest appearance.
#2 is very strange indeed of that man...was he talking to the other men with him and he is illustrating something to them?
#3 That was a good one too -- both have canes, both have grocery bags, one a smoker and the other perhaps not + other stations in life I suppose...good catch there.
#4 What is a "Gregg's"? This will remind me that I need to continue on my diet when I go back home...ha!
#5 For the life of me, I cannot and feel odd photographing homeless people.
#6 If you crop this image a little bit and not clearly shown the bird is nearly standing on the rubbish bin, it would probably look like a mascot on a car bonnet. Good catch.
#7 I am liking the angle of this shot but not the subject...
#8 There is certainly a lot of drama to this man's face...Where is Alfred Hitchcock when you need him? LOL

[Rebel]

You seem to be picking things up quickly, Matt. Give me a shout if you fancy a prowl in London at some point - I'm due another visit soon....

Thanks Phil, I will do. I remember viewing some of your street stuff in London on here a while ago, so you can show me all the haunts!