Streetphoto from Finland

[reima000]

Hello!

I haven't posted here in ages, so here's something I've stumbled upon, shooting street photography. I feel I've achieved what i went for, except that the picture might be little bit too busy, but the really great fog helps with that i think. The fog is also one of the most important things in this photo, giving the photo it's dreamy feeling. I'd like to know how you feel about the pic, and editing also, so here's both the original and the final.



original:


final:


Larger and full size image can be found here: reima000.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Uusia/

Reima

edit: larger photo for the edited

[Rhoads238]

I think i would do a vertical crop starting at the right side of the frame, Maintaining the same aspect ratio. I feel like it may be too many subjects in the original. If you were to do the crop the image would be more focused on the people walking out of the fog.

[Geoff F]

I agree with some sort of crop.

For me, that heavy vertical post divides the scene into two; and with little of interest to the left of the post. So I think that I would crop out the post but retain the tall tree.

Would a slight crop from the bottom then give you 5 x 4 ratio? I don't want to lose the sky with those misty trees.

[dan marchant]

I feel I've achieved what i went for,

Hi Reima,
Can I ask what it was you were going for with this shot? (from a composition, not processing point of view). I ask because, while I do like the processing I don't like the photo itself.

For me the photo lacks a worthwhile subject. The closest person is too far off to the side and not particularly interesting. The other people and cars are too far away to provide any interest. The landscape itself isn't very attractive and it has a number of distracting features. The large pole left of centre and the small thin "trees" dotted around - they all attract the eye (or rather distract the eye) but don't provide any satisfaction. I am wondering if you were a little nervous photographing people (very common in photographers starting out with Street Photography), which is why you took the shot when everyone was so far away.

I do agree with the above posters that a crop would improve the image. I would crop off the entire left side and focus in on the closest person. Having said that I still don't think she is doing anything of real visual interest so there isn't enough interest to make this a great shot.

Despite my negative comments regarding the composition I think you did a great job with the processing. I think you got a really good effect on a not very interesting image and am sure that if you applied it to a better composed image you would have a stand out result.

[AB26]

Hi Reima,

If you feel you have achieved what you were aiming for - that is good enough for me.
The original is the better of the two, for me. What I can see in it is that really "misty" feeling. In the edit the skin tone of the girl in front is the tone of one who is already dead. If you want the effect obtained in the edit you should have waited until the mist starts clearing and the sun comes trough.

You might have used a different approach to composition to give it a little more impact. Getting down lower and shooting a little more to the right might have shown me where the arrow is pointing at.
Keep shooting

[reima000]

Hi everyone, and thanks for your feedback! This is exactly what I wanted, and more. I will give these comments some careful thought, and write some more after, I'm now in bit of a hurry.

Reima

[groovesection]

As a novice i do not feel i can contribute anything of substance, But for me personally i actually prefer the original as opposed to the final image, the slight green colour of the grass pops out better in the original helping to draw the eye up the path and to the walking person.

[reima000]

When I said that I think I got what I went for, I think I was trying to say that I was pleased with my shot at street photography. It looked good to me I also feel that I got the calm feel of the fog well, people seem to be relaxed instead of hurrying, and perhaps one thing making it look nice is the fact that these kind of fogs are really not so usual around here. The location is too busy for a good shot, but I thought that the fog would help with that. Perhaps a bit, but yes, I now agree that there’s still too much content.

I also wish I would have waited for the closest person to come closer, to about half of the distance with this crop perhaps. I am quite new to shooting strangers so it feels pretty awkward to point the camera towards people that are too close, so Dan got that right.

I also think that the post is dividing the picture quite disturbingly. I now also think I should have thought the composition better. I am going to keep my eyes open for better locations when I strol the area. I’d like to find a nice road with nice curve to it, and less content on the background, and then I would just have to wait for the photogenic dog walker. Even the time of the year is best for fogs. Thick fog gives that nice peaceful feeling I so much like.

I was actually a bit surprised that not everyone thought the edited version better, since I think that the original is quite boring to my eyes, and i feel that the edited has something more magical. I also tend to like everything with a bit less saturation. Well, I’m happy that I posted the original as well.

I’ll continue shooting,

Reima

[reima000]

I went through the photos i took those two foggy days, and I found out that I had already forgot many possible nice ones from the first day. Here's one, which after this discussion seemed to perhaps be better than the first one that got me so excited.

I think that the surroundings are a bit more pleasing to the eye, and the composition is not so messy. It was full of those little "trees" (they're really a pain, they're everywhere, they are marks for the snow plower to tell where the road goes) I cloned them away and, did some of the same editing and cropped a little from the right side and the bottom. I like the left side, texture of the road is quite nice, and the trees, but that strip of grass in the between of the roads takes too much space and role, it doesn't look that nice. And the subject could be closer, like in the last one. Well here it is;

[AB26]

Very good!

[dan marchant]

I think this is a much better shot than the first one. Same interesting foggy visuals but the composition and subject are far better. The road provides good leading lines that draw the viewer into the picture and the lone figure has a little bit of mystery. Where is he going and what is he carrying on this foggy day.

[reima000]

Thanks for the motivating comments!

[Rhoads238]

Reima,

This is a much better shot. I like the muted color tones. They suit the fog well. I like the use of a vignette here as well. although I'm not sure if it is one from the lens, post-prod or created naturally by the composition and having darker areas of trees and grass in the corners. I think that burning the person a bit to be almost a silhouette would increase the interest somewhat. But without having a blaring black figure in a mostly grey tonal range.

Also I feel like it has two subjects. The person walking and the crest of the road leading into the fog. I think this image would work well if it was cut in half, more or less, and displayed as two separate images. but that's just a thought.

-Jason