A street menagerie

[dubaiphil]

Here's a little collection of street images from the last couple of outings - nothing that's really made it into my favourites list, but Instagrammable at least... It's amazing how low a hit rate I end up with!

1.




2.




3.




4.




5.




6.




7.




8.




9.




10.

[John 2]

You don't give yourself enough credit Phil. You may not be looking for works of art but as a record of life on the street and its characters, these are a fine set of images - as always.

[Shadowman]

#6, 7 and 9 caught my eye, regarding #1-4, and 9, was it the crop of the figure that didn't cut it for you?

[selig1656]

I actually like very much pic #1 , nice series.

[NorthernFocus]

I have no notion of street photography so won't comment on the hit rate. The shots posted here each have something unique about them. Facial expressions, moments of life in the city, etc. I suppose no.10 makes a fairly profound statement about modern London. The backdrop of such significant history against the silliness of modern entertainment. Overall I'd say nicely done. If I were an urban dweller and didn't have my beasties to chase your work might inspire me to attempt street shooting.

[Geoff F]

Yes, a good series of real life images. Each one has an interesting subject.

[Donald]

It's amazing how low a hit rate I end up with!

That's why you're so good at this. You set the bar high.

I'd be pleased with any and all of them, but that one of the man walking with the cenotaph in the background - That's a beauty, I think.

[D L]

I really like #1. Your capture of the expression and posture of the man on the left really make that image for me.

[Marie Hass]

1. The man made you. Great eye contact.

2. and 4. The lack of distinct features in the background provide a distinct separation between the man and environment.

3. Love that the "time stamp" is echoed in the wonderful texture of the woman's face and in the building beside her.

5. and 8. Love the leading lines, 5. straight, 8, gentle curves.

6. and 7. Nicely framed.

9. Repeating patterns in the windows, chairs then people. Nice.

10 Incongruous. A sheep against an historic landscape. Love it!

Nice images, all.

'Rie

[D L]

10 Incongruous. A sheep against an historic landscape. Love it!

I couldn't think of right word for #10, but there it is.. ditto

[shreds]

Great set of pics.

No.1 Which is Elsey and which one is Bent? Great expression here.

No.4 Would have been even greater with the 'L' on the bus advert in frame.

No.7 Strangely my favourite for reasons I cant explain

No.9 It is the expression of the woman and capturing her in her own busy world without concern for the photographer, that are just perfect.

[dubaiphil]

Thanks John 2. I like most of these images, don't get me wrong, but there's just something 'off' with most of them. I have to start getting a bit more critical when building a body of work, rather than trying to bolster a good set of images with so-so shots.

[dubaiphil]

#6, 7 and 9 caught my eye, regarding #1-4, and 9, was it the crop of the figure that didn't cut it for you?

For #1, it's just one of many scenes in a market that I've captured - there's nothing particularly dynamic going on. As Ian (shreds) pointed out, possibly the most interesting thing would be a play on words with the name of the stall and the two characters

For #2, it's the dead space that didn't work - I didn't frame it right. This was already cropped to get rid of more dead space to the left, but still doesn't work and square format didn't look right

For #3, I loved the lady's face and hair and the light falling on her which made her look so photogenic. But with 50mm at that range from the hip it's difficult to pre focus and frame correctly so I missed it.

For #4, I actually really like the image - it breaks a few rules, I like the guy's hand position and the London Eye says "London" without the bus, but that missing "L" makes the difference

For #9, I slightly missed focus but that isn't the be all and end all. I wasn't thinking in 50mm at the time, more like 35mm and though I would have captured more of the lady than I did. It's quite difficult while you as photographer and the subject are converging to shoot from the hip and frame as well - it's a steep learning curve. However, I like the leading lines, the other people in the distance (who would have been more lost at 35mm), the empty tables, windows and reflections.

[dubaiphil]

I actually like very much pic #1 , nice series.

Thanks Raymond

[dubaiphil]

I have no notion of street photography so won't comment on the hit rate. The shots posted here each have something unique about them. Facial expressions, moments of life in the city, etc. I suppose no.10 makes a fairly profound statement about modern London. The backdrop of such significant history against the silliness of modern entertainment. Overall I'd say nicely done. If I were an urban dweller and didn't have my beasties to chase your work might inspire me to attempt street shooting.

Thanks Dan - I should have hung around a bit more with #10, and I'm kicking myself for not trying a Brenizer pano a little closer to Shaun the Sheep as I had an f1.2 lens on at the time.

[dubaiphil]

Yes, a good series of real life images. Each one has an interesting subject.

Thanks Geoff - I think I need to find some different spots in London to shoot for a while and leave Borough Market for a while. Letting images come to me rather than trying to force the location and situation to give me images, I think that's the key here. I have many images form the market now and that one probably isn't dynamic enough as part of the set.

[dubaiphil]

That's why you're so good at this. You set the bar high.

I'd be pleased with any and all of them, but that one of the man walking with the cenotaph in the background - That's a beauty, I think.

Thanks Donald. If I was at the cenotaph a few days later I would have caught the massive demonstration outside Downing Street - oops!

I don't know about setting my bar high, but I'm trying to build a body of work at a level rather than just flooding it with extra pictures when things don't go quite right on a particular day. To get to London to shoot takes a fair bit of time and money, and as a result you naturally want to come away with images that you're very happy with although some days this just doesn't happen.

On a positive note, on the last trip I did manage a good 16 miles of walking through the city!

[dubaiphil]

I really like #1. Your capture of the expression and posture of the man on the left really make that image for me.

Thanks David - with that pose he must be Mr Elsey!

[dubaiphil]

1. The man made you. Great eye contact.

2. and 4. The lack of distinct features in the background provide a distinct separation between the man and environment.

3. Love that the "time stamp" is echoed in the wonderful texture of the woman's face and in the building beside her.

5. and 8. Love the leading lines, 5. straight, 8, gentle curves.

6. and 7. Nicely framed.

9. Repeating patterns in the windows, chairs then people. Nice.

10 Incongruous. A sheep against an historic landscape. Love it!

Nice images, all.

'Rie

Thanks 'Rie - The face of the lady in #3 literally lit up with the light and her smile - I wish there was someone else in the frame or better framing to share it with. I'm trying to get closer and more personal, and guess what - it's bloody difficult!!! Sitting back and waiting for a human element to enter the frame in a particular position for more cityscape shot is so much easier, and in my comfort zone!

[dubaiphil]

Great set of pics.

No.1 Which is Elsey and which one is Bent? Great expression here.

No.4 Would have been even greater with the 'L' on the bus advert in frame.

No.7 Strangely my favourite for reasons I cant explain

No.9 It is the expression of the woman and capturing her in her own busy world without concern for the photographer, that are just perfect.

Thanks Ian. I like #7 too - it's different, and I caught the walking guy at just the right time in the frame and with his body position which I'm happy about. It doesn't scream "London", which I'm not particularly bothered about anyway, but I like the layers and framing

#9 - amazing to find a passer by without a smart phone. Probably 50-75% did on this morning!