Waiting

[mugge]

I took this gentleman on a 24mm lens at f11. I was walking with my wife taking belly button shots, that being the reason for having the lens at f11.

I did not like the original image because of the lack of separation between the gentleman and the background and I therefore decided to use Gaussian blur in the second image.

Having a second look I still cannot decide which one I prefer.

Waiting by Ole Hansen, on Flickr

Waiting by Ole Hansen, on Flickr

[Geoff F]

For me, Ole, the first one is a general street scene with a lot of things happing while the second is more of a portrait shot. In which case, I wonder about cropping a little from the right side? Maybe go to 4 x 5 ratio, or something similar?

Both options work OK.

[jkshyt]

For me, Ole, the first one is a general street scene with a lot of things happing while the second is more of a portrait shot. In which case, I wonder about cropping a little from the right side? Maybe go to 4 x 5 ratio, or something similar?

Both options work OK.

What Geoff said, #2 IMO works better

[Manfred M]

If I throw Photoshop's neural blue depth filter at the image and did a tiny bit of masking, dodging and burning, I get this:

[William W]

I took this gentleman on a 24mm lens at f11. I was walking with my wife taking belly button shots, that being the reason for having the lens at f11.

I did not like the original image because of the lack of separation between the gentleman and the background and I therefore decided to use Gaussian blur in the second image.

Having a second look I still cannot decide which one I prefer.

I think you’re on the right track blurring the background to mimic OoF Background and Norrow DoF, doing so makes for a much stronger image.

Manfred’s retouching works better than your attempt: Manfred’s redo is definitive, that’s why it works better.

***

“Belly button shots”, nice turn of phrase: historically known in the Craft as Shooting From the Hip.

(arguably) Synonymic with the gun-fighting phrase.

(first) Becoming popular when using TLR Cameras for street work; the Photographer would not look downward into the Waist Level Finder, rather just ‘point the camera and shoot from the hip’ thus not attracting the attention of the Subject. And as you mentioned using a small aperture to ensure some degree of accurate sharpness on the Subject.

BTW, another lovely phrase, ‘F/8 and be there’, is linked to and has meaning for, ‘Shooting from the Hip’.

Shooting from the Hip was cloned and used by Street Photographers during the 60’s 70’s 80’s and 90’s when using 135 Format Cameras, and continues with the various digital formats nowadays.

The opposite technique (also not looking through the viewfinder) is referred to as Hail Mary, which is often employed at ‘door stop’ Portrait Photography.

***

Low Camera Viewpoint for Portraiture:

Keeping the conversation AUS-centric: Max Dupain was an exponent of the Low Camera Viewpoint Technique for Portraiture.

I expect (sometimes) he likely used ‘shooting from the hip’, (probably more likely when he was using 6x6 Format): Dupain typically used a Linhof Technika – and a Tripod to make many of the now famous Portraits employing a Low Camera Viewpoint.

Low Camera Viewpoint should not be assumed to be always Shooting from the Hip – both are techniques with similar outcomes, but are not the same techniques.

WW

[William W]

Ole,

. . .this was my closing para. somehow I missed it when I posted above:

The Low Camera Viewpoint works very well for this particular image.

Going low brings out a dominate gutsy (frustrated at public transport?) expression of the Subject and it creates an excellent line across the bench seat and up the Subject's body to his face.

I think it is reasonably obvious that the definitive OoF that Manfred employed, strengthens these elements.

WW