I don't belong here

[mugge]

I have taken to using my new Sigma 85mm 1.4 for street photography. Nothing new here but I also experiment with having it fully opened.

I don't belong here by Ole Hansen, on Flickr

[DanK]

This shows one reason why I almost never shoot with such a wide aperture. At that distance, you can't have the entire subject in sharp focus. His near arm and the skateboard are out of focus. Some people like that, but it's not my preference. On the other hand, it does a great job of blurring the background. (The long-ish focal length helps with that as well.)

I don't do street photography of people. However, I do a lot of candids of kids, and except when I am relying on natural light and need the extra light, I usually shoot at f/4 or narrower (full frame) in order to have the entire head in focus.

As usual, it's a matter of taste.

[Manfred M]

The backs of people really don't generally work all that well. The most important "feature" of any person is the face, so when it is completely missing in an image, the image tends to not work. I'm also trying to understand why you cropped the very top of the head; this looks like it was accidental, rather than something done on purpose.

Just because the background is soft and blurred does not mean it is not distracting. Areas of highlight, contrast and saturated colours tend to draw attention and you have all of those, albeit soft and blurred.

[BobGilbody]

I agree in regards to the photo. The comments about faces got me thinking.
https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2...radise-garden/
I guess if you are good then you can get something worthwhile breaking the rules.

[Manfred M]

I agree in regards to the photo. The comments about faces got me thinking.
https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2...radise-garden/
I guess if you are good then you can get something worthwhile breaking the rules.

I would suggest that if you are well known, you can get away with mediocre work, something that the rest of us can't.

I'd also suggest that there is a role that backs of people can play and that is the difference between Ole's and W. Eugene Smith's image. Smith uses the backs of the children to visually guide the viewer down the path that they are heading down. The high contrast of the bright area and the children walking away from the camera attract the viewer's attention and engage them with the image. That is one of the successful ways that the backs of subjects can be used. There are many other ways as well. Ole's image, for a number of compositional reasons, does not have that effect.

[DanK]

I'll repeat my usual: we should replace "rule" with "guideline".

Whether you are well known, IMHO, is irrelevant. Whether you know what you are doing does. I remember having this discussion about jazz improvisation with my mother, who was a (classical) musician. Her comment was along the lines of "once you know the rules well, you can do a good job of breaking them". I heard a fascinating lecture/performance by Wynton Marsalis and several other musicians a few years ago in which they talked in some detail about the rules they have in mind as the improvise. The people who are good at it can break or bend the rules. In the jazz domain, the best example might be Thelonious Monk, who broke rule after rule and an in doing so has inspired two generations of musicians. In the classical domain, a good example would be Gustav Mahler, who didn't follow conventional rules about how sections should be resolved. And sometimes someone who is not that expert simply gets lucky.

Re shooting backs: In general, I agree, but my criterion is simply whether a shot of backs makes for an interesting image. usually it doesn't but sometimes it does. I just was sent a photo of two children, ages 3.5 and 1.5, sitting together at a piano trying to play it. It was shot from behind but was a wonderful image. I would post it if it weren't for my rule (not a guideline) that I never post photos of children publicly without their parents' permission.

This image, however, has none of that interest, at least in my opinion.

[Lovelabradors]

Agree with Dan. I think it's a valid attempt, yet the image does not really tell a story. I don't look at the image and think anything really.
Sorry Ole, love most of your images.

[escape]

I would clone out the bright areas in the background and then try adding some space on top. I think the title fits the image. Any stories to be made can be drawn from that. Have fun with your new lens. I look forward to seeing more.