C&C Street work

4-age

I have been trying to get into street photography recently and would appreciate some C&C for my efforts.

Any opinions are welcome (especially honest ones)

pete4130

You need to get more confident. All these shots seem like you tried to take them as quickly as possible. You spotted something/someone you wanted to shoot but were afraid you'd be seen taking it.
Props to you for not being one of those photographers that tries to shoot street photos with a 300mm lens on the sly. It's about getting up close and personal.

1) It looks like you tried to show it was London and pretended you were taking a pic of something else to get the person in the frame

2) It's a snap of somebody walking by, possible you were walking too and trying to capture it. The truck and the lady in the background are distracting and his feet are cut off mid stride. I don't know what I'm looking at.

3) It's a street scene with nothing really going on apart form the comical guy with the glasses on the right who seems to have strayed into the frame.

4) It's soft where it matters and your attention goes beyond the guysin the foreground.

5) This one works. You saw something and executed it well. It's a bit timeless apart from the phone and the contrast of the smart phone and the iconic london phonebox works well.

4-age

pete4130 wrote: »

You need to get more confident. All these shots seem like you tried to take them as quickly as possible. You spotted something/someone you wanted to shoot but were afraid you'd be seen taking it.
Props to you for not being one of those photographers that tries to shoot street photos with a 300mm lens on the sly. It's about getting up close and personal.

1) It looks like you tried to show it was London and pretended you were taking a pic of something else to get the person in the frame

2) It's a snap of somebody walking by, possible you were walking too and trying to capture it. The truck and the lady in the background are distracting and his feet are cut off mid stride. I don't know what I'm looking at.

3) It's a street scene with nothing really going on apart form the comical guy with the glasses on the right who seems to have strayed into the frame.

4) It's soft where it matters and your attention goes beyond the guysin the foreground.

5) This one works. You saw something and executed it well. It's a bit timeless apart from the phone and the contrast of the smart phone and the iconic london phonebox works well.

Thanks Pete. You're right about me being a bit nervous of taking the photos some were a little rushed I suppose.
In number one I was trying to make include the underground sign to contrast how down trodden she was, but I was a bit sneaky and was pretending not to take the picture of her.

3) I included the guy because his glasses were interesting, maybe I should use a different crop so he isn't have cut off.

4) is soft but I saw the triangle of sunglasses and tried to get the shot.

pete4130

With the likes of number 3, aproach and ask to take a quick snap. It usually works better. Street photography (for me) is about people. They are the street. the interaction, the interesting bits. Sometimes it is reallyhard to approach people. It's not my style to apprach people at all. Learn to become quick or invisible to get the shot right away or be able to stand and wait for it.

If you wait long enough people become bored with you and forget your there.

pullandbang

I think you actually had more potential in that 1st shot by getting rid of the sign and distracting sky and cropping right down to the bus beyond - the contrast of the Armani Jeans and the woman - both separated permanently by the bars.

As Pete says, nothing in that 2nd shot other than a randomer snapped on a street.

The 3rd shot was definitely your man on the right with the glasses - always worth catching their eye, making a quick gesture with your camera to ask can you take his shot - and snapping in one quick move. Then smile and walk away.

I can see what you were trying in number 4 but I find the cagey looking man in the striped polo shirt a bit more amusing though he is oof.

Again good effort in No. 5 with the new and old - but again I find the hand gesture on the right more interesting. Would love to see the rest of him and see does he add to the scene with his finger pointing.

10 out of 10 for trying and for getting in close. Your B&W conversions are quite nice too although don't forget colour - that last shot for example could work in colour too with the bright red phone box.

4-age

Would have liked to keep him in frame but the blown highlights above him were too distracting so he had to go, however the finger was too interesting to cut.

I have some colour photos will post when I get a chance

amdgilmore

Y'know, I actually think the fourth photo stands out more than the others. There's a nice geometric quality about the three guys in shades. And I like the expressions on the faces of the the two gents in the foreground.

It's spoiled by the white guy in the left-centre (which is typical - the white man spoils everything).

But I've looked at this thread three or four times now and it's that photo that catches my eye every time.

Street photography is deceptively difficult though. There's a very fine line between the unremarkable-but-brilliant, and the simply unremarkable.