fjrabon
Been spending a lot of time on here!
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2011
- Messages
- 3,644
- Reaction score
- 756
- Location
- Atlanta, GA, USA
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
I know people have very mixed feelings about Eric Kim #onhere but I thought I like hearing other's people thoughts on things, even if I don't always agree with everything 100%. I didn't find much that I'd say was "mindblowing" but there were a few reminders of things that I "know" but forget a lot, that were nice to have reinforced.
You can go here for the slides he used
I'll pretty much just dump my notes
1) Street photography is sociology with a camera
2) stop chimping - ie looking in your camera LCD at every shot, get in the flow of the scene and view your pictures later
3) Work the scene - take many pictures from different angles and exposures
4) Gain confidence in your street photography by realizing that it is our obligation to document the beauty in the world.
5) look for the cherry on top - that little tiny detail that makes a good photo a great photo
6) the background makes street. find an interesting background and use it to your advantage
7) pay attention to the edges of the frame, work the photo from the edges to the middle
8) you might go an entire day and only find 3 potentially good scenes. when you find one work the crap out of it
9) When taking a street portrait, the more time you spend working it, and communicating with them, the more they'll let their guard down and you can get a good photo
10) a person's hands can be more expressive than their face sometimes, ask if you can shoot their hands
11) don't hesitate when you see a good shot, just shoot, stop thinking and fearing and just shoot it.
12) Channel your fear, when you feel fear and hesitation on shooting something, that is your gut telling you this might be a great image.
13) buy books, not gear
14) for candids, pretend you're shooting the environment and background around the subject
15) street photography is subjective, it's your own interpretation of your own reality, it's not photojournalism
16) A lot of street photography is a lie, and that's okay
17) when shooting street portraits, try to capture the in-between, unguarded moments when they're comfortable with you, but not posing
18) ask your subjects not to smile or really specifically pose in any way
19) he's not interested in pure authenticity, he's interested in showing his own view of reality
20) luck in a street shot is a combination of preparation and opportunity
His tips from great photographers he's studied
Koudelka
1) Think long term - 2-10 year projects - removes day to day pressure and allows you to focus on trying to eventually get one truly stunning image
2) shoot every day, but every day you won't make a great photo
3) triangular composition is great for street, look for triangles in your scenes
4) marinate your photos - wait a week to a month before you edit/post your photos to give yourself some emotional distance from the moment you shot them
5) need to have a sense of urgency for photography
6) ask yourself when you die, what will you regret not shooting
7) push your limits, reinvent yourself, don't use the same styles and techniques forever
8) control your own style and identity and shoot for yourself
9) make your photography your own and shoot as if nobody will ever pay you for it
Trent Parke
1) If you think you have the shot, you probably don't have the shot yet
2) become the best photographer you can be, don't compare yourself to other photographers, don't worry about beating other photographers
3) keep pushing: yourself, the photo, the idea, the style, the technique
sebastio salgado
1) draw inspiration from other fields - he was inspired by economics
2) understand the society you're a part of
3) make your photography ideologically and ethically consistent with yourself
4) your style should be a reflection of how you see the world and who you are
5) the more time you spend on a project, the more deeply you'll understand the subject
His assignments
1) compliment everybody for a day - will help your confidence in the street, and make people more comfortable around you
2) 5 yes 5 no challenge. ask people's permission to photograph them until you have at least 5 yesses and 5 nos - you will often be surprised at who will say yes, and who will say no
3) 2-3 feet challenge - try to shoot for 2-3 days at the minimum focusing distance of your camera (or 2-3 feet)
Q&A session
I thought a lot fo the questions were really dumb gear/settings questions so I didn't take them all down (one guy asked if he edited with a macbook air, like WTF difference does that make?)
1) uses zone focusing and f/8-f/11 most of the time
2) hates bokeh in street photography
3) street photography is also about the background, context needs to be apparent, bokeh is often polishing turds in street
4) have some generic convo starter questions already worked out when approaching people so you don't fumble over yourself
5) spend 99% of your time picking what photos you will edit, then only 1% of your time editing them in post processing - he likes pre-sets for consistency and efficiency
6) subject matter > composition - "you can't take a bad photo of a burning monk" ie the famous photo of the burning protest monk would have been great no matter the composition
7) always have a camera with you
8) squeeze in 5-10 minutes of shooting whenever you can
9) carry a business card - lends legitimacy if people question you
10 magnum contact sheets is his favorite photography book
Anyway, I thought it was worth the time as I waited between sessions at this conference I'm at in Birmingham.
You can go here for the slides he used
I'll pretty much just dump my notes
1) Street photography is sociology with a camera
2) stop chimping - ie looking in your camera LCD at every shot, get in the flow of the scene and view your pictures later
3) Work the scene - take many pictures from different angles and exposures
4) Gain confidence in your street photography by realizing that it is our obligation to document the beauty in the world.
5) look for the cherry on top - that little tiny detail that makes a good photo a great photo
6) the background makes street. find an interesting background and use it to your advantage
7) pay attention to the edges of the frame, work the photo from the edges to the middle
8) you might go an entire day and only find 3 potentially good scenes. when you find one work the crap out of it
9) When taking a street portrait, the more time you spend working it, and communicating with them, the more they'll let their guard down and you can get a good photo
10) a person's hands can be more expressive than their face sometimes, ask if you can shoot their hands
11) don't hesitate when you see a good shot, just shoot, stop thinking and fearing and just shoot it.
12) Channel your fear, when you feel fear and hesitation on shooting something, that is your gut telling you this might be a great image.
13) buy books, not gear
14) for candids, pretend you're shooting the environment and background around the subject
15) street photography is subjective, it's your own interpretation of your own reality, it's not photojournalism
16) A lot of street photography is a lie, and that's okay
17) when shooting street portraits, try to capture the in-between, unguarded moments when they're comfortable with you, but not posing
18) ask your subjects not to smile or really specifically pose in any way
19) he's not interested in pure authenticity, he's interested in showing his own view of reality
20) luck in a street shot is a combination of preparation and opportunity
His tips from great photographers he's studied
Koudelka
1) Think long term - 2-10 year projects - removes day to day pressure and allows you to focus on trying to eventually get one truly stunning image
2) shoot every day, but every day you won't make a great photo
3) triangular composition is great for street, look for triangles in your scenes
4) marinate your photos - wait a week to a month before you edit/post your photos to give yourself some emotional distance from the moment you shot them
5) need to have a sense of urgency for photography
6) ask yourself when you die, what will you regret not shooting
7) push your limits, reinvent yourself, don't use the same styles and techniques forever
8) control your own style and identity and shoot for yourself
9) make your photography your own and shoot as if nobody will ever pay you for it
Trent Parke
1) If you think you have the shot, you probably don't have the shot yet
2) become the best photographer you can be, don't compare yourself to other photographers, don't worry about beating other photographers
3) keep pushing: yourself, the photo, the idea, the style, the technique
sebastio salgado
1) draw inspiration from other fields - he was inspired by economics
2) understand the society you're a part of
3) make your photography ideologically and ethically consistent with yourself
4) your style should be a reflection of how you see the world and who you are
5) the more time you spend on a project, the more deeply you'll understand the subject
His assignments
1) compliment everybody for a day - will help your confidence in the street, and make people more comfortable around you
2) 5 yes 5 no challenge. ask people's permission to photograph them until you have at least 5 yesses and 5 nos - you will often be surprised at who will say yes, and who will say no
3) 2-3 feet challenge - try to shoot for 2-3 days at the minimum focusing distance of your camera (or 2-3 feet)
Q&A session
I thought a lot fo the questions were really dumb gear/settings questions so I didn't take them all down (one guy asked if he edited with a macbook air, like WTF difference does that make?)
1) uses zone focusing and f/8-f/11 most of the time
2) hates bokeh in street photography
3) street photography is also about the background, context needs to be apparent, bokeh is often polishing turds in street
4) have some generic convo starter questions already worked out when approaching people so you don't fumble over yourself
5) spend 99% of your time picking what photos you will edit, then only 1% of your time editing them in post processing - he likes pre-sets for consistency and efficiency
6) subject matter > composition - "you can't take a bad photo of a burning monk" ie the famous photo of the burning protest monk would have been great no matter the composition
7) always have a camera with you
8) squeeze in 5-10 minutes of shooting whenever you can
9) carry a business card - lends legitimacy if people question you
10 magnum contact sheets is his favorite photography book
Anyway, I thought it was worth the time as I waited between sessions at this conference I'm at in Birmingham.
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