First attempt at street photography! CC Please!

jmtonkin · Mar 11, 2012

I just got back from a mission trip to Denver.  While we were down there, we did get a little free time, so we went down to the 16th Street Mall.  While we were down there, I decided it would be a great opportunity to try some street photography!  Here is a shot from that day with and edit as well!  Let me know what you think please!

I also took a few pictures of this little guy! What do you think of these?

dxqcanada · Mar 11, 2012

It seems that you figured out about background distractions. The darkened version is better.
Always keep an eye out for everything else that did not catch your eye.

I am not too crazy about the pigeon shots.

jmtonkin · Mar 12, 2012

I really struggled with the background. I liked the shot a lot, but I found the background distracting. I played around a little in PS and I'm quite pleased with the edit.

LuckySe7en · Mar 12, 2012

I actually like the original on #1. I would take out the people and leave him the way he is. Great composition.
The pigeon shot, eh, not my cup of tea.

Studio7Four · Mar 12, 2012

I'm going to have to disagree about the person shot - I prefer the original over the darkened version. You are right that the background is a bit distracting and I don't fault you for trying to edit it. To that end, you did a very good job at reducing the impact of the people in the background, even their white shorts. I'm not a fan of what the PP did to your subject's skin and, to a lesser extent, the cigarette smoke.

In the original, despite all that is going on (though to be honest, your use of depth of focus does a decent job of isolating your subject anyway), my eye still goes first to your subject's face. The color of his skin is different than the rest of the color palette in the image and it is sufficiently bright that it gets my attention. In the edited version, you have desaturated his skin to the point that it no longer pops due to color, and it is very middle of the road for brightness. My eye is drawn first to the bright ground in back and then, frankly, to his jeans before I get to his face.

As for the smoke, it just looks dingy to me. For all that we think of smoke as being dirty, it's actually pretty great at picking up light and coming across as wispy and airy (see any of the smoke photo threads on here). By it being so dark here, the image (to me) has an artificially dark feel, since we can tell by the light on his hair that he was actually in decent sunlight, not shadow.

Sorry, the pigeon shots are non-starters for me. It would have helped to catch the pigeon in the light, where the vibrance of its feathers and shadowing of its body would have made for a more interesting shot than the flat shade. Also, it looks like you did get down low to get these shots. If you're going to do that, fully commit and really get down. Shooting from this level is almost the same perspective we'd see if we were sitting on a park bench...get your camera down at ground level and you're giving us a perspective rarely seen, so it's a much more interesting image.

Just my opinion...

jmtonkin · Mar 12, 2012

Reasons why I like the edited version:
1. It helps deal with the distracting background.
2. The darkness and the sharpening give it a grundgy look; one that accents his appearance, I think.
3. It makes the smoke pop out more, I think. It helps separate it from the background.

Do you think if I backed off the desaturation a little on him, it would help?

Studio7Four · Mar 13, 2012

Yes, I would try backing off on the desaturation, masking his face and hands so that they are all you're "re-saturating" (I do like the look your treatment gave his jeans). Fiddle with it until you are satisfied...all I can tell you is my opinion and how it draws my eye.

jmtonkin · Mar 21, 2012

I've been really busy this last week and just got a change to re-do this...How does this look compared to the original?

kar1 · Mar 21, 2012

i prefer the original as it has more depth and doesn't look as flat as the 1st edit. however i also like the 2nd edit as its more contrasting!

DiskoJoe · Mar 22, 2012

Have any other shots?

jmtonkin · Mar 22, 2012

I have a couple...I'll post them a little later today!

cgipson1 · Mar 22, 2012

We probably passed each other on the street! I work downtown Denver.. right off of 16th street mall. I would swear I remember seeing that guy you shot... so we had to be in the same vicinity at close to the same time. lol!

Don't recognize that particular pigeon, though!

jmtonkin · Mar 25, 2012

cgipson1 said:
We probably passed each other on the street! I work downtown Denver.. right off of 16th street mall. I would swear I remember seeing that guy you shot... so we had to be in the same vicinity at close to the same time. lol!

Don't recognize that particular pigeon, though!

That's crazy!

Here are a couple others that I shot that day:

jmtonkin · Mar 25, 2012

I wish that puppy was a little more in the light! I don't like the crop particularly, but if I crop it, his tail will be chopped off...

On number two, I originally thought this guy was homeless and I really find the relationship between a homeless person and their pets facinating. I later discovered that he probably isn't homeless...I still like the shot though...

Number three got really awkward really quick...We made eye contact through my camera. I quickly shot this and then turned back around and heard him start yelling..."Oh great," I thought. I turned around and he was yelling, "Take another shot of me!"
So I did: