Nighttime street candids C&C and tips

[jdong217]

Gets kind of boring I know. Any tips for more interesting perspectives? I feel like all I'm doing is taking pictures of people...

Anyway, these were from my first night out. I had just got the f1.4 lens so was shooting wide open with it. Next time I'll try from 1.8 to 2.2 because I know these are a bit OoF. Any tips for focusing on people walking on sidewalks? Which autofocus modes work best when they're walking away or towards you?

#1.

#2.

#3.

#4.

 

[tirediron]

Nooooo... what you're doing is taking pictures of the backs of people. Let's see some faces; get the people coming toward you, NOT walking away from you! As well either focus farther away or use a smaller aperture, or wider glass to get an increased DoF. In this sort of shot the whole scene is of interest...

 

[joealcantar]

You can always join this Flikr group: Shooting 100 Strangers and explain to your subjects what you are doing. I believe it will make for a more interesting project.
Flickr: The 100 Strangers Pool
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Shoot well, Joe

 

[tevo]

Nooooo... what you're doing is taking pictures of the backs of people. Let's see some faces; get the people coming toward you, NOT walking away from you! As well either focus farther away or use a smaller aperture, or wider glass to get an increased DoF. In this sort of shot the whole scene is of interest...

Yeah, this. And I would vary your composition more, these all feel the same. Part of candid photos (imo) is the facial expressions / body language of the people. It leaves more room for interpretation.

 

[KmH]

#'s 1, 2, and 3 would have been stronger if the camera had been rotated to a vertical frame, and we could see their faces.