Small Town Girl Street Shot

PixelRabbit · Sep 9, 2013

I took this shot a while back in a nearby village, she was coming out of the bank and didn't know I was shooting. When I first edited it I didn't like how brightly coloured her clothes were but didn't think of trying B&W tonight it finally dawned on me to try lol :blushing:

I quite like how it turned out but I wish there was a bit more "context" like something that indicates it's a bank, something else other than a pretty girl.

Would love to hear your thoughts since I rarely shoot people but am planning a trip to Toronto shortly and hope to try some street shooting while we are there

Thanks for taking a look!

tirediron · Sep 9, 2013

Some context would definitely strengthen the image, but regardless, it's a nice capture!

PixelRabbit · Sep 9, 2013

Thanks John! A pretty girl always helps

The_Traveler · Sep 10, 2013

I always use this quote, which is as enigmatic as street photography actually is:

"Street shooting is maybe the hardest niche of all in photography both to explain and to do. The photographer haunts his chosen environment where, perhaps, nothing is happening - people may be just quietly going about their business - and yet he/she to select tiny moments when an image can be snatched which is more than the sum of its parts - where some fleeting coincidence of expression, gesture, positioning, and movement come together to create an instant which holds some undefinable meaning."

This is a nicely captured picture of a young woman, nicely converted to b&w but there is nothing beyond that. There is no emotion, no story, no take-away for the viewer.
There is nothing beyond the technique of the image.

Ilovemycam · Sep 10, 2013

It is OK, nothing exciting. Good try for first time. Shoot lots more street work.

imagemaker46 · Sep 10, 2013

Technically there is nothing wrong with the shot. Did the girl react at all to your creeping her as she walked out of a bank?

Luke345678 · Sep 10, 2013

It's a good shot, a little boring, but a good shot.

PixelRabbit · Sep 11, 2013

imagemaker46 said:
Technically there is nothing wrong with the shot. Did the girl react at all to your creeping her as she walked out of a bank?

Thanks everyone, you confirmed my thoughts that while she is a pretty girl I need more

Imagemaker, I did get a couple after she noticed me but I cut her poor feet off and I don't think the "moment" overcame that unfortunately

The_Traveler · Sep 11, 2013

With PixelRabbit's consent, I have posted both her shot and one of mine that is equally as simple but that has gotten some good responses.
Perhaps a discussion of how they are different would be enlightening and useful.

A slightly larger version is at Lew Lorton Photography | Blogimages | Photo 1

CorrieMichael · Sep 11, 2013

This might be a really stupid question....but when doing street photography.........don't you have to get permission to shoot someone? etc....etc....etc.....then what about a release to be able to put up on here....blah blah blah......always wondered about that

The_Traveler · Sep 11, 2013

CorrieMichael said:
This might be a really stupid question....but when doing street photography.........don't you have to get permission to shoot someone? etc....etc....etc.....then what about a release to be able to put up on here....blah blah blah......always wondered about that

No (at least in the US)
Someone in the street has no expectation of privacy and the only restriction is if the image is used for commercial purposes as in advertisements or promotional materials.
Editorial and artistic use is fine.

amolitor · Sep 11, 2013

I disagree, slightly, with Lew on this one.

I think there is a little taste of something interesting and story-wise here, namely that she appears to be wearing a bikini top under the dress. It's not much, but it's a detail that begins to unfold into a story, a context, a scene. It's not much, but it's something to begin to hang a story on.

Also, I just plain like it. She's pretty, it's an appealing photograph with a little sense of motion, of an instant captured.

I did a couple things here:

Toned down the bright rectangle on the right, it's the highest contrast area and drew the eye too much.
Brought up the two circles of: the door lock and the handicapped door button, because I liked the repeated circles, and wanted to create a hierarchy of lights, starting with her face.
Brought up the highlights on her face and a couple other areas of skin to make her the brightest most high contrast element.
Burned and dodged the swimsuit to bring that important "narrative" element forward a little.

It's not much, but I think it's incrementally better?

The_Traveler · Sep 11, 2013

Amolitor's changes are interesting in that there is an assumption that better technical issues can 'make' the image.

After the edits there is a nicer 'picture' but it is still about nothing much.
And that's the point for me, a picture should have something special that the human that pushes the button finds interesting in some way.

amolitor · Sep 11, 2013

I don't think you can make a picture, Lew. I think you can accentuate and enhance what's there, though.

While I don't think this is a great picture (it's likable, but not great) I think it has something, not a lot but something, and I did what I could to emphasize that something.