street photog (i don't really get it) c&c please

[inTempus]

One more for you tp look at
YouTube - Joel Meyerowitz - Street Photography

Crazy. To me, 90% of the images they show that he's captured look like snap shots to me... completely uninteresting. Yet to someone else they probably look amazing.

 

[DennyCrane]

i have another question though... does the B&W and the grain just happen to add to "street" type images"... or is it for say... gritty type scenes?... when i look at the original photo, it's exposed well (i think)... but w/ all the color in there, it doesn't seem as striking at all... so i guess my roundabout question is... is the photo better bc of the b&w, is it better bc of the scene, or do both those factors have to be there to give it impact?

IMHO, black and white does add a lot to the emotional feeling of a picture. And like I said, if it doesn't capture and invoke an emotion, it might as well be a random scene caught in an ATM's camera. Black and white boils it all down to contrasts of light and shadow. And careful use of those 2 elements can create powerful responses in the viewer.

Homework: Go watch a classic black and white film... Like any old Bogart film. Pay close attention to the use of shadows and light by the director. See how this goes hand in hand with the story. This is a lost art in film making, but is alive and well in photography in general and street photography in particular.

 

[NY Ron]

One more for you tp look at
YouTube - Joel Meyerowitz - Street Photography

Crazy. To me, 100% of the images they show that he's captured look like snap shots to me... completely uninteresting. Yet to someone else they probably look amazing.

Changed above to reflect my opinion. . .

 

[DennyCrane]

One more for you tp look at
YouTube - Joel Meyerowitz - Street Photography

Crazy. To me, 100% of the images they show that he's captured look like snap shots to me... completely uninteresting. Yet to someone else they probably look amazing.

Changed above to reflect my opinion. . .

His advice is pretty solid. The pictures in that video... not so much. And he lost me at "I'm Joel Meyerowitz. I'm a serious photographer!"

sigh

But to be fair, I'd hate to be judged by one short piece he may not have had much control over.

 

[syphlix]

One more for you tp look at
YouTube - Joel Meyerowitz - Street Photography

Crazy. To me, 90% of the images they show that he's captured look like snap shots to me... completely uninteresting. Yet to someone else they probably look amazing.

i watched the youtube videos posted, and honestly... i think those are the type of shots that confused me about street photos in the first place... one of the guys was just jumping out and ambushing ppl w/ his camera and flash, and a lot of those photos just looked like ppl he just ambushed... i know he spoke of "characters"... but i didn't really see it... mebbe i just don't see the same...

meyerowitz's didn't do an awful lot for me either... as mentioned just look like snap shots of random stuff... like... i don't look at those and think... "wow i see this is about"...

oh well... maybe i need to find a street photog whose stuff i actually like!

 

[tinahhh]

i don't have any tips but i just wanted to say that i really like shot #2