Street Photography from Seoul - C&C Please

[D3PO]

Here are a couple shots I took in the streets of Seoul. Please let me know what you think!

 

[funwitha7d]

really liked the 3rd and 4th shots but does it work better for you with the table level?

 

[D3PO]

Thanks 7d! I try to be discreet with my shots by shooting waist level a lot of the time, but I can see how the shot would be framed better had I shot at eye-level. Thanks again!

 

[Derrel]

Framing is always an issue in every type of photography. To me, the second and third shots have too much top space, and so do the last shot and the second to last frames; in all of these, the main, foreground subject is very close to the bottom edge of the frame, and then there's is allowed to be a bunch of empty space above...that's not working. There's a fine line between too much empty space, and too little. it's one of the single biggest issues that differentiates the journeyman photographer from the intermediate level shooter. What makes this allocation of space most challenging is the amount of time that's available, and also being aware of what the most pleasing proportion of space use is, and framing so as to maintain that balance. If you are trying to be "discreet" about shooting street images, and you're firing from waist level and not really,really focusing on the best framing you can get, that means you're not framing shots with 100% of your full abilities being utilized, so that's something to consider.

 

[D3PO]

Derrel,

Many thanks for sharing your wisdom. Perhaps I need to buck up and accept that some people will be offended/annoyed with me photographing them.

Also, I think that I have been utilizing the one-thirds rule improperly, I've focused more on entire objects rather than points of interest.

Thanks again, your guidance is very appreciated.

 

[luckychucky]

Thanks for sharing!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[acparsons61]

I was in Seoul on Sat. Is that Hongdae in your photos? Interesting shots.

I think it is pretty difficult to be discreet as a foreigner in Korea, we stick out like sore thumbs.

 

[DanOstergren28 3]

Perhaps it's just your style, but I think each one of them could benefit from being brought down by a stop or two in exposure. Either way, they're all great shots to me. The first and second aren't as interesting as the rest of them, but that's just my opinion.

 

[D3PO]

Thanks! The band shot was in Hongdae, bottom two were Itaewon, and I forgot the name of the area where the street vendors were.

 

[funwitha7d]

actually looking at the scooter image, I like this as well

 

[acparsons61]

Thanks! The band shot was in Hongdae, bottom two were Itaewon, and I forgot the name of the area where the street vendors were.

It might have been Myeongdong, that's where I was. I love hitting the streets in Seoul. Let me know if you want to meet up, or come down here to Daejeon.

 

[D3PO]

AC - Yep, Myeongdong was it. Thanks for the offer but unfortunately I am now stateside.

 

[The_Traveler]

For me the most important issue in any 'street' shot is to be able to see and understand what the photographer was looking at, found interesting and wants to show us.
I'm having a hard time doing that with these.

 

[D3PO]

For me the most important issue in any 'street' shot is to be able to see and understand what the photographer was looking at, found interesting and wants to show us.
I'm having a hard time doing that with these.

I see your point about finding something interesting - maybe I found it interesting because I had never been to the far east. Do you have any recommendations on how to make/find more captivating scenes?

 

[The_Traveler]

I think it's not so much finding a scene but being sensitive to what is going on, seeing something interest odd or quirky, reading your own response and then framing the capture and the editing around that.
My preference is for strong hints about what to look at. The conclusion might be ambiguous but the viewer should know what you see.

For example:
In picture 3, there is this lady, oblivious to the lights and the hubbub, peeling something with her back to the glitter and essentially oblivious. To make the point she needs to be in a strong position, other distractions cut off or out of the way so that your point is made.
Notice that she is right in the center, supposedly a no-no, but it works this way. (at least I think so.)

Now the point is made, its clear what you see and people can construct their own story from the hints without distractions from ambiguous stuff.

I took a similar picture years ago. The mechanics are the same but the impact and the story are different.
Lew Lorton Photography Random Street Shots DSC689802524

I think everything hinges on the photographer figuring out what is interesting - people, patterns, stories, puzzles - and capturing that in a way that poses the issue to the viewer.