Street Photography

[philc]

I'm new here and still a newb with a camera. I'd really like to improve my shooting, so, please do not be shy. Let me have it. Poor composition? Poor focus? Poor B&W toning? Boring subject? Let me know! TIA to anyone who response, it's truly appreciated.

 

[sashbar]

Hello philc. I would say these are what I call street portraits rather than street photography as I understand it. These are nice portraits. I like the black woman because graphically/compositionally it is by far the strongest shot here as far as I can see. It IS a good shot. That old man with a hood and a backpack is an interesting subject, and you are not afraid to shoot in these situation, which is good. There is a lot of interesting, even weird people in the street, but it does not guarantee a good shot. The weak side of your photos for me is the fact that your subjects are isolated, they do not look a part of a particular scene or an interesting setting.
lets take the first one. The girl has some potential, her posture, expression .. If, let's say, it was a late night and that man in the frame was wearing a hoodie and just passing her there would be some interaction, a street scene. She would look nervous about strangers. Now it is just a young woman with one of her hands cut off. (Well, were it cut off by that guy it would be some shot. But it was cut off by you, so it does not count, it just does not look good in a portrait - and it IS a street portrait. ) I can say similar things about other shots. ( The bus driver is just a poor shot in my book, I do not understand it) Do not get me wrong, all your subjects are interesting, but you need to put them into some context - a street story, a juxtaposition, a graphical beauty - there are different ways dependig on your style. And you will need to decide what your style is. What attracts you most in scenes that you see in the street? It is not an easy question, but you have to answer it. Focus, toning, even composition is secondary to this answer.
Now I hope some big street guns will join and add to my 0.02 p

next time put numbers next to your photos , so it would be easier to refer to.

 

[Juga]

I agree with what Sash has said. The last one is my favorite by far because I like the isolation of her and her loneliness on the street.

 

[philc]

Wow, thanks so much! That was more than I expected and has got me thinking! These were no thought shots thinking about it now. I was just snapping away and not giving much thought to what I was capturing. Excuse my ignorance, but, this is considered portrait because there is not more reference to the scene around them that expresses something about the capture? Or am I off base?

Would this also be considered a portrait? Again thanks for the insight.

 

[sashbar]

Wow, thanks so much! That was more than I expected and has got me thinking! These were no thought shots thinking about it now. I was just snapping away and not giving much thought to what I was capturing. Excuse my ignorance, but, this is considered portrait because there is not more reference to the scene around them that expresses something about the capture? Or am I off base?

Would this also be considered a portrait? Again thanks for the insight.
View attachment 58829

You are welcome. The "portrait" thing is not set in stone, even in my own book, other may disagree with me completely, so you are free to call it as you please I just differentiate it to be more clear. There is of course a very thin line and it is up to you to draw it wherever you want. To me personally this one is not a portrait, simply because there is some dynamics, the movement, the pace, that we associate with the street. It has this "street feel", I can almost smell it. So no, to me personally it is not a portrait. It is a nice shot, actually, and I like the angle. I would have probably cut it above, so movement and dynamics would be more evident. Lets ditch the street plate.



i think it is just useful to understand what you are doing and separate street portraits from street photography as such, simply because if you are into portraits it means a different approach. For starters, you will need to communicate with your subjects and often ask them to pose. Then it may even mean different lense etc. I think it is a different mindset.