The people of the NYC Streets

[Helen B]

and here are some more unhappy people:

Well, you don't know that they are unhappy, and people wear masks when they are in public especially when there is a camera around. There's no way of knowing what kooky things are going on behind those masks.

I like your pictures (apart from way some of them pander to city stereotypes) but I'm still puzzled why they are a mixture of colour and B&W. It hinders the feeling of them hanging together as a unified essay, they start to separate.

Best,
Helen

 

[blash]

That's kind of what I was going for. There is a wax figure in the background with pretty much the same slouched posture. On Flickr, this photo is titled "Doppleganger" for that reason.

Good photography makes it obvious. If that's what you were trying to say, then think about the skills in the tutorial I linked in order to blur out everything but the wax figure and the man - the way it is, the wax figure looks like it's a cluttered part of the background rather than part of the subject. It also doesn't help that the wax figure has no space in front of it for him to peer into, which means that some recomposition is in store as well.

In order to illustrate the need for space - the second photo in the post I just quoted here, what is the girl looking at? She seems to be a bit apprehensive of something - what?

I like the 3rd photo a lot - the photo calls out, who is he? What is the thing he's holding? Good job here. In the 4th photo I'd pan the camera left a bit, don't center the subject here and the side of the train to the right of the woman's face isn't doing much and should be cropped out (by, panning the camera left - give the graffiti a little more space, as it is part of your subject).

 

[crashcart]

Helen, I definitely don't want to play into any NYC stereotypes. I am a native New Yorker, and every single member of my family is, as well (mom is from the Lower East Side, dad is from Flushing.) To be honest, I'm very, very new when it comes to photography, so the tips I am getting from everyone here (except for blash, who is too vague and isn't specific enough...just kidding obviously) really help out a lot. All I do is size up a scene that I think might translate well onto film, and if it looks cool, then alright. As far as having an essay, I don't know if I can get one capture to look nice, nonetheless four or more. These are all just shots I took in NYC during the many times I am there on business.

As far as the unhappines comment, tongue-in-cheek doesn't translate well via the internet, so hopefully people here don't get the wrong idea of New Yorkers. As a matter of fact, any bad incident you may have with a person in New York most likely involves the one-third of the people on the street who are actually tourists (Tongue planted firmly in cheek.)

I appreciate all of the thoughts and tips you have offered and I welcome more from anybody.

Helen, I see you're in Hell's Kitchen, which is home to my favorite place to grab a cold Smithwick's, the Mean Fiddler on 47th between 7th and 8th.