Photos for a contest

[Abstract]

Hi,

I'm kind of soliciting votes for a street photography contest held by a local photography shop here in Australia. The prize is a Fuji X-E1, which I'd LOVE to have!!! However, if you really believe that another photo is better, then obviously, don't vote for me. I hate it when people ask for my vote, especially when they don't deserve it.


If I deserve it, then vote for me. Otherwise, no hard feelings. I think some of the other photos are really good.


If you want to vote for me, here are the links. Thanks.

http://bit.ly/QbdIcA (cowboy)
http://bit.ly/SNUlw7 (the busker)


Here are some of the other photos (the contest is all on FaceBook. Sorry): https://apps.facebook.com/offerpop/...4553244581393&p=134304199959137&rest=0&v=View


The two photos I submitted are below. It was really difficult to choose photos to enter, because while I think I've taken better street photos, these are the ones that will instantly stand out in the thumbnails. The others are ones I like, but perhaps wouldn't be widely accepted.

 

[Cheese&Apple]

Hi Abstract,

I do like your Cowboy shot...it has a real gritty look and feel to it. Well done!

Unfortunately, I'm not a FaceBook user but good luck with the contest anyway and let us know how you make out.

Cheers!

 

[Abstract]

Thanks.


Funny, because I have a bunch of street photos that I'm very happy with (~50 photos that I bothered to keep), and they were all taken on the same day! Those photos were all taken when during my 1st weeks of owning my Fuji X100. Outside of that day, my success rate has been "a bit" lower. I still take photos that I'm pleased with, but my keeper rate has not been as good since that day.


I'm glad you like that cowboy shot. He's a Melbourne institution. He leads/walks people from the main street down to the Rose St. Market, which is on a side street. He has been doing this for ages, and always wears a leather cowboy outfit. It's cool.


And I'm from Toronto as well. I just happen to live in Melbourne now!

 

[Cheese&Apple]

Interesting story about the Cowboy...thank you. It's people like him that can really add to the character of a neighbourhood. Sounds like a Queen St. West (Toronto) kinda guy.

Hope you don't mind a comment (from a complete novice) about the Busker shot. I don't know your camera but, if possible, I think it would have been outstanding if you were able to open-up your aperture (reduce depth of field) and focus in on the trombone player only (assuming she's your primary subject).

Btw, I've been to Australia (Sydney and Brisbane) and think it's an absolutely beautiful country...don't think your missing much here in TO.

Cheers and good luck!

 

[TooFastForLove]

I really like the busker shot and the colors contained in it, so that one gets my vote!

Quick question - that photo looks really familiar, are you acquainted with ThatNikonGuy on YouTube? I was going through his X100 videos recently and he showcased a number of images that were taken by others.

 

[Abstract]

I really like the busker shot and the colors contained in it, so that one gets my vote!

Quick question - that photo looks really familiar, are you acquainted with ThatNikonGuy on YouTube? I was going through his X100 videos recently and he showcased a number of images that were taken by others.

Yup, he's a friend of mine. He used my X100 for his review, and he used a few of my photos as samples. The photos above aren't from the weekend he stayed over. He did a lot of video on that day.

Actually, he and his wife stayed at my place, and we did a photo-walk of the city. I've known them both since uni.

Hope you don't mind a comment (from a complete novice) about the Busker shot. I don't know your camera but, if possible, I think it would have been outstanding if you were able to open-up your aperture (reduce depth of field) and focus in on the trombone player only (assuming she's your primary subject).

I'm not a street photographer, but the point of street photography is, generally, to get as much of the city in focus as possible. You're trying to capture the streets --- not just the person/subject, but everything in the background, which adds a sense of time and place to the photo. You can include some bokeh if you want, but you probably shouldn't try to blur everything in the background to nothingness. I'm not a street photographer, so it isn't instinctive for me either! I want to blur the crap out of it.

The other thing about street photography is that wider lenses are better, and they generally do not lead to an out-of-focus background. More will be in focus, and in street photography, that's usually what you want. Furthermore, wider lenses gives the photo more depth, as if there's a lot of distance between foreground and background. In other words, it keeps the world looking 3D, because.....well.....the world IS 3-dimensional. Street photography is generally taken with a 35 mm or 24 mm equivalent lens (or 24 mm and 16 mm if you're using a DSLR with APS-C sensor, and most DSLRs use those) because it's wide enough, but not so wide that you need to stand within 30 cm just to get a decent photo!!

A long focal length has the opposite effect. It flattens an image, which means it squishes the foreground and background together. Your 3D world will look more 2D. Portrait photographers love using a slightly longer focal length to intentionally flatten an image somewhat, so they use an in-between focal length, like 85 mm.

 

[Abstract]

And just for interests sake, here's another shot of the cowboy, and the market that he guides people to. It's a 3 minute walk from my house.

 

[Cheese&Apple]

Hi Abstract,

Thanks for the information about street photography...you learn something new everyday (and sometimes a few things)...which is a very cool thing. It also gives me a greater appreciation of the second set of shots you posted. Hard to describe other than a "very real feeling" from each shot...well done.

I'm going to go back through my archive of shots with a different perspective and may come back and put a couple up...thanks again.

 

[Abstract]

Here's something I found that (indirectly) explains why street photographers tend to use wider lenses.

http://photo.tutsplus.com/tutorials...ls/exploring-how-focal-length-affects-images/


Notice how the blonde is the same size in each image, but the background is completely different!!!! Same size model, standing in the same spot on the bridge (presumably), and yet the background is so far behind her at 12 mm, but basically creeping behind her at 100 mm, and completely on top of her at 200 mm.


*intentionally meant to sound creepy*


And the fact that wide angle lenses don't lead to a lot of background blur is probably an unintended benefit for street photography. Fact is, I'm never going to get the kind of background or foreground blur you were talking about for the busker photo, since it comes with a perfect 35 mm lens for street photography. But I do get depth.

 

[Cheese&Apple]

Thanks for the link Abstract. An interesting site that clearly puts your information into perspective (sorry...pun intended).

Here is a shot of mine (using wide angle) that I pulled out of the archives and dusted off. Recognize the St. Lawrence Market?

 

[Prodo123]

A larger aperture on the busker photo would help a LOT with subject isolation. The passers by are very distracting and, to keep the same effect of your framing, blurring them out more would help with emphasizing the main subject of the photo.

The cowboy photo is good, but the fact that the feet have been cut off may make it or break it.