Little India in B&W

[tkbonz]

Just came back on a street outing with some friends. I decided to try B&W so I was hunting for subjects which is best portrayed in this monotone. Do comment if my processing is bad or the composition is lacking. Thanks for viewing!

[grandmama]

i think lighting is important
in some pics lighting very flat..and the adjustments make some skys look unnatural. I think you were attempting to preserve the highlights in the sky.... i have the same problem too anyway

But shooting in the streets what do you expect
cannot put a reflector below the indian man's face although i will love to

tried going at 5pm ? some alleys in your pic i know where they are. there are some dramatic lights you can try at that time.

Little india is the best place to start. it is rich in opportunities and is relatively easy to shoot. try get a bit closer to the people. stick to a single perspective dont use zoom lens

[tkbonz]

Mmm...i agree. The lighting during the shoot was very harsh, the rain just stopped resulting in very strong sunlight and heavy cloud cover in certain parts of the skies. There were lots of blue patches of sky which appears dark under "yellow filter" in CS3. As a result, the first 2 pics looked quite "fake" cause of the popping skies. I didn't purposely manipulate the skies separately during editing but it was done on the whole.

Except for the last two pics, the rest were shot using 18mm on my 18-200vr. For close-up people shots, somehow i feel restricted to shoot people cause of the dirty looks they give when my camera is aimed at them. Any tips from veterans regarding this?

thanks grandmama for the comments!

[The Dry Box]

I am only a beginner, but I can link you to one of my contact on flickr who is a great street photographer.

His name is Joe Wigfall, and he had an interview that may be very helpful to you. It was to me.
He uses a Ricoh GRD for much of his recent works.
His photostream
He won the WNYC street photography challenge.

[grandmama]

i think the thing about street is shooting strangers and thats the first thing you need to get out of the way.

zooms give you an option of retreating. it is an easier way out when you cannot get the shot you want. A 28mm,35mm or 50mm forces you to move to get what you want. It forces you to think how you are gonna get it.

I have seen people carrying huge zoom lenses with camera bags walking down orchard road like bounty hunters, then shoot an old man from a distance then check LCD etc etc. You have nice bokeh etc etc but then you will always be sniping and the whole world sees you. Then we wonder why it is so hard to approach people ....

You can carry large slr etc no problem... i have used anything from ricohs to leica to F5s But it starts from not looking so conscious about it yourself. it is not about the size of the camera but how you carry yourself when shooting in the streets. I hope i am invisible, but i am not.

[gymak90]

I agree that lighting is a bit too harsh. But well, you managed to get a good sky rather than a blown out one. Good try!

If like street photography, no.1 rule is to be thick-skinned. I don't really care if others stare me. Just make sure you don't obstruct others doing their business/job. Feel confident with your camera and your role as photographer. If you want, can put some smile on your face when you shoot. People who look at you, may feel more relaxed.
I think 18-200mm is surely good enough.

[tkbonz]

Thanks to all for your kind advice, I will remind myself next time of all the suggestions next time when i go street shooting. Sometimes i feel its the first step that is the hardest, which is to actually see eye to eye with your street subject through the lens.

I'm open to more suggestions and experience sharing and also comments on my pics.