Club street at night

[jones24]

1. In what area is critique to be sought?

Hi i am a newbie to photography and recently bought a new digital camera lens hybrid that isn't a cell phone camera. I want to see in what areas i can improve.

2. What one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
To capture the feel of the area and the vibes which is a crowded club where people are chilling out and hanging out at night.

3. Under what circumstance is the picture taken?
I was in the chinatown area and started taking pictures of the clubs and bars along club street and took a picture of this establishment. I used a different lighting as i feel the natural lighting derived from the street lamps made the picture hue blueish in color.

4. What the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture.
I personally think it looks nice. The picture is sharp and the color lighting used here accentuates the red of the building. There are many people in the picture and since it is more difficult to capture people going about their business and not told to pose for a picture i feel that this picture has captured the feel of the area and everything looks to be clear. More importantly i have captured people going about their business without noticing me.

 

[NormanSelvaraju]

Hi there! I agree that the couloirs are vibrant and sharp. I guess that's what has made you feel good about it as well.

However, though you say that you want the main focus to be on the people walking about doing their own thing, I feel that this photo doesn't show that at all. On right side of the photo, the potted plant is more of a distraction and the bright street lamp right in the middle is another element of distraction from where you want to lead your viewer's eyes - straight to the middle to the people.

As for capturing the atmosphere, I feel that you've captured a very sedate but crowded establishment. Is that the feeling you were trying to capture?

One more question. When you said you used a different lighting cos the street lights made the image too blue, did you mean you used alternative forms of lighting? Or did you mean that you altered the colour temp during post processing?

Keep shooting though!

 

[jones24]

Hi there! I agree that the couloirs are vibrant and sharp. I guess that's what has made you feel good about it as well.

However, though you say that you want the main focus to be on the people walking about doing their own thing, I feel that this photo doesn't show that at all. On right side of the photo, the potted plant is more of a distraction and the bright street lamp right in the middle is another element of distraction from where you want to lead your viewer's eyes - straight to the middle to the people.

As for capturing the atmosphere, I feel that you've captured a very sedate but crowded establishment. Is that the feeling you were trying to capture?

One more question. When you said you used a different lighting cos the street lights made the image too blue, did you mean you used alternative forms of lighting? Or did you mean that you altered the colour temp during post processing?

Keep shooting though!

hi thanks for your opinions.


Actually i just wanted to shoot the buildings and you know capture the vibe of the place. It isn't really the people but you know capture the entire place to show the scene of the place.

I was commenting under point 4 what i thought of my own picture. I personally felt in a way that i captured the picture well because there were many people walking and just doing their business and not posing for my camera and they turn out looking sharp means that i felt i did capture the picture well in a way.

I actually have another picture of the potted plants not in the picture but unfortunately there is a person in the foreground which i feel takes the focus away from the picture.

On the issue of lighting i changed the camera's background lighting to daylight i think because when i use the auto function the lighting from the street lamps make the picture with a blueish hue which i feel isn't as nice looking as this orange lighting here. I have not altered the picture in any way other than to reduce the image size so that it loads easier on forums and websites.

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[Zeguang Dave Tan]

Hi bro!
Welcome to the world of photography!
Although I'm not some pro but I'll like to offer some improvements

1. A better framing can introduce your story of your picture better, since getting closer may scare off the people there, using a lens of longer focal length or zooming in for your case can greatly help!
2. Cameras may not bring out the correct colour of the scene sometimes so a little pp is needed to bring out the colours what your eyes see in the scene.

Hence, I cropped your picture (if you don't mind) and brighten up the white walls and darkened the road.
Below is the image after pp:

 

[NormanSelvaraju]

Ah! My bad. I misread and got your intentions wrong. Well of its the capture of the buildings you are going after then I would suggest that you explore a different angle.

Dave Tan's version with a tighter crop goes straight to the heart of the matter by zooming in on the building ( and incidentally the people).

If you are more interested in keeping the focus in the buildings, you could shift to the left but aim your camera more to the right. They could result in an angular meeting of the yellow building on your right and the building straight ahead.

 

[jones24]

Hi bro!
Welcome to the world of photography!
Although I'm not some pro but I'll like to offer some improvements

1. A better framing can introduce your story of your picture better, since getting closer may scare off the people there, using a lens of longer focal length or zooming in for your case can greatly help!
2. Cameras may not bring out the correct colour of the scene sometimes so a little pp is needed to bring out the colours what your eyes see in the scene.

Hence, I cropped your picture (if you don't mind) and brighten up the white walls and darkened the road.
Below is the image after pp:

Hi thanks for your pointers.

What is pp? Is it photo shop or software to edit pictures? I use gimp but mostly to resize pictures.

You are correct about going closer as they will be looking at the camera and not doing their own business.

 

[Zeguang Dave Tan]

Hi thanks for your pointers.

What is pp? Is it photo shop or software to edit pictures? I use gimp but mostly to resize pictures.

You are correct about going closer as they will be looking at the camera and not doing their own business.

Hi bro, pp is short form for post processing. You can use GIMP to do so and public libraries have GIMP guidebooks to study to learn. However, as I'm a student, I invested in a student edition of Lightroom for about $90+ and I feel it's more user friendly and comfortable to do my pp in

 

[jones24]

To Zeguang Dave Tan


I feel that your edit of my picture makes it a bit too dark and also the beautiful red and white of the shop houses have been cropped out which i feel should be the main focus of the picture and not the people standing there.

The people are insignificant in the picture because there isn't a single focus on anyone of them. I feel that the shop houses which the clubs are located and perhaps the club in the background the screening room are more important in the picture as they are landmarks at club street.

 

[Zeguang Dave Tan]

Haha okay. It really depends on what you want so if you want the buildings then my edit is seriously bad. But looking at your picture the buildings do not seem like the subject so pardon my error to assume your subject was the people. My apologies!

 

[shiosaki]

\There are many people in the picture and since it is more difficult to capture people going about their business and not told to pose for a picture i feel that this picture has captured the feel of the area and everything looks to be clear. More importantly i have captured people going about their business without noticing me.

i dont really understand this part, because in these kind of places, the people are essentially the subject that makes a photo interesting. from your frame, its neither focused on the people, nor focused on the building.

i bring you to two very easy examples, taken from flickr at the same area.

focus on the building:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camboy/2811204926/

focus on the people:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonsiegel/8752087277/

and, by the way, there is a genre for "people going about their business and not told to pose". and thats street photography.

 

[Zeguang Dave Tan]

Agreeeeeeed with Shiosaki!

 

[jones24]

i dont really understand this part, because in these kind of places, the people are essentially the subject that makes a photo interesting. from your frame, its neither focused on the people, nor focused on the building.

i bring you to two very easy examples, taken from flickr at the same area.

focus on the building:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camboy/2811204926/

focus on the people:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonsiegel/8752087277/

and, by the way, there is a genre for "people going about their business and not told to pose". and thats street photography.

I see thanks for your pointer.

That was under point 4 what i think about my picture. I am thinking since i am a newbie and managed to capture the people and the building clearly i felt it is good. I took the picture rather hastily because i am standing on the road and a vehicle might come along.


oh yes whoose pictures are those on the link given? I like the ones taken of everyday people.

 

[shiosaki]

I see thanks for your pointer.

That was under point 4 what i think about my picture. I am thinking since i am a newbie and managed to capture the people and the building clearly i felt it is good. I took the picture rather hastily because i am standing on the road and a vehicle might come along.


oh yes whoose pictures are those on the link given? I like the ones taken of everyday people.

i already gave you a direct link to flickr, which will show their names and profile. i dont understand the question.

if you are in a rush, then you probably wont get any good shots. you could keep them as personal snapshots, but definitely not a photo that you might want to put up for critique.

 

[zaren]

it might also be interesting to explore selective focus here, to draw attention to the people in the scene and to give the image more of a 3D feel...

 

[Zeguang Dave Tan]

it might also be interesting to explore selective focus here, to draw attention to the people in the scene and to give the image more of a 3D feel...

Wow zaren, that's really a refreshing perspective too!

 

[jones24]

Zaren the edited pic u did looks nice

 

[larrytok]

yea i think there is too much clutter in the photo. u dont want to be focusing on too many stuffs at once. Should go in closer (although sometimes i also fail in this aspect, i understand that it is hard to go in closer haha). i would want to take a shot from a diagonal angle facing the red building, to show more of the crowd, going into the pub/bar etc. kinda like ask where they are going? keep shooting though!

 

[faithsilence]

1. In what area is critique to be sought?

Hi i am a newbie to photography and recently bought a new digital camera lens hybrid that isn't a cell phone camera. I want to see in what areas i can improve.

2. What one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
To capture the feel of the area and the vibes which is a crowded club where people are chilling out and hanging out at night.

3. Under what circumstance is the picture taken?
I was in the chinatown area and started taking pictures of the clubs and bars along club street and took a picture of this establishment. I used a different lighting as i feel the natural lighting derived from the street lamps made the picture hue blueish in color.

4. What the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture.
I personally think it looks nice. The picture is sharp and the color lighting used here accentuates the red of the building. There are many people in the picture and since it is more difficult to capture people going about their business and not told to pose for a picture i feel that this picture has captured the feel of the area and everything looks to be clear. More importantly i have captured people going about their business without noticing me.

Just my opinions, I am not a pro or anything, at most a photography hobbyist.

1) There are too many things inside your picture. The right building and the plants are a distraction. If you want to show the vibes of the area, people and their activities should be the main focus, buildings are just part of it. If I were you, I would have gone in closer for a tighter crop to have the white and red shophouse and the people to be the main focus instead of showing everything. Thus said, composing your shots is important.

Well its not a bad thing to feel good about your picture. Maybe you can say, what is not so good about it? Be your own critique too.

 

[Shizuma]

you need to know, without people, buildings are just concrete structure without vibes.

it is therefore paramount to get in closer and shoot people to catch the vibes ,as Norman suggests. I find it baffling that you would insist otherwise in your subsequent posts. do you happen to flip pizza for a living?

humor aside, do take your time when shooting. even a tourist can spend 3 minutes waiting for opportune moment. also for night shooting do bring a tripod, monopod or support if you have not done so already

 

[patricktay]

1. In what area is critique to be sought?

Hi i am a newbie to photography and recently bought a new digital camera lens hybrid that isn't a cell phone camera. I want to see in what areas i can improve.

2. What one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?

To capture the feel of the area and the vibes which is a crowded club where people are chilling out and hanging out at night.

Patrick: Taking a shot at the juncture where two sides of the same building converge is a good try (if both sides of the building look good). If you want to reflect movement and vibrancy of the place, try waiting for a vehicle to drive by and then shoot it with a low shutter speed (experiment with different shutter speed to get the exact blur image you want).

3. Under what circumstance is the picture taken?

I was in the chinatown area and started taking pictures of the clubs and bars along club street and took a picture of this establishment. I used a different lighting as i feel the natural lighting derived from the street lamps made the picture hue blueish in color.

Patrick: You can experiment with white balance modes in your camera. Once you have mastered this, you can proceed with exposure variations.

4. What the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture.

I personally think it looks nice. The picture is sharp and the color lighting used here accentuates the red of the building. There are many people in the picture and since it is more difficult to capture people going about their business and not told to pose for a picture i feel that this picture has captured the feel of the area and everything looks to be clear. More importantly i have captured people going about their business without noticing me.

Patrick: Great try and you have a point there! Note that the focus is lost in this captured image because it seems that you may have tried to place too many elements into the photo. You have to ask yourself which element you want to capture and zoom in on that. If you are not comfortable with photographing people at a close distance, you might like to invest in a good zoom lens to take pictures like this.

Below is an image of Hong Kong I have captured a few years back. It is definitely not a perfect shot and there is much to be improved. I would just like you to notice the shooting angle (at the right side of the curved building juncture) and how the car movements add vibrancy and momentum to the place. Sometimes a tighter cropping helps.



Patrick
Photo Studio
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