Street photography

[The Dry Box]

Just like to introduce a few more photographers whose works I admire very much.

Alex Glickman
David Solomons
Hughes Léglise-Bataille, formerly known as "Hugo"
Ying Tang
It is interesting to note Alex Glickman at times use a 105mm(157.5mm eqv), it supports his style well. You really cannot trust flickr "interestingness", I suggest scrolling down a bit more to be surpirsed by their works. They are all masters of compositions.
David Solomons is a fine example of a photographer who sees what we don't see. A mundane scene is translated into an artwork by him. I am mystified by how he sees. Every photo's has a point of interest to study, and will slowly unveiled itself to be masterpieces. I love his works.

For street portrait, while some may instantly say Billy Gomez, I'll like to bring attention to a different photographer. His people photography is more natural and often pay respect to the environment. He use natural lights, but not too harsh. I really enjoy his point of view for it's often frank and unadulterated.
Howard French

 

[mrchua]

GRD is fixed 28mm. I used to run a D40 and use a sigma 17-70mm with the lens fixed at 17mm which is 25.5mm equivilent. I cropped plenty when I first started photography, and stop cropping for my last batches of pictures after I got used to working at 25mm equiv.

After I switched to a grd a couple of weeks back, I found that 28mm makes a whole lot more sense. It doesn't distort an image as much as 25mm, so you are really capturing what you see. It helps when you are framing a shot with your eyes before lifting the camera.

You will notice many enthusiast use either a 28 or a 35mm for their works rather than a normal fov 50mm. The wider a lense is, the larger a dof can be, so it increase the working range when using pre-zone focusing. For compact, it usually does not matter because the smaller a sensor is, the large a dof will be.

Truth is, atm with the 28mm, I am missing a lot of my shots because I was so used to working at 25, I estimate my coverage to be at that range so I missed framing some stuff. It is very important to get used to a range for a couple months, the range will grow into you and you'll be able to frame with your eyes better. You have to decide your own working range like everyone else.

How Jeff Mermelstein shoot works fine in certain places in sg, but don't in others. After a while you'll come to realise that different districts have personalities of their own. It's for you to explore.

As for flash photography, it works depending on your approach. Bruce Gilden method is not the way to do it here, though it'll definitely work in one district here.
But what is the reason for flash photography? Bruce Gilden used it as an expression he believes in. It's application is applied as an artform. Markus Hartel used it rarely, seeking natural light instead to preserve the candid nature of the scene.
You have to remember with flash, you get one shot, thereafter whatever happens around you is lost, people became aware, and react accordingly so yes, if you missed, you are going to missed a whole lot around you. It would not work with Jeff Mermelstein's philosophy obviously.

spot on gerald. with flash, one shot is ALL you get. plus i've been finding it really tough to get the PERFECT exposure all the time.. ETTL sucks so i'm shooting using a Canon 40D with 24-105mm and 580EXII on manual mode for both flash and camera settings. the size of the camera does attract some attention here and there, people probably think i'm some paparazzi or something.. :dunno:

using a rangefinder is actually one of the best, if not the best way for going out to get shots on the street. i've dabbled with the system before, but was using a Leica M2 which requires me to guesstimate exposures and develop film, to which i've given up because i don't have the time nor money to spend on a film system, good film scanner etc. maybe when i get a full time job, i'll save up for the Leica M8 or something. the thing about rangefinders is the ability to zone focus by using the depth of field technique, and with zone focusing you would've already achieved about 80% accuracy in focusing. thats why you can hip shoot so accurately without having to put your eye to the viewfinder. you'd see that bruce gilden also applies this technique as he has already pre-set his settings, goes up to his subject, puts his eye to the viewfinder to frame it, flash in other hand and SNAP!

i've been trying out using flash the past two days, and have got some nice shots to show for. i've been shooting in broad daylight, from 2-5pm here in Sydney. because of the tall buildings, the harsh sunlight gets diffused and it is the diffused light that is best to be shooting in. the flash enables me to get faster shutter speeds, while the effect has been pretty decent so far. i reckon i'm getting the hang of it, but would prefer a wider angle lens or FF body (probably the latter).

fantastic handheld PNS cameras like the ricoh grd II, ricoh gx200, sigma dp1 have been launched into the market and these have been used to great effect. but they don't come too cheap either! :bsmilie: i think 28/35mm are probably the best focal lengths for the job. both enables the photographer to frame in lots of details, while maintaining the simplicity and focus to the subject.

 

[mrchua]

Put it up! Can't wait to see your technique of using flash "discretely"! I would think the minute the flash goes, your subject would notice you. What time did you shoot? Put up the best shot of the day in this thread and lets take a look! :thumbsup:

BTW guys, i couldn't wait to put this up. Take a look at how this guy holds his camera and shoots on the street. No fear! :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj9u_w__LO8

here's one from today..

Quarter Pounder

 

[zaren]

spot on gerald. with flash, one shot is ALL you get. plus i've been finding it really tough to get the PERFECT exposure all the time.. ETTL sucks so i'm shooting using a Canon 40D with 24-105mm and 580EXII on manual mode for both flash and camera settings. the size of the camera does attract some attention here and there, people probably think i'm some paparazzi or something.. :dunno:

using a rangefinder is actually one of the best, if not the best way for going out to get shots on the street. i've dabbled with the system before, but was using a Leica M2 which requires me to guesstimate exposures and develop film, to which i've given up because i don't have the time nor money to spend on a film system, good film scanner etc. maybe when i get a full time job, i'll save up for the Leica M8 or something. the thing about rangefinders is the ability to zone focus by using the depth of field technique, and with zone focusing you would've already achieved about 80% accuracy in focusing. thats why you can hip shoot so accurately without having to put your eye to the viewfinder. you'd see that bruce gilden also applies this technique as he has already pre-set his settings, goes up to his subject, puts his eye to the viewfinder to frame it, flash in other hand and SNAP!

i've been trying out using flash the past two days, and have got some nice shots to show for. i've been shooting in broad daylight, from 2-5pm here in Sydney. because of the tall buildings, the harsh sunlight gets diffused and it is the diffused light that is best to be shooting in. the flash enables me to get faster shutter speeds, while the effect has been pretty decent so far. i reckon i'm getting the hang of it, but would prefer a wider angle lens or FF body (probably the latter).

fantastic handheld PNS cameras like the ricoh grd II, ricoh gx200, sigma dp1 have been launched into the market and these have been used to great effect. but they don't come too cheap either! :bsmilie: i think 28/35mm are probably the best focal lengths for the job. both enables the photographer to frame in lots of details, while maintaining the simplicity and focus to the subject.

great thread, great discussion, gets my vote for a sticky!

here are some street shots taken in new york a few years ago, with a fuji f10. street shooting with a compact camera is easier IMHO because it is so unobtrusive and you can really get close to the action without getting clobbered
http://www.pbase.com/zaren/ny_street_shots

 

[milamber]

Excellent shot mrchua. The flash really highlights the subject in the frame. I like the play between the quarter pounder he is eating and that huge belly he's got! Reminds me of that character in Popeye who eats burgers non-stop (Wimpy?). I must know the whole story. What happened after you shot the picture? Did the guy question you? Ask you why you took his picture etc...?

great thread, great discussion, gets my vote for a sticky!

here are some street shots taken in new york a few years ago, with a fuji f10. street shooting with a compact camera is easier IMHO because it is so unobtrusive and you can really get close to the action without getting clobbered
http://www.pbase.com/zaren/ny_street_shots

Welcome to the thread zaren! You certainly have got the eye for finding great shots on the street! I like the way your pictures playfully juxtapose the subjects and their natural surroundings. Certainly makes me regret selling off my Fuji F10.

Just like to introduce a few more photographers whose works I admire very much.

Alex Glickman
David Solomons
Hughes Léglise-Bataille, formerly known as "Hugo"
Ying Tang

I'm currently slowly digesting all the pictures from these guys you've put up! No time to put up my own suggestions. So much variety in their styles! Hours of pleasure just enjoying the pictures. Thanks for the links.

 

[Yapster]

I'm currently slowly digesting all the pictures from these guys you've put up! No time to put up my own suggestions. So much variety in their styles! Hours of pleasure just enjoying the pictures. Thanks for the links.

Haha, me too wor. slowly digesting. ;p

 

[The Dry Box]

fantastic handheld PNS cameras like the ricoh grd II, ricoh gx200, sigma dp1 have been launched into the market and these have been used to great effect. but they don't come too cheap either! :bsmilie: i think 28/35mm are probably the best focal lengths for the job. both enables the photographer to frame in lots of details, while maintaining the simplicity and focus to the subject.

Honestly, I choked when I heard the price they are selling the grd2 for in sg compared to japan. Ricoh products are very poorly priced here. But there bound to be idiots like me who liked the controls so much and end up buying it anyway! =P

Zaren, I love your stash of photos. I really like the energy you captured in nyc.

 

[zaren]

thx milamber n the dry box. glad u liked 'em

david solomon is also featured in this site, along with other superb street photogs:
http://www.in-public.com/photographers

 

[mrchua]

great thread, great discussion, gets my vote for a sticky!

here are some street shots taken in new york a few years ago, with a fuji f10. street shooting with a compact camera is easier IMHO because it is so unobtrusive and you can really get close to the action without getting clobbered
http://www.pbase.com/zaren/ny_street_shots

zaren! i love your collection! :thumbsup: when will i get to go to nyc.......

 

[milamber]

zaren! i love your collection! :thumbsup: when will i get to go to nyc.......

What happened after you took the guy's picture (quarter pounder)? :thumbsup:

 

[The Dry Box]

I like in-public, I just wished the images can be seen a little bigger. David upload 800*532 images, which are still not big enough to appreciate but would have to do.

For these pictures, you really have to view large to appreciate them. I was even considering to buy his prints on Oxford Street because I like it so much. He's offering them on his webby.

I love Matt Stuart's sense of humor. His pictures are just as funny as his bio.
Here's his take on Winogrand. =P

using a rangefinder is actually one of the best, if not the best way for going out to get shots on the street. i've dabbled with the system before, but was using a Leica M2 which requires me to guesstimate exposures and develop film, to which i've given up because i don't have the time nor money to spend on a film system, good film scanner etc. maybe when i get a full time job, i'll save up for the Leica M8 or something. the thing about rangefinders is the ability to zone focus by using the depth of field technique...

I don't quite understand this. You can use prefocused dof on a dslr system too(in fact, any system), and being a crop sensor, the dof is actually larger than full frame so it's easiler on the dslr than a rangefinder. To be safe, on a 28mm equiv F8, you can just set it to 7 feet and that usually allows you to cover from 4 to a few hundred feets, which is HUGE.

If Bessa comes up with an electronic rangefinder, I'll be their first customer, though it's prolly never going to happen.
Markus Hartel is using an M8 now. The tone range is impressive.

 

[archlover]

i'm a fans of matt stuart as well, he's takin all the picture smartly, funny & cheeky, enjoyable even for common random people...
i saw quite a lot of his photos are rotating in some chain / forwarded / junk email in the internet, and people like it and forward it all the time...
which is good, because a lot of times street photography is either too hard to understand or too hard to enjoy by any random people...

my other fav will be trent parke with his genius lighting, if matt stuart is more into "moment" then parke is more into "visual"
and of course alex webb, for the way he framed and fill the frame with many random things

 

[mrchua]

What happened after you took the guy's picture (quarter pounder)? :thumbsup:

sorry for not having replied earlier :embrass:

i had actually been walking from afar and this took place outside a mac's joint. he looked pretty hungry and it was already close to 3pm so i reckon he was possibly having a late lunch. he noticed me as i was walking towards him, but i looked away as if i was interested in something else. then as i walked past him, in my peripheral vision i could see him lifting the burger to his face for another bite. just as he sunk his teeth into them, i stopped, went down and snapped.

he gave a bewildered, slightly irritated look. i could tell he didn't quite like having had his picture taken, so i gave a cheeky smile and walked on. didn't exchange any words.

if you're worried about people challenging you to having taken their picture.. well, so far the only type of people that i've encountered that expressed open displeasure to having their photos taken (raising their hands to the camera/saying you didn't ask my permission etc) were mostly from the older generation. but then again, say on a given day the most of such people i'd encounter was only 1-3 persons max. i'd usually just smile at them and walk on.. i don't see any point telling them that i have the right to take the picture or "the streets don't belong to you" haha. if people don't like it, just smile i guess. a smile is a darn powerful weapon or act "gong-gong" :dunno: and fake that you were actually shooting something else. :bsmilie:

just kiddin. i think most of us photographers are rather shy people and are by nature, non-confrontational. perhaps thats why some resort to taking pictures steathily, but it doesn't work for me. wish i had that skill though :sticktong

 

[mrchua]

I like in-public, I just wished the images can be seen a little bigger. David upload 800*532 images, which are still not big enough to appreciate but would have to do.

For these pictures, you really have to view large to appreciate them. I was even considering to buy his prints on Oxford Street because I like it so much. He's offering them on his webby.

I love Matt Stuart's sense of humor. His pictures are just as funny as his bio.
Here's his take on Winogrand. =P

I don't quite understand this. You can use prefocused dof on a dslr system too(in fact, any system), and being a crop sensor, the dof is actually larger than full frame so it's easiler on the dslr than a rangefinder. To be safe, on a 28mm equiv F8, you can just set it to 7 feet and that usually allows you to cover from 4 to a few hundred feets, which is HUGE.

If Bessa comes up with an electronic rangefinder, I'll be their first customer, though it's prolly never going to happen.
Markus Hartel is using an M8 now. The tone range is impressive.

what you said could work i think? but someone will probably have to sit down and do the math and different ranges for the various settings for it? its more difficult using that technique on a dslr because the lenses don't have the aperture/distance/dof values for reference.

Epson RD1 is the other available digital rangefinder! the Leica M8 and M8.2 are both 1.33x crop.. possibly a full frame model to come in 3 years i reckon. but the $$$ don't make sense, unless you've got plenty of it then no problem. the cost of the camera itself could easily buy thousands and thousands of exposure of film :bsmilie: analog photography was quite fun really! it was mechanical sex man.. pressing the shutter, cocking, rewinding.. ooh... :embrass:

 

[screamedinfidelities]

all really inspiring stuff. Thanks for sharing, all of you.

 

[The Dry Box]

i'm a fans of matt stuart as well, he's takin all the picture smartly, funny & cheeky, enjoyable even for common random people...
i saw quite a lot of his photos are rotating in some chain / forwarded / junk email in the internet, and people like it and forward it all the time...
which is good, because a lot of times street photography is either too hard to understand or too hard to enjoy by any random people...

It's true. I have shown a couple of contacts David Solomans works, and they usually just took a glance and forget about the image. Matt Stuart's stuff is easily absorb. His point of interest is usually LOUD. Very in your face, and you'll see it almost immediately. Even is website is funny. (blinking buttons, like saying hey it's here idiot!)

But the sheer volume of interests David Solomon can fit into an image is outstanding, it takes some time before it gets to you. I am still going through some of his stuffs from time to time, and it just surprises me that it looks like a different picture the 2nd time.

what you said could work i think? but someone will probably have to sit down and do the math and different ranges for the various settings for it? its more difficult using that technique on a dslr because the lenses don't have the aperture/distance/dof values for reference.

Epson RD1 is the other available digital rangefinder! the Leica M8 and M8.2 are both 1.33x crop.. possibly a full frame model to come in 3 years i reckon. but the $$$ don't make sense, unless you've got plenty of it then no problem. the cost of the camera itself could easily buy thousands and thousands of exposure of film analog photography was quite fun really! it was mechanical sex man.. pressing the shutter, cocking, rewinding.. ooh...

I think the RD1 is quite slow for streetworks.
Anyway, an easy way to use zone focusing on a dslr is to use this site
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
It'll calculate for you all the necessary information you want. Store it in a pda or something and eventually, when you are used to zone focus at different aperture, you won't need to refer anymore.

 

[milamber]

I love Matt Stuart's sense of humor. His pictures are just as funny as his bio.

That was a very amusing picture! I wonder if it is a posed/scripted shot or something that just happened out of the blue?

Street shooting with a compact camera is easier IMHO because it is so unobtrusive and you can really get close to the action without getting clobbered.

Yes and today, i just splurged on the LX3 for my street shooting purposes. I can now retire my FZ5 and give it to my son. I was quite pleasantly surprised to see how compact the LX3 was. I was expecting it to be about the size of the DP1 for some reason. But it actually looks like a regular compact camera and fits easily into the palm of my hand.

I went to Funan to search for the LX3 camera after eliminating the G10 from my wishlist. Canon's flagship model is in for a rough ride according to all the forums i visited last night while doing my research. 15Mp is just too much for such a small sensor and Canon's website gallery showing only ISO80 shots is very revealing as well.

I knew MS Color is selling it for 690 but i wasn't going all the way to AMK and tried my luck at the camera triangle district of Singapore instead. BTW, Max Photo at Centrepoint wanted $748 for it when i dropped by last night. John 3:16 was closed today! Darn it! Anyway, Alan Photo offered the best price at $695, not too far off from MS Color BUT they had run out of the black colour! I needed black to shoot discretely on the streets so i was forced to go to Song Brothers instead and got the LX3 for $700, which was the last black piece they had. BTW, they were selling the D90 for $1690, same as TK Foto.:thumbsup:

 

[The Dry Box]

That was a very amusing picture! I wonder if it is a posed/scripted shot or something that just happened out of the blue?



Yes and today, i just splurged on the LX3 for my street shooting purposes. I can now retire my FZ5 and give it to my son. I was quite pleasantly surprised to see how compact the LX3 was. I was expecting it to be about the size of the DP1 for some reason. But it actually looks like a regular compact camera and fits easily into the palm of my hand.

I went to Funan to search for the LX3 camera after eliminating the G10 from my wishlist. Canon's flagship model is in for a rough ride according to all the forums i visited last night while doing my research. 15Mp is just too much for such a small sensor and Canon's website gallery showing only ISO80 shots is very revealing as well.

I knew MS Color is selling it for 690 but i wasn't going all the way to AMK and tried my luck at the camera triangle district of Singapore instead. BTW, Max Photo at Centrepoint wanted $748 for it when i dropped by last night. John 3:16 was closed today! Darn it! Anyway, Alan Photo offered the best price at $695, not too far off from MS Color BUT they had run out of the black colour! I needed black to shoot discretely on the streets so i was forced to go to Song Brothers instead and got the LX3 for $700, which was the last black piece they had. BTW, they were selling the D90 for $1690, same as TK Foto.:thumbsup:

Matt Stuart is a street photographer. Moments like those often requires them to be at the right place, at the right time, though it probably take years to build a folio like that.
The man who somersaulted looked pasted on, and is prolly a poster. I do not know, but it serves well as an point of interest that allows the viewers eyes to slowly evaluate the rest of the character of the frame and understand the brilliance of the composition.

LX3 iq is fantastic and is F2.0 and sharp, though the camera still matters little in such photography.

 

[archlover]

it's not a poster, it's a real person, he wrote this on one of of his article before :

"Another shot taken in Trafalgar Square. This, unlike the pigeon photo, was a one frame catch. I walked into the square and saw some school kids watching a man in headphones dancing, he was body popping badly. One of the school kids joined in, body popping really well, getting cheers from his class mates. I got closer to the scene and as the young body popper stopped I heard one of his friends ask him “to do his summersault”. He replied that he would need to practice it first and they both left the commotion and walked over to the grass where he tried doing a somersault. This was his non public attempt. I think this is a good example of being acutely aware of everything that is going on around you and listening. Had I been wearing my ipod (something that I occasionally do to get inspired and feel invisible) I wouldn’t have heard the two boys' conversation and would probably have missed the moment. The thing I like about this frame is it initially appears such an ordinary situation."

and if you want to know how much he shot, until he got this kind of portfolio now...

I shoot between 15 and 20 rolls of film every week. Without fail.

 

[mrchua]

it's not a poster, it's a real person, he wrote this on one of of his article before :

"Another shot taken in Trafalgar Square. This, unlike the pigeon photo, was a one frame catch. I walked into the square and saw some school kids watching a man in headphones dancing, he was body popping badly. One of the school kids joined in, body popping really well, getting cheers from his class mates. I got closer to the scene and as the young body popper stopped I heard one of his friends ask him “to do his summersault”. He replied that he would need to practice it first and they both left the commotion and walked over to the grass where he tried doing a somersault. This was his non public attempt. I think this is a good example of being acutely aware of everything that is going on around you and listening. Had I been wearing my ipod (something that I occasionally do to get inspired and feel invisible) I wouldn’t have heard the two boys' conversation and would probably have missed the moment. The thing I like about this frame is it initially appears such an ordinary situation."

and if you want to know how much he shot, until he got this kind of portfolio now...

I shoot between 15 and 20 rolls of film every week. Without fail.

15-20 rolls is alot man.. i can't even finish two rolls each time i go out. i guess pros have bigger budgets heh.