Making Street Photography Automatic? Oh, Boy, I Don't Like This

Library, NYC, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, 50mm Lens

iso 400, f8, 1/125 sec.

 

I just read a post by member katrak on Rangefinder Forum, about how you can use the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 camera to record video at 24 frames per second with each frame having 8 megapixels of resolution. The title of the post is "Taking away luck in street photography?"

 

(Click Here) to read the post on Rangefinder Forum.

 

Technology may have finally come too far for an old traditionalist like me. One of the things I really love about photography, and street photography in particular, is the game. The game includes finding the scene, getting close enough to the subjects (who you don't know), and most importantly, capturing just the right moment. I would hate for this to be lost. It's like hunting with a machine gun or a bomb.

 

As you probably know, I'm a fan of Panasonic. The GH4 looks like a wonderful camera. So, it's not the camera that is the problem; they're simply pushing video technology to its limits.

 

However, I think this post could be renamed in multiple ways: "Taking away skill in street photography?" or perhaps "Taking away fun in street photography?"

 

I suppose since photography is a hobby for me, and because very few people make money on street photography, I can continue to shoot my old one-at-a-time cameras as long as I live. I'm only competing with myself to capture the moment. There are plenty of those moments to go around, including to people just recording every 1/24 of a second and selecting their favorite from tens of thousands of images later on.

 

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Street Photography Tip - Look for Interactions Between People

People have different definitions for "street photography." Some say it must be taken outside, others say it must include a street(!). I don't get hung up on technicalities. When I say that I enjoy street photography, I mean candid (mostly) images of people, going about their lives. Sometimes I talk with people before photographing them; I would call that street portraiture. In any case, today's example is a candid.

 

Street photography without a human element falls flat for me. I need to see people doing something. Not always interacting with others, but something. Interaction is usually one of the most powerful behaviors to capture in my opinion.

 

What's the Special Today?, by Reed A. George

Leica CL, Minolta 40mm f2 Rokkor Lens, Kodak TMax 400 Film

 

In the shot above, I actually liked that the dining booth seat separated me from the lady in glasses, obscuring most of her face. I think this focuses the attention on her eyes, always the photographically most important feature on someone's face. I prefocused my CL, made a quick guess at the exposure, then anticipated their interaction. I lifted the camera to my face for less than a second, releasing the shutter right as she looked up into the server's eyes. No one took notice.

 

I knew I had captured the exact moment that I wanted. That's not always (or even usually) the case. All I had to do now was wait to see the negative come back from The Darkroom (my favorite film processor).

 

(Click Here) to read about The Darkroom's processing services. I use them almost exclusively at this point for my film developing. Quick service (online images are usually up within a day of them receiving my film), excellent quality, great prices ($10 per roll). Give them a try.

 

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Digital Photography School Presents "5 Important Components of a Powerful Image"

I really enjoy reading posts that remind me of the important things to consider when making a photograph.

 

Digital Photography School has a post about "5 Important Components of a Powerful Image":

 

(Click Here) to read it on digital-photography-school.com

 

As usual, I'll summarize it here, and show you what I think is most important in the article. First off, there's nothing new here. The components listed in the post are:

 

1. Subject
2. Strong composition
3. Moment
4. Light
5. Emotional impact

Pretty obvious, right? But, we can all use the reminder. I decided to look through one of my photo sets on flickr, and see if I could identify these components. I'm not saying I nailed each of these, but I did find pictures in this small set of images of the Tozai railway, a historic railroad that takes you up the mountainside in Hakone, Japan, which at least illustrate some of the concepts. So, here we go:

 

Subject:

 

 

Composition:

 

 

Moment:

 

 

Light:

 

 

Emotional Impact:

 

 

I certainly struggled to find any emotional impact in this set. The image I selected makes me feel the experience of actually riding the train. I have no idea if anyone else will get that from the image.

 

I shot all of these images on Panasonic Lumix cameras: the DMC-GF1, DMC-G1, and DMC-LX5, all now relegated to the past in favor of newer models. Actually, my wife now uses the LX5 for her real estate business, and I still have the GF1, just don't use it much at all.

 

It is useful to review basic concepts and components of great photographs. I think you really get powerful images when you can combine multiple components into a single image. Of these images, I would say the closest to accomplishing that is the first - the subject and lighting are pretty good, and the moment is right to catch the driver's face in the best light.

 

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Sometimes the Light Just Happens - Strong Directional Lighting Portrait With Leica M9

How Long Will He Make Me Sit Here? #1, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmarit 90mm f2.8 Lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/180 sec

 

Feeling limited by the gray days and cold weather lately, I was very pleased to walk into my dining room and see this lovely, warm, directional light coming in from the sunset. So, I called my favorite model (who happened to be home with me at the time) and made her sit for a few pictures. Eleven years old, she's not exactly patient with my need to get a photograph of her whenever the moment happens. Lucky for her, this light only lasted a few minutes.

 

I shot a few images of her with the lens that was on my camera, the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 that is this month's pick for Whole Lotta Leica. You'll see one or two of those images in my next Whole Lotta Leica post. Then, having at least a few shots in the bag before the light disappeared, I ran down to grab my 90mm Elmarit. The images you see here are all from the 90mm lens. Oh yeah, I also shot a couple with my Super Ricohmat, the camera I selected for February's Skeletons From The Closet project.

 

In any case, I love the warm directional light. There's just enough to see the outline of her hair, and the normally bright room behind her went nearly completely black. The picture above, and this next one, are both warm in tone.

 

How Long Will He Make Me Sit Here? #2, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmarit 90mm f2.8 Lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/180 sec

 

Looking back on it now, it would have been good to reflect a little light back with a reflector. The shadow from her nose is very distinct and dark. But, I didn't have enough time or hands to make that happen.

 

I think this type of light can also be a little mysterious and moody. That was my goal for the shot below. Converting the image to black and white makes it a little less warm. I suppose I could've taken that further with some cooler toning of the monochrome image, but I kind of like it like this:

Mood, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmarit 90mm f2.8 Lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/180 sec

 

So, the next time you see some interesting light in an unexpected place, don't just walk by it. Inconvenience someone you love so that you can get the shot! :).

 

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On Curiosity, by Mimo Khair

 

Curiosity

Image Source: http://mimokhairphotography.com/2013/01/23/on-curiosity/

 

Mimo Khair has a very nice blog about creative photography. Like me, she started a 365 day blog project in January 2011, and is continuing on past that initial year.

 

Mimo has a very interesting personal story, born in Lebanon, now living in Shanghai, China.

 

(Click Here) to go to her blog.

 

I love this shot of the little girl standing on tiptoes to peer at something. It has a tension, but not in an ominous or dark way. I would have been very tempted to convert this one to black and white and boost the contrast, but it does very well in color as well.

 

This is one of those shots that depends very little on equipment or technique, other than capturing the moment. I can guarantee you, two seconds later and the little girl would have been off her toes, moving on to the next thing. You can't be fiddling with camera controls when a shot like this appears.

 

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