Chicflat Loc: Tulsa, Ok,

I took this at Mayfest. a Tulsa art fair every year. I don't have a history of this kind of photography so this is as much an experiment and learning effort. This shot is a crop of the original image converted to black and white. I have no real questions, but any comments that would help give me better insights would be appreciated.

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justhercamera Loc: NW Michigan

What do you want to convey with the photo?

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Not sure what story you're trying to tell here, which is the biggest challenge in traditional street photography. What did you find interesting about the scene that drew you to make that particular image? Sometimes further cropping can help to focus the eye on what you think is important. Just my thoughts...

Andy

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Step farther back, and frame so the foreground subject's hat is not cut off. And the dominant portion of the image are the two large bollards, which is where the eye is drawn first.

Chicflat Loc: Tulsa, Ok,

Thank you all for your observations. The hat I'm stuck with; it was cut off in the original image. As to what I saw, my original sighting was the the bollards as an exercise in depth of field. Bur in settinf up the shot the two men who sere so withdrawn from the scene became my focus. The crop was to focus on them and the way they mirrored each other unknowingly. I thought that this crop would capture that, and I tried to remove some background clutter. thanks again.

Chicflat Loc: Tulsa, Ok,

Pleases see the above and thanks.

Chicflat Loc: Tulsa, Ok,

Also see above. Being honest, storytelling is not my a strength of minethough for me this image comes closer that I usually get.

Chicflat Loc: Tulsa, Ok,

Your insight is very helpful: I am not sure that I even have a vision for this kind of photography. It seems to me that this kind of photography is very extemporaneous in nature and that one of the challenges is to see the scene as it will present itself later is the challenge. thank you.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I actually like the bollards, as a frame for the story. If the mirror image is what you were struck by, I'd suggest maybe a little tighter cropping. I think I see what you were looking for there!

This is a very tough genre to be good at, precisely because of all the different elements present at the same time. The important part is that you're seeing something there, instead of just shooting whatever happens to be going on. Nothing wrong with the "Snapshot Aesthetic" - it was very popular in the 60s when I was starting out, mostly as a reaction to the formal composition and "artistic" aesthetic of the fifties. It can work great, but it had a relatively short lifespan of popularity, as "street" type photographers became a little more focused and seemed to be less concerned about deliberately trying to look off center and unconcerned with the old "decisive moment" of Henri Cartier Bresson and others.

If you want to see some of the photographers who epitomized this style, try googling the work of Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, and Garry Winogrand. Check out Tony Roy-Jones for a somewhat later generation example of bringing a bit of formal composition and less "accidental" imagery to his street work.

Most importantly, have fun!

Andy

Chicflat Loc: Tulsa, Ok,

Wow thanks. I look at a lot of stuffb ut not so focused.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

You're welcome. I'm a pretty good technician, but my wife has a far better "eye" for what's interesting, and vision of how she'd like to present it.

I'm a better critic than shooter, and I'm better in the Dark/Light Room than in the field, for the most part. We all have different gifts.

You saw something worthy in this impromptu scene, something I, and many other talented shooters might have missed completely. Keep doing what you're doing, focus (literally and figuratively) on what's important, and then work on the technical stuff.

You can't teach "eye"; you can only improve it.
You CAN teach the technical aspects of capturing your vision.

I think Ansel Adams said that (no) or at least he should have.... it's consistent with his philosophy.

Andy