doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

A guest presenter at our photo club last night said "Don't take pictures of musicians unless you can hear the music." So I went back and found this image from a few years back.

Taken in Zucotti Park, NYC during the Occupy NYC protest 21 Oct 2011.

Nikon D90
Focal length 24mm
F/4
1/60 sec
ISO 320

(Download)

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I can hear the music! Nice job of the B&W treatment. My only beef is I wish the whole bell of the tuba. I think the people singing adds to the feeling of being able to "hear" the music.

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

I cropped the top of the bell out to get a bit more of the group in the foreground, but I'll go back and relook that. Thanks for the comments.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Im with CM it needs the top of the bell back. Very nice indeed I like it and cant hear a damn thing as Im profoundly deaf.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Ahh, but if you look at this closely and concentrate you should hear the omm pah pah in your head and maybe even the shouts of the song being sung at full volume. No hearing aid needed. :shock: :mrgreen:

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I think in bringing the bell back you will also give the gentleman on the left his head back.

Nightski

Doduce, while you have captured a pic of something very dynamic going on, you haven't really got anywhere for the eye to rest in this image. YOu are close .. the guy playing the tuba is looking straight at you .. or seems to be. I would say to do some burning and dodging to subtly hightlight that guy, but he is badly out of focus. In street photography you need to have some sort of moment, interaction, expression ... something .. but as shot this is just a snapshot of the crowd. There is no "moment" ... except for that guy playing the tuba. It's great that you've got the look from him as he blows his horn. He's the guy that you should have centered your focus on. IMHO

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I am not sure the movement blur hurts this that much. They are singing and moving and having a good time. I think the motion blur indicates just that there is movement. Everything else is tack sharp. I do agree that if the tube is the subject, and it itself is sharp, then maybe a little dodge and burn would help, but in my opinion it isn't all about the tuba player. It is about the interaction of the crowd. Just my take on it. :-D

Nightski

Yes, but the photographer didn't really engage any of the other people in the crowd. There is really no expression or exchange that is interesting in any of the other people. They are all looking away. A different angle on that trombone player would have been great! I think he's got a good expression, but we can't really see it.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

They aren't engaged with the photographer but totally engaged with each other. The guy on the left is looking toward the trombone player and the many of the crowd are obviously getting into the music. Does the photographer always have to be the one that engages them? What about Graham's recent photo of the two women looking at the "map?". They are only engaged with each other and that works well.

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

Hello Don, you've done a good job with the processing but I do think you would have a stronger shot if you had just concentrated on the star of the show, the bulging cheeked tuba player. His hands and face together with the coils and keys. The lower left quadrant of the bell would have been enough to leave no doubt about what it was all about. I don't know what aperture you were using as the exif is stripped out but I would have liked to see a "thinner" DOF to slightly soften the busy background. I always think that with shots like this one unless there is something of particular interest in the background it's better to have it OOF. Others have mentioned the focus, I don't see it as a deal breaker but if the tuba player had been sharper he would have jumped out from the melee. This all academic as you can't retake this shot.

Graham

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

But wouldn't that have told a totally different story? Here the story is this little band playing in this huge crowd. At least for me.

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

It's a choice, you either want a shot that encompasses the whole scene and tells that story or you want a high impact picture that shows the character of the tuba player and the glorious details all that brass pipework :-)

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

:thumbup: Got it!

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

Wow. I am stunned with the depth and value of the comments on the first image I've posted. I thank you all.

A couple of comments. This place was utter chaos. Absolutely packed with almost no place to walk or move--much less set up for a shot--among the makeshift tents, information booths and tables, personal gear and, frankly and unfortunately, garbage and trash of the protesters. Cops were monitoring the activities, although they were very casual and not intrusive. Onlookers and "visitors" all over the place, many (most?) taking pictures--between the guy in the gray hoodie and the tuba player, you can see a guy with his head down changing lenses. This was a pickup band that just stated playing spontaneously, with "hoodie guy" clearly in the lead. There was a lot of crowd interaction and jumping around, so I was a bit surprised most of the shot had little motion blur and the focus was a sharp as it was. I really focused on "hoodie guy" since he was the leader, had the most outgoing expression and just stood out in the crowd. But with the tuba player really looking at me when I snapped, there is a very strong case that he is the most logical point of interest.

Again, thanks for the critique--it is very important to my learning process and as I try to improve the image, it will be of huge value.