Street Performers

[maybeyousee]

Hi, this is my first post here and I'd love some feedback.
Friends of mine were making a documentary about dancers in Taipei and I went along to take some pictures. I was trying to capture some movement in these, but I'm not sure if my composition was all that great. They were taken with my Canon 350D and Tamron28-75mm F/2.8. I know the sky is terribly blown out - I should have used a polariser, but that's the beauty of hindsight.
1.
http://aforeignlife.typepad.com/my_musings/images/2007/03/21/Dance-Video-38.jpg
ISO 400, 1/320sec, f/5.0
2.
http://aforeignlife.typepad.com/my_musings/images/2007/03/21/dancevideo56.jpg
ISO 400, 1/320sec, f/7.1
3.
http://aforeignlife.typepad.com/my_musings/images/2007/03/21/dancevideo40.jpg
ISO 400, 1/320sec, f/14.0
4.
http://aforeignlife.typepad.com/my_musings/images/2007/03/21/dancevideo1.jpg
ISO 400, 1/250sec, f/8.0
Thanks so much.

[johnstoy]

Hi...
Welcome...

Interesting photos...

Could you give us some information regarding the gear used for this shoot? and what the EXIF photo properties are?

[DwightMcCann]

Welcome to POTN. I would urge you to read the FAQ (near the top of the list of threads in Performing Arts.) If you want feedback critique it is a good idea to go to the UserCP area and turn on the IMAGE EDITING OK flag just in case someone wants to show you another version of your pictures. It does help to have the EXIF information which is all those things the camera puts into the images like ISO, shutterspeed, aperture, etc., and that sadly some image editing programs strip out.

So, you're in Taipei and somehow you found some white guys with masks on the street! Strange ... anyway, I'd suggest shooting with maximum aperture and getting closer so the background is less prominent and I wouldn't worry about the sky.

Hope you continue to post and that you get from us whatever it is that you need.

[maybeyousee]

Thanks, I've updated my original post as suggested. I'll be sure to do that from now on. I'll also work on the aperture settings.
The dancers were being filmed, hence the masks, and the short film is mostly about foreigners here doing things like fire dancing and poi and staff spinning. Guess it is kind of a weird situation, should have explained a bit better.

[johnstoy]

Thanks for the revision (updated info)... I'm kinda a stumped, based on your camera settings... that you still have some skin tone highlights blown out... It must have been another very bright sun day... Maybe a polarizing filter would help...

The action in the pics is diversified and the close up is interesting too...Nice set... Keep taking your pics and posting here...

[René Damkot]

Some nice shots. Like the xpression in the last and timing in second.
On the exposure: If it had been sunny, exposure would've been around f/16 1/400s at ISO 400 (sunny sixteen rule), so I'm not too surprised about the blown sky...

[maybeyousee]

Thanks - I didn't know about the sunny sixteen rule, I'll remember that. Actually it wasn't too sunny (but it's usually kind of bright here), but it was just after midday.
But, at f16 my background is going to be pretty sharp. So, if I want a slow shutter speed to blur the poi slightly, and a wider aperture to blur the background as Dwight suggested - is there anything I can do to not blow the skin tones? The polariser will help, and should I lower the exposure? Or just compromise and choose either the blurred poi or blurred background?
Thanks so much for the help!

[DwightMcCann]

Set your ISO as low as it goes ... this will also allow your camera to retain more detail.

[livewire-photography.com]

Hello and welcome, Number 4 is amazing looks fantastic.
Nice one
Cheers

[maybeyousee]

Thanks!