NYC: Baby, Wash It

[BottomBracket]

A young child and an impromptu sidewalk car wash. Upper East Side Manhattan.

http://piofort.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p306395486-4.jpg

[bryanj87]

Wow, the look on the kids face is priceless! She's like "la la la" and the woman pushing her is so serious. You seem to have mastered this art. I tried to get interesting street shots when I was in NYC last week and got nada!

[SQuiP]

Great slice of life! :-)

[NZDoug]

Wow, guys wasting water. Times must be good!
Last time I was there it was "4 of a kind make a flush".

[eeeksNYC]

Wonder if it was one of those grungy white vans that had "wash me" written in the grime on the side

Great capture.

[Maureen Souza]

Love the whole feel of this, Pio!

[BottomBracket]

Wow, the look on the kids face is priceless! She's like "la la la" and the woman pushing her is so serious. You seem to have mastered this art. I tried to get interesting street shots when I was in NYC last week and got nada!

Thanks Bryan! The advantage I have is that I live here, and get to take photos everyday :)

Great slice of life! :-)

Thanks Squip!

Wow, guys wasting water. Times must be good!
Last time I was there it was "4 of a kind make a flush".

LOL Doug that must have been during a drought. I hope that rule was for number 1's though, not number 2.

Wonder if it was one of those grungy white vans that had "wash me" written in the grime on the side

Great capture.

Could very well be eeeks :) Thanks!

Love the whole feel of this, Pio!

Thanks Maureen! I am honored to have you grace my thread - Good luck with the job hunting by the way, I read it a few days ago on some thread.

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I posted this photo on May 1, International Labor Day partly to celebrate the immigrants who do hard work to keep the the economy and life going here. The nanny and the van people are representative of such people, most of which work for a pittance but still make much more than they would in their country of origin.

Thanks for looking!

[TheHoff]

Be careful labeling your subjects... the member here who called a guy sleeping in his car "homeless" got a few pages worth of debate over it.

Nice shot though, BB!

[condyk]

It's a nice slice and a nice asentiment behind it. It feels a bit compressed top to bottom but I think I see why you did it.

[vwjoe76]

Hey Pio,
I'm not a gear head, but I was just wondering what your camera kit consists of...especially in an urban setting. I always feel like a sore thumb when I go out, especially when I had the 70-200 2.8 IS that I just sold. I'm looking to be a little more discreet, although I was taught as a PJ, so I like to get close as well. Thanks for any info or advice. As I've said in the past, I love your work and the themes you come up with. Especially the way you always capture people...I see too many inanimate objects out there sometimes.Thanks again! :) --Joe

[BottomBracket]

Be careful labeling your subjects... the member here who called a guy sleeping in his car "homeless" got a few pages worth of debate over it.

Nice shot though, BB!

Hey thanks Hoff! I wish I have your name so no one can hassle me :) Yes, I saw that debate, it was quite interesting. I hope my words aren't misconstrued though, I have nothing but respect for these hard workers.

It's a nice slice and a nice asentiment behind it. It feels a bit compressed top to bottom but I think I see why you did it.

Thanks much Dave, it does seem a bit compressed because of the framing. I was in a hurry to get off this shot as the window was rapidly closing - the nanny and her ward are a bit blurred as a result of a shutter speed that was set a bit slow. Gotta love how street photography keeps you on your toes ;)

[BottomBracket]

Hey Pio,
I'm not a gear head, but I was just wondering what your camera kit consists of...especially in an urban setting. I always feel like a sore thumb when I go out, especially when I had the 70-200 2.8 IS that I just sold. I'm looking to be a little more discreet, although I was taught as a PJ, so I like to get close as well. Thanks for any info or advice. As I've said in the past, I love your work and the themes you come up with. Especially the way you always capture people...I see too many inanimate objects out there sometimes.Thanks again! :) --Joe

Hey Joe, I'm not much of a gear head either, but I love gear as much as the next guy :) The camera I use dictates the way my demeanor in shooting the streets. I use two types of cameras, a compact and the dSLR.

I have 3 compact cameras, 2 G3's and a G6. These are excellent cameras that can shoot RAW (which I need in my workflow) and have custom settings that allow me to preset hyperfocal focusing. Doing this eliminates much of the shutter lag found in smaller cameras because the camera does not hunt for focus anymore. These cameras have one other feature that I really like: the swivel screen. It allows me to use the camera at waist level like using a TLR camera, and in this position the subject rarely notices that I am taking his/her photo. My posture is a bit stooped, almost in a reverent fashion that I seem to be bowing to my subject for the honor of taking the photo. Perhaps it is this respectful pose that subliminally relaxes the subject's demeanor towards me, at least that is how I think of it.

I use dSLR's too. For a long time I have used 2 gripped 20D's, which are really excellent cameras. They are huge, black and bulky though and they scream "hey look I am taking a photo!" whenever I bring them up to my face to do so. The trick here is to exude confidence that you are doing a natural thing - if people sense that aplomb in you most will allow you to take photos. Another tip is to use a wide angle lens (I mostly use a 17-40) and frame the subject near one of the edges. When you do this, the subject sees that you are pointing the camera somewhere else other then in his/her direction, and thus will largely ignore you. This is why it is actually easier to use wide angle lenses than a tele. I have recently acquired a 1D camera and it has nearly the same footprint as the gripped 20D. I got it so that I will have a bit more confidence in my equipment when it rains, as I like venturing in the streets during a downpour.

Thanks for the kind comment, and for looking!

[kenyc]

Yep, nice, but it feels a bit cut off at the top...

KAC

[vwjoe76]

Thanks Pio,
I've been thinking about a G series for all the obvious reasons as well as the ones you mentioned. I really want the ability to shoot raw, so I guess maybe the G9...we'll see. I noticed that with the 17-50 I have that people do not really take as much notice when I frame them in that strict rule of thirds sense like you're talking about. I'm not shy (I'm a PJ major in college & work for the paper), I just sometimes end-up in tough areas of town and I'm basically a walking target. That's my concern. I talk to a lot of people downtown who live there and they're always saying "be careful, it's not really even safe during the day" kind of stuff, but I find a lot of interesting things there...especially compared to the "good" part of town. I find some sort of a special nuance for lack of a better word. Thanks again. Talk to ya later.
--Joe

[vwjoe76]

Yep, nice, but it feels a bit cut off at the top...

KAC

I think it would've been difficult to get the lady/child in the far, lower left of the frame and the car washers in the top right of the frame without cutting out some of the height of the shot...plus it doesn't unbalance the photo in any way, IMHO, and there's nothing pertinent lost...again, IMHO! --Joe

[kenyc]

I think it would've been difficult to get the lady/child in the far, lower left of the frame and the car washers in the top right of the frame without cutting out some of the height of the shot...plus it doesn't unbalance the photo in any way, IMHO, and there's nothing pertinent lost...again, IMHO! --Joe

Nope. That has little to do with it. And to me it DOES feel wrong which is why I said it. The top of the van is missing and it feels like the woman's head is bumping on the "ceiling" :)

KAC

[BottomBracket]

Thanks Pio,
I've been thinking about a G series for all the obvious reasons as well as the ones you mentioned. I really want the ability to shoot raw, so I guess maybe the G9...we'll see. I noticed that with the 17-50 I have that people do not really take as much notice when I frame them in that strict rule of thirds sense like you're talking about. I'm not shy (I'm a PJ major in college & work for the paper), I just sometimes end-up in tough areas of town and I'm basically a walking target. That's my concern. I talk to a lot of people downtown who live there and they're always saying "be careful, it's not really even safe during the day" kind of stuff, but I find a lot of interesting things there...especially compared to the "good" part of town. I find some sort of a special nuance for lack of a better word. Thanks again. Talk to ya later.
--Joe

It's best to wear good running shoes! I find that demeanor gelps a lot. Walk with purpose, act confident and I find that people wouldn't mess with you. You need enough street sense though so that you are always aware of your surroundings, and always have an escape route planned. Having said that, it is helps if you are a familiar sight in those streets, and if you shoot there often, people will get used to you and leave you alone. At least I hope so ;)

[BottomBracket]

I think it would've been difficult to get the lady/child in the far, lower left of the frame and the car washers in the top right of the frame without cutting out some of the height of the shot...plus it doesn't unbalance the photo in any way, IMHO, and there's nothing pertinent lost...again, IMHO! --Joe

Nope. That has little to do with it. And to me it DOES feel wrong which is why I said it. The top of the van is missing and it feels like the woman's head is bumping on the "ceiling" :)

KAC

I agree that it is a cramped shot. It was a rapidly evolving scene, the window of opportunity was closing..... I should have taken the shot a second or two earlier. That is the beauty of street photography - most are technically flawed, but as long as there is something going on in the photo, it could wind up interesting. That's my excuse! ;)

Thanks for looking, and I really appreciate the comments. Sorry for not replying earlier, i have been traveling and I am now in Pittsburgh, with my son for the National Chess tournament. Such a clean city! Compared to NYC, that is.

[kenyc]

I agree that it is a cramped shot. It was a rapidly evolving scene, the window of opportunity was closing..... I should have taken the shot a second or two earlier. That is the beauty of street photography - most are technically flawed, but as long as there is something going on in the photo, it could wind up interesting. That's my excuse! ;)

Thanks for looking, and I really appreciate the comments. Sorry for not replying earlier, i have been traveling and I am now in Pittsburgh, with my son for the National Chess tournament. Such a clean city! Compared to NYC, that is.

Get some street-Philly shots! :)

KAC

[vwjoe76]

It's best to wear good running shoes! I find that demeanor gelps a lot. Walk with purpose, act confident and I find that people wouldn't mess with you. You need enough street sense though so that you are always aware of your surroundings, and always have an escape route planned. Having said that, it is helps if you are a familiar sight in those streets, and if you shoot there often, people will get used to you and leave you alone. At least I hope so ;)
I used to have a Karate book, but, well, I never read it. HAH, J/K of course, but you make a good point. I always act like I'm supposed to be there (not that I'm not supposed to be anyways) and just try to fade into the surroundings. Even when I look like I'm concentrating on my 'work', I'm making sure who and what is around me. Sometimes I look in reflections off a window or pan around with my camera to see what's what. I just went out yesterday with my two new Holgas...didn't really take anything stimulating, just wanted to see where the light leaks where, etc. Can't wait to get that film back later today! Thanks, as always, Pio. Man, btw, you're a bit of a cult figure around here now. I saw that post in this forum...ever thought about a book? I'll be your manager! :) --joe

[streetsilence]

True definition of street photography.. You've captured it completely. Amazing capture. I agree with everyone above. Keep um coming. Peace and Keep Creating!

[vwjoe76]

I agree that it is a cramped shot. It was a rapidly evolving scene, the window of opportunity was closing..... I should have taken the shot a second or two earlier. That is the beauty of street photography - most are technically flawed, but as long as there is something going on in the photo, it could wind up interesting. That's my excuse!

I think that's perfectly said. If true dirt and grime street photography were composed perfectly, extremely sharp, perfect lighting, etc. it would take away from the idea of capturing city life. I can't remember his POTN screen name, but it's the guy who lives in Italy and he employs these tactics...he's never afraid to raise the ISO or add grain in PP, slow the shutter down to get some motion blur. You guys probably know who I'm talking about. That's what I like about street photography. Don't think too much, just capture that slice of life. Capture the moment first, then everything else is gravy. I love it! Enough talk, I'm headed downtown with my holgas and 40D! :) --joe

[BottomBracket]

Get some street-Philly shots! :)

KAC

Pittsburgh shots, Ken! I just arrived from Pittsburgh, which is a very nice and clean city - the downtown area is beautiful. Unfortunately I had to play parent chaperone to my son's chess team, which gave me little time to so street photos. I have managed a few shots though, and will be posting them soon.

[BottomBracket]

I used to have a Karate book, but, well, I never read it. HAH, J/K of course, but you make a good point. I always act like I'm supposed to be there (not that I'm not supposed to be anyways) and just try to fade into the surroundings. Even when I look like I'm concentrating on my 'work', I'm making sure who and what is around me. Sometimes I look in reflections off a window or pan around with my camera to see what's what. I just went out yesterday with my two new Holgas...didn't really take anything stimulating, just wanted to see where the light leaks where, etc. Can't wait to get that film back later today! Thanks, as always, Pio. Man, btw, you're a bit of a cult figure around here now. I saw that post in this forum...ever thought about a book? I'll be your manager! :) --joe

New Holgas sure sounds like an oxymoron! Shots from a Holga sure are interesting and I am curious as to what you may come up with. About being a 'cult figure', man, I'm just some dude. Although I have been taking photos since I was a young kid, I learned a lot of stuff in this forum. POTN is a great resource, both of knowledge and friends, and it has helped shape my photography into what it is now.

[BottomBracket]

True definition of street photography.. You've captured it completely. Amazing capture. I agree with everyone above. Keep um coming. Peace and Keep Creating!

Thanks street! Much appreciated.

[kenyc]

Pittsburgh shots, Ken! I just arrived from Pittsburgh, which is a very nice and clean city - the downtown area is beautiful. Unfortunately I had to play parent chaperone to my son's chess team, which gave me little time to so street photos. I have managed a few shots though, and will be posting them soon.


:)

KAC

[vwjoe76]

New Holgas sure sounds like an oxymoron! Shots from a Holga sure are interesting and I am curious as to what you may come up with. About being a 'cult figure', man, I'm just some dude. Although I have been taking photos since I was a young kid, I learned a lot of stuff in this forum. POTN is a great resource, both of knowledge and friends, and it has helped shape my photography into what it is now.
Yea, you're right on with the Holga! It's great fun...I went out Sunday night and just took some inanimate object type of shots (store fronts, a late sixties Chevelle) just to see what they do. Lots of fun! I look at this forum for a source of knowledge b/c of people like you. There's a lot of really nice folks here with a head full of insight. I know for a fact I wouldn't be nearly where I am at in photography (wherever that is) without this forum. Back to the original post, get the moment first, then worry about composition, right? Great job, Pio. --Joe

[BottomBracket]

Hi Joe, I would really like to see those Holga pics. About getting the moment, yes it is paramount in street photography, but striving for good composition is a nice goal as well. One of the tricks is to 'camp out'. Sometimes I see an interesting scene that I imagine would make a splendid photograph if the right person comes along, in the right position and stance. I wait for that person to come, and it might take me several minutes, or close to an hour, or perhaps some other day. I take note of these interesting locales and return to them again and again, like a thirsty man to well.