First Street Photography (Manhattan)

I went to watch the America's Cup boat race, so along with my long lens I took my wide angle lens to try out while walking about. Here are my best shots.

Cars.

Last one. The two boys walking there are my sons.

Love that last shot. Very nicely done.

First shot is also way cool.

1st, I like how you've worked in the building, but the ppl kinda ruin the shot ........same composition .....another time of day, another scene.

Second i do like. Think it would work better in mono though?

Taxi shot is pretty cool. Like it.

The last looks really weird to me sorry. Too overcooked in post i dont know? But it looks a bit like a composition (the people). That aside however. Id crop out the crick wall/stairs to the left and try work it form there.

I played around with it in mono but to my eye, it's better in color because otherwise it gets hard to look at.


Also, I'm not sure what you mean by the last one looking overdone.. if you could explain then I'll see where you're coming from.

I'm actually quite happy with the composition - I love how the boys are right between the buildings and the light is falling on them. They're pretty far away but nice and sharp, and the viewer can see them as the subject among huge buildings. I might lighten the shadows of the stones but if I crop it out it becomes too vertical. There's also a tremendous amount of dynamic range, so it's a challenging scene. The building on the left has a rounded surface, which gives more area for the sunlight to reflect off of.

It was a good learning experience. Next time I'll use a higher aperture to cut down on some of the sunlight reflecting off the tops of the buildings. Hindsight, lol. But in any case, I took the shot instead of fiddling around with the camera.

atsilverstein wrote in post #18002071
I played around with it in mono but to my eye, it's better in color because otherwise it gets hard to look at.


Also, I'm not sure what you mean by the last one looking overdone.. if you could explain then I'll see where you're coming from.

I'm actually quite happy with the composition - I love how the boys are right between the buildings and the light is falling on them. They're pretty far away but nice and sharp, and the viewer can see them as the subject among huge buildings. I might lighten the shadows of the stones but if I crop it out it becomes too vertical. There's also a tremendous amount of dynamic range, so it's a challenging scene. The building on the left has a rounded surface, which gives more area for the sunlight to reflect off of.

It was a good learning experience. Next time I'll use a higher aperture to cut down on some of the sunlight reflecting off the tops of the buildings. Hindsight, lol. But in any case, I took the shot instead of fiddling around with the camera.

Hi there. Maybe overdone was the wrong term. Il retract that term if i may. But theres something i cant quite put my finger on. To my untrained eyes only admittedly ofc. Thats all it is, the impression i get and what comes to mind. Im in no way claiming to be an expert here lol.
(re to the building on the left, it wasn't so much the light quantity that i found distracting. But more that texture and pattern etc in amongst the verticals of scrapers.) And agreed very tricky scene


Overall i think it just looks a bit flat. Could do with a bit of contrast and vibrance perhaps. Again just my 2p

Ok, this was annoying me lol and will sound a bit weird/nitpicking.

...So i had a good study lol. When i said earlier it looks a bit like a composition. I think it was because, when you look at your kid on the left. His hand looks as if it should holding hands with Dad, or at least on the same plane. Bit of an optical illusion? .. Or just my weird view perhaps-- don't take any notice

I never was implying that you did a composite in the first place ofc lol but it did throw my 'viewing experience' a bit it seems!

said it before, but agian the Taxi shot is very cool

Oh yeah, I see it now..

Now it's weirding me out and now that's all I'll think when I look at it.. lol jk

Here's another version of the taxi

Nice work! (I love NY!) My favorite is the first. Well done! I also love the BMW i8 and the Camry taxi shot.

Given this is the Critique Corner, I'll comment on the photo with your sons. In the first photo, it was clear the older couple is the subject. Very nice! In contrast, in the shot with your sons, they are your subject to you because they are special to you, but almost no one else will see them as your subject. I didn't notice them until you mentioned them. What I saw was the WTC angled too much to the left (when rotated clockwise, it could still be angled to the left as long as it is balanced with the opposite buildings angled to the right), along with people on the street. Also, while a photo of them turned away can work, to the unconnected observer these are just the backsides of two kids, hidden in a photo with a facing adult couple and an iconic cityscape. You can have your sons facing away with the skyline in the background, but it should be clear they are the subject. Observers' eyes, not just Mom's eyes, should go directly to them. To me, they're lost in the photo.

I know how it is with kids. I work hard to get good shots of our daughter! It's easy for me to see what others might not, but in a photo I'm not there to explain to the observer what is important. The photo has to stand by itself.

You have nice work! I hope this helps.

atsilverstein wrote in post #18003033
Oh yeah, I see it now..

Now it's weirding me out and now that's all I'll think when I look at it.. lol jk

Here's another version of the taxi

Hosted photo: posted by atsilverstein in
./showthread.php?p=180​03033&i=i221404660
forum: Critique Corner

..Nnnnnooo! lol Sorry!! ...Always a danger i suppose when your kids/something personal are involved and is up for crit!

^ I like that shot more yea. Suits the filmy/movie scene look. Who'd have think that witha yellow cab lol there no getting away from it.

Dude(s) on the bikes bring a bit to the shot too. Nice

mathogre wrote in post #18003043
Nice work! (I love NY!) My favorite is the first. Well done! I also love the BMW i8 and the Camry taxi shot.

Given this is the Critique Corner, I'll comment on the photo with your sons. In the first photo, it was clear the older couple is the subject. Very nice! In contrast, in the shot with your sons, they are your subject to you because they are special to you, but almost no one else will see them as your subject. I didn't notice them until you mentioned them. What I saw was the WTC angled too much to the left (when rotated clockwise, it could still be angled to the left as long as it is balanced with the opposite buildings angled to the right), along with people on the street. Also, while a photo of them turned away can work, to the unconnected observer these are just the backsides of two kids, hidden in a photo with a facing adult couple and an iconic cityscape. You can have your sons facing away with the skyline in the background, but it should be clear they are the subject. Observers' eyes, not just Mom's eyes, should go directly to them. To me, they're lost in the photo.

I know how it is with kids. I work hard to get good shots of our daughter! It's easy for me to see what others might not, but in a photo I'm not there to explain to the observer what is important. The photo has to stand by itself.

You have nice work! I hope this helps.

Thank you! This was very helpful to me, thanks

twists n turns wrote in post #18003055
..Nnnnnooo! lol Sorry!! ...Always a danger i suppose when your kids/something personal are involved and is up for crit!

^ I like that shot more yea. Suits the filmy/movie scene look. Who'd have think that witha yellow cab lol there no getting away from it.

Dude(s) on the bikes bring a bit to the shot too. Nice

Thanks

Just remember, that street photography ain't the photography of the street and you'll be fine :]

I like your first one best.

osh_sekta wrote in post #18003407
Just remember, that street photography ain't the photography of the street and you'll be fine :]

+1

It's about the people out in the streets; how they interact with others or themselves or, at a pinch, with the photographer.

My 2¢