Waiting for the train

Took these the other day. Somehow I liked the idea of shifting the focus between the young mand and the woman.

Now thats eye contact claire

Claire, it's great that you're out there shooting. nothing wrong with a bit of eye contact
http://www.pbase.com/s​ean_mcr/image/58837795
http://www.pbase.com/s​ean_mcr/image/57376558

he was staring you down. i like #2 because the people seem to lead back to your subject although i wish there was a slight bit more of the train in that shot.

He was waiting for the train and everyone was waiting for the 2nd carriage to pull in . That's why everyone is looking in my direction.

I've been thinking about if i should say this Claire, as the more you shoot the stronger you're going to get. But what i'll say that the above shot, well it's not really saying anything. What stands out about the shot is that you've got eye contact. But with out that it would have been a shot of people doing the mundane everyday thing that we all do. Trick with street shots is to try and tell a story or to pick something unusual in the midst of the norm, the little things that most people miss, but what people like you and i look for

Sean,
I value your input. I know what kind of shots I'd like to get, the artsy fartsy and great journalistic story-telling shots. That's what put me off street photography in the first place. I had an image in my head what I wanted and doubted I'd get it. Then I realised that of course I'll aim to get those things and work for it, but I won't lock myself to only those type of images. Occasionally I will get them, but I also made a conscious decision to shoot mundane things, just to record everyday life as it passes by. Thanks to that decision I have actually ended up getting some fun and nice shots, and yes, a bunch of not as interesting ones from a PJ outlook. I know which ones I like and which ones may not speak to me as much.

The great thing about not putting too much pressure on myself in the beginning was a good idea. I dared to start getting out there and overcome parts of my shyness for taking shots in stores, of strangers etc. That was my first aim. I hope to continue developing though. I just took a heap of shots while watching a fashion show right now.

Claire you've just got to keep on the path you're going. Often it's almost subconscious why you take a shot in the first place. It's easy shooting people there's a world full of them out there. What makes us want to capture them i guess is the real question, can't be simply because we can-that's too easy i could shoot 200 people in an hr, with no real effort, as i'm sure you could.

What's at this core of the genre is the how we see the world in a different way.

Come on show us that fashion show i'm a bit of a fashion victim

But it is also about what is so often right in front of us all, but yet so rarely noticed. The noticing can be the difference; the subject can be as mundane and everyday as you like. A couple kissing can be mundane but there is a universality to that image that when highlighted and captured by the shooters 'eye' (and luck too at times) can become an image of note.

Also, a mundane shot can become wonderful in post processing. One of my favourite shots is a crop of a part of an old petrol pump. It was a 'second chance' shot only possible after the event in PPing because that's when I saw it for the first time.

Dave it because we are trying to see the world differently that we can pick out the fleeting moments out of everyday life that most people miss, that's what it's all about. The things That pass most people by and that are often never repeated. It's not often really that you get the chance to say something twice about a scene involving people.

I going to maybe rattle your cage here but you not that's not my intention, but you could have gone back to that pump a 100 times in a day. You don't get that luxury with people. You may never see them again, they may only do something in one fleeting moment that's worth capturing.

Mundane does not become more interesting because it's shot my friend

I'd also have to say that for me street photography is primarily people based but with their environment. Urban architectural shots are interesting, but i don't really see the two in the same way

I'm not that interested in individual people, they come and go just like the light around the pumps, but I am interested in what people do, i.e. I don't care who's kissing but I am interested in capturing anyone doing it in an image worthy way.

Capture them in a worthy way. But unless they are worthy of capturing in the first place then you're scope to say anything worthy is reduced

I know; that's what I meant.

Give us a kiss you silly sausage that's what mean an all

Claire.... I would have liked to see you shoot the same shot with a much slower shutter speed if you could to gain some motion in the train and the people around. I think it would have increased the drama by isolating him more and made his look that much more intense. Sometimes I think we are too focused on razor sharp images.

Side note - I have flown over twice and picked up cars in your home town.... had a great time both times. Cheers.

Crosdail,
There wasn't very much motion. The train was still and everyone was waiting for the 2nd carriage.

I do get what you mean that it might be nice with some movement.