What do we photograph on the streets?

[Likaleica]

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I love the composition.

[ernst_leitz]

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[Likaleica]

Very H C-B-esque.  Nice.  Eyes and heart open.

[ernst_leitz]

Mounted police women

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[Likaleica]

Nice protective bubble!

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lambda.

[Steve Ricoh]

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[ernst_leitz]

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[OleAndre]

Thank you to Colin for starting this wonderful thread. I have enjoyed so much reading about your thoughts about street photography and studying all the wonderful pictures. 

 

Street photography is far from being my "speciality" (not that I have one), but I would really like to become better at it. I think much of it has to do with developing an instinct for seeing potential scenes - not really knowing what the final product will be like, but still feeling that something has a potential. It probably takes years of practice to get that skill, but I see that several in this thread have acquired it:) 

 

One of my favourite street photographers is Fan Ho who for decades wandered around in Hong Kong to capture the daily life of locals. Fan definitely had the instinct, but he also had the patience to wait for the right light to get a special atmosphere or to amplify a certain composition. I highly recommend to look at some of his images here. 

 

And now a couple of my attempts, all from Hong Kong:

 

Leica Summilux 50 Asph. - Old man in Cheung Sha Wan

 

Leica APO Summicron 75 - Taking a break

 

Leica Elmarit 28 Asph. - Killing time in Cheung Sha Wan

 

 

All the best, 

Ole

[colint544]

Hello Ole - thank you for the link, that's fascinating. I wasn't aware of Ho Fan. He's good. I think taking pictures when you're out and about is just about the hardest type of photography. I'm in awe of those great photographers who make it look effortless. 

 

I like your first picture, with the arrow pointing at the man's head, and the third one has a nice air of anticipation.

 

Practice is the thing that makes us better at anything. I've only really been taking pictures around the town for about five or six years. I have my camera with me at all times, and I'm out and about most days. I think I've definitely become more practiced, and I can see, looking at my earlier pictures, that my photography has improved. It's a nicer way to take in your surroundings too, you appreciate the walk more, and you look and see more, especially these days where so many people walk around staring at their smart phones. And you just might get a picture you're pleased with.

 

But I want to keep improving. There are photographers out there who are just mind-blowingly good. I look at the work of lots of photographers, past and present, for inspiration. The thing I want to get good at is layers and complexity in a photograph. The people who are very good at this still manage to keep the image strong and uncluttered. I think part of the fun of photography is that it isn't easy. You can practice and get better. It'd be much less satisfying if it was easy. A friend of mine judges photography competitions. He says he finds it reassuring that, as good as cameras have become, with amazing sharpness, high ISO, autofocus, 20 frames per second, etc, the standard of photography over the years hasn't got any better. You still need to use your brain and your eyes.

 

One last thing I try to aim for is simplicity. Keeping things out of the frame. If you're looking at a grid of thumbnail images, and spot a shot that jumps out, even as a thumbnail, chances are it's a good picture.

 

Have a look at the work of some of these guys. I'm kind of in awe of some of their pictures:

 

https://www.instagram.com/alan_schaller/

 

https://www.instagram.com/koci/

 

https://www.instagram.com/human_in_geometry/

 

Best wishes all,

 

Colin

[RawArcher]

Amen Colin. Extremely good points and all well said!

 

Btw......thanks for the links. Was not following/aware of them.

 

Ole.....thx for Fan Ho as well!

 

Tom

Edited January 4, 2018 by RawArcher

[Likaleica]

The amazing thing about Fan Ho is that he only owned one camera and one lens, a Rolleiflex (I believe), kind of like Vivian Maier.  He just quietly did his work with daily dedication.  There's not much out there on him, but he has produced a couple of books recently.  Here is his website.

[Likaleica]

Thanks for the link to Alan Schaller, Colin.  Incredible photography.

[colint544]

Yes, there’s much to be said for keeping it simple. If you only have one camera and one lens with you, you forget about the gear and just look for pictures.

 

Thanks, Tim for the link. Never heard of Ho Fan before, but he’s great. There must be loads of others I don’t know. Have to admit that it was only about three years ago that I discovered William Eggleston. I’d seen his work here and there, but just hadn’t been aware of the man. Same with Daido Moriyama - quite new to him too.

Edited January 5, 2018 by colint544

[colint544]

Glasgow - M Monochrom mk1, 50mm Summilux ASPH.

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[Guest 10511]

Glasgow - M Monochrom mk1, 50mm Summilux ASPH.

Hi Colin.

 

Your pictures inspire me very much. Thanks for the many great images.

[horosu]

I've just now discovered this thread. I find street photography fascinating: it has a very low yield, however, sometimes things fall into place and you get a picture out of nowhere...Some of my street pics:

 

 

 

[horosu]

 

 

These were all shot on a Leica MP, Kodak Tmax 400 and 50mm lenses (Summilux ASPH, Summarit)

Edited January 5, 2018 by horosu

[horosu]

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[colint544]

 

Hi Colin.

 

Your pictures inspire me very much. Thanks for the many great images.

 

 

Thank you - glad you like them