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"Friends"
"Strangers"
Woman dancing at drum circle
When we were discussing the park in class yesterday, I forgot to mention one of its more ubiquitous features: the texture of the concrete walkways and structures, which I think adds a certain quality to some photos...
Drum circle spectators
A private moment in public—I got close, but was careful not to be seen, as I think this couple may have been breaking up & wouldn't have appreciated my intrusion.
With all the park's walkways, statues, and structures, it's easy to ignore the lower part's grass areas. However, I found that these places offered opportunities for some interesting perspectives.
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I'd love to hear any comments or critiques folks might have re: these photos. Thank you, and looking forward to Sunday.
4 comments:
Ross,
Many thanks for your photos. (i)You appear to have fine instincts as a "street" photographer, by which I mean being able to capture fleeting ephemeral moments in a way that the images tell stories. (ii) Your pictures are effective in capturing movement - as in 1,2, 3 and 7 as well as more static elements as in the others. (iii)You use the available light well. In 1 & 2, for instance, one notices the use of directional light and shadows, and the contrast between light and shade (- in 1, I noticed the kids have strong shadows that link them to the old fellows on the bench providing unity within the frame; in 4 & 5 it's the directional light that immediately draws attention to the figures in the scene).
Now you ask for a critique and so here's one, given in the hope that you know this is disinterested. The picture that I was least taken with is 6, the fellow caught between a gap in the hedge and apparently reading a book, or playing with his phone or something. In the background there appear a couple of whale-like figures caught in an embrace. Perhaps the thought the photographer wanted to express was the contrast between solitariness and intimacy (?). Don't know - we'll never know artist intentions anyway. But whatever the intent, the background figures are just too far away to contribute, and the reading fellow is somewhat uninteresting all by himself. Perhaps a long lens which compressed the distances might have worked better?
I've returned to the last picture a couple of times. A couple caught in a chat, but the man seems to have caught the photographer taking the picture. At first I thought it would have been better if he hadn't been looking the photographer's way; and after a few minutes I think it better that he is - because otherwise this would be another unremarkable "intimate chat" scene, of which one can photograph literally hundreds in any park on any given day. What makes an "intimate chat" scene interesting? I suspect that all who photograph in the park on Sunday will be asking this question.
Perhaps one element that can make a chat-scene interesting is something a little out of the ordinary occurring. Picture 8 of one man taking a picture of his friend is just that. One stops to look. (Now you could go into Photoshop and remove a wee bit of the leaves and branch that obscure the camera...I found them distracting, others, however, may not.)
I was most taken by pictures 4 and 5 - and venture that this is a highly personal choice, and tastes will differ. They both possess qualities of calm and quiet (even though one caption says the people are looking at drummers which hardly connotes quiet; pay no attention to captions! what is the picture, on its own, conveying?). In both the subjects seem enclosed in their own worlds. And in both the compositions and layouts are just very effective e.g. the tiered effect of the bicycle, the backpacks, and the couple. The play of light on the faces of the people watching the drummers is wonderful; despite the camera distance one can make out the details.
Well Done, and I look forward to learning more from the way you see things. (I'm still all at sea when it comes to street photography...so looking at your work, as of others is very helpful.)
Best,
Farid
Farid,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful & flattering critique. It was very helpful to get your impressions, as I'm always looking to better my understanding of what works—and what doesn't work—in my photos.
Lately, I've been trying to pay a lot more attention to the way light falls on my subjects—I'm glad that showed through for you in this set of work.
If you're curious about my intent on #6, I was focused mostly on the perspective & triangular composition—which I found interesting—& less so on capturing a particularly unique moment or set of subjects. However, I really appreciate getting your honest reaction on that one.
Interesting that you mention the man catching me in the last picture—that was a conscious choice on my part, as I had taken another nearly identical photo where he did not notice me. I thought it was a less interesting photo for the exact reason you mention.
Thanks again!
Ross
I think your conscious use of color and b&w is interesting. I enjoy the timeless, or perhaps retro, quality of the older seated men and frolicking children. Men are generally less likely to wear hats these days to complete the suited and overcoated look. That the men are cultivating a certain old-school style adds a certain intrigue - could this be a contemporary image? who are these men and why are they dressed in this artful, collared, if not buttoned down way? jazzmen? They definitely look like grown ups. The next image also contrasts older sedentary figures with younger upright folks.
The big red ball makes for eye popping color about play and youthful pursuits with a toy more outrageous than a bike or scooter.
I'm glad that you asked about the men in the 1st photo! I was curious for the same reasons you mention—they were both very dressed up, but in a retro fashion.
I sat on a bench near them. Later, a 3rd man appeared, dressed in an identical fashion. Turns out they were evangelists handing out religious pamphlets...
Thanks for your thoughts :)
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