Beautiful Street People: my contribution first, then yours!

Asher Kelman · Mar 8, 2007

From the 3rd Street Promenade Santa Monica!

Say hello to Southern California's friendliest street!

Here are some of the folk you might meet. There's no traffic, just people, mingling, listening to music or stopping for mimes, meeting new people or just trying one of the great restaurants.

All with the 5D 501.2 at 1.2

As shot: Only converted to B&W, no other processing/sharpening.

Now yours,

Asher

Diane Fields · Mar 10, 2007

Very nice---unfortunately I'm viewing on a laptop monitor so will look again on my 'good' monitor LOL. I think I like the first one the best--but all show how nice this lens is for street work. Lovely too that you had to do so little--the 5D/50 f/1.2 look to be a great team for this (I'm thinking how 'messy' the backgrounds would be stopped down more). Nice work, Asher.

Diane

Louis Doench · Mar 11, 2007

My happy person who happens to be on the street

This lovely lady was waiting for the 4th of July Parade to start.

Nikon D1x and 28-105 at 5.6. Now that I look at it again, the flower looks a lil hot.
As always... rip it apart boys.

Asher Kelman · Mar 12, 2007

I like that lady!

Also more that you are using the Dix. I encourage you to fill in the special feature of any Nikon shoot to spread the word to others who no little about the Nikon glass. i'd imagine that the 28-105 might be similar to the Canon 24-105?

Asher

Louis Doench · Mar 12, 2007

Asher Kelman said:
I like that lady!

Also more that you are using the Dix. I encourage you to fill in the special feature of any Nikon shoot to spread the word to others who no little about the Nikon glass. i'd imagine that the 28-105 might be similar to the Canon 24-105?

Asher

I dunno... If I remember correctly, that Canon 24-105 is a little younger than my lens. The 28-105 Macro was essentially the Kit Lens for the Nikon F-100. Here's the Nikonians review http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/nikkor-28-105mm/review.html
(not a kit lens in the perjorative sense, they were just released together). So thats the lens I bought with my f-100 back in 2002. When I bought my D1x a year later the lens ported pretty well. So while I miss the wider angle I had w/ film, this lens gives me about a 42-158 mm coverage. Good for most work I do.

I will say that I bought into the D1x at what in hindsight looks like a bad time. I did not see the D70 or the Digital Rebel coming. Let alone the stuff Pentax is doing now. Don't get me wrong, I love my Toy...and he's been fun to play with, but If I could have seen a year into the future when I bought him I would have held off an spent that money on lenses....

Asher Kelman · Mar 12, 2007

Louis Doench said:
I dunno... If I remember correctly, that Canon 24-105 is a little younger than my lens. The 28-105 Macro was essentially the Kit Lens for the Nikon F-100. Here's the Nikonians review http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/nikkor-28-105mm/review.html
(not a kit lens in the perjorative sense, they were just released together). So thats the lens I bought with my f-100 back in 2002. When I bought my D1x a year later the lens ported pretty well. So while I miss the wider angle I had w/ film, this lens gives me about a 42-158 mm coverage. Good for most work I do.

I will say that I bought into the D1x at what in hindsight looks like a bad time. I did not see the D70 or the Digital Rebel coming. Let alone the stuff Pentax is doing now. Don't get me wrong, I love my Toy...and he's been fun to play with, but If I could have seen a year into the future when I bought him I would have held off an spent that money on lenses....

Louis,

Where does your D1X let you down. IOW is it that you are short of pixels and you can't define detail or enlarge sufficiently, focus is poor in with certain levels of light or with tracking moving objects, what is it? For the Rebel, it's a bargain miracle camera but needs at least a lens with f =2.8 to use the most accurate central focus point. Even the 5D, with the best color I have ever seen, has focus issues compared to my 1DII.

Now I carefull match my attitude of my cameras to the goal and try not to get mad at the deficiencies. I wish I could pay an extra $500 and get 1DII or III quality focus on my 5D. In model shoots sometimes the 5D cannot get focus unless I search for an edge or switch off the camera and on again or else turn to manual focus. However, usually it's fine.

So the question going back to your D1X is where does it let you down in practice?"\

Asher

Asher Kelman · Mar 12, 2007

Also, Louis, do you consider presenting your street images in B&W too. For this one, perhaps not.

Asher

Louis Doench · Mar 12, 2007

"So the question going back to your D1X is where does it let you down in practice?"
In practice...mmm... not as much as I gripe about.
I've had the Toy for 5 years now, so I pretty well know what it can or cannot do. What happened is that my needs changed slightly over time, and the market changed as well, so I'm left with a bit of long term buyers remorse. Like someone who bought a Jeep 4x4 and then moved to Manhattan after a couple of years. The Toy is still a lovely camera, but its also one of the oldest of the digital wave of camera's out there. And I don't have the wherewithal to replace it at the moment... this whole stay at home dad thing being a nice gig and all, not too profitable...

So yeah, I gripe a bit.. don't blame the Toy... its not his fault...

Don Lashier · Mar 12, 2007

Here's a few:

- DL

Don Lashier · Mar 12, 2007

and a couple more

- DL

Asher Kelman · Mar 13, 2007

Don,

All your pictures are delightful, but the last one with the little girl and her umbrella is precious! Where was that taken?

Asher

Edward Bussa · Mar 13, 2007

Louis Doench said:
[...] but If I could have seen a year into the future when I bought him I would have held off an spent that money on lenses....

=D I know you are not the only one! That is the nature of digital technology, no? With digital, the film is the camera, so what you are really wishing for (I assume), is to be able to upgrade to the latest film!? Or, are you feeling left behind in terms of the performance of the camera (things like features, performance, auto-focus) ?

Edward Bussa · Mar 14, 2007

Today! @ Michigan State University Campus

First of all - thank you to Asher for the inspiration to do this.

You see, I am NOT a people photographer and it is uncomfortable for me to go up to strangers and ask them if I can take their picture, and oh yeah, could you smile? =)

However, I did my best and I learned from the experience.

I started with the guys:

Then found the courage to ask for this great smile:

Louis Doench · Mar 14, 2007

Ed Bussa said:
=D I know you are not the only one! That is the nature of digital technology, no? With digital, the film is the camera, so what you are really wishing for (I assume), is to be able to upgrade to the latest film!? Or, are you feeling left behind in terms of the performance of the camera (things like features, performance, auto-focus) ?

A lil bit of both. The market on these gizmo's changed so quickly. If I had the money I spent on my body today i'd use a completely differrent buying strategy. But yeah, I'd like to upgrade in pixels, and I'm really excited by what Pentax (my first camera love) is doing w/ the K10D. Not just the antishake, but the antidust.

Oh yeah, the D1 x's batteries suck. Oh my god do they suck.

Louis Doench · Mar 14, 2007

"You see, I am NOT a people photographer and it is uncomfortable for me to go up to strangers and ask them if I can take their picture, and oh yeah, could you smile? =)"

I used to think that too Ed. What I found is I'm not a portrait photographer. On the street I find it much easier to be open w/ people. What camera are you using? The less obtrusive the camera the better, the less likely you are to scare people.

Louis Doench · Mar 14, 2007

Too many flags....

This one sold last year...

Edward Bussa · Mar 14, 2007

I use a K10D w/ the 50mm f/1.4 for these shots. The lens is an ok focal length and light and "not scary"...

Steve Quattrocchi · Mar 15, 2007

Wow, great shots all. I am also not really a street shooter. I live in such a small town that we don't have many streets anyway, but I was in Vancouver for Chinese New Year and got some interesting shots. THis is my favourite I think. It makes me think of the men and women who fought for Canada in WW2 and returned to live in poverty on reservations.

Asher Kelman · Mar 16, 2007

Hi Steve, this guy is interesting to me for a number of reasons. For one is a melange of two cultures with probably uneven benefits to his ancestory although may be I'm being a romantic.

The other thing is that the red color is one of those simple bod statements that clashes with nature if one is not careful. So in a way it sort of reperesents Western Culture clashing with nature as represented in the feathers and other materials in the indiginous art forms.

It is not something that works easily in black and white since this debate and challenge is lost.

Asher

Don Lashier · Mar 16, 2007

Asher Kelman said:
All your pictures are delightful, but the last one with the little girl and her umbrella is precious! Where was that taken?

Thanks Asher, the last one was taken at a local participatory art event organized by local artists - The Yellow Umbrella Project. The idea was that everyone converge at a central location carrying a creative yellow umbrella that they had made themself. The umbrella's were then offered up to the artist "gods" on the beach. Here's a couple more - the lady is an accomplished local artist known for her psychedelic erotic paintings. The little girl in the previous post is the daughter of a friend of mine who is a quite accomplished web designer, ColdFusion and Java programmer, and tamale cook (she's Mexican). She had climbed up the seawall and was simply making her way back down to the beach.

- DL

Asher Kelman · Mar 16, 2007

Yhis last one Don, is a winner!

I love it!

There are no happy people you see, but the umbrellas tell us much more!

Asher

Tim Gray · Mar 16, 2007

Kensington Market area Toronto Ontario.

Asher Kelman · Mar 17, 2007

Tim,

These are two vastly different street image. The first isamazingly cluttered in an organized way, packed so well into this guys mobile store. That is a major enterprise and responsibility to stock and keep going.

Perhaps the b.g. might ber blurred. I do like the subject and wonder if you are printing it?

Your second picture seems to be a man playing a string instrument, perhpas asian?

Could you say something about the lens and aperture.

I shoot mostly wide open, but you seem to like depth of field.

Asher

Asher Kelman · Mar 17, 2007

Tim,

I looked at the EXIF in CS2 and it says it was taken at f 6.3 in program mode. Since htis lens goes to 2.8, I'd personally try to use 2.8 or 3.5 to get a more soft background and isolate the subject more. However, if you had greater depth in order to express your own way of looking at things, then of course my own style has no bearing on the matter!

Have you processed the image or is it direct from the camera?

Asher

Ken Tanaka · Mar 17, 2007

I'll offer one to the collection.

This elderly gentleman has panhandled this same spot along Chicago's Michigan Avenue for years. In blazing summer heat or bitter winter cold he's there at least part of any day, always quiet and congenial.

Asher Kelman · Mar 17, 2007

Pan handlers are a special group. The show enterprise but really one has to ask how they arrived there. Is he happy?

Look at his face in your orginal.

Asher

Steve Quattrocchi · Mar 18, 2007

Wow, great photos all. I find it interesting how each photographer has different compositional ideas and preferences. Cluttered scene versus simple, blurred background vs sharper one.

I now really wish there were more street people/events in my area to photograph.!!

David J. Eves · Mar 18, 2007

I love taking people photographs

I spent so many years, sitting on the Boston Commons taking photos of people, using the old fashioned film method, carrying a mamiya RB 67 w/ 360 lens f8 was wide open!

but the commons is 5,000 miles away from my location (200 miles above the arctic circle), I live in a small community of 750 Eskimo's, Inupaq Eskimo's
and wouldn't you know it. we even had a parade! here in town, On July 4th.

Here is my contribution(s)

Yes it is the 4th of July, temp=zero !

Kathy Rappaport · Mar 19, 2007

And here's one from today

We went to Santa Barbara today - a great day with overcast skies. I found this couple dancing right off of Sterns Wharf making their own music. But I had fun with Curves and Levels and this was the result. I am not sure if I had more fun with the computer or walking around with the camera. I took about 75 images today and I am happy with probably 30 of them! Asher, we went there today, because yesterday we went to third S treet Promenade, I saw your young lady in the first post (singing off key) but it was not a day for photography and it inspired me to want to be out there so we went North today instead of south~

Asher Kelman · Mar 19, 2007

Good job, Kathy!

Could you post the original too and how you got to your new version?

Interesting two principal colors!

Asher

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