Beautiful Street People: my contribution first, then yours!

[Asher Kelman]

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.

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/2007_OPF_AK/OPF20073/_IMG_3275SM.jpg

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/2007_OPF_AK/OPF20073/_MG_3263SM.jpg

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/2007_OPF_AK/OPF20073/_MG_3280XSM.jpg

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/2007_OPF_AK/OPF20073/_MG_3298SM.jpg

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]

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]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/385721026_13a8b3109a.jpg

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

Asher

[Louis Doench]

"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]

Here's a few:

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd23722p.jpg

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd39549p.jpg

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd39553p.jpg

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd47877p.jpg

- DL

[Don Lashier]

and a couple more

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd47894p.jpg

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd47880p.jpg

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd30746p.jpg

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd30730p.jpg

- DL

[Asher Kelman]

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]

[...] 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]

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:

http://www.threadster.com/opf/smile1.jpg

Then found the courage to ask for this great smile:

http://www.threadster.com/opf/smile2.jpg

[Louis Doench]

=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]

"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]

This one sold last year...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/385531765_8e47d80f46.jpg

[Edward Bussa]

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]

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.



http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/arbutusq/IMGP0190.jpg

[Asher Kelman]

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]

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 (http://www.lashier.com/home.cfm?dir_cat=30724). 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.

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd30736p.jpg

http://www.lashier.com/images/nd30735p.jpg

- DL

[Asher Kelman]

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]

Kensington Market area Toronto Ontario.

http://www.timgrayphotography.com/galleries/20061111_kensington/slides/061112-2525-kensington.jpg

http://www.timgrayphotography.com/galleries/20061111_kensington/slides/061112-2541-kensington.jpg

[Asher Kelman]

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]

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]

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.

http://www.pbase.com/tanakak/image/41050565.jpg

[Asher Kelman]

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]

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]

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)


http://majikimaje.com/sexy.jpg

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

http://majikimaje.com/Emily1.jpg

[Kathy Rappaport]

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~

http://i.pbase.com/g6/80/683780/3/75873947.JOBOocnF.jpg

[Asher Kelman]

Good job, Kathy!

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

Interesting two principal colors!

Asher

[Kathy Rappaport]

Here is the original. I am new to Photoshop, but, I have been using Canon's Zoom Browser and Digital (DPP) Professional which I really like. On this one, I used the slide bars for contrast and color and then I adjusted the color using the levels and curves. It's very easy in these programs for me to use those to process my adjustments. I was trying to make a silk purse out of a photo I might have just gone on to delete in film days



http://i.pbase.com/g6/80/683780/2/75930880.Ma3eTDpf.jpg

[Asher Kelman]

The picture seems OK by me! but it doesn't always load!!

Asher

[Clayton Lofgren]

I hesitate to show my humble offerings here, but think I got lucky on some of them. These are from the local fairground at San Fernando de Apure in Venezuela. All with a KM5D and Sigma 24-135. I do my favorite
photography on the street- mostly headshots of the very young or very old.



http://www.twango.com/channel/clayven.FeriaSanFndo

[Taha Belushi]

Very nice! Please keep em coming ;)

[Kevin Bjorke]

http://contaxg.com/files/1678/sep01a-10.jpg
Dance Club Row, Sincheon, Seoul, 2AM

[Clayton Lofgren]

http://media.twango.com/m1/large/0049/adb545e41ef34c9696724ac8b1bc34fc.jpg






I added the .jpg! without that your image doesn't appear :) Asher

[Mike Funnell]

George Street in Sydney:

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs14/f/2007/093/3/f/George_Street_16_by_mfunnell.jpg (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/52370379/)

...Mike

[Asher Kelman]

Very bright and energetic image, Mike!

I can see that the French advertizing machine has reached the streets of Sydney! Well these younf ladies certainly are happy and seem to have a great comradeship, fun and a joie de vivre!

Asher

[David J. Eves]

http://majikimaje.com/twins2.JPG



http://majikimaje.com/readf.jpg

http://majikimaje.com/img060.jpg

gotta go get another roll of film ! -=[click]=-

[Clayton Lofgren]

Nice camera, but I don't like the strap.

[Nicolas Claris]

Same night, same street… (http://clarisorganisation.free.fr/diapo/Halloween/)

[Steve Leenhouts]

My first 'beautiful street person' picture. This was taken at a street market in Jakarta. I chose this one because I like the way her hair falls to frame the face, and the red and green in opposite corners. Although I know very little about these things, the angle of her face feels right, and the oval shape of the face is balanced nicely to my eye.

Thanks,

Steve

http://i.pbase.com/g6/22/782022/3/81135343.nbhKCdce.jpg

[Nicolas Claris]

My first 'beautiful street person' picture. This was taken at a street market in Jakarta. I chose this one because I like the way her hair falls to frame the face, and the red and green in opposite corners. Although I know very little about these things, the angle of her face feels right, and the oval shape of the face is balanced nicely to my eye.

Thanks,

Steve

http://i.pbase.com/g6/22/782022/3/81135343.nbhKCdce.jpg

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /g6/22/782022/3/81135343.nbhKCdce.jpg on this server.

Apache/2.0.58 (Unix) Server at i.pbase.com Port 80

i.pbase.com is really to often a problem for posting images in fora…

Maybe it's better to try with a URL linkhttp://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/images/editor/createlink.gif instead of an image http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/images/editor/insertimage.gif

But then it will open in a new window… Like this (http://i.pbase.com/g6/22/782022/3/81135343.nbhKCdce.jpg)



Doesn't work!!! Asher

[Steve Leenhouts]

Please bear with me. I am trying to post the image again-- strictly following the instructions provided at pbase.com.

Steve

http://www.pbase.com/steveleen/image/81135343/medium.jpg

[Dawid Loubser]

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/2007_OPF_AK/OPF20073/_MG_3263SM.jpg


Hi Asher, I never told you, but I absolutely love this shot. It says so much about the personality of a casual/street artist like this, like the kind they get to play in restaurants, etc. I'm not even sure who this woman is that you photographed, but I almost always feel sorry for these artists (I'm not sure why, it must be something wrong with me, as surely they enjoy what they do).

However, it always feels as if they must be friendly, they must perform, because they are paid for it (or they are trying to market themselves). Somehow, I never feel the same for the quirky Jazz and Electronic artists, who often have very unusual and/or non-friendly stage personalities - in their case, it always seems to be about the music, about the art.

But the casual artists, who usually sing somebody else's songs... I always wonder if they really enjoy what they do. But you captured her so well here!

D.

[Asher Kelman]

Now I'd love to take more of her!

Yes, Dawid, these musicians are pure because they don't depend on Raz-ma-taz, sampling voice over.

Thanks for the good thoughts!

Asher

[Angelica Oung]

Since taking candids on the street is one of my favorite things about photography, I've been enjoying this thread!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1325/668032444_16c0721305_o.jpg
Taken on the streets of Athens.

[Jack_Flesher]

Rural Mexico...

First 4:

http://jack.cameraphile.org/albums/album12/kids.jpg

http://jack.cameraphile.org/albums/album12/cowgirl.jpg

http://jack.cameraphile.org/albums/album12/cowboy.jpg

http://jack.cameraphile.org/albums/album12/oldcowboy.jpg



Cheers,

[Jack_Flesher]

3 more:

http://jack.cameraphile.org/albums/album12/peacock_head.jpg

http://jack.cameraphile.org/albums/album12/dogwalk.jpg

http://jack.cameraphile.org/albums/album12/folks.jpg

Cheers,

[Angelica Oung]

Jack,
The image with the boy on a bicycle and the dog is really caught my eye for the strong lights and shadows. It's almost reminiscent of a black and white image, if you know what I mean.

[Cem_Usakligil]

Folks,

This is one of my favorite threads here on OPF, such great pictures! I have been wanting to post something myself for quite some time, so here it comes.

These pictures were taken in a party/dance tent during the annual jazz festival in the town where I live. Interesting detail, I’ve used a Nikon mount 75-300 Sigma lens on my 5D using a adapter ring (manual focusing of course).

I hope you’ll enjoy them like I do.


http://www.envisagement.com/opf/shadow_copy/img_29735_0_169829476-O.jpg


http://www.envisagement.com/opf/shadow_copy/img_29735_1_169829498-O.jpg

Cheers,

[Kathy Rappaport]

This one is from Instanbul - just outside the Grand Bazaar. I have been wielding my camera around Greece, Croatia and Turkey the last few weeks and will have many contributions for this thread, after I go through and weed them down and process them. Here is one all done:

http://www.pbase.com/chatkat/image/81673104/large.jpg

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Kathy,

I have already seen this one on your pbase gallery and liked it a lot. I like the whole setting, the clean background, the selective shallow focus, the defocusing of the area under his eyes due to his glasses, just everything!

He is selling national lottery tickets, BTW, which every Turk buys thrice monthly. It is a national addiction, the vain hope of becoming rich someday.

Show us more :-).

Cheers,

[Angelica Oung]

I saw lottery sellers all over Athens too. Like this guy:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1215/663514570_04c149f9c1.jpg

I really don't understand why people buy lottery tickets. But they love it. Maybe it is buying a dream.

Great shot, Kathy, I like how you exploited the geometry of how the lottery tickets are stacked, making a picture that might otherwise seem static project into our space.