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 This image was disqualified from the Candid III challenge.
The Street Performer
The Street Performer
Rikki


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Candid III (Basic Editing III)
Camera: Canon EOS-20D
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Location: San Francisco, California
Date: Apr 9, 2006
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/500 seconds
Galleries: Candid, Photojournalism
Date Uploaded: Apr 11, 2006

 Challenge Entry No. 255

This past weekend I went to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. I brought along one lens, my 50mm in the hopes of capturing some photos for my portfolio. As I meandered my way around to Ghirardelli Square, I saw this street performer laughing his heart out. He's known to the tourists as "the smiling guitar player". He would constantly serenade everyone passing by and crack jokes making them feel at ease and hoping that a bit of laughter and humor from his part would entice them to drop a dollar or two in his hat. I watched him for about 30 minutes as passer by after passer by, he would stop them dead on their tracks because of his infectious laugh.

A few Japanese tourists pass by and even with the language barrier, he managed to get a smile from them.

"Where are ya'll from" he said.
"Japan".
"Oh Japan! Did you know I'm half Japanese?"
"No" was the resounding answer.

Then to much of everyone's amazement, he spoke Japanese.

"Konichiwa! Ohisashi burides. Genki des ka?"
(Hello. Long time no see. How are you doing?)

He even serenaded them in Japanese. They carried on the conversation for about 10 minutes and sure enough, a couple of dollar bills were dropped in his hat.

He was so much fun to watch. I managed to get enough courage to point my camera and shoot. Since I only had my 50mm, I had to move closer. Then he said to me, "You're Filipino right?". I said yes. Then he told me, in Tagalog, that he doesn't photograph that well so I might just ruin my camera. So no close ups. I was floored.

This shot was taken about 10 feet away from him and cropped really tightly. I wish I had Meera's 100mm macro with me that day. But c'est la vie. I am happy how this turned out and I hope the voter's could see the laughter and joy he brings to everyone along the streets of San Francisco.

Post Processing
Shot in RAW and processed with RSE. I used mostly Highlight and Shadows to bring out his face from the shadows. Converted to Lab Color and adjusted levels. Desaturated and adjusted color balance to create sepia effect. Ran through NI @ 15% just to remove some visble noise since it was a tight crop. Cropped and applied 15 pixel stroke. Applied slight USM and saved for web.

IMG_3908.CR2

Disqualification Details
Any attempts to alter the point totals in any way for any photograph will result in immediate loss of account and a ban from the site. Photographs by any participating parties may also be removed from past or current challenges.

Statistics
Views since voting: 2061
Views during voting: 355
Comments: 44
Favorites: 6 (view)

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AuthorThread
 05/16/2006 03:45:19 PM
Nice capture of this guys mood/emotion, but I wish that I could also see the sticker on his guitar. Looks like it says something to the effect of "making people smile". It would have added even more to his expression and the picture as a whole. good decision on the overall color of the photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/04/2006 04:06:44 AM
astig papa rikki!!
ehehehe..!
(^o^)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/29/2006 01:19:41 PM
Thanks everyone who had commented and were touched by this image.
 04/22/2006 05:19:20 PM
Beautiful tones and wonderful expression. Great capture! Regards, B.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/21/2006 07:24:57 PM
Wow!!! I met this guy in San Francisco in 1987 I never forget him, amazing guy. Great shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/20/2006 09:53:38 AM
Enjoyed the story, loved the ambience you caught. Still on the roll I see. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/20/2006 08:45:44 AM
Just keep crankin' 'em out huh? (wink)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 10:35:52 PM
Aha! I knew tyhis was a great image when I saw it. Congrats on your top 5 ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 09:29:34 PM
Thank you for the story. Love the photo and the tale behind it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 04:17:02 PM
Awesome! Love the story too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 03:49:18 PM
Fifth place - way to go! Great story also!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 02:59:41 PM
Truly amazing. I don't know which I'm more in awe of, the story or the photo. Well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 01:56:35 PM
You've captured the spirit of your subject, really well done! Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 10:44:25 AM
Yo Rikki...congratulations on your 5th spot. What a wonderful shot! You are a gun!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 04:58:24 AM
Cool B/W Rikki, he looks like John Amos (actor), great find.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 12:55:09 AM
guess it didn't matter ;-) congrats on your excellent finish!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 12:48:35 AM
galing ng pinsan ko!
GOOD JOB! =)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 12:45:23 AM
Great job! This picture really does convey this guy's emotion well. Congrats on the placing.

Message edited by author 2006-04-19 00:46:07.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 12:37:50 AM
This shot has a lot of character and story. I didn't vote in this challenge due to lack of time but I would have scored this one very high as well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 12:20:51 AM
You were robbed man. I had this ranked 4th. :P
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 12:19:56 AM
Gotta say, Rikki, I really prefer this kind of excellent work than the glasses shots. Not that you don't do those well, mind you, but this is wonderful - and I live the stories that go with the pictures like this!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2006 12:13:36 AM
Awesome!! YAY Rikki!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
04/18/2006 11:23:49 PM
Lets jam....great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/18/2006 08:03:34 PM
Great capturing the expression!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/18/2006 07:55:48 PM
interesting subject. too bad you didn't catch him playing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/18/2006 05:18:35 PM
Wow, amazing capture. I love the coloring and expression.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/17/2006 05:03:49 PM
Nicely done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/17/2006 01:05:11 AM
Beautiful capture, nice toning. I expect a high placement but I don't really care for the border.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/16/2006 01:38:03 PM
You have a border merger, but I think it works for this picture. Very ncie shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2006 04:55:53 PM
among my fav...very expressiveness! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2006 12:18:00 PM
Great capture of expression...nice doen in sepia. Top rating.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2006 12:06:12 PM
Awesome picture. Good expression on his face. Nice simple background. I like the white border too, it brings out the white in the photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2006 09:48:07 AM
Catching this guy in jovial moment really makes this photo. Like the treatment as well. Very nice!

Message edited by author 2006-04-19 00:18:09.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2006 05:37:39 AM
Really cool shot -- NOT a fan of the border.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 09:23:46 PM
Outstanding... :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 04:48:11 PM
Great shot! I used to work in near Aquatic Park in San Francisco and would see this guy daily. His expression is priceless. Nice contrast!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 04:28:58 PM
looks like he just put a smile on someone else's face with his music! great emotion captured!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 04:16:15 PM
bumping up
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 12:49:19 PM
I don't usually like comments or give them, but since candids are near and dear to my heart, I have decided to comment on every photo in this challenge.

This is lovely. Beautiful tones used. Love the bright smile, and the guitar adds interest. Nice story being told here of a happy man with his happy hobby. However, the crop isn't great. I want that whole hat to show, and of course, the hat is a nightmare for candid photographers and the shadows on the face show that nightmare for this shot. Still the emotion comes through well, and I give it a 7.
 04/12/2006 12:19:29 PM
Strong image. I have a preference for a less straight-forward kind of candid work, usually wanting more than just a show of character; which is not to knock this, as it is certainly one of the better entries.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 11:19:58 AM
great shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 07:03:12 AM
Nice candid.I would like to see the rest of his hat in frame though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 06:57:55 AM
excellent, love the edit
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2006 12:42:39 AM
Love the look! What did the sign say? It sorta looks like "...your smile", which would have been quite fitting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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