Challenge : Street Portraiture - DPChallenge Forums

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

06/11/2010 03:13:53 PM · #1

Challenge : Street Portraiture - Take a formal (non-candid) natural light, Portrait of a complete and total stranger(s). Any location will do..street, starbucks, bowling alley, subway, coffee shop, the park, pool hall, church..............

Message edited by author 2010-06-14 18:00:40.

Yo_Spiff

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

06/11/2010 03:18:13 PM · #2

Yes! I think my last couple of freestudies have been this sort of thing and I've been enjoying doing these sort of shots.

Also, I wasn't quite sure what to call them, so thank you for giving me a name for the genre.

Message edited by author 2010-06-11 15:24:33.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

06/11/2010 05:18:30 PM · #3

JustCaree

Canon EOS-1000D Rebel XS

06/11/2010 11:17:37 PM · #4

round here you get shot for doing stuff like that lol

06/12/2010 08:59:18 AM · #5

Originally posted by JustCaree:

round here you get shot for doing stuff like that lol

Awww c'mon...can't be any more difficult than anywhere else in the world. Are you telling me Old Hickory, folk are just plain mean...across the board?

Here are a few DPCer shots from the NYC GTG...

Message edited by author 2010-06-12 09:11:33.

bvy

Sigma DP1x

06/12/2010 01:47:48 PM · #6

Originally posted by JustCaree:

round here you get shot for doing stuff like that lol

I doubt that.

Anyway, great idea, Steve. These are a bit lacking in my portfolio.

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

06/14/2010 11:25:47 AM · #7

I'm curious why this topic didn't resonate with the crowd here? Is it the degree of difficulty, fear... people don't understand what it is?

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

06/14/2010 12:22:39 PM · #8

Originally posted by pawdrix:

I'm curious why this topic didn't resonate with the crowd here? Is it the degree of difficulty, fear... people don't understand what it is?

Most shooters are uncomfortable with the idea of approaching strangers explicitly for the purpose of photographing them. That's been my experience, when I was teaching; I used to give this exact subject as an assignment, and the results were consistently weak.

R.

Message edited by author 2010-06-14 12:23:09.

tnun

Ricoh GR III

Pentax DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6ED AL [IF] WR DC

06/14/2010 01:08:40 PM · #9

It's a toughie.

LevT

OM System OM-1

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

06/14/2010 01:28:45 PM · #10

great challenge, but non-New-Yorkers should be given one point handicap. NYC is one of the best (and easiest) places to shoot street portraits: lots of amazing characters and many of them are easily approachable... like this guy, for example

rooum

06/14/2010 01:37:06 PM · #11

I'm keen.

Here's a recent one of mine.

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

06/14/2010 03:57:35 PM · #12

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

...and that's exactly why it should be run as a Challenge. It would be nice if people understood, what it's all about and it would better help them appreciate what goes into it.

Originally posted by LevT:

I don't know how easy it is...especially if you're trying to get a good pose and properly use the light...that's actually not quite a lay-up (to use a Basketball term). NYC might have a good selection BUT I doubt people are any less or more approachable here than anywhere else on the planet. I mean...people are posting up great shots of people from England, India, Cambodia...Peru etc. every minute of the day on the internet...right????

Message edited by author 2010-06-20 09:35:54.

LevT

OM System OM-1

06/14/2010 04:09:55 PM · #13

Originally posted by pawdrix:

Originally posted by LevT:
great challenge, but non-New-Yorkers should be given one point handicap. NYC is one of the best (and easiest) places to shoot street portraits: lots of amazing characters and many of them are easily approachable... like this guy, for example

I don't know how easy it is...especially if you're trying to get a good pose and properly use the light...that's actually not quite a lay-up (to use a Basketball term). NYC might have a good selection BUT I doubt people are any less or more approachable here than anywhere else on the planet. I mean...people are posting up great shots of people from England, India, Cambodia...Peru etc. every minute of the day on the internet...right????

yeah that's true... but I was mostly comparing NYC to other US cities (excluding San Francisco, which is another gold mine), where most of DPC resides... First of all, there are very few people on the streets in general, and then (perhaps for that very reason as well) they are much more sensitive to their photos being taken by strangers. New Yorkers, they are so used to living their life "in public", they ether don't give a damn, or appreciate the attention :).

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

06/14/2010 06:00:26 PM · #14

Originally posted by LevT:

Originally posted by pawdrix:

Challenge : Street Portraiture - ........Any location will do..street, starbucks, bowling alley, subway, coffee shop, the park, pool hall, church............

Keep in mind, that I did broaden the concept to insure a wide variety of locations...that exist EVERYWHERE! If all those places can't produce opportunities, I don't know what to say.

Techo

Canon EOS-7D

06/14/2010 06:39:25 PM · #15

Another vote for Street Portraiture. I'm all for folks getting out of their comfort zones. For me non candids are easier than candids. As I feel that I'm not intruding without permission. With certain candids I feel like a paparazzi ;)

Like this one. I turn around there they were. The subjects aren't cearly recognizable but still.

Message edited by author 2010-06-16 19:38:23.

MacDonald

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

06/14/2010 06:45:26 PM · #16

If I could make a suggestion - I know that people get called out for photographing street people but for the past 2 years I shoot the un-housed and then edit them so they look their best and give them 6 - 4x6 prints - they are so appreciative as many don't even know what they look like.

They don't always have access to anything but public bathrooms and if there are mirrors they are usually made of a shiny metal.

I also give them envelopes and a pen and they mail them to their families or friends for thanksgiving or the Holiday Season. I do a lot of pp on them to wipe out the ravages of street living.

Here are a few that I have given out and I have not used them in challenges and they are always taken with permission and I do not take advantage of anyone. They love to pose for these shots as they know I will give them the prints.

I probably have about 40 more but this is just to give a general idea of how to get portraits the easy way.

tnun

Ricoh GR III

Pentax DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6ED AL [IF] WR DC

06/14/2010 06:49:38 PM · #17

that was nice, Saker. respect.

06/14/2010 07:02:27 PM · #18

Originally posted by pawdrix:

Here are a few DPCer shots from the NYC GTG...

Hey, that center one's MINE!!!!

Woo hoo! I' been DPC tagged by

pawdrix.

My work here is done! LOL!!!

06/14/2010 07:06:47 PM · #19

Originally posted by Techo:

Oh, my! That's freakin' COOL!!! Great capture!!!

06/14/2010 07:23:05 PM · #20

I call 'em semi-random candids......I'll meet someone, or even just walk up to them and start talking to them, and then just ask them if I may take a shot of them. I get more affirmative answers than not. This shot Steve called out is an example.

I saw him, thought he had a great face, and asked if he'd mind after we chatted a bit. The smile was easy and genuine, and IMNSHO, really lit him up.

This one is a personal favorite.....

I met her at a gallery opening where I had a couple images displayed, and I just point blank told her I thought she'd photograph beautifully, and would she mind if I shot her. Obviously, she said that it was fine, and she obliged with this enigmatic look that I just loved. She was coming out the door of the gallery with a dim incandescent bulb in a dirty fixture spilling this wan light over her that made it lovely. She liked it, too. Hand held, stupid high ISO, the works, yet I am really happy with it.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to get people to be okay with semi-random candids simply by striking up a conversation with them and working it in.....sometimes they'll decline, and sometimes you know without asking that it won't fly, but when it does, you usually get a new friend out of the experience.

This one was another on-the-fly shot. I have been shooting the girls at the salon where I get my hair cut for a couple years......we have fun, and I've matted and framed shots of each of them over time when they were working. Every now and then I'll get ones that are like this that are just fun.

Not that great an image, but I liked the way it captured her mood.

I'd love a street portraiture challenge.

06/14/2010 08:47:39 PM · #21

For the record...no candids. Posed or somewhat formal at least, where the subjects IS playing to the camera to whatever degree.

Zigomar

Fujifilm X100T

Lensbaby 2.0

06/14/2010 10:04:21 PM · #22

06/15/2010 07:21:22 PM · #23

Maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps there is no learning benefit for DPCers to try getting comfortable shooting strangers. Outside of Weddings, Events work, the occasional commercial shoot...how often does it really come up in a Photographers life?

Message edited by author 2010-06-15 19:22:20.