Critique #19 Theme *Street Photography*: 5 Participants

[RayPA]

Welcome to this critique thread. Please read the purpose statement and the guidelines/ground rules regarding participation.

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The primary purpose of this thread is to provide a forum where photographers can give and receive constructive criticism on one another's photographs. By setting up some basic guidelines we hope that this thread will provide a forum where the give and take of honest constructive criticism can help us become better photographers.

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This thread is now active, please follow the guidelines if you'd like to participate! Have Fun!



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[sbug]

Count me in please.

[Pherdinand]

me too,me too!

[sbug]

BUMP. 3 more needed.

[Iyidin_Kyeimo]

This looks interesting, count me in too!

[raid]

I'm in.

Raid

[Silva Lining]

I'm in to make it 5!

[raid]

Here is my image for critique; night scene in one of the streets in Florence.


Raid

[raid]

Please post your images.

Raid

[Pherdinand]

here's my contribution. No title.

[Silva Lining]

Heres my photo - entitled 'Headspin'

[Iyidin_Kyeimo]

My photograph: 'Biffa'

[raid]

This leaves only Sbug to post an image.


Monday: We are still waiting for Sbug.

[sbug]

Sorry for the delay, I ignored the internet yesterday.

[raid]

Originally Posted by sbug

Sorry for the delay, I ignored the internet yesterday.

Sbug:
I like this photo, but I don't like the dark top part of it. I would suggest to consider cropping horizontally from the top down to the white line (not in the shade). This will give you an additional graphical effect.


Raid

[raid]

Originally Posted by Iyidin_Kyeimo

My photograph: 'Biffa'

Iyidin,

The dark vertical line bothers me. I would crop vertically from the left of the image up to line before the sitting man. This will focus the shot on this man.

Raid

[raid]

Originally Posted by Pherdinand

here's my contribution. No title.

Pherdinand: This is a very nice photo. I also like shooting down from the top. There isn't much I could suggest about your photo. The graphical impact is strong. The right side has colors and it is needed. The walking man cannot be moved, and I wish his feet were not hidden by the piano. Nice photo.

Raid

[raid]

Originally Posted by Silva Lining

Heres my photo - entitled 'Headspin'

Silva,

The image looks dark to me. The lighter background may have caused an underexposure of the people. Zooming in on the dancing person may help. I tried to make some changes to your image, but I am unsure if I succeeded!

Raid

[Pherdinand]

raid: I like that it gives the impression of a busy night traffic, and also that it is panned so the window lights etc are also blurred, gives an extra sense of motion.
I would like it even more if there were some walkers on the left side, maybe, or silhouettes in front of the window/door/... Also, technically - it is noisy/grainy a bit over the edge, for me, but i guess there's not much to do about that.

pherdinand: Oh that's me

silva lining: I like the action and the crowd watching the action. The guy's face comes as a bit of surprise since it is barely visible. Wish there was a bit less blur - or better separation from the background - on his feet, though. Also, a lower angle of view could have put more accent on the person itself, maybe. But i like it.

iyidin: good face, pity about the reflections in the glass. Also, there are three elements in the shot. Two would be enough, like the guy looking at you and the biffa. The third guy just makes me wonder, ok where should I look now.

sbug: Funny I wish their shadow would be fully in the frame. You picked the right moment, with the arc starting from them and going towards the other guy.

cheers
pherdinand

[sbug]

OK, here goes:

Raid: This is a nice pan. I'm surprised the motorcyclist is sharp while the auto headlights are not. Either way, it conveyes speed well. That said, I'm not sure what else is going on in this frame. There is a real mood to the photo though so I assume if I'd been there, it would have a greater impact.

Pherdinand: Very unique angle. Sometimes the overhead shot works well in the street. I like this shot quite a bit but I wonder if a wider angle would give a bit better story. How is the pianist interacting with his surroundings? Slightly overexposed too but that's no deal breaker. I see lots of potential with this and I'd suggest camping out in the same location and trying some different focal lengths and waiting to see what else might happen around the piano.

Silva Lining: Anyone spinning on their head grabs my attention and from the photo, I'm obviously not alone. This seems cropped and I'd like to know what was cropped out. I'd suggest a more horizontal crop with less trees. Maybe also look for something interesting in the surrounding crowd to compliment the performer. I like the choice of shutter speed which puts the performer in motion.

Iyidin_Kyeimo: I liked this right away. I love the eye contact and his expression. The grittiness of the dirty glass you shot through adds to the image. I do find the pillar distracting where it is. If you had been a half step further to the right I think the pillar would be in a less distracting location and it wouldn';t have cut off his toes. Overall, a great shot.

[Silva Lining]

Raid,

I like the framing of your shot, almost looks like its on television, I love Florence and the sound of the scooters is ubiquitous. I think you have done a good job on panning as the scooter is spot on. The colours and atmosphere of this photo remind me of the Scorsese film, Taxi Driver. A small criticism would be that I think the shot would have been stronger without the car (Not a lot you could have done to avoid it I know!) But there is another scooter behind the car, which I think would have made the shot even better. But that is being picky.

Pherdinand
I like the angles in this shot they contrast with the the curve of the piano. I gives a sense of intrigue as I want to find out what music he is playing and who the pianist is - He could almost be Jools Holland. My only criticism would be that of the guy in the top right. I think the composition would have been stronger with the guy looking at the pianist, but you might not have had much choice there!!

Iyidin
I really like this shot. A great expression on the face of the guy in centre-frame - I would crop this one a square to remove the guy on the right of the frame as I don't think he is adding much to the shot.

sbug
I love the linkage that the dotted line makes between the group at the bottom of the frame and the bearded guy at the top. It is a shame that the shadows of the group are cut-off , but if you had waited to they were in shot then the linkage would have been lost.

[Iyidin_Kyeimo]

Raid: Pan has been done nicely, pretty much spot on for the scooter. I also like the warm colour. Gives a great city-at-night mood. Just wish it was a little less noisy. Also, I think perhaps the colour cast is just slightly too strong.

Pherdinand: Bold composition, love the unusual angle and the strong shapes from the floortiles. I would have liked to see more interaction between the subjects though, as it's a little passive like this. Maybe a little longer hanging around (hopefully not literally, though from the angle I wouldn't know... )

Silva: Fantastic subject, begging for a a photo and you've taken a great one. It's caught perfectly with the guy square on facing the camera. The main improvement I think this need is a better quality scan and, more importantly, less contrast. On my screen you're losing the blacks of the coats and whites of the pavement/sky. Without seeing the negative though, don't know how much is due to the scene (which admitedly does look very contrasty) and how much is the subsequent processing... I'd also have tried to go higher if possible, lower and you lose him against the crowd, conversely with higher you see him better against the pavement while cutting out the less interesting tree/building background.

sbug: Another strong composition, hitting the thirds. Interesting shot, I like the way the curve leads me around the frame. However, I think the guy at the top is too close to the edge (head on the third rather than his feet). Otherwise, good job!

[Silva Lining]

Thanks for your comments guys. I took my photo with a Voigtlander Vitomatic IIa with a Color Skopar 50/2.8 lens. I think I was using a G2 yellow filter at the time, which wont have helped with the contrast! The performer was spinning quite fast which accounts for the blur. The thing I like about this photo is the expresions on the faces of the audience (and the perfromer) they range from amusement to genuine concern! I also like little details, such as how a father and son have almost identical poses (child is on fathers shoulders on right-hand-side) Looking at this shot agin, the scan is not that great either.

[raid]

I was walking late at night in Florence when I saw the scooter and car so I tried panning. I used Scotch 1000 E6 film which has this grainy look. I hardly ever pan, so this was a test for me.

Raid