[fractal]

[jgredline]

Fantastic!

[fractal]

Thank you kindly.

[systemA]

Twok, your set is beautiful!

jgredline I always enjoy seeing your very human images I don't think Twok was trying to criticize persay, but just have some perspective through your mind's eye.

fractal, great set - that short with girl in the hoodie is excellent!

[Oldschool]

A few from my recent trip to Merida, Mexico.

Children in the Grand Plaza



A couple from the Mercado

[TWoK]

A few more, thanks everyone for the accolades. I am indeed not trying to berate anyone. I still would like to know what the feeling is behind your shots, jgredline. Great shots in here everyone!

[K-9]

Great stuff here, Jimmy DL!

jgredline, not to be critical, but looking at your shots, they are always the same style, infinite DoF, hyperfocal, and possibly from the hip. They don't connect me to any subject or person. I know photography is very subjective, don't let me discourage you or anything. I'm just wondering what are you conveying with your shots?

I feel that a majority of jgredline's shots do have strong subjects. Maybe we have a differing view of "street" photography here. I consider jgredline's more street photography than yours, Twok. Simply because he includes more of the actual street and backgrounds. A lot of yours (not all) seem to be closer focused on subjects, and in my mind, those are more street portraits than street photography, if you can understand that. I feel when subjects are truly "picked off" the street for a portrait, it becomes more portrait photography than street photography.

Whenever I take street shots, I usually have subjects even further from the main focal point that either of you. I like several subjects rather than just one. I like several different lives of people joining in one photograph. That's the street to me. It's not a single person.

With that being said, I like both of your work so keep them coming!

[jgredline]

Thanks K-9 and I agree with you. To me street photography is more personal. Dirty in many cases...The reason I post a variety of different styles is because we have different levels of street photographers here...There are some very gifted ones and then there are the very beginner ones...But the real point here is that if you ask 10 different people what street photography is, you will likely get 5 different answers....So to ''me'', I want people who choose to post in a thread I start to feel at home, to feel comfortable..There are occasions when I offer critique, but I always include the constructive part...To many people offer only the critique part..I will not put up with that...We all have different ways of looking at things....

If we look at Twoks pictures, most of those are snap shots and nothing more...But still I enjoy them. I like the facial expressions in some of them and others I like the interaction, but they are nothing special...I could sit with in a corner with a telephoto and take those types of shots all the day long, but that is not what I do....

I also find it amusing that some people want to lump all of ones work based on a few pictures as opposed to the entire context of ones work.....Twok, You do not need to answer this, but ask yourself..Did you ever read the O.P? iF
you would have, many of the questions you asked would have been answered...Here is the O.P.

I know there are many folks who have never done any street shooting and in particular capturing a stranger or strangers...

For those of you that have, you know the rush and excitement in doing so...In capturing that very cool moment.. For those that have not, you don't know what you’re missing...



These are my opinions and what works for ‘’me’’. These should not be considered Gospel... The biggest problem I see with street photography is that there does not seem to be a solid definition of what it is. ''My definition' of Street photography is not simply a ''snap shot'' but it is photograph. Ideally It is well framed, well composed and tells a story. It does not have to contain a stranger or a candid image of a person...Blank streets and many buildings can tell amazing stories all on their own. Of course there are plenty of acceptation as sometimes there is no time to compose and frame and a quick grab shot is all there is…I have these as well and I am glad I have them…Portraits are another type of street shooting that I enjoy…Is there a wrong way to do street shooting? Personally, I don’t think so…Though I have seen some really bad ones…Many of those bad ones I have taken myself..The important thing is to have fun!



I would say that the most important thing to have when shooting strangers, candids or scenes that define a moment is not equipment, but confidence…For some it comes easy and for others it is a struggle…As for me, I do not have a problem with confidence, but still I do get into ruts and when I do, I call it a day and try again another day…Go to the same places over and over again as being familiar with certain places will boost your confidence. The locals will get to know you and not even notice you after a while. The scenes are always different as people are always different…Blend in. Be a Chameleon..

Look like you belong…



When looking for shots, if I come back with ‘’one’’ good capture, I am happy as a clam. When I come back with a few and by a few I mean 4 or 5, I have had a very good day. There are many times when I go out and come back with nothing worth keeping. I am in the club that deletes 90% of my images and this is not to say that I have a 10% keeper rate. It is more like 4-5%. With the majority of my keepers being film. Go figure. I am also not a machine gun shooter. I don’t use burst mode. Personal preference. I try and get the shot. I suppose if I used burst mode, I would have more keepers, but that is simply not my style.



Equipment. I get asked this allot and also read about this allot. It seems that people can get real dogmatic about this…Well, I to have my opinions and can only share what works for me…One of the biggest things that comes up is film VS digital. I would say to use what ever it is that makes you more comfortable. Comfort is king when street shooting as it goes hand in hand with confidence. I myself use a variety of tools.



My favorite tool for street shooting is my Pentax ME SUPER with the Pentax M40F/2.8 lens...(Infact, they are cheap enough that I have three of them all set up slightly different...) I love this combo because it is a really small and light SLR that has a quiet shutter.. With its fast 1/2000 shutter speed, I can take advantage of ASA 400-800 speed films at F/8 to F16..This is important to me because I use hyper focal or zone focusing making it a true point and shoot with exceptional sharpness from 5 feet to about 25 feet…I also use a 50F/1.4 or 55F/1.2 lens…More and more I have started to use a 28 or 35mm lens as well, …By using film, I am also forced to really pick my shot and try and nail it because every picture I take cost me money..I literally approach shooting film with the mind set ‘’is it a picture I would buy’’…Silly? ..Maybe, but it works for me. My keeper rate with film is far better than with digital.



When I use my DSLR’s, I have found that my Tamron 28-75F/2.8 lens is my favorite, though I find myself mostly in the 28-50mm range.. I have started to use my Sigma 10-20mm and 31 limited more often now. These seem to be working better for me as I can get really close, personal and I get better shots.. (Note: These are on crop bodies)

I don’t take telephoto lenses with me anymore as they are simply to big, heavy and bulky and scream….’’look at me’’..This of course is a personal preference, but each person has to decide what he/she is more comfortable with..



Surprisingly, many of my best captures have been caught with my G9 or G10 or SD780IS Yep ..Point and shoots. They are the easiest things to use in many situations…I also use a couple of bridge cameras. I have a Fuji S9100 and Fuji S100FS...Both are great cams, but get little use because of their size...For a list of some of my equipment, click here.



Things that I do and don’t do…First, I avoid eye contact with my subject most of the time unless I am trying to get their attention.. Don’t think to much, just shoot. If you think, you will likely miss the moment and or chicken out. Don’t hide, but be obvious. If you hide, you will let out creepy vibes and peoples senses will be directed at you...be friendly and smile allot. Talk to people..The most common thing I hear when taking folks pictures is ..’’sorry, I got in your shot’’..I just smile and chuckle…I have found that when people ask me why did I take their picture, I am honest with my reason .. Lying does not work well for me as I am a lousy liar. I always get caught so I avoid it. Most people are happy to have their picture taken, especially the ladies. There are times when I will ask a stranger if I can take their picture..Though not often, because I prefer the true candid…When I shoot street performers, I try and catch them candidly, but I pay them after wards. They are out to make a living and I can appreciate that…When I shoot people that are down on their luck, I will not walk away and leave them empty handed..This of course is me…

[jgredline]

I.D. help please...

Ok, I was at universal city walk a couple of weeks back when in comes these people with these body guards..The Teen choice awards where going to be taking place in a few hours...Now I did not think much of it at the time until one of the body guards thought I was a pap and threatened to to break my camera...Well after that, I literally did stalk who ever these celebs where and managed to get these not so go pics as I was really not ready..Shame on me for that, but does anyone have any idea who these celebs are?.. These where also before I did the K-7 update that fixed the miss focus problems.





The back of one of the body guards trying to block my shot.




I almost had a great head shot!


and then this one, That I did not realize I had...

[K-9]

I tend to find that I also get better street shots on film. I wonder if it's the ease of use. No histograms or white balance to worry about. You just shoot with more ease, I think. And I've also grabbed some excellent street shots with an Olympus point and shoot. Mind you it's a damn good one with a 35mm f2.8 lens that I've even gotten surprisingly sharp slides with.

With the point and shoot, there's even less to worry about than on an SLR. I think you were right about comfort. If you're comfortable with getting the shot, you'll get it easier than trying to fiddle and work at it. I think there's less time and effort involved in quickly putting a point and shoot to your eye and snapping than there is with manually focusing a range finder, or setting aperture with an SLR or DSLR.

What I find to be the best street shots are when you have 3-6 subjects in it to look at. At least 3 different stories to tell in the shot. I want the viewer to be thinking, "look at that kid laughing and having fun and that man who looks mad over to the side, and that person who looks lost walking by, and that shut down restaurant". I want a long look at my photo because there's so much to take in on the street. That's the toughest shot to get. The defining moment when everything on the street seems to be happening at once. I think it's also described as the "decisive" moment. It's all in when to snap, not just what to snap.

[fractal]

If we look at Twoks pictures, most of those are snap shots and nothing more...

I think, in essence, most candid/stranger shots are 'snap shots'. The 'snap' for me is the minimal preparation for the shot which is, let's face it, what happens most of the time. Hell, i'd say most of the shots I take are snap shots. I think picking the subject out brings more depth to the candid images though.

[jgredline]

I tend to find that I also get better street shots on film. I wonder if it's the ease of use. No histograms or white balance to worry about. You just shoot with more ease, I think. And I've also grabbed some excellent street shots with an Olympus point and shoot. Mind you it's a damn good one with a 35mm f2.8 lens that I've even gotten surprisingly sharp slides with.

With the point and shoot, there's even less to worry about than on an SLR. I think you were right about comfort. If you're comfortable with getting the shot, you'll get it easier than trying to fiddle and work at it. I think there's less time and effort involved in quickly putting a point and shoot to your eye and snapping than there is with manually focusing a range finder, or setting aperture with an SLR or DSLR.

What I find to be the best street shots are when you have 3-6 subjects in it to look at. At least 3 different stories to tell in the shot. I want the viewer to be thinking, "look at that kid laughing and having fun and that man who looks mad over to the side, and that person who looks lost walking by, and that shut down restaurant". I want a long look at my photo because there's so much to take in on the street. That's the toughest shot to get. The defining moment when everything on the street seems to be happening at once. I think it's also described as the "decisive" moment. It's all in when to snap, not just what to snap.

I agree with all that you wrote...I Love shooting street with film, because it is easier and faster. Set the camera to zone focus and your ready to go.

[jgredline]

I think, in essence, most candid/stranger shots are 'snap shots'. The 'snap' for me is the minimal preparation for the shot which is, let's face it, what happens most of the time. Hell, i'd say most of the shots I take are snap shots. I think picking the subject out brings more depth to the candid images though.

I agree which is my point...I believe the same to be true of many of mine and there is nothing wrong with that...

[fractal]

Well, we all know what we like and what we don't like. I'll leave it at that.

that shot with girl in the hoodie is excellent!

Thanks. Out of the thousands and thousands of shots I took in China that is one of my favourites.

[K-9]

How far back does everyone's street photography go? I'd love to see some vintage street stuff! I believe the first I took were in 1997.