People watching

Category :- street

Statue of "Yankee Jack" in Watchet Harbour Somerset watching people go by.

1) composition

2) use of b&w

3) Too many people in the shot?

Hi Ken here goes.

1) composition generally good but maybe the notice and pole are not ideally placed.

2) The photo suits the use of B&W.

3) I don't see the amount of people in the shot an issue. I see Yankee Jack looking at a little family scene. Mother and toddler, father with middle child on his shoulders and big brother with the pushchair looking on.

BR.............GC.

Hi Ken here goes.

1) composition generally good but maybe the notice and pole are not ideally placed.

2) The photo suits the use of B&W.

3) I don't see the amount of people in the shot an issue. I see Yankee Jack looking at a little family scene. Mother and toddler, father with middle child on his shoulders and big brother with the pushchair looking on.

BR.............GC.

GC. Thank you for your involvement and favourable comments. Yes the notice and pole do spoil the centre of this image but little could be done in pp to remove them successfully and maintain the group of people. Best regards Ken.

Ken, it’s not my favourite shot of yours and I don’t get the “watcher” theme. I think you would have been better off moving to YJ’s right and shooting YJ and his and the others’ shadows from a low vantage point(if that makes sense). Easier said than done, no doobt.

The "watcher" theme was meant to be a little light-hearted, suggesting that Yankee Jack is watching the people. Your suggestion makes a lot of sense, I've taken lots of images of YJ from most view points, this is just a little different taken as a "street" shot. Thanks for your constructive comment. BR Ken.

1) composition - I like all of the individual elements, except, perhaps, the random people. However, the image does not feel purposeful or insightful to me, and does not present a unique or engaging perspective of the elements.

2) use of b&w - Nicely processed in B&W.

3) Too many people in the shot? - Yes.

Harsh shadows, poor composition and pole coming out of YJ's head. Delete.

Get beyond trying to save weak photos. Oh, I'm sure that B&W is best for this image, but it doesn't "fix it." Don't fix images. Get them right by thinking and working the scene. Don't "grab" a shot without thinking ahead to how it'll look when finished. Post processing, for most of us, should be about touching up, not rescuing.

Category :- street

Statue of "Yankee Jack" in Watchet Harbour Somerset watching people go by.

1) composition

2) use of b&w

3) Too many people in the shot?

1. 'composition': the main Subject has a pole coming out of his head - disturbing. Other elements of Composition are confusing to the Story (see point 3.)

2. 'use of b&w': good B&W conversion. Rich tones and a wide of tonal range- especially good detail held in the range of 'blacks' of the main Subject.

3. 'Too many people in the shot?': Not 'too many' - the timing of the shot is incorrect (for the title): they are not 'going by' - there is not a continuum of movement and there is not a defined one direction of movement of the Secondary Subjects.

WW

IMO, 'Harsh Shadows' of themsleves do not necessarily constitute poor composition, nor a poor element of a photograph, nor a poor basis for a photograph.

WW

IMO, 'Harsh Shadows' of themsleves do not necessarily constitute poor composition, nor a poor element of a photograph, nor a poor basis for a photograph.

 

WW

It's good to read a differing opinion. I still would try to avoid them. However, here, the shooting angle does tend to minimize their negative impact.

Hitchcock was good with harsh shadows, as were some other great cine makers; my initial passion for the technique lays there, in cine.

Chiaroscuro used in (oil) art is also a passion of mine: in more modern times, Bill Henson's portraits, I also greatly appreciate.

WW

IMO, 'Harsh Shadows' of themsleves do not necessarily constitute poor composition, nor a poor element of a photograph, nor a poor basis for a photograph.

 

WW

Likewise a pole coming out of a head, especially of a statue. Had the pole been even more emphasized maybe by being even more dead center on the head and/or by having the people walking by a little further away, and had the contrast of statue and people been made more obvious through a more severe perspective on the entire scene, the pole/head combo could act as a sort of visual defiance of a rule (or at least an “in” joke) while visually commenting on the artificiality of the watcher.

I try to think of photographic “don’ts”, in some cases, as potential challenges rather than rules to live by.

Harsh shadows and distracting elements like background poles can be tough to work with, but that’s no reason to avoid them all the time. It’s more reason to be aware of them and occasionally put them to unexpected use. It’s having things appear as either out of place or mistakes that can cause trouble.

As far as the strong shadows here, they don’t add much but also don’t detract much. As they say, they are what they are. That’s sometimes the case with street work where the story is dominant and where what might distract in a fine art photo is an acceptable part of life in a more candid and real-life setting. There are times of day where shadows on the street will be strong. Better to know that and account for it in the tone and tenor of your photos than having to avoid those times of day altogether.