shots from london, barcelona, scotland

[stephen_mclaren1]

Hi there,

 

New camera (350D), new flickr gallery...be interested in any thoughts.

 

 

All shot in the last two months.

 

Cheers

 

Stephen

[ray .]

I think you did a careful job of putting these together, and

technically they're good, but I don't think your vision is developed

to a significant point yet. Keep looking, and study and look at

contemporary photography, and photography of the great

photographers of the past. These have a somewhat superficial

commercial photojournalistic feel to them right now. How long

have you been photographing?

[michaelkh]

"but I don't think your vision is developed to a significant point yet"

 

To be honest, I think that's a canned response. This phrase always reads to me like a

standard criticism of "photos I don't think are great but can't fault technically", and as with

so many people who use this expression, you really need to back it up with more than

"keep looking" and "study the greats". C'mon.

 

Stephen: personally I _really_ like the carpark and roadlines shots - these are as well

observed as any I've seen, and significantly clearer than my own efforts.

[barefoot]

<i> Keep looking, and study and look at contemporary photography, and photography of the

great photographers of the past.</i>

<p>

I agree with Ray. If a "street-photo" doesn't contain an image of an unemployed black man,

with worn out shoes, standing on a street corner (preferably across 110th street), then it aint

street.

<p>

Other than that, I like your weird angle/perspective shots.

[Allen Herbert]

Keep looking, and study and look at contemporary photography, and photography of the great photographers of the past.

 

And eventually, if you try really hard,you will develop a style just like them.

 

How sad is that. Sorry Ray.

 

Find your own vision.

 

Enjoyed your photos i thought they were very good.

[steve_west]

i liked 'roadlines', 'orangewoman', 'mangrass', busshelter' and 'manwallstaring'... probably in

that order too... yeah, nice.

[maria_s.]

I don't dig zoom in the street/doc genre much. And I don't like bad cropping. I thought Girl Communion shot is interesting but putting so many elements on the edges of the pic makes me feel dizzy -- it could use some more space. Mangrass suffers from same disease -- tight, surgically clean cropping. I think you have a good eye but no guts -- you don't get close to your subject, you shoot from far and then crop extensively -- that leaves your main composition hanged in the limbo, a sort of artificial reality. It shows. And it is rather annoying.

 

<p>Now, to these who don't like Ray's comments: Your comments on Ray's comments make no sense -- people have a right to say what they think, especially when invited. You want only good reviews, go on Flickr. </p>

 

<p>And yes, my comment on your comments on Ray's comments shouldn't be here either. </p>

[Allen Herbert]

And yes, my comment on your comments on Ray's comments shouldn't be here either.

 

Just a comment, on your comment,about your comment,Maria.I would just like to comment on that comment you made to Ray. I think the comment you made was a justified comment, and Ray had a right to his comment, about the comment of free speech. Of course we all have a right to comment on a comment it's a two way street.

 

Just a comment on your comment. There.

[michael s.]

My comment: I think <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/29485311@N00/25415944/>Bridge</a> is very, very funny. It appears that the young man is doing his best to keep the tree from blowing off the photographer's head. (Perhaps this is just me as I don't have the right glasses with me at the computer?)

[michaelkh]

I was merely asking Ray (who is a rather good photographer) for more detailed input.

When I see people using the 'develop your vision' critique I always want them to flesh it out

a bit more than that, that's all.

 

One does not 'develop a vision' simply by learning to look and studying the greats. It

would be perfectly possible, given those two criteria, to develop a habit of copying the

greats. Photography like Ray's comes from somewhere else, and I always want to know

what motivates that.

[maria_s.]

Not my business really but guys, really, Stephen asked for a crit, he wanted to hear what we think about his photographs so why waste time on telling Ray what he should, or not, do.

After second look, Stephen, I like your abstract compositions best.

[ray .]

I'm not going to bother arguing with you Allen. What you said in

your first post is just pretty lame.

[barefoot]

I think people get pissed off when certain people try and associate themselves with the

greats. Why did Ray even mention the greats?

[ray .]

OK, now we should not only avoid looking at them, we shouldn't

even mention them. You guys are killing me.

[vasilis]

I will agree with others that as a street shooter you are shy and not approaching a lot, and maybe using long lenses. Eitherway apart from this remark I liked a lot your photos. I liked the compositions and the perspectives in most of you photos. I think that you have developed (or you are developing) a personal style that it is not of the classical street shooter.

[stephen_mclaren1]

HI there,

 

Very pleased to have had some strong reactions to my photography, which is I admit

still immature, but that's why I asked for opinions.

 

I know some of the London street photo guys at in-public (www.in-public.com) and

very much admire what they are doing in the genre. I've also spent a fair bit of time

looking at the work of the "greats", be it Winnogrand, Ray-Jones, or Frank. So I know

what the good stuff looks like and I know that I'm not anywhere near that. That said, I

am trying to find my own way/style and that is currently involving unusual

perspectives, high colour and graphical elements. Grimy, B&W, fixed lens it aint!

 

One of the crits has been the over use of zooms and cropping. Yes, getting close to

the subjects is a continual hurdle for me, though a few of the shots which were

accused of "lacking guts" were actually taken within three feet using a 18mm (28mm

equivalent) lens. I tend to use very wide-angle, oddly-skewed views when possible. I

also have journalistic impulses ( I ocassionaly write features), so some of the shots

using the zoom are that way because that was the best way I could describe the

scene...Ok so they may be more reportage than "street".

 

Subject matter concerns are also very important to me. I've seen some great shots of

NYC (and London) where vagrants/street people and old people are featured as

emblemtatic of a city's crueller side. While not denying the power of these kind of

shots, I dont think I've got much to add in this vein that hasn't been said much more

eloquently elsewhere. Also, I sometimes feel that these kind of shots often become

exploitative when not done with the right motives/sympathies. All in all a very

complex area for me.

 

I've now posted more shots over to that site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/

29485311@N00/sets/636538/), so if anyone is interested in taking a second look, I'd

be happy to hear some more robust views.

 

Now that I look at many of them again, I am beginning to feel that much of what I'm

doing is not "street" in the strict sense of the word, but regardless of that, I am

sticking to the principle of no poses, no actors, no set-ups....and hopefully letting the

city speak for itself

 

Thanks again for the feedback.

[ray .]

I think I said "undeveloped" because some of your shots remind

me of what I might have done when I was first taking pictures,

and what I still do but edit out. I'm just speaking for myself; I

don't think there's really much going on content-wise in most of

these pics. They're mostly non-events. You have talent and

they're well done but I just don't see the kind of energy and depth

of the 3 photographers you mentioned. Of course it's not about

wanting to do work just like them; it's good you understand that.

You can probably be a successful commercial photographer

with work like this, and obviously other people like what you're

doing.

[maria_s.]

belwo is 28mm shot, full frame from a physical distance of about 2.5-3 feet, uncropped. Compare this with your communion girl shot and you see the difference. Maybe your 28mm is different but to me, your shot seems like a huuuuge crop. If I am wrong I owe you a beer and promise to howl for an hour, heh.<div></div>

[maria_s.]

and this is your shot, which I like btw, but would add the space you cut out.<div></div>

[ray .]

yeah, that one did catch my attention, and actually, a few others

are pretty nice.

[stephen_mclaren1]

Thanks to all for looking round my gallery and showing me some of the errors of my

ways. ( and also for the genuine encouragements)

 

Maria, you are right about that shot being cropped and I might give it another shot to

let it breathe some more. That said, I never denied cropping shots, rather I was

contesting the notion that I wasn't getting close enough to subjects.

 

Hope to be able to discuss street photography with you all on this forum in the future.

 

Best

 

Stephen

[rmdavis]

I really like "bridge." So why is the woman with the fancy SLR going for a shot with a disposable? Interesting, is it a comment on gear? The tree growing out of the head, all classic "mistakes." But they mean something here, don't they?

 

Color is definitely better than BW for this shot, the pants, the tree, the camera, all should remain green.