Street in Baixa, view to the Tejo

I hope I improved a little in my understanding of street photography

since last week.

 

I find that in this photo there is also some life in the street

visible - the attention of most of the people walking around is

catched by the ones selling the paintings ore maybe even painting in

the street more far behind. Is this dynamism well catched? Or would it

be better to choose the section travel?

 

From an architectural point of view it is a lovely street - with

properly treated background, rhythm, pavement etc - does my photo

reflect those well? (in my works I used to put a line drawing to

highlight the elements visible in the photo, using a yellow pencil, so

probably the photos weren't that expressive)

Hi,

 

what I would improve:

 

The camera is slightly tilted, therefore the falling verticals disturb.

 

The man in the center is in the wrong position: occupies a graphically dangerous place without getting into a story.

 

More in general, when attempting to shoot "street" try to let people have a more prominent place into your pictures. Stret photography is more about feelings and instants, than architecture. But which genre to embrace is only your choice.

 

Don't give up!

Hi Bruno,

 

thanks for the comment.

Well, the verticals are because of the wide angle, I seldomly have all verticals vertical in a photo except if it is very far. So in the right half, where it is closer, the have a vertical "run point" ("punct de fuga" in Romanian). If I'd have slightly rotated the picture, to get this run point in the middle, the statue on the gate would have had to be cropped off :(

 

I don't like, and therefore cannot, photograph well buildings as a subject. Strange to see that, my focus on 'urban planning' in my studies, is reflected in more pleasure in even photographing the respective subjects. I agree that how 'lively' an urban space is, belongs to the story, even in baroque (the parades etc), and will try to improve.

 

Thanks again!

Maria

My eye is having a difficul time finding a focal point.

Too busy. I don't know where you want me to look. There several shots to be taken here. I see the arch and in the distance a building. I see 2 men (near the photo display) discussing something. I see the magnificent clock.

Thanks again for the comments - I attach an image with the original shot rotated so that the vertical vertical is in the middle. Marked with a red line - I started with liking to highlight this way the important elements, after all :)

 

I've put some black horizonatal and vertical lines to show how cropping can then be. The statue is away, as I was saying :(, but it is also visible, I think, that the verticals on the right are tilted to left and the verticals on the left to right, if the central vertical is vertical. In the original shot I wanted the vertical vertical in the middle of the arch.

 

OK, I see, I don't need only Photoshop, but also at least a professional lens :(

Hi Raymond,

 

your comment was really helpful, thank you very much! Indeed, if I take out several crops, then the wide angle isn't that disturbung any more, cos the vertical run of the lines is small on little surfaces, among others.

 

On the other hand, if the picture is too busy, then it really bears my signature, except any watermark. My projects, drawings etc use to be told that they are like the vegetable market - many different things juxtaposed, even if the things in themselves are quality ones ...

 

So here the first shot: the street painters.

About the clock I am not so sure, maybe this crop is also busy, but I liked to get in the lamps and also the statue in the arch, and the corniches of some more in front buildings for framing. Also, I cannot go closer, because, not being shot frontally, the view on the clock is not orthogonal, what would have been required by a detail view.

 

Of course, at every crop pressing again "autolevels" :)

Raymond,

 

that in the background is a statue.

 

I tried in the crop above to make an 'open' street background, with the blue sky, as it is appropriate for an almost seaside city - although here it is the look to the Tejo, not the ocean; I recall I was disappointed when I found that out.

 

Nice to play with picture crops :) :) :)

And this is the last crop, after getting out the sub-stories, but still maintaining all the elements (ie an improved version of the image originally posted, I hope at least).

 

Thanks for all the suggestions! I hope you like what you see in your comment follow-ups.

Hello Maria.

 

I love this image, what a remarkable looking street in a wonderful city. Not only is this a photograph, but your comments, and explanations form an education, and for this I am most grateful.

 

I think that you have captured the flavour of the city well.

 

Regards, Nick.

Thank you for the kind comment, Nick.

 

There have been very helpful comments on this photo, and it thus proved a good material to work with, thanks to everybody!

 

I am happy to hear I might have captured the flavour of the city - in fact that is what I was after :)

 

It is baroque: straight wide avenues, triumph arches - something thought for parades and display of everything what makes a 'capital'.

 

The difference to typical medieval streets like those I photographed for example in Andalucia, but also the one in Bucharest is immense.

 

There are other photographs, on photo.net even, who have looked for the 'medieval' in Lisbon - I commented on such a photo.

 

I somehow catched with my photos in Lisbon almost exclusively the baroque, not only in this one ...

As it got discussed by Raymond and yourself, Maria ... Your photo tries to present everthing mentionable of that very fine street szene. Everything is "nice", like the clock tower, the balconies with their balustrade, the picture sellers on the right, the statue in the back. But everything has to compete which each other. So everything loses some of it's magic. You should indeed present serveral pictures -- one which shows the street with all objects of desire (maybe from an elevated viewpoint), and several others each emphasizing one detail. In my opinion, a busy street makes a picture more appealing -- you just have to await the perfect moment! :)

Hi,

 

thank you for the comment.

 

Looks like Lisbon is very photogenic :)

 

regards

Maria

Hello again

It is fun to look at the various crops but in my humble opinion the original is the best. a slight rotation is needed to make the clock tower vertical and trimming to adjust for rotation to square the edges. I personally think that the lines leading to distant monument are well placed and photo appears very dynamic.

Hello again :)

 

thanks for your interest, I am so glad you like this photo! Probably better for a poster than for a postcard ... :)

 

cya

Maria

 

PS: I will post more on Lisbon soon, so worth revisiting ;), probably the castle, or there is a strange 20th century tower in Baixa, I'll see ... Just kidding :)

Hi Maria, it's been a long time since we communicated. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I'm still new to this website and didn't expect a response from you. It was great to see how you were playing with the photo. And how others commented too. I like the improved picture. I could have spent hours in this street. There are so many pictures to take.

thanks for your response and looking forward to seeing some more of you photos.

Hi Raymond,

 

thanks for returning. I did not know either a while that it is usual o reply to comments. Well, soon I'll have a quota of photos same as in 2002 (100), but I guess that the portofolio is now much more diverse (that time I had the scenography door, Romanian interwar and Hungarian Neues Bauen, the Hungarian and Swiss pavillons at EXPO2000 and basically that was it).

 

Well, since my Lisbon photos seem to have been the most successful ones, I have given some more to scan (mostly Alfama, as Alfama I hadn't yet). Imagine that I found one, where the orologio was more focused on (but that one I haven't given to scan).

 

Right now I hope to go again to Lisbon in November, there are plenty other things to see and photograph, as I found out: the Oceanario, the funicular trams (have to wait till then with doing a presentation!).

 

Right now I have only a photo of an ordinary tram, here, if you are interested.

 

kind regards

Maria

My city. Thank you for promoting it. Thumbs up.

Best regards and came back here.

well, who knows, although nothing is planned for the next year and for the year after you have to keep the fingers crossed so I get another project ...

 

cheers

Maria