Brad_

<center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2015%20Photos/LV%20Red.jpg"><BR> <i> San Francisco • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <P> .<P> </center>

<center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2013%20photos/Peekaboo.jpg"><BR> <i> San Francisco • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <BR>.</center> <P>

<a href= "http://www.osa-opn.org/home/articles/volume_24/october_2013/features/spy_in_the_sky_the_kh-9_hexagon/#.VOaIIEI-B0I">PerkinElmer rotating twin stereoscopic</a>. Film of course. 60 miles of it...

>>> Then my advice is to invest in quality lighting. And then invest in learning how to use it. Best advice here.

Oops. The above photo was supposed to be posted to a different forum.

<center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2013%20photos/Generations.jpg"><BR> <i> San Francisco • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <BR>.</center> <P>

<center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2015%20Photos/LV%20Dreams.jpg"><BR> <i> Las Vegas • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <P> .<P> </center>

>>> William W you are correct, low light street , 3/4 to full , I have longer lense and some very nice tele's but the problem with those is the distance in between me and my subjects and haveing folks walking between me and the shot can be frustrating.<P> I would also reiterate that good street portraiture come from easy engagement with your subjects, more so than the equipment you have. That said, a 35mm fl (23mm on a crop body) is ideal both from that perspective, and being close enough to not have to deal with interference from others. And it's wide enough to include environmental context which helps viewers conjure a narrative.<P> <a href= "http://www.citysnaps.net/blog/2012/06/25/why-a-35mm-lens/">Here's a link to a blog piece</a> I wrote a few years ago on the benefits of using a 35mm (referenced to full frame) for that kind of photography.<P> <center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2011%20photos/FrankkiBruiser.jpg"><BR> <i> Frankki and Bruiser • Tenderloin, San Francisco • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <P> .<P> </center>

>>> I have been looking at the Nikons 35mm 1.8G<P> 35mm is my portrait lens of choice on a full-frame body. That focal length offers great environmental context and fosters good subject interaction, which for me is very important.<P> <a href= "http://citysnaps.net/2011%20photos/TL%20Faces%202011/">This set of portraits</a> are of people I encountered in a San Francisco neighborhood over time and were made with a 35mm lens.<P> <B>Edit:</b> Ooops, I just noticed you're using a crop body cam. You'd need to go wider to hit 35mm equivalent.

>>> Will this prove to be a suitable replacement for Aperture? I don't think that was the intent.

<center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2014%20Photos/Two%20Trees.jpg"><BR> <i> iSnap • Palo Alto, CA • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <P> .<P> </center>

Fred, since you brought up the Philosophy Forum and blindness... I really do think you need to look inward and take some responsibility for your behavior, the oblique backhanded putdowns, and the resulting unwelcoming dynamic. And with that think hard about why there is so little activity there - other than than the very small handful of regulars. From time to time that creeps into the Casual Forum as well. If you believe that does not have a hand in creating an unwelcoming environment to others, especially new/younger potential members, well, we’ll just have to disagree. Perhaps doing the same thing over and over again will have a different outcome for 2015?

Fred, you missed my point addressing the reality of the situation - no doubt intentionally. The pnet forum dynamic is what it is - I don't expect that to change on its own. Ignoring reality (because old and young people who are hungry can eat at the same McDonalds) and thinking that will somehow attract new and/or younger members, supposedly a major goal, well, that's just wishful thinking and not going to happen. Speaking as an older member - and one with many younger photographer friends who find no interest in pnet discussion groups.

>>> This place has a pretty great community atmosphere, but it's increasingly clear, not enough to keep the people engaged, and not enough new blood to keep things fresh and lively. I'm not sure what to think of a redesign - yes, if done well, it can give a bit of a boost, and make things feel fresh. But somehow it feels like painting over rotten wood. Yes. A new design would be welcome. But... It's still difficult, while trying my best to be objective, visualizing how new and younger potential members would be interested in participating in many of the current discussions - some subjects being rehashed on and on for what seems like years. Not trying to be harsh (I don’t know how to soften this), but it really is, more or less, an old mans club, sporting a predictable and cast in concrete ponderous dynamic. Though I rarely go there, that dynamic very much reminds me of the old dude get-togethers you see at McDonalds on Sunday mornings, where a group of five or six will be rehashing politics and what’s wrong with the world in raised voices over senior-priced coffee.

I also don't find the numbers surprising. It's a combination of cellphone cameras being good enough, or even more desirable than larger digital cameras for making casual photographs (I'm in that camp). And, that recently manufactured fixed and interchangeable lens digital cameras have become so good, that for many, frequent upgrades are not necessary.

<center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2014%20Photos/Clothes%20dummy.jpg"><BR> <i> San Francisco • ©Brad Evans 2015 </i> <P> .<P> </center>

<center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2015%20Photos/Solomua%20DT.jpg"><BR> <i> Solomua • San Francisco • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <P> .<P> </center>

>>> Nice, Brad! Who is this guy with the button rewind M2? He seems to demonstrate his shooting style...Any pics of him online?<P> That's my friend Vlad. <a href= "http://www.citysnaps.net/blog/tag/vlad/">Here are some photos and stories </a>about him and his eight M2s. An interesting guy...

>>> A friend told me "auto ISO is for sissies...real men choose their ISO". Well, I occasionally use auto ISO but very infrequently. <P> Sissies? Real men? Sounds like someone has some issues. <P> I use auto-iso mode routinely. It has yet to disappoint me, and that's from shooting in a wide range of static and dynamic (fast moving train) situations. I preset the ISO range and minimum shutter speed. Adjust aperture depending on what I'm looking for. Easy-peasy. <a href= "http://citysnaps.net/2014%20Photos/Fuji%20Snaps/">A few snaps here...</a>

>>> Decisive Moment has been completely misinterpreted over the years and that, even if it is not, it is terribly outdated and only leads to a "one trick pony" style of photography --- In a similar vein, I think there is too much love and fascination with both visual puns and shots that include slices of bright late afternoon sunlight reflected off skyscraper windows into darker urban canyons. Good heavens, get over it already and move on! So many street photography memes as Lex would call them. But that is my prejudice showing, and to paraphrase what Brad and other photographers have said, "Why worry about it? Just do what pleases and seems right to you."] Spot-on on all counts, Steve. In the so-called "sp community" there is so much hero worship. It's fine being acquainted with, informed, respectful, etc of what others have accomplished in the past. But IMO, going beyond that does one a great disservice in developing a personal eye. In fact, I'd go so far to say it greatly stifles and in many ways, leading some to taking themselves much too seriously, more so than their photography. IMO, that can foster a sclerotic rigidity that often shows in the photographs they make. It's easy to spot.

When making photographs of landscapes and some waterscapes, I try and tap my inner Ansel. Sometimes, when seeking additional inspiration in difficult landscape situations, I’ll try to channel Mr. Adams directly. Occasionally, especially if the connection is weak or difficult at the time, sub-channeling the master via Shirley MacLaine helps get the job done.<P> <center> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2014%20Photos/Birds%20on%20Sand.jpg"><P> <i>San Francisco Bay, Millbrae, California • ©Brad Evans 2014</i> <P>. </center> <P> Making photographs on the street or in bars (like the photo below), well, that's a whole different ball of seagulls. In those situations others would likely draw inspiration from the usual suspects such as Garry Winogrand, Robert Frank, Daido, etc. Not me. The individual from which I draw street inspiration is not even a photographer, but the well-known and great philosopher Chuckles the Clown. Chuckles' views and maxims I hold very close, especially this one: <b>“A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants.”</b> <P> My view is you can never have enough Chuckles in your life...<P> <center> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2014%20Photos/Little%20Man.jpg"><BR> <i> San Francisco • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <P> .<P> </center>

Marc, I think you just have to push aside all of the noise and do what you love doing. Energy much better spent than worrying about what happens to others.

>>> My point was that I think there IS something in mind. Thanks, Steve... There were things considered. Many times when shooting on the street I try and capture supporting context, more so with stranger portraits. In the above photo though, I purposely composed and timed to minimize context. Otherwise viewers would have understood what was going on and the photo would not have been interesting. In other words, purposely withholding information can drive ambiguity. And ambiguity can stir viewer imagination. By supplying all or most of the answers (via surrounding context) that would not have been the case.

>>> But is there truly “nothing in mind”?<P> Sure. Many times there's something odd in the distance that I think could make a nice WTF moment when captured and processed. When I captured this photo I don't remember giving any thought to potential released narratives. <P> <center> .<P> <img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2014%20Photos/Lunch.jpg"><BR> <i> San Francisco • ©Brad Evans 2014 </i> <P> .<P> </center>

<a href= "http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/magnum-photographers-give-google-glass-a-test-spin-a-1013135.html">Here's the link.</a> Check it out.