Photo Comp Jan 2014 - 'Street Photography'

[Meow]

I've blown it. I got caught in the snow storm.

[Dvorak]

Late entry, but, hopefully, not too late.

Working with unusual borders, unusual framing, acceptance of noise.
My entry.

[Dvorak]

What really makes me cringe is posting, deliberatly, an image with areas of totally blown-out featureless white.
To my excuse I've to confess that I use this competition for trying out stuff that's totally against everything I've learned. Which is a good thing.

[RiK]

What really makes me cringe is posting, deliberatly, an image with areas of totally blown-out featureless white.
To my excuse I've to confess that I use this competition for trying out stuff that's totally against everything I've learned. Which is a good thing.

So what's the story behind the shot? I'm assuming it's shot through a window?

[Dvorak]

I'm assuming it's shot through a window?

It is.

I was walking home, quite late it was, from a shooting session for a local band (film, not photo). Wasn't too satisfied with the session itself, well, it was really shite, but I was determined to make the best of it. Came along this cafe that was open still. Saw this lone and pretty woman through the window glass.
Didn't enter the cafe.
Grabbed out my cam instead, all settings set for film stuff, totally inappropriate for anything photo.
Made some quick photos nevertheless.

Then moved on.

Decided to fix everything in post.
What I did.

[RiK]

Ace :-)

[Xstreme]

Ok shortlist time:

Firstly (o)(o) pic of Mr Everett. I'll overlook the fact that its a little against the spirit of the comp as I've a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't taken recently at all The interesting thing is there's a story here. Christ knows what it is but perhaps (o)(o) can enlighten us?


Secondly Riks photo of the begging woman. This to me is street photography, right down to the way the image is processed. Love the gritty B&W tones.


Dvorak, interesting image and like the story going along with it. I'd have preferred to see it framed without that light in there as its fighting desperately to overpower the image. Still an interesting shot though and thanks for sharing the story behind it!

[RiK]

Riks photo of the begging woman. This to me is street photography, right down to the way the image is processed. Love the gritty B&W tones.

Aww thanks man. That's what it's all about :-)

[(o)(o)]

Ok shortlist time:

Firstly (o)(o) pic of Mr Everett. I'll overlook the fact that its a little against the spirit of the comp as I've a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't taken recently at all

It's says in the rules "Doesn't matter when it was taken".. though I did attempt some pics this month.. I chose this as a better 'street photograph' how the heck is it 'against the spirit of the comp'?

Riks is an archive shot too, note.

The interesting thing is there's a story here. Christ knows what it is but perhaps (o)(o) can enlighten us?

I like it just as a photograph, personally.

The event was a garden party in Soho Everett is getting a Taxi I don't recall if the moustached chap joined him.

Leave the rest a mystery...

I will say this. The other male guests wore suits!

[Xstreme]

It's says in the rules "Doesn't matter when it was taken".. though I did attempt some pics this month.. I chose this as a better 'street photograph' how the heck is it 'against the spirit of the comp'?

Please lets not get into another debate about the photography comp rules. It's already been discussed to death. The general spirit of the comp is to inspire people to get out during that month to take a photo that fits the chosen theme for that month. I mentioned your particular entry more as a laugh, simply as the main subject in your photo has been dead for about 18 years which I find rather amusing. I'm not taking away from the fact that its interesting image. Hence the fact that I shortlisted it.

Anyway thanks for sharing.

[RiK]

Riks is an archive shot too, note.

Yes it is. It was however taken as a specific piece of street photography, with a definite goal and style in mind..

[PFVA]

Vote declaration just because i decided to do one.

1.I voted for Rik because the image gave me a strong emotional impact.

The position of humility or humiliation the person has adopted is very strong. It may even be an act but if it is is still a hell out of a job to perform everyday and there must be a lot of competition to attract attention. I also noticed the indifference of the people in the scene. Even if we don't see their faces i can tell that they are not shocked or surprised by it like something they see all the time.

2.Dvorak's picture.

I was puzzled and curious about a few things in the pict. There is 4 bottles, 2 glasses, one of them a regular one, a kind of cheap looking and a flute one. However there is just one person. Did the other go to the restroom, or to smoke a cigarette outside, or took off and left the woman there by herself, or it was a 4 people table and we only see half. I don't know but i kept having the feeling there was something wrong with the scene.

3. I have not the slightest idea who Everett is. As i see it there is a drunk fellow and a not very amused one who seems to have removed a glass of champagne out of the hand of that other one. It gave the feeling that the drunk fellow was being gently guided out of the area probably into an arriving cab or something like that. It is a street pic in the sense that those kind of scenes may happen specially in night popular areas and not only. However there is not a strong indication there is a street. It could be on someone's driveway. Dvorak's pic as a reflection or a window that clear indicates a street with houses. This one is not so clear.

All the 3 pictures were great and fun to try to interpret. In the end the choice i made was than due to the strong emotional impact i received fm Rik's picture.

[RiK]

1.I voted for Rik because the image gave me a strong emotional impact.

Thanks Paula.

Even if we don't see their faces

That was deliberate. I framed it that way to illustrate the fact she was really 'unseen' by the hundreds of people walking by.

In the end the choice i made was than due to the strong emotional impact i received fm Rik's picture.

Awesome, thanks again. That means a lot as it shows the image worked, which is the best reward a photographer can hope for.

[(o)(o)]

Anyway thanks for sharing.

That's more like it.

In fact 33.33% of the fresh content this month was provided by yours truly!

Riks is an archive shot too, note.

Yes it is. It was however taken as a specific piece of street photography, with a definite goal and style in mind..

I don't see the point you are trying to make.

Shooting spontaneously, in Soho, late at night, on film, using zone focusing, flash, a rangefinder camera, and getting up close and in peoples faces.

Pretty much defacto classic 'street photography' technique ! Thus the 'deer in the headlights' look similar to a Bruce Gilden.

That's why I pulled out the archive shot in fact - seeing Bruce's work reminded me of this pic.

I should have processed the image to give it the NYC '75 artsy look.

[Dvorak]

Vote declaration just because i decided to do one.

I did _love_ to do some (totally subjective) interpretations of pictures here that somehow stroke a chord in past competitions.
Looking at an image that I liked somehow or disliked somehow is one thing - but trying to find out what exactly or vaguely this 'somehow' was - that's just the main part of this competition for me.

I voted for Rik because the image gave me a strong emotional impact.

And so did I. It's one of these images where the motif itself moves into the front, whereas the photographer (and his/her cam/technique/production/post production) steps back as something totally unimportant.
Although I consider it to be an entirely valid approach to take: positioning oneself, the subject, the photographer, the director into the center of a work.
But that always goes along with degrading the motif to just an object. Something that only comes to life through your work.
Which isn't true and never was.
It was alife before and after. It has a life beyond the director's will, the photographer's glass and workmanship.
And that's exactly (for me at least) what's the core of the beauty of this image.
+1

I don't know but i kept having the feeling there was something wrong with the scene.

I saw that, too. Found it fascinating. But then I tried to work it out even more, and I overdid it. Overcooked it.
It's an image with three centers: The focus somewhere in the background, the blown-out lights, and the woman. All of them fighting each other. Set up an uncomfortable tension.
Three centers make no center. Makes your look wander, uneasily. Which maybe is a good thing. Maybe art. Maybe not.
I tried to make it superflat (in Takashi Murakami-style) - but I don't think it is.

Favorite trivia bits:
The image was shot with totally inappropriate camera settings resulting in a catastrophic noise overkill (camera settings set to zero internal noise reduction plus general daylight configuration).
The image then was noise reduced by a customised Neat Video noise reduction filter (designed for film, not photography).
Then noise was added (what?) by applying a FilmConvert filter emulating Ilford D400 stock film look.