Workshop Bits and Pieces
Is it street photography?
Each day the workshop participants shared lots of images. One issue that would come up from time to time was, “Is it street photography?” The definition of what street photography is or is not will vary from group to group. This was the vibe in the workshop with Vineet Vohra:
Sometimes a photo does not meet the test of time. If you can go away and then come back and get essentially the same photo, then it is not candid and therefore is not street photography. I think I better understand why Vineet likes birds or animals or other random things like shadows or appendages in a photo. Those scenes can definitely not be repeated.
This image does not really meet the test of time. I could have walked away and then come back and essentially gotten the same image.
Another issue is eye contact. I like eye contact in my pictures, but there is a point where it is too much for the image to considered a candid image. That line is delightfully described by Vineet as “when your subject is taking a picture of you with her eyes.” I think that may be the case with the young girl on the right in the picture below.
This was intended to be candid, but I think both girls, especially the youngest girl, were taking pictures of me with their eyes.
In the case of street portraiture, which may not be street photography but instead portraiture photography, a relevant question is, “Could the subject be a member of your family? The crop also plays a part. If there are not environmental details then it is probably not street photography.
This is a portrait, not a street portrait, even though I know it was completely candid.
What is editing?
When we think of what it means to edit photos, many of us think about post processing. Photo editing, however, is not post processing, it is the process of selecting photos. In a workshop, you have to engage in photo editing every day, because you have to choose a certain number of photos you shot the day before to present the group. The editing process is not as easy as it sounds. In general, I tend to make less than good choices of my own work. What can go wrong? In my case, my inclination to not go along with the crowd does not particularly help me. For example, you could not tell that some of the photos I submitted for the Mermaid Parade were actually photos of a parade or even in a parade setting. Some of the photos submitted were not considered street photography in the setting of the workshop. Finally, there can also be an issue in a workshop of, shall I say, appropriate edit choices. For example, you might find that pictures of homeless people or people with cell phones or provocative images are not well received.
There were lots of people in various states of undress at the parade. I think everyone expected for pictures to be taken. I did not have any reservations about taking this picture. It was not well received.
What should you avoid in a photo composition?
Text is distracting. In fact, the human eye will always look at text first in a photo. I have read about street photographers who will not photograph a person if they are wearing a shirt with text on it. In general, there is ample reason to compose so that you avoid text in your image.
White is distracting. White on the edges of the frame is particularly distracting. That is to avoided whenever possible.
Areas of the frame that have nothing in them can create a balance problem. The worst case is when there is an area in the middle of the frame with nothing in it.
There are two issues with this image. The bottom right hand corner has nothing in it. The Target bag in the background draws the eye.
This crop makes both the top and the bottom feel crowded. It does make the empty space in the bottom right somewhat smaller. I guess it is a matter of picking your poison.
It is best not to cutoff parts of geometric figures. I should have stepped back to get the whole tire. It you absolutely cannot get a whole circle, like a tire, then the next best choice is a half-circle.
I should have stepped back just a little to get the whole tire in the frame. I had plenty of time to do that.
Crop out anything that is not necessary in the photo. Keep in mind that the goal is not to have to crop. Compose so that there is not anything unnecessary in the photo.