Interesting People. . .

[gahspidy]

This is a first for me as I usually do landscape shots and objects.
Living here in the city, I see so many interesting characters that I decided to give it a try in capturing some of these people.
Taken with a tamron 70-300 mm zoom, with fuji superia 200 film, and edited in Jasc paint shop pro 8. Also used fill flash for these. tell me if these work, are interesting, or not. I did have fun in trying this and will be doing this again I'm sure.
Thanks

[gahspidy]

Sorry, I edited these rather quickly and did not quite clean up the dust specks and such on the scans . . .

[bjtindle]

This is a first for me as I usually do landscape shots and objects.
Living here in the city, I see so many interesting characters that I decided to give it a try in capturing some of these people.
Taken with a tamron 70-300 mm zoom, with fuji superia 200 film, and edited in Jasc paint shop pro 8. Also used fill flash for these. tell me if these work, are interesting, or not. I did have fun in trying this and will be doing this again I'm sure.
Thanks

Sheesh Gahspidy, they are all three very compelling portraits. They seem to be framed very well to me, you can see them clearly and just because of their positions you don't see anything else. Your focus is entirely on the subjects in the photos. I especially like the 3rd one, the person's face and posture say a whole heck of a lot!

Betty

[kitst3r]

hello gahspidy
very nice shots, great colour, in focus, good dof the only thing that bothers me on the 1st and 3rd is that you clip off parts of the portraits. after a few have pointed out that i do this in my landscapes id like to see the whole picture.

[gahspidy]

Thanks for the time to comment. Yes , Betty i agree about what you said of the third shot. Like they say, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
kitst3r,wish I had more to the original pics but this is pretty much how I took the shots. I guess I zoomed in a bit too tightly.
Thanks for the points.

[bjtindle]

Thanks for the time to comment. Yes , Betty i agree about what you said of the third shot. Like they say, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
kitst3r,wish I had more to the original pics but this is pretty much how I took the shots. I guess I zoomed in a bit too tightly.
Thanks for the points.

A picture sure is "worth a thousand words" and yours most certainly is!!

Betty

[darkrainfall]

Hey Gary,

These are three very nice pics and I'm afraid I have no suggestions to make them better as you have done very well. Each tells a story in it's own way and I personally like the crops, I think adding more would only serve to detract from the people themselves. In such circumstances did you talk to these people first and ask thier permission or did you just take the pics and ask afterwards?

[Pose]

I love these. These are some of the shots I'd love to be able to take, but can never actually achieve. I don't have any suggestions, since I feel theyre exposed, and framed very well. I love the third one. It's very powerful, and portrays her very long, and tiresome story, in my opinion.

[gahspidy]

Thanks for the comments Pose.
Darkrainfall, thanks as well. As for asking them, this was my first time ever attempting such a thing and I really did not know the "rules of engagement". I basically just shot the pic and offered a thanks with a smile. I was nervous a bit but realized that people actually seem to either like or dont mind having their pic taken.
I do plan on posting a thread on the help or viewfinder as to what is the protocol or "etiquette" that we as photographers should or must follow. It seems to me that to ask them before hand will hurt the natural feel of the shot.

[Chunk]

This is a first for me as I usually do landscape shots and objects.
Living here in the city, I see so many interesting characters that I decided to give it a try in capturing some of these people.
Taken with a tamron 70-300 mm zoom, with fuji superia 200 film, and edited in Jasc paint shop pro 8. Also used fill flash for these. tell me if these work, are interesting, or not. I did have fun in trying this and will be doing this again I'm sure.
Thanks

I, too, think that the tight crop is OK. I think these are very strong shots. I am usually hesitant about taking strangers pictures and I think these, where the subject is aware of the photographer are stronger than the more candid people shots I take.

[another view]

Had to check these out after seeing your post in Viewfinder. Very strong shots. With fill flash, they knew you were there which takes a lot of courage. Fill flash also helped knock down the contrast of the mid-day sun.

Different M.O. than the classic street shooters, nice job.

[Dave L]

amazing pictures ! I feel that I am almost there ! great detail - great thought has gone into these. how do you get such natural pics of these folks ?

[gahspidy]

amazing pictures ! I feel that I am almost there ! great detail - great thought has gone into these. how do you get such natural pics of these folks ?

Thanks. . .yes they surely knew I was there, but I think my using a 300mm zoom kept me enough at a distance ( about 15-20') where they were still aware of me, but not quite sure if it were they that I was shooting and therefore felt unsure to react to me, even if they would not have wanted the shot. The fillflash and my first time using autfocus allowed me to set snap and move on rather quickly.

[Dave L]

Clever stuff - I use a digital snapper on my trips. In the 'Wells- but no waiting !' third pic I posted you will see at the end of the cobbled street near the arches someone leaning against the wall (well just see them). I was so tempted to take a pic. She was elderly and her wrinkled features told a story - but I couldn't stand there and take a photo....its very difficult. I have found camcorders easier to use for these shots however... don't know why but I get away with it on those occasions!

[Yoyo Szeto]

Hi Gary,
I suggest to change the color to B & W to strengthen the melancholy and isolated feeling of the photos.
All the best.
yoyo

[Seb]

Hello Gary,

These street pictures truly are compelling. I guess that I cannot really add anything to what was already said but you display an obvious sensitivity for your subject.

I honnestly wouldnt have the gut to achieve (or at least attempt...) this kind of pictures.
Thank you for sharing these with us.

Seb

[schrackman]

These are absolutely stunning shots, Gary. I agree that black & white would also produce equally wonderful images, and I would love to see them in b/w. Number 3 is my favorite. Good work!

Ray

[gahspidy]

Thanks. . . was a bit nervous doing these so close and with a fill flash, but paid off.

[natatbeach]

is the woman with her cart...it really gives you a feel for how long her life feels to her and how many steps she's walked alone... I like the moment you got and I like the tight composition...IMHO I don't think cutting the elements you did off detract from this moving shot. The first doesn't do a lot for me and the second is interesting (because he's a pretty ecentric looking individual but it doesn't have the impact of the woman.......I would love to see that one in BW....

[villenadecorte]

I am really impressed with these, moreso because they are in color.
Most people shooting "street people" opt for b/w, and you did not, and they look incredible in color.
Awesome job!

VillenaDeCorte

[ChaosCubed]

That last photo is beautiful. It really does tell a story. It makes me sad to look at it. You can see the pain in this woman.

I don't know if I would like them in black and white as much or not. But I do love them in color!

GREAT WORK!

[opus]

I love the third one too, and I love the crop, and I love the color! I think the color is part of the story, AND, draws the eye to the woman's face and posture. I think a lot would be lost in converting that one to B&W.

I think the first might convert just fine, and the second might, too, except the background might look too cluttered if it's all shades of grey. But leave the third just as it is!

[villenadecorte]

Isnt the color fantastic on these? I was remarking above how most people do use B/W for stuff like this, and I like that Gahspidy didnt! He totally pulled it off. I am really impressed!

-VillenaDeCorte

I love the third one too, and I love the crop, and I love the color! I think the color is part of the story, AND, draws the eye to the woman's face and posture. I think a lot would be lost in converting that one to B&W.

I think the first might convert just fine, and the second might, too, except the background might look too cluttered if it's all shades of grey. But leave the third just as it is!

[gahspidy]

Thanks Kate , Kelly, and Villenadecorte. I was surprised to see this thread back here again , but a pleasant surprise. Glad you like it in color as do I. The third is the hands down winner it seems as there is a whole hard story in this womans face. The second photo I was curious about this guy as it seems as if he were wearing a diguise and waiting in the park for someone, maybe to spy on. he didn't seem very happy with me shooting but i think he was not quite sure what I was viewing in my lens.
thanks again for the positive feedback. . .

[bobbythebandit]

This is a first for me as I usually do landscape shots and objects.
Living here in the city, I see so many interesting characters that I decided to give it a try in capturing some of these people.
Taken with a tamron 70-300 mm zoom, with fuji superia 200 film, and edited in Jasc paint shop pro 8. Also used fill flash for these. tell me if these work, are interesting, or not. I did have fun in trying this and will be doing this again I'm sure.
Thanks

Kinda pics and have tried this often.Just wondered how her face would look cropped in.
Bobby