My first attempt at street photography with the Oly 12mm

Hi all.

Went out today and thought to give street photography a try for the first time. Packed the Oly 12mm and the OMD EM5 and off i went.

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 1

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 2

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 3

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 4

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 5

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 6

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 7

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 8

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 9

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 10

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 11

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 12

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 13

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 14

Did you have fun.? Looks like it.   The 12mm can do the job. Suggest you You need work on composition for future.

Example here:

Would you think it's more interesting if you can get the girl behind the sign into the shot?

On another example, you have some cool pink bicycles, but there is an ugly trash can behind them.

Watch the angles of buildings with the 12mm unless you prefer non vertical. A polarizer might help to get the glare/reflections out of the window shots.

Pictures of the backs of people are usually not worth sharing.

And for your food pictures, maybe you want to fix the white balance.

Still, thanks for showing off your city.

nardoleo wrote:

Hi all.

Went out today and thought to give street photography a try for the first time. Packed the Oly 12mm and the OMD EM5 and off i went.

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 1

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 3

Haji Lane in Singapore photo 4

aji Lane in Singapore photo 7

aji Lane in Singapore photo 10

that this is not "street photography" as that term is conventionally understood.

Also, these are generally bad photogrpahs.

The first one actually could have been a good photo if the distracting Kleenex box and its reflection were not in the background.

Didn't you notice that before you took the photo, while you were taking the photo and later when you were posting the photo?

Don't you understand that it is a bad photo with that stuff in the background?

Really, if you don't have an understanding of basic compositional rules there is no point in owning a $1,400.00 camera.

You may as well use a $99.00 point-n-shoot.

TEdolph

Cipher wrote:

http://www.lfph.org/

Don't be discouraged by some of the comments here.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  Personally I wouldn't have the guts to point a camera at random people in the street.

I second the above comment.  Personally I found your imagery quite interesting and entertaining.  And it seems that you had some fun trying to find art in your surroundings.

I was surprised by the statement that what you did wasn't street photography so I googled "Street Photography" and found some interesting stuff which I found helpful... maybe you will too!

Learn Street Photography

Wikipedia: Street Photography

Street Photographers Gallery

I also second some of the other constructive advice regarding composition.   I find it best to take my time when shooting to make sure that I KNOW (sorta) what I am shooting.  Then I look hard when I edit.  Look hard again when I post process and then look hard when I send stuff around. Each step is a training (practice) opportunity to educate my (frail) eyes.

But you are way ahead of me.  I haven't even tried to take images of strangers on the street.  Not a city guy I guess.

But now I will try!

t

Thanks all for your comments and suggestions.

Especially on the tips on composition and the various links on street photography. will check them out.

I did have alot of fun shooting!

Keep those comments coming!

Cheers.

Sergey Borachev wrote:

We all have to start somewhere and a new way of shooting takes some experimenting and learning.   It's good you tried to shoot in a great variety of ways with the 12mm.

Street shooting however usually mean the type of shooting that Robin Wong and Kai do a lot of.  Go to Robin Wong's blog or Kai's reviews of say the X100 (Digitalrev).  You can find them easily if you google.  They are great street shooters IMO.

One thing I noticed is that you have yet to be bold enough to point your camera towards someone.  That, and not just the skills is one of the hardest things to learn.  Street photos look more interesting with people and not just their backs.

It takes time and a thick face, but to start try one of the most common tricks to build up your confidence - letting someone walk into your frame.  If you notice some interesting character, dressed in a good colour to add contrast to your picture, etc, just point your camera a little in front of their path and get everything set up right and then just click when the person or persons walked into the right spot of your picture.  People would think you were trying to take a picture of whatever was there before they walked up.  Use zone focusing, a high ISO and get everything ready for the shot, and even take a shot before and/or afterwards to look like you are interested in a shot of the scene and not of them them.

Example. You find a nice ancient shop front, a traditioanl Chinese teahouse or herbal shop.  Get everything set up and the best angle etc and then wait for someone interesting to come out of the shop, maybe an old man in traditional clothing etc and then shoot him.  Or, if you see some interesting street sign like the one you posted, but needed some more interest, some life and action or people.  Wait and take some trial shots to get ready and find the best angle, and hope someone comes, stop, or even better look up or point at the sign.  Click.

BTW 12mm is OK but a bit too wide for some shots of people as you would be getting a bit too close for comfort to have a good size image of them.  17mm or 20mm would be better.  25mm and longer would be even easier and more comfortable to use as you would be shooter from more distance but the results usually do not have as much impact for want of a stronger perspective.  Good luck and have fun.  You will get used to it quickly.

Thanks Sergey for your comments.

Will try shooting with the 20mm next time.

Good tips on letting people walk into your frame.

Cheers

I second Sergey's suggestion about letting the subject walk into the frame.  I do this quite often with the body cap lens.  It makes my camera look like a point/shoot toy, so nobody pays any attention to what I'm doing.

I'm sorry for not asking permission but I took the liberty of editing one of your photos that I though was compelling enough for street photography.

Keep at it.  You'll get better.  An also read and study as much as possible.

give him/her a break, it's the first time. You are unnecessarily mean and provide no constructive criticism.

Hi

Personally I think that is a good first attempt, and the feedback you have gathered makes interesting reading. I would like to try some street photography. Here in Hong Kong there are some really strange sights and people. I would like to shoot on the MTR here, but you need some bravery for sure. I will have a go and post up my results.

completelyrandomstuff wrote:

give him/her a break, it's the first time. You are unnecessarily mean and provide no constructive criticism.

To be honest that poster wasn't mean but just stating mere candor.  Street photography is actually a specific genre and photos taken on or near a "street" don't really qualify.

Don't let the mean comments bother you. Everyone gets them at the beginning. That being sad even mean ones can be useful for learning. Also c'mon, everyone buys a camera they can afford. I knew a guy who owned a D3 and several high grade lenses and his pictures were probably worse than these.

I think you need to get some faces into those pictures. I am not very good at street photography but if you want to shoot a portrait, you can actually ask them if you can take one.

If you want a candid shot of something cool happening, you can find a place and predict that eventually it *will* happen there. For example, let's say there is a bump on the road and lots of bikers. Eventually someone is going to flip over that bump and you will get a shot of that. Seriously though, you should try to find a potential in the scene and wait until you get the shot you want. Another method is to shoot from the hip, discretely. E-PM5 is very silent so that shouldn't be a problem. People behind windows in stores are good subjects who won't bother to chase you - they will just give you a mean look at worst.

You should read more online, there is a lot of good hints on blogs.

now we are talking!

That reminds me, to OP, try following rules of thirds for now. Lots of your pictures have a central crop in situations where it makes it worse.