That point of waiting for the world to do its thing, I believe is one of the central ideas that a lot of street and documentary photographers forget when making images.
I’m the coordinator for a group of women photographers in Australia who have decided to write a book together. We believe that women have a subtly different voice from men and Helen Levitt is my usual example of the difference in action. :-)
This reminds me of a photo I took at the British Museum last year where I saw a woman standing by a balcony, looking down and at one point taking photos with her phone. Lots of people would keep rushing over to the balcony to do the same. I kept taking photos and kept waiting for a possible opportunity to emerge. Thankfully I got a moment where the woman still standing there by her own looked over to the left, not looking down or staring at a phone and it created a really interesting moment, like she was in deep thought. Patience and waiting for a possible moment to emerge can be really tricky but it does pay off when the elements come together.
To be a great street photographer you need time. Time to just stand in one place and observe just waiting for that something special to appear in front of you. Great video again and a great book
Brilliant video! A someone learning their street craft I've overlooked the 'stand and wait' approach. I tend to wander around and snap what I see but don't often stay in one place to see what develops. I will add this into the mix!
I got this book after you mentioned it in an earlier episode. It’s a treasure. Thanks for discussing it. Please do more of these photo reviews .very helpful for someone like me lacking the visual awareness.
Agreed, I also got myself a copy when Alex mentioned it in a previous video. Really is a hidden gem and something that both kids and adults can learn so much from.
We come to pictures so often with a sense of prejudgment. We (think we) already know how to tell good pictures from bad. But then sometimes someone does something that smacks us in the face and makes us realize our preconceptions don't always apply.
Thank you for making this under 15 minutes and using various works from well-known photographers, unlike some another "quick way/hack" videos which take 30 minutes blabbering with one snapshot of their own (photo of people's back, f/1.8, then make a religion of their favourite brand) 😁 Much appreciated.
What's discouraged me from doing more street photography is all the sameness I've seen in examples from people online, whether they have RUclips channels or Instagram pages or both. It's crept into my mindset, making me think that *these* photos are good street photos and are the shots I need to try to get. But most of them are lacking that energy that attracted me to the genre to begin with. Sure, it's great to see an alleyway with a person walking through it, but the photos Alex shows in this video have something going on, a momentum and energy that much of what I see online these days lacks. Appreciate the tutorial, and the book recommendation!
The way the foot of a subject is planted in tilted angles makes us feel that experience of gravity shifting. So that’s a reason to take a tilted shot. But on this one particular, I think it was just using the curb to frame the scene
The point is well taken in all genres really, it's relatively easy to get a technically well composed and executed shot that is falls flat. But it's much harder to go that one step further and get the shot that has the "it factor". Take your time, wait, watch, maybe try a dutch angle
I love the first photograph and the organised chaos and the fact that it is tilted. I have noticed just lately a movement in photography where things are less than perfect and I love it. Or is it just me? Things being left in images, tilting, blurring, uneven balance, that kind of thing. I like it in my own images too and work towards it now. Far better than meticulous attention to details. (I suspect the phone camera has a lot to do with it and the very uncool Instagram) .
When seeing great work, photography "students" may assume that the genius took it. People forget that the "genius" probably took few pics, a roll, or even few. They forget that the picture is likely one from tens of hundreds of others the "genius" took. The genius of the photographer is not only in taking the picture, but also in selecting which picture to present to the audience.
Very interesting commentary thanks. Seeing Things is marketed as a book for children up to age 12, yet you use it as a source for your adult audience. Do you think this book would help beginners of any age and, in this case, my granddaughter who is 14 and whose photos have already impressed her art teacher? Thanks Alex.
Hi Alex, if the first picture from Eugene Richards had straight lines, it would look fake. Great Nostalgia looking at the old Telephone Booth. I found this video beneficial for my photography, and picked up some good tips along the way, thanks Alex 😊
@wayneclayton5426 Hah! I can relate to that. I've been taking photos off and on since the very late 1950s and I *still* manage to tilt the camera a lot of the time!
In the phone booth photo, would it be too much to change aspect ratio to remove bare concrete in foreground? Not street then? I debate with myself how much recomposing I allow myself in editing.
I bought 'how I make photographs' this week and have to admit being a bit disappointed. I find there's too much explanation needed in a lot of his photos, they're too busy and difficult to interpret. They need simplification to have more impact.
Videos like this are the content that photographers need.
That point of waiting for the world to do its thing, I believe is one of the central ideas that a lot of street and documentary photographers forget when making images.
THIS is WHY I love your channel... such unique content & analysis...
I'm liking the new format. Much easier to understand with the markings on the photo. And great photos to have explained.
I’m the coordinator for a group of women photographers in Australia who have decided to write a book together. We believe that women have a subtly different voice from men and Helen Levitt is my usual example of the difference in action. :-)
This reminds me of a photo I took at the British Museum last year where I saw a woman standing by a balcony, looking down and at one point taking photos with her phone. Lots of people would keep rushing over to the balcony to do the same. I kept taking photos and kept waiting for a possible opportunity to emerge. Thankfully I got a moment where the woman still standing there by her own looked over to the left, not looking down or staring at a phone and it created a really interesting moment, like she was in deep thought. Patience and waiting for a possible moment to emerge can be really tricky but it does pay off when the elements come together.
To be a great street photographer you need time. Time to just stand in one place and observe just waiting for that something special to appear in front of you. Great video again and a great book
Brilliant video! A someone learning their street craft I've overlooked the 'stand and wait' approach. I tend to wander around and snap what I see but don't often stay in one place to see what develops. I will add this into the mix!
Very detailed explanation of photography techniques!👍
Photo analysis in this way is really an added value. Thank you.
I got this book after you mentioned it in an earlier episode. It’s a treasure. Thanks for discussing it. Please do more of these photo reviews .very helpful for someone like me lacking the visual awareness.
Agreed, I also got myself a copy when Alex mentioned it in a previous video. Really is a hidden gem and something that both kids and adults can learn so much from.
We come to pictures so often with a sense of prejudgment. We (think we) already know how to tell good pictures from bad. But then sometimes someone does something that smacks us in the face and makes us realize our preconceptions don't always apply.
Watching and waiting is how I do it. See someone doing something interesting and wait to get the pictures you want.
Thank you for making this under 15 minutes and using various works from well-known photographers, unlike some another "quick way/hack" videos which take 30 minutes blabbering with one snapshot of their own (photo of people's back, f/1.8, then make a religion of their favourite brand) 😁
Much appreciated.
What's discouraged me from doing more street photography is all the sameness I've seen in examples from people online, whether they have RUclips channels or Instagram pages or both. It's crept into my mindset, making me think that *these* photos are good street photos and are the shots I need to try to get. But most of them are lacking that energy that attracted me to the genre to begin with. Sure, it's great to see an alleyway with a person walking through it, but the photos Alex shows in this video have something going on, a momentum and energy that much of what I see online these days lacks. Appreciate the tutorial, and the book recommendation!
Awesome video. Learned a lot. Thank you.
The way the foot of a subject is planted in tilted angles makes us feel that experience of gravity shifting. So that’s a reason to take a tilted shot. But on this one particular, I think it was just using the curb to frame the scene
informative content.
Another great video. I bought this book a while ago and luv it. Aimed at children and adults!
Great lesson on Street photography!
Great video and great lessons from one of the greatest!
Great subject Alex, you never disappoint us.
I so enjoy your channel!
The point is well taken in all genres really, it's relatively easy to get a technically well composed and executed shot that is falls flat. But it's much harder to go that one step further and get the shot that has the "it factor". Take your time, wait, watch, maybe try a dutch angle
Great lecture
I love the first photograph and the organised chaos and the fact that it is tilted. I have noticed just lately a movement in photography where things are less than perfect and I love it. Or is it just me? Things being left in images, tilting, blurring, uneven balance, that kind of thing. I like it in my own images too and work towards it now. Far better than meticulous attention to details. (I suspect the phone camera has a lot to do with it and the very uncool Instagram) .
Thanks for sharing.
When seeing great work, photography "students" may assume that the genius took it. People forget that the "genius" probably took few pics, a roll, or even few. They forget that the picture is likely one from tens of hundreds of others the "genius" took.
The genius of the photographer is not only in taking the picture, but also in selecting which picture to present to the audience.
Very interesting commentary thanks. Seeing Things is marketed as a book for children up to age 12, yet you use it as a source for your adult audience. Do you think this book would help beginners of any age and, in this case, my granddaughter who is 14 and whose photos have already impressed her art teacher? Thanks Alex.
Hi Alex, if the first picture from Eugene Richards had straight lines, it would look fake. Great Nostalgia looking at the old Telephone Booth. I found this video beneficial for my photography, and picked up some good tips along the way, thanks Alex 😊
I find I have a defection of 2 to 3 degrees on all my photos 90% of the time.
@wayneclayton5426 Hah! I can relate to that. I've been taking photos off and on since the very late 1950s and I *still* manage to tilt the camera a lot of the time!
There is an exhibition of Joel Meyerowitz's work at the Tate Modern right now, and it's well worth a look.
Is there? I was just there Thursday last week. Didn't see anything advertised..
@@ThePhotographicEyejust googled it - its in the Natalie Bell Building level 2 room 11 ( Tate Modern). 😊
@@ThePhotographicEye that would have been great rather than photographing staircases 😂
In the phone booth photo, would it be too much to change aspect ratio to remove bare concrete in foreground? Not street then? I debate with myself how much recomposing I allow myself in editing.
Composition tips..Andreas Feininger.
Isn’t “street photography” about catching the moment??? There are no rules!!! Keep up the great vids please.
The image is also devoid of obvious signs of the date.
It will seem current for decades.
In the photo of the children you could say that she is taking them under her wing.
I bought 'how I make photographs' this week and have to admit being a bit disappointed. I find there's too much explanation needed in a lot of his photos, they're too busy and difficult to interpret. They need simplification to have more impact.
I often but photographer books and get more form the ones I don’t understand ….. until I get it. :)
We all have our own eye. Keep shooting !!
Say... do you really, really need the word KILLER here in your headline?
Are we still able to photograph children these days?
In most countries legally yes ("no expectation of privacy in a public place"), but ethically I hesitate as some parents get upset.