Things you hear when people are thinking about starting out in street photography… “What book should I read or class should I do?” “Where should I go?” “What is the best camera / bag / lens / etc?” “What do I do if someone approaches me after taking their photo?” The most important response to […]
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Contrasting Time
Having some “go to” locations when you are down on inspiration is a critical tool for any street photographer. Taken in Centre Place – you can read more about the location here – a place I often go to when in need of some easy pickins’… The lens was medium format 80mm, and relatively slow […]
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Juxtaposition – Cheap Shots!
After feeling a bit “out of the zone” yesterday, juxtapositional compositions came to the rescue. Just find a great sign and wait for the right subject to come into frame. They are a staple for a lot of street photographers – although it takes a fair bit to add enough to the composition to […]
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Urbanity Image Review #10
Sometimes, ya gotta get back to basics… one of the first things any composition book will teach is to look for natural frames for your subjects. Frames are not something I think consciously about often enough. This shot features a frame within the frame, which helps take the composition heightens the interest. The two subjects are […]
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Urbanity Image Review #9
Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. There are weddings happening all over Hong Kong during the week. They appear quite random. Just the bride, groom, maybe one or two others and photographers with magnificent kits of gear. Probably not much different to Melbourne, it is just unusual to see them all week on the streets […]
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Urbanity Image Review #8
Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. Temple Street Night Market. Well, there is a theme here – a few shots from the Temple Street Night Market made the cut, and there were a few more that got very close to be included in the Urbanity Exhibition. The more you practice a skill, the more you […]
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Urbanity Image Review #7
Taken in Hong Kong March 2014. Another ripper from the International Finance Centre. Make sure you give it a good look if you are in town. The simplicity of this image is what I love. Simple tones and colours, clearly framed in three key blocks, let the composition elements stand out. Things in threes continue […]
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Creating Impact – Free Ebook Online – Review
Photographers who take the time to think about their technique, dissect it, and share it are my favourites! After doing some more web research recently, I came across Marie Laigneau’s wonderful little ebook called “Creating Impact”. You can tell how much I liked it by my copious notes captured in the image above… Laigneau is […]
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Urbanity Image Review #5
Beware, I get a bit more technical liney on this one… Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. I am pretty sure this was at the International Finance Center. A perfect set of circumstances for black and white film… The IFC is surrounded by some awesome overhead covered walkways and connects through to the Hong Kong […]
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Urbanity Image Review #4
Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. For the record, I shot a total of 32 rolls of Ilford HP5 and AGFA APX 400 on this trip – approximately 1000 shots for a total of 13 final images for the exhibition. A hit rate of 1.3% if my math is correct? Hmmm, if you are going […]
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Urbanity Image Review #3
Taken in Melbourne, August 2014. Location is Degraves Street, I think? The Flinders Street end. The only image in the collection leveraging the use of a model. Sometimes ya gotta try new things. There were a few ideas I had that were going to be much easier to realise with a more predictable set of […]
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Urbanity Image Review #1
Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. A somewhat “lucky” shot. There are three distinct planes in the image defined by the location of each of the subjects. I am starting to love finding different, clearly defined planes in images. The suggested lines of diminishing perspective (the long arrows!) are accentuated by the lateral lines of the […]
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AAMI Park Stadium
Melbourne is sports crazy. AFL, Rugby League & Union, Soccer, Cricket, and the list goes on. The stadiums for these sports all offer fantastic urban landscape opportunities, and an opportunity to shoot the fans. AAMI Park Stadium has a unique triangle filled roof. There is also plenty of concrete to inspire your photography. The Holga image above […]
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Featured Image – Matthew Joseph – Panoramarama
From the Photographer – Matthew Joseph “This shot is a particular favourite of mine, I took it in March 2005 in Brisbane. I was wandering around the Queen Street Mall and walked into the Myers Centre, I used to come here when I was younger. I wanted to take some above view photos of people […]
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Street Photography Etiquette – Buskers
Was lucky enough to come across this guitar guy today, on the corner of Flinders Lane and Degraves – a case of the usual suspects, to some degree. The subject was more than happy for me to poke around him for a minute or two, taking some great images. I don’t often shoot buskers as […]
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Free Open Source Street Photography Course
Eric Kim is a great source of inspiration for street photographers. He sets a great example by bringing a disciplined approach to learning and the creative process. He has brought together a whole bunch of his great content into a structured Street Photography course. You can find the course here : Free Open-Source Online Street […]
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Vivian Maier – Composition Ideas – Intro
Vivian Maier was a Chicago based street photographer who was only recently discovered after her death in 2009. I have been reading the book “Vivian Maier – Street Photographer” which features some of her best work. Maier’s work includes some travel photography, self portraits, and street photography. You can read more about her here. I […]
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Idea Prompt : Abstract Buildings
Look for abstract shapes and compositions amongst buildings all around you.
Continue readingPosition and Timing
“There are the two basic controls at the photographer’s command – position and timing – all others are extensions, peripheral ones, compared to them.” David Hurn Allan Jeans once said Aussie Rules footy is simple. Either they have the ball, we have the ball, or the ball is in dispute. Both Hurn and Jeans have a […]
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Nikon 50mm f1.8 – The affordable nifty fifty
So, you just purchased a shiny new DSLR, despite my advice that you probably really needed a high end point and shoot compact camera… It came with a couple of lenses in the box, didn’t it? They look pretty awesome. Maybe you could even offer to shoot your cousin’s upcoming wedding with these new image weapons? […]
Continue readingIdea Prompt : Capture Motion
Contrast motion with a stationary subject.
Continue readingIdea Prompt : Roll Down the Window
Catch a cab or get your “signigicant” other to drive you around. Roll down the window and shoot what you see.
Continue readingIdea Prompt : Focus is Over-rated
Don’t sweat achieving sharp focus. See what happens.
Continue readingIdea Prompt : Any Perspective Except for Head Height
Take a relatively everyday subject and shoot it from a perspective that you would not normally see. Most photos are taken from “head height” – our whole lives play out before us from this perspective. Change it up by getting high, low, left, or right of where you would normally see a subject from.
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Value of a Notebook
Ever felt a bit flat about your photography? Like you are taking the same groundhog day shots every time you go out? Last November, I made a commitment to take another step forward with my pursuit of creative growth. I had slipped into a groove which had rapidly developed into a rut. As photography is […]
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Changing Perspective
One of the hardest things to avoid in street photography is “same same” perspective. The nature of the activity – walking around and instant opportunities – results in the photographer mostly bringing the camera up to to the eye at head height. We see the world around us, every day, at head height. We are used […]
Continue readingIdea Prompt : People at Work
Look for people at work.
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January 25, 2015 