Street fun with a 12-24mm UWA lens

Hi folks...I decided to get the webs off my Tokina 12-24F/4 Pro UWA lens and shoot it at 12mm. The vignetting is caused by a circular hood. I knew it would Vignette as I could see it through the view finder, so I worked the composition into it...It made it more difficult because with UWA lenses, you are practically on top of your subject or what ever it is your shooting. Obviously these are all un-cropped and processed in Lightroom V3.6 Very challenging but tons of fun. 

A stroll through Hollywood BLVD

Smile, your on candid camera

A little suspicious 

This fellow taking a peak at the lady...Males ! 

And there she goes

On a rare rainy day in L.A.

Street shooting tips and techniques

Hi folks.

After receiving dozens of emails and private messages this past year about street shooting techniques, I decided to start writing them down. At first, I had thought about simply copying and pasting the questions that where asked and the answers' given, but then I decided that far to often, the wrong question was asked. So I will spend the next few weeks or months adding a tip to my blog here. Likely once a week, maybe sooner or maybe later. If you feel they may be worth it, please feel free to sign up for an email blast so you don't miss any. Some of my tips will be extremely basic and simple and others will get a little more technical. I will also post them up on my flickr as well....A few of the things I will cover are such things like;

Safety while out in the streets...precautions I take while I am out.

Presentation of your picture as in context and filling the view finder.  

To add or not to add a title or narrative.

Camera settings like shutter speeds, aperture and ISO

Why shooting film can be of great benefit to you. Will discuss various films as well.

Lenses: To zoom or not to zoom, ultra wide angle, wide angle and short telephotos lenses.

Mannerisms; This perhaps is the most important part in capturing a decent street shot that is up close and personal. I will share what I look for in a subject and how I go about catching the moment. To be confident is different than being brave, though it does help to tie them together.

Places; You would be surprised, but busy places are not the best places to catch unique street captures. Most often you end up with a mess, but they are a great place to start shooting.

How to get out of trouble when you find yourself there. :)

So these are just a few of the things I will write about. If you have suggestions, comments or disagreements, please let me know and lets discuss.

So having said all of this, let me first start of by making a few things clear.

I am not a pro. In fact I am a very average amateur photographer who loves to make pictures. What I really enjoy, is viewing others pictures and seeing what they saw at that moment in time when they released the shutter. I also do not know what defines a good street picture or not. I have been told by many that they really enjoy and like my pictures and have also been told by a select few that my pictures stink and are offensive. Often times I will really like someone else's picture and others will dislike that picture, so go figure. I have also been told that I should be more like so and so and so forth. What I say is, be yourself, shoot and develop your own style. If ends up being like someone else's style, so be it. My personal favorite is Garry Winogrand. I love his pictures and have been told that many of my pictures look ''Winograndish''. I could only hope to be a tenth of what he was...So if you like my style of pictures, this may be of help and follow along. If not, then there are plenty of other sites that will be of help to you and run along :)

So lets get started.....

Expectations and discipline . The first thing that I had to learn to accept is that I will miss far more pictures than I will ever get. There are many times and there will be many more that I will come home with nothing worth keeping. The most difficult thing that I had to do was learn to use the delete button on my computer. Part of how I developed this discipline was to use a 2 gig card in my dslr's or if shooting film, I would most often use 24exp rolls. If the need came where I needed more room on my SD card, then I would start to delete pictures then and their in the camera. If shooting film, I always carried an extra roll. Having said this, I can't recall the last time I filled a 2 gig card and shot a full roll in a single outing. The exception being if I am traveling and then I will load a 16 gig card. Try and capture the money picture with the first shot. This I can't emphasize enough. It is rare to get a quality second shot off for me. While I do keep my camera in burst mode, it is rare for me to keep my finger on the trigger. Usually I just shoot once. If you must shoot in a burst, 2-3 images per seconds max is about perfect for street. Keep in mind that after the first release of the shutter, the magic candid moment is likely gone. Keep in mind also that the more you walk, the better your chances of running up on something are. Don't look to force a  picture. If it is there, it is there, if not, it is not. If you miss it, you miss it. Move on and don't try and make something out of nothing. You will only find trouble.

I am sure many of you have your own routine, but here is mine. First thing I do is prepare myself first. Usually 2 bananas and a multi vitamin with lots of water. Secondly I make sure my memory card is empty and or have a fresh roll of film or an extra roll with me. Make sure my batteries are charged up and fresh. I choose the lens I will use for the day and make it work, usually a 24, 28, 30 or 35mm prime. Take my lens cap off and leave it home. It has no business being with me. The camera should always be on and the lens cap off. I make sure I have my bus pass and a water bottle. After that, I am good to go. Since street shooting is also my form of exercise, my walks are usually between 4-6 miles at a time usually 4-5 days a week. The more I walk, the better my chances of getting a decent picture. So until next time.           

       

    

A bus ride and Little Armenia

Folks getting off the train from different walks of life.

I found this tunnel gate full of locks. If ever there again, I will be sure and add one myself.

I wonder why advertisers feel the need to include half naked women on post cards? 

This is the real Hollywood in many ways...

This blew me away. I am trying to figure out how I feel about this? Food for thought.

Some of the friendly folks along the way... :)

Olvera st in a rare rainy pretty day in L.A.

The prayer wall in Olvera St. is always full of interesting prayers request. People will post up pictures of their family's,  baby's, letters, you name it. While there, I will often send up a prayer on their behalf as well even  if my beliefs are different than theirs. 

The Getty

My wife and I took a trip to the Getty...Truly it is an amazing place to visit and it is free...An incredible deal.

The rest of the series can be found here. Thank you for looking

Random street pics

RAW Street !!!