Here’s a quick grab shot I took with my iPhone 5s while joining Doug Kaye for our photo walk in San Francisco.
Processed using Lightroom 5 and VSCO Film 04.
Category: Street Photography
Part of the joy of street photography for me is how unpredictable it can be. You turn, see a good opportunity for a shot and try to capture it – in the decisive moment as they say.
Here’s an example – the shot I composed was waiting for the distant fellow talking on his iPhone to get into a certain spot against that wall – acting as a stage. I was shooting with a telephoto from the curb of Market Street. As I’m waiting, this guy closer up walks right in front of me just as I’m snapping the image.
At first look, I thought the image was a throw away – he’d ruined my shot. Instead, considering it later, I actually like the image – they’re going in opposite directions, the closeup guy provides some sense of depth to the image, etc.
I processed it in a high key style using Lightroom 5 and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. Shot with my Fujifilm X-E2
Ming Thein recently released a new two part video series on developing style in photography. One of the four styles he discusses is a cinematic style – something he’s known for.
This is an example applying some of his techniques to a 2007 image of mine shot on the steps of the New York Public Library in New York. As I was spinning through my old Lightroom library looking for examples, this woman’s red jacket jumped out at me. The image was shot with a Canon PowerShot S500 – my ever present companion back in those days.
I post processed the image using Lightroom 5, VSCO Film 05 and Photoshop CC.
Once in a while one of my images just grabs me to be “pushed” – to what it can become. This is one of those – a drab, flat image that comes to life in processing it. It’s an image of a San Francisco Powell Street cable car coming down the hill – shot from my hotel room above.
I shot the image with my tiny Canon PowerShot S100. Post processed it in Photoshop CC to add color and texture – it’s got a lot of style!
Here’s a quick grab shot taken at Embarcadero Plaza in downtown San Francisco. The Plaza has a bunch of small vendors, artists, photographers, etc. selling their wares. It’s a busy place – especially around lunch time.
Last time we were there, there was a small table setup behind a couple of the booths with this chess board and pieces. As we walked by, I caught this quick grab shot – loving the angles, the lines and the textures in the pieces in the box.
This image was captured with a Fujifilm X-E2 and post-processed in Lightroom 5 using VSCO Film 05.
I was struck by the work of Chicago-based Marie Laigneau who I stumbled upon thanks to Jefferey Saddoris and a post of hers that he shared on his Faded and Blurred. Her work – in both color and monochrome – is beautiful.
She inspired to go back to some shots of mine from downtown San Francisco – and to try processing them a bit differently. The one above is from February 2012 and was shot with a point and shoot (Canon PowerShot S100). Same with the first one below.
The second image below is from last week’s photowalk with Doug Kaye – shot with a Fujifilm X-E2
Here’s an image I almost tossed away. I wasn’t sure about catching the woman’s face in the lower left of the image – she walked into my otherwise perfectly composed (!) image.
But, after playing with it a while, I decided I really like the extra layering effect of having her – in all her unfocused glory – in the image.
Shot with Fujifilm X-E2, 55-200mm Fujinon lens. Post-processed in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
Doug Kaye and I were photowalking in downtown San Francisco on Friday – exploring some old familiar areas as well as a few new ones. At one point we crossed Market Street and I snapped this view heading to the Ferry Building. I was shooting on this particular day with my Fujifilm X-E2 with the 55-200mm Fujinon zoom lens.
This image was processed in Lightroom and VSCO Film before being touched a bit in Photoshop CC with the oil paint filter. I like how the oil paint filter (as well as Topaz Simplify) help remove some detail – decluttering the image just a bit.
While walking up one of our favorite blocks on Kearny Street in San Francisco, I happened to notice this woman in a beautifully lit alley off to my left. She was eating an apple – and casting a lovely image against that stage of a background.
Shot with my Fujifilm X-E2 and post-processed in Lightroom with VSCO Film 04 (Velvia 50).
An earlier image from this series follows. I love the stars and moons in her shoes!
I’ve written before how one of the fun parts of street photography is to find an interesting background and then wait for something interesting to appear within it.
This is a shot like that – taken along San Francisco’s Kearny Street – when there’s no parking and the shops along the street provide a wonderful backdrop – a perfect stage. Gotta love those boots!
This image was shot with my Fujifilm X-E2 and post processed using Lightroom and VSCO Film 05.
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