Leading lines.
Taken on a footbridge, converted to black and white. I like the contrast of dark and light at the top and bottom. :))
Today’s Exercise: Street Three.
It’s been a while since i did some black and white street shooting, mainly because i’ve been distracted by portraits and other things. Today is a reunion of myself and the streets, and i’m bringing home four shots from the exercise.
PHOTO #1: Tilted Bridge. I stood in the middle of this footbridge and took a shot emphasizing lines and balance. But i think it was kinda boring, so i did a tilted crop in Lightroom, thus the result.
PHOTO #2: Barkers’ Meeting. When a hotcake vendor wants to sell more hotcakes, they go around yelling “Hotcakes! Hotcakes!” When a bus or jeepney driver wants to get more passengers, they hire a “barker” to yell their destination (e.g. “Cubao! Cubao!”). Male barkers can be as young as 10 years old, while female barkers are less common and much older.
I dunno if barkers are present in other countries, though. Probably not.
PHOTO #3: Barkers Up Close. Two barkers heading to business while the other two were left discussing at the back.
PHOTO #4: To The Highway. This, er, “very short tunnel” links the parking space of Manhattan Garden City (a project still under construction) to the main road of Cubao, Quezon City. I like the balance and the presence of those pedestrian lines in this photo.
Most of my street shots were taken within Cubao (a major business district in Quezon City) and Cogeo (my hometown). My dream location for street photography is actually Quiapo, but its notorious reputation of housing expert pickpockets always give me second thoughts to whip out my camera in that place. Maybe someday, i will. :)
Today’s Exercise: Street Two.
OK, the last post was delayed for a day, but this one is completely on-time ‘cause it’s my Saturday post! :D I just finished post-processing my photos, even the unpublished ones, and i feel that i can get back on track again.
[BTW, i prefer the term “post-processing” to “editing”. The latter sounds kinda extreme to me, as if i manipulate photos to the hilt. I used to be a purist, hee hee! But hey, no offense though on people who do---to each his own.^_^)
Another street exercise, brought to you by Odee. :)
1. A cigarette and rags vendor.
2. Man with a cart. My theory is that he’s a bottle and newspaper collector (for the junk shops).
3. Conversations on the street.
4. Taho or soya milk vendor.
The last one’s my favorite. :)
Today’s Exercise: Street One.
I’m becoming very fascinated with street photography lately. I find it both a difficult and easy field. What’s easy is that there is practically no rule tied to it. The difficult part is getting that shot that will appeal both to you and to others.
Today’s street shooting is different from anything i’ve ever done. I decided to try this experiment suggested to me by a friend, where i will NOT review my images in the LCD until i get home. I’m telling you, it really took a lot of my self-control! Also, i had my Nikon D40 set to shoot in Black and White. I know it is a better practice to do it in post-processing, but i was imagining that i’m shooting in film hee hee!
Well, enough of my blabbing. I don’t wanna make any excuses on why my shots are what they are. Feel free to post your thoughts. :)
I took more than 50 photos in an hour. Only 9 survived after my elimination.
The last one is my favorite because it’s the closest shot i had of a person. :))
Today’s Exercise: Lines Three.
I was looking for colors to photograph for the past couple of days. I saw plenty, but what i was actually looking was not only plain colors, but something that includes a “break”, or an object to contrast the dominating hue. For example, a yellow sign against a blue wall.
In this case, the break i was looking for was provided by red text against white, separating the blue into two parts. I also like the balanced composition.
I seldom see this laundry house closed because i usually pass by it after 8 AM, so when i arrived home a little too early, i grabbed the opportunity^_^
Today’s Exercise: Portrait Two.
Honestly, i dunno if this counts as a portrait… i have this notion that “portraits” are more of close-up photos, like creative mug shots, rather than half-body poses. Still, i filed it under the category because i don’t wanna make a separate one for “people photography”, so there. :)
Anyway, it’s Shiel (you MUST know her by now—my best friend!) and our work buddy Meg in front of the camera today. They’re waiting for their jeepneys to take them home, but as it’s still so early, why not snap a picture first?
I must say, i’m having a bit of affair with walls at the moment. It seems alright despite the blank space. Oh well, i’ll watch out for interesting walls next time (e.g. red bricks) so the majority of the frame won’t look empty…
Today’s Exercise: Portraits.
PART 1
Portrait theme: Dreamy.
Model: Shiel Gonzaga.
I think i suck at portraits.
Today, i decided to face that weakness and give it a try. I told myself, whatever the results may be, at least i’ve made an effort to measure my skills. (But i think it is still too early to conclude that portrait photography is not for me, ‘cause i’m crossing my fingers and hoping that someday i’m gonna get good at it!)
This portrait theme is called “Dreamy” because i intentionally blew the lighting on the photos to create that soft look, an opposite flow to my usual style of vignettes and strong blacks and contrasts. It’s an experiment i’m not expecting to get right, but i’d share it still anyway.
Hmm. I dunno if i’d do another slight over-exposing like these… maybe some feedback could help me decide? ;)
PART 2
Portrait theme: “Normal”.
Model: Shiel Gonzaga.
Additional photos from the same day! Only this time, my best friend Shiel isn’t dreamy anymore. :)
Today’s Exercise: Circles Three.
PART 1: Bicycle.
This blog has the most amazing angles of bike photography i’ve seen, so i was inspired to go bike-hunting as well. Unfortunately, my shots didn’t even come close to his, largely because i couldn’t find a nice composition to frame the bike. I ended up giving attention to its wheels, and now it became part of my Circles project.
To walk or to ride? Speaking of which, i wish Filipinos give bikes the same attention as Koreans and Japanese do. That would be a great help to Mother Earth.
I’ll try to have a different perspective next time…
PART 2: Motorcycle.
Two-wheel vehicles are today’s subjects. After a few shots of that bike, i moved on to a lone motorcycle.
I like the wheels; they look kick-ass to me! :D
Today’s Exercise: Circles Two.
Just a single image for today… i dunno what this is called—it’s like a cover for the motorcycle engine. I snapped it off from one parked on the street. :)
Today’s Exercise: Circles.
Yesterday it was Lines… today’s Circles. So, here’s my take on it… just a couple of round objects on my way home. :)
Today’s Exercise: Lines.
I was told that shooting with themes is a good way to practice seeing potential subjects. So on my way home, i kept myself busy by looking at the surroundings with an eye for lines, and i realized that there are actually a lot of them than i’d normally notice!
I wonder what exercise i should try next? There are still plenty of lines out there… :)
