More night shots again, but this time using reflections. I was about to wrap it up for the day, but decided to give myself a little assignment and only shoot people reflected in glass for the last 10 or 15 minutes. The funal shot was taken on the train on the way home.
Out of the Darkness And Into The Light
No reason to stop shooting street just because the sun goes down. Just stay close to shop fronts and use the light from their big windows. There's also less chance of being seen if you're standing in the shadows. A good fast prime lens is essential for this though. These were al taken with the Fuji X-T1 and 35mm f1.4.
Six Dead In Glasgow Rubbish Truck Crash
Another Christmas disaster struck the city of Glasgow today, when a rubbish lorry (refuse truck) ploughed through shoppers and cars before smashing into the Millennium Hotel at George Square. At the time of writing this post, it's thought that the driver of the truck had a heart attack and lost control. Six people are believed to be dead with many more seriously injured, many of them children.
Slow Streets Of Hong Kong :: Street Photography With A Tripod???
Here's a couple of long exposures that I shot with the X-Pro1 and the 18-55mm f2.8-f4. It might be a bit odd to shoot street photography with a tripod, but it's something I've wanted to do for a while. The shot above was 2.5 seconds at f18 ISO 200 and the shot below was at a quarter of a second at f6.4. I've posted some long exposures of a different kind HERE.
I almost forgot. This is post number 100 here on 35mmStreet. Thanks to all of you who've stopped by here, left comments or clicked like. It's thanks to you guys that I know I'm doing something right. You've gave me so much confidence as a street photographer. I'm in no way comparing myself to Vivian Maier, but maybe if she had a blog (and internet), she would have realised she was doing something right?
Bristol 1 - Cheltenham 4 :: The End Is Nigh
I took all these shots when I was at the PPOTY awards last week. The one above is inside Bristol Temple Meads train station (click here for what happened outside the station). I took five shots from this spot, just waiting for interesting people to pass through the frame. This was the first. Everything bellow is from Cheltenham.
Underpasses are scary looking places. They're a rapist and muggers dream and always have a sinister feel to them. I think women should avoid them like the plague! This is the only X-E1 shot (18mm f2) of this bunch, everything else was taken with the X100.
I like anything that makes the viewer stop and think. It doesn't take long to see what's going on here, but maybe just for a second it throws in a little bit of confusion? This one is also about loneliness for me.
I think this shot sums up the times we are living in today. Empty shops and a look of despair. This is how town centers look all over the UK.
More despair on the faces of this couple. I've just realized as I've reached the end of this post, that there's a lot of gloom in these photos. I wasn't looking for it, but it's there! Even in the background of the photo above, nobody is smiling. Is this the sort of photo that will represent this post financial crash when we look back in ten or twenty years time? Or will we look back and think this was actually the calm before the storm? Who knows what's ahead for the west, we're still on the way down and it looks like more war is on the horizon...maybe of the nuclear kind!
Don't you just love blog posts that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling all over? :o)
Aperture-Blade Runner
This is a cross post with my blog for photographers at Derek Clark Photography where you can see the colour version of the above photo.
I was out today, having coffee and talking shop with a couple of photographer friends John McPake and John Summers. After a few cups of tea and coffee and covering all things from sensors to lenses, books to editing, Santa Claus to Filipino Xmas parties and everything in between, we decided that we should be shooting pictures instead of talking about them. We made plans to go out for a days photography to a derelict building that's been on our photographic horizons for a while. But we made the arrangement that we would go out and shoot as long as the weather was ok, but if it was raining we would probably just get together indoors and talk or play around with radio triggers or light modifiers.
When I left the two John’s, I headed into town to have a look at the photography books in Waterstones. It was raining pretty hard and it was dark, but I pulled the Fuji X-E1 out of my bag and kept it up high, under my umbrella. I shot a few photos on the way to the bookstore and then a few afterwards on the way back to the car (with a really nice Time Life book having been purchased :o). I'm showing a few shots from my walk and I hope you all like them. But the main point of this blog post is just to point out that we shouldn't just go out in ideal conditions, or even fair weather. Sometimes it's the things you think you should avoid that give you something a little bit different or a little bit special. So although the golden hour is desirable, don't avoid the rain or the midday sun. Instead, we need to embrace them and use the qualities they have. The rain provides fantastic reflections and the midday sun gives us harsh contrasts shadows that can be amazing in black and white!
Fujifilm X-Pro1 Black & White at 3200 ISO :: Belladrum Music Festival
Balladrum Music Festival near Inverness in Scotland is a pretty interesting place and it's full to the brim with interesting people.
I was there as a musician playing last on the second stage, so there was plenty of time to walk around and catch a few shots with the X-Pro1 and the 35mm f1.4. I usually prefer something a bit wider, but I really enjoyed shooting with the 50mm focal length for a change.
All of these shots in this post were taken in low light at 3200 iso and the X-Pro1 performed fantastically (even the focus).
Festivals are a great excuse to dress up in what ever takes your fancy. Most people would like to look a few pounds lighter, but the guy in the photo above decided he would like something a little different.
Have a look at my other blog HERE to see more photos from this festival in both colour and black & White.
From Venice With Love
Here's one from last night on the streets of Venice Italy. That's also the reason I haven't been posting recently. But I'll be back from my travels soon and posting daily again. I'll have plenty more from Italy for your viewing pleasure (I hope). This shot was taken with the X100.
Window Licker
Yes, they really do exist! This little guy was on a bus at night, going at it as if his life depended on it.
Crazy Nights & Lonely Days
Dropped my wife and kids off at the bus station for their through the night journey to London visiting friends for a week. It didn't surprise me that after taking about three photographs in the bus station, I was aproached by an employee and told that I couldn't take photos without a permit. Sadly, this has become the norm in the UK. Big Brother loves to watch us, but doesn't like to be watched.
This guy was in my last post in the exact same place. Does he stay here? Does he have mail delivered here?
Shooting street photography at night is a lot different from during the day. Alcohol makes the world a crazy violent place, plus women don't wear a lot of clothes. Sometimes you feel that people think you're a pervert with a camera.
I've no idea how long this guy was waiting here for...or why
Subways, train stations and airports always have some sort of tractor beam. I don't know why!
I loved this shot of the Rogano Oyster Bar as soon as I put my eye to the viewfinder. It's like a time warp, due to the traditional dress of the employee