Some Hasselblad Street Photos from Paris

There are no golden rules to composition but what you can work on is framing.

framing is the act of what you include and leave from the 'frame', so go back to your pictures study them and think about how a different framing would have improved the shot.

For example shot of the man sitting on the bench is taken from a very low angle - that's not how we generally see people sitting next to us in a park (that perspective is used mostly to show the point of view of a small animal). so, you should have stood up and framed from a higher position to get a more natural prospective.

I know you were using a studio camera for street but its all in good fun and photography like everything thing else takes time.
 
Nh3 said:
For example shot of the man sitting on the bench is taken from a very low angle - that's not how we generally see people sitting next to us in a park (that perspective is used mostly to show the point of view of a small animal). so, you should have stood up and framed from a higher position to get a more natural prospective.
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I completely disagree. The angle of view, to me, is precisely what makes that shot interesting.
 
The images are sharp, and they look good on my screen. Are all images "perfectly" composed? This is a matter of personal view. There are so-called "rules", such as the thirds rule for placing subjects in a frame, but then again, it is suggested to break the rules. Using a square format is a natural for some but is boring for others. People who are used to TLR cameras are used to this format, and so are Hasselblad users of course. I like the practice of using a MF camera for street photography. I tried it last summer with the Graflex XLSW in Syria, and it worked very well.

Thank you for this thread.
 
Great shots, thanks for sharing...

With respect composition I don't see any problem with centered main subjects, at least in the shown shots... I would like to see the possible re-compositions mentioned, I'm too noob to figure them in a way the pic gets better
 
Nh3 said:
For example shot of the man sitting on the bench is taken from a very low angle - that's not how we generally see people sitting next to us in a park (that perspective is used mostly to show the point of view of a small animal). so, you should have stood up and framed from a higher position to get a more natural prospective.
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I also like the low angle view of that photo
 
Martin,

Thanks for sharing. Trust your own instinct regarding composition. I see nothing wrong here, - and who am I to tell?

The pictures reminds me about how cold & humid Paris can be. Brrr! I am glad I live in Oslo!
 
Street photography is basically snap shots of random strangers/events. Personally I use a different set of criteria to evaluate street work than I use for more deliberate styles of shooting. Composition is less important than conveying the sense of something happening or impending. The best shots are accidents of immediacy.

Several of the OP's shots work well: I like 2 & 4. I think it is cool (and brave) that he took out the Hasselblad to grab these. IMO the square format works, but also gives one more cropping options if they are wanted/needed. To me, #2 needs no cropping, but #4 offers interestng possibilities such as pulling the women in closer, or just focusing on feet, bags and shadows. (OK so that last idea is lame, but I threw it out there to make a point.)
 
Goldorak said:
J. Borger, The OP must be very happy to know that you compare his shots to Lise Safrati.
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You still haven't told us how to compose or why we should give a damn about your opinion. Your posting history is 75% nasty meanspirited comments whose sole purpose is to hurt others. I've mentioned a few times before on these forums my belief that people should be required to sign up using their REAL names, not anonymous usernames. Your history here is a glaring example of why.
 
le vrai rdu said:
yes and no, the size of he building as lot of influence on the light, Paris is a rather low city in term of building
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Paris is most cliched city in the world. No matter how good your photos, people eventually will compare you to the greats who have covered that city.

Find new ground, new territory. :cool:
 
Nh3 said:
For example shot of the man sitting on the bench is taken from a very low angle - that's not how we generally see people sitting next to us in a park (that perspective is used mostly to show the point of view of a small animal). so, you should have stood up and framed from a higher position to get a more natural prospective.
Click to expand...

I disagree, too. The low angle is what makes the shot interesting. If we shot everything from a typical perspective, we'd have nothing but typical photos.
 
Nh3 said:
Paris is most cliched city in the world. No matter how good your photos, people eventually will compare you to the greats who have covered that city.

Find new ground, new territory. :cool:
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Paris is not only the center of paris ;)

I would like to find new territorys but I live in paris, not in vladivostok or oulan bator :bang:
 
Michael P. said:
I disagree, too. The low angle is what makes the shot interesting. If we shot everything from a typical perspective, we'd have nothing but typical photos.
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For goodness sake, I was simply giving him some tips on framing. I did not say its a bad shot and it will not work for everybody...

People like pictures of door knobs as well, that does not make door knobs the most interesting subject after waterfalls, or pretty women with dark sunglasses etc...

IMO one can shoot from any perspective but the more straightforward and the less gimmicky it is the more powerful the picture.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
You still haven't told us how to compose or why we should give a damn about your opinion. Your posting history is 75% nasty meanspirited comments whose sole purpose is to hurt others. I've mentioned a few times before on these forums my belief that people should be required to sign up using their REAL names, not anonymous usernames. Your history here is a glaring example of why.
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I am sorry but I am not and I haven't been nasty. Your perception is your perception, I have no control over it. I find I've been nice throughout all my posts with some of them, such as this one, where I took a more direct approach.

If the OP wants my thorough criticism, I'll be glad to give it.

As for you, Chris, why don't you contact me through pm?
 
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