photos photos photos, 2 years of street shooting.

SimonSawSunlight

SimonSawSunlight

Simon Fabel
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Mar 7, 2008
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the rff euromeet in barcelona 2009 always felt like some sort of a starting point for my 'acceptable' street photography. that was a little more than two years (and two more rff euromeets ;) ) ago.
I browsed through my flickr stream today and picked out 51 pictures that stood out for me (as 'stand-on-their-own' pictures that is), not sure if it's the 'best' 51, but I think they make a nice set.
if you're interested, check them out here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonsawsunlight/sets/72157626749926851/

if you know one of my pictures that should be in there, please tell me. I would like this collection to be more or less representative for my work, because I know browsing through a random fraction of the thousands of photos in my flickr stream isn't.

thanks all for your critique and support during the last years =)
 
Good series! Some very excellent shots in there, and some weak ones. I think you could pare out a further 25 of the shots and be left with a very strong series. In particular, some notable weak shots IMO:

Row 2 images 2, 6, 7
Row 3 images 1, 7, 9
Row 4 images 7, 9
Row 5 image 2
Row 6 images 1, 2, 4
 
Critique of portfolio

Critique of portfolio

Simon,

I'm a professional press photographer and if you'll allow me to be totally honest with you I'll speak to you in a manner that the best editor I ever had spoke to me. She was extremely honest and it was a big help over the course of my career.

I really enjoyed some of your photos and I found others to be snapshots.

I think you excelled with the following:

Girl with hands in her hair casting the long shadow
Couple kissing in the train station
Girls back to back on the bus
Old hand with couple kissing in the background
Guys sitting opposite one another hands draped on arms of chairs

I think the following are good:

Kid with bow and arrow in the park
Couple kissing on the bridge
Coat billowing with newspaper behind the back
Pigeon flying while the other still on the ledge

The following in my opinion are snapshot images and not up to the standard you set above:

All of the dog photos (I love dogs but these are not great images)
The girl fixing her shoe
Girl riding bike fixing her hair
Girl with antlers
Men with paintings under the sculpture
Man talking on cell phone on side of building
Woman from behind with dog at her feet
Man pointing over iPad ad
Girl with polka dot bandanna (is she crying, scratching her eye, is there dust in the air? It's not a truthful image, and it's soft)
Arrow and the coat hanger
Bicycles in the snow with boy running
Policeman giving the finger
Kids running towards one another in the square
Girl in subway with the eye through the glass
Feet in white shoes with the hands
The men with the topiaries
Kid climbing the fence
Stormtrooper sweatshirt (why did you take this photo?)
Last photo of woman with the umbrella

By and large a smaller set of extremely strong images (15-20 in total) speaks volumes more about your ability than the collection you put forth. You've shown moments of real ability and a great eye and mixed them with moments where all you had to do was wait for a person to ride by on their bike, or walk past while you focused on an ad through a train window, or kneel down to photograph a dog, etc.

I hope this isn't coming across as being mean, that's not my intention in any way, I do think you're a good photographer but I don't understand why you took some of the images. As a viewer I don't need to know how hard it was for you to make some of these images, or why you think they're clever. They need to resonate with me and photos like a guy pointing over an iPad ad, or a man leaning against the wall on his cell phone mean nothing.

Anyway, I appreciate the fact that you've put this out for everyone's review and I hope that the feedback people give is thoughtful and helpful. I do believe in your ability I just think you need to hone your focus and ask yourself 'why am I making this image?'

If you have comments for me in return please feel free to contact me. I hope you have a great weekend.

Chris
 
gravityassault said:
Simon,

I'm a professional press photographer and if you'll allow me to be totally honest with you I'll speak to you in a manner that the best editor I ever had spoke to me. She was extremely honest and it was a big help over the course of my career.

I really enjoyed some of your photos and I found others to be snapshots.

I think you excelled with the following:

Girl with hands in her hair casting the long shadow
Couple kissing in the train station
Girls back to back on the bus
Old hand with couple kissing in the background
Guys sitting opposite one another hands draped on arms of chairs

I think the following are good:

Kid with bow and arrow in the park
Couple kissing on the bridge
Coat billowing with newspaper behind the back
Pigeon flying while the other still on the ledge

The following in my opinion are snapshot images and not up to the standard you set above:

All of the dog photos (I love dogs but these are not great images)
The girl fixing her shoe
Girl riding bike fixing her hair
Girl with antlers
Men with paintings under the sculpture
Man talking on cell phone on side of building
Woman from behind with dog at her feet
Man pointing over iPad ad
Girl with polka dot bandanna (is she crying, scratching her eye, is there dust in the air? It's not a truthful image, and it's soft)
Arrow and the coat hanger
Bicycles in the snow with boy running
Policeman giving the finger
Kids running towards one another in the square
Girl in subway with the eye through the glass
Feet in white shoes with the hands
The men with the topiaries
Kid climbing the fence
Stormtrooper sweatshirt (why did you take this photo?)
Last photo of woman with the umbrella

By and large a smaller set of extremely strong images (15-20 in total) speaks volumes more about your ability than the collection you put forth. You've shown moments of real ability and a great eye and mixed them with moments where all you had to do was wait for a person to ride by on their bike, or walk past while you focused on an ad through a train window, or kneel down to photograph a dog, etc.

I hope this isn't coming across as being mean, that's not my intention in any way, I do think you're a good photographer but I don't understand why you took some of the images. As a viewer I don't need to know how hard it was for you to make some of these images, or why you think they're clever. They need to resonate with me and photos like a guy pointing over an iPad ad, or a man leaning against the wall on his cell phone mean nothing.

Anyway, I appreciate the fact that you've put this out for everyone's review and I hope that the feedback people give is thoughtful and helpful. I do believe in your ability I just think you need to hone your focus and ask yourself 'why am I making this image?'

If you have comments for me in return please feel free to contact me. I hope you have a great weekend.

Chris
Click to expand...

funny. i thought the girl in the polka dot bandanna was one of the best. the dots, the other dots and then the squares in the background worked very well for me. and, i liked the girl with the eye in the subway too.

however, i like the framework and your willingness to give very direct critique. maybe simon will hate it. i found it to be a useful reminder that not every one of my pictures is as awesome as i think it is, and that some are even more awesome. seeing which go into what category is often as much a seeing talent as is the taking of the pictures in the first place.
 
Simon,
Very good pictures, but I don't really like the editing :
- horny woman is out of the subject
- some shots aren't so good and could be removed : tuscany 3, over the fence, squadron, V/, maybe two or three other, in order to have a stronger impact
- there's something interesting with the "hands in the dark" maybe an apart serie, not about street photo

BTW, congratulations!
 
i strongly like 11 "street" shots, Simon. i would drop ALL animal shots except no. 34, where only a dog's front feet are visible.
here are my 11 pics, strating top left: 4, 6, 12, 14, 18, 20, 22, 28 (you know it's my favorite), 34, 28, 46.

you could take out 28 and 34, and build an eight shot "hands" series, separate from street, although i believe 28 and 34 also belong in street.

shadows/light also could be its own 4-6 shot series.
 
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There are several excellent images, Simon.
I don't want to repeat what has been said above.

I have a question for you, though. In some images, you focused on the subjects in the background, and you let the front subject go out of focus. Was this done deliberately, or does the lens back focus?
 
Wonderful collection, Simon, plenty of images with great patterns, composition, lighting.
The standouts for me are the following:
vevey57
tuscany1
vevey56
london2011
ypsilon
Keep up the fantastic work.
 
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simon, I did get through your set and faved the shots I liked best. my flickr id is nomorecolors. agree about dropping most animal shots (especially the pigeons! flying rats!) and the 2-3 shallow dof ones
 
thank you all for your time and thoughts.


gravityassault said:
Simon,

I'm a professional press photographer and if you'll allow me to be totally honest with you I'll speak to you in a manner that the best editor I ever had spoke to me. She was extremely honest and it was a big help over the course of my career.

I really enjoyed some of your photos and I found others to be snapshots.

I think you excelled with the following:

Girl with hands in her hair casting the long shadow
Couple kissing in the train station
Girls back to back on the bus
Old hand with couple kissing in the background
Guys sitting opposite one another hands draped on arms of chairs

I think the following are good:

Kid with bow and arrow in the park
Couple kissing on the bridge
Coat billowing with newspaper behind the back
Pigeon flying while the other still on the ledge

The following in my opinion are snapshot images and not up to the standard you set above:

All of the dog photos (I love dogs but these are not great images)
The girl fixing her shoe
Girl riding bike fixing her hair
Girl with antlers
Men with paintings under the sculpture
Man talking on cell phone on side of building
Woman from behind with dog at her feet
Man pointing over iPad ad
Girl with polka dot bandanna (is she crying, scratching her eye, is there dust in the air? It's not a truthful image, and it's soft)
Arrow and the coat hanger
Bicycles in the snow with boy running
Policeman giving the finger
Kids running towards one another in the square
Girl in subway with the eye through the glass
Feet in white shoes with the hands
The men with the topiaries
Kid climbing the fence
Stormtrooper sweatshirt (why did you take this photo?)
Last photo of woman with the umbrella

By and large a smaller set of extremely strong images (15-20 in total) speaks volumes more about your ability than the collection you put forth. You've shown moments of real ability and a great eye and mixed them with moments where all you had to do was wait for a person to ride by on their bike, or walk past while you focused on an ad through a train window, or kneel down to photograph a dog, etc.

I hope this isn't coming across as being mean, that's not my intention in any way, I do think you're a good photographer but I don't understand why you took some of the images. As a viewer I don't need to know how hard it was for you to make some of these images, or why you think they're clever. They need to resonate with me and photos like a guy pointing over an iPad ad, or a man leaning against the wall on his cell phone mean nothing.

Anyway, I appreciate the fact that you've put this out for everyone's review and I hope that the feedback people give is thoughtful and helpful. I do believe in your ability I just think you need to hone your focus and ask yourself 'why am I making this image?'

If you have comments for me in return please feel free to contact me. I hope you have a great weekend.

Chris
Click to expand...

thank you Chris, I honestly appreciate your time and effort to give me feedback. absolutely no offense taken in anything you wrote, no worries.

apparently we look for different things in a photo. the 'problem' might be that you look at these pictures from a 'journalistic' point of view, but these are no journalistic photographs. they work on different levels, they are about very different things. form is the most important factor for me, not content. my photography does not have to transport a clear message to whoever is looking at it for a couple of seconds, like it has to do in daily press (I think good street photography rarely does, as opposed to most good newspaper pj).
be assured that I never take a picture without a reason, I've come this far in my understanding of photography ;) I respect however that what might be a crucial reason for me may seem like a waste of time to someone else.
for example repitions of form-elements, I take a lot of joy in little games like http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonsawsunlight/4545607055/in/set-72157626749926851 where the arrows of the sign point in the same direction (up/right) as the guys fingers, it's not about a guy on the phone in front of the wall, I don't give a crap about guys with phones ;) . or this http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonsawsunlight/5748046329/in/set-72157626749926851 where the bow of the flower on her dress is echoed by the umbrella which is echoed by its shadow, to put it all very simple.
another thing I like are clean geometrics in 'dialogue' with organic elements like here http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonsawsunlight/3874024230/in/set-72157626749926851 or here http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonsawsunlight/5014887061/in/set-72157626749926851 . this all may seem very simple and idiotic at first, but it can actually lead to quite interesting cultural and aesthetic 'studies' and be more than a puzzle for kids.

I'm not trying to convince you to like these pictures, nor am I saying all of these are masterpieces, just trying to point out to you what it is that me and a couple of others see in these pictures (although I suppose I'm doing a crappy job, I just had a 12-hour day shooting some stupid bankers event and my brain feels a little wobbly at the moment), and that there are no 'random' snapshots in there, even if some of them might look like such at very first glance.

again, I'm not offended by your feedback at all, au contraire, it motivated me to cut down the selection a little more, because I realised that a few of the shots had mainly emotional or highly-subjective aesthetical value for me. it wasn't intended to be a definite portfolio of mine, but it's true that there is a little more bang to it all without those. (this for example http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonsawsunlight/4532705534/in/set-72157626749926851 had me amused because the man in the foreground took the exact same pose as the sculpture in the background, and he stood there like this for quite some time while talking to his mate, but I realise it's not defined enough to keep up).



raid said:
I have a question for you, though. In some images, you focused on the subjects in the background, and you let the front subject go out of focus. Was this done deliberately, or does the lens back focus?
Click to expand...

is this a serious question? :confused: my lenses do not back focus =)



aeolist said:
simon, I did get through your set and faved the shots I liked best. my flickr id is nomorecolors. agree about dropping most animal shots (especially the pigeons! flying rats!) and the 2-3 shallow dof ones
Click to expand...


thanks mate, but sorry I like pigeons when they work for me. :angel:
 
ps: sorry for the extensive use of the word 'street photography' for reasons of lazyness, it's a bit of a useless term and I don't like limiting my photography with such questionable definitions. no problem if you want to call it so, though.
 
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JSU said:
I consider "street" to be a genre much the same as I recognize "portrait" or "landscape" or "cityscape" or "figure study" or "photojournalism" or "documentary," etc.

If your portfolio offering is street, then I would limit it to such. If it is sports or portraiture, same again. If it is a general offering of skills, talent and vision, that is something else entirely.
Click to expand...

for me it's not that simple. apart from that I think every picture in the selection can be considered "street", whatever that might mean. :)
 
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Simon -- I really enjoyed your selection of photographs. You seem to have an uncommon eye for a striking image, and great imagination. And behind what one sees in the images, you are obviously thinking through what you are doing and why. It's all of a piece. Your user id, SimonSawSunlight, is brilliant and seems perfectly appropriate for you, and the titles -- and contents -- of your blogs also. So one might take issue with this or that, but on the whole your talent, energy and enthusiasm stand out. Great stuff. I look forward to more. All the best, John
 
Simon,

Some of these obviously are better than others. I'd be happy to have taken most of them. You are obviously serious about this and have a lot of talent. You did well to solicit critique, and most of it here is constructive, although it is not strictly consistent. Keep at it.
 
I was not joking.

"I have a question for you, though. In some images, you focused on the subjects in the background, and you let the front subject go out of focus. Was this done deliberately, or does the lens back focus?"

is this a serious question? my lenses do not back focus =)
 
SimonSawSunlight said:
It's a little website, you have to click on 'gallery' in the top side navigation :)
Click to expand...

Just my 2 Canadian cents of course:
Image #5, The child with the bow & arrow, the dog shot & the cellular shot can go I think for a tighter edit. As a viewer, these 3 don't seem to fit the overall feel of the set. Not that they're no good, but removing them adds a cohesiveness to the bunch.... unless the point was a collection of nice pics.
 
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