Street Photography Update

Jerk Pork / John Gough / Canon EOS 6D

What is happening in the world of street photography?

I found a film on Amazon Prime called Everybody Street, which has street photographers from New York, including Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark, Elliott Erwitt, Ricky Powell and Joel Mayerowitz, talking about how and why they take pictures.

Everybody Street

I have since sourced the film on YouTube:

As I watched the film I jotted down some insights from these iconic photographers:

Why do some photographers go to the street and others go to the studio?

Learning to read your culture is a great fascination for photographers

Capture what might be of interest in the future. When its gone, you realise that you missed taking a picture of it

There are too many bad photographs, but the good ones illuminate and entertain and get some sort of emotion, laugh or cry or something in between

Invisibility, a little camera makes you look like a sneak

Definition of public and private is smashed, so objecting to having a camera in your face is obsolete

You make the picture in the moment, turn left you have a picture, turn right and you don’t get one

Rendering the human condition, sharing the world as it is, recording life my way

More and more I want to take pictures, because I have less and less time left

Photography is about description, that is what a camera does. However as human beings we learn to understand minute little exchanges. It is down to us believing that this slice of a moment will present its self. There are a lot of people that don’t believe that the world is going to present itself in that way, so they don’t see it because they don’t look for it.

If you have a spare hour and a half and you love street photography you will love this film.

I recently saw Damien Demolder talk about street photography

Damien Demolder

Damien is an interesting speaker. He was editor of Amateur Photographer for around fifteen years. He is now a journalist, photographer, reviewer of kit and a judge on some big photography competitions. I recently saw him speak about his photography. Street photography he defines as people and architecture. His work is here

This was just some of the learning I took away.

Photography and especially street photography is showing ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

Light is important. Our subject is light. Wait for light.

Photographers are more observant than other people. Look for that decisive moment.

Shoot with a standard lens. Need to be involved with the subject not standing far away

Holding a viewfinder to your head cuts you off from the world. 98% of pictures are taken from head height. If you have a flip up the screen then shoot from the hip. It is a different view and you can see the picture coming next.

Hold your camera in front of you. Use the screen. You look like an idiot but not like a photographer.

Here is Damien talking about street portraiture:

Winners of the 2017 Epson International Pano Awards

by everywhereman

Thank you to my friend Cliff Harvey for finding these magnificent pictures, from the 2017 Epson International Pano Awards.

2017 Winners Gallery

Not a competition I was aware of but the images are stunning, especially The Exit. by Ivan Turukhano. Here is some more of his work.

Changing the World

by everywhereman

Giles Duley

I was moved by this short video from Wex about Giles Duley a fashion photographer for ten years, who turned to documentary photography.

In 2011, embedded with a military unit in Afghanistan, he stepped on a landmine. The explosion tore through him, costing him three of his limbs — only his right arm remains. After a lengthy recovery he now travels the world, taking pictures of people affected by war and documenting their daily lives

This is a talk Giles did for TED, it gives some background and explains his motivation to become the documentary photographer that became the award winning humanitarian photographer he is today.

When he was flown back from Afghanistan he was not expected to live, but in hospital in Birmingham, his sister remembers him mouthing “I am still a photographer”.

Silver Efex Moody Monochrome

by John Gough

Coffee at The Mitre / John Gough / Sony a6300

I was out and about in Cambridge yesterday with my camera, and I was accosted by an elderly lady. She thought that because I was carrying a camera, I must be a snoop from the council. That is just one of the hazards of street photography. Had I been carrying a big DSLR, she would have assumed I was a proper photographer. However, a small camera like the Sony a6300 can unfortunately make you seem like a furtive fellow.

The picture above was taken there. The couple look delighted to have been caught on camera. I was having a good day!

The Google Nik Collection including Silver Efex Pro2

I created the moody monochrome image using Silver Efex Pro2, from the Google Nik Collection.

The Google Nik Collection is the best free resource for photographers available on the web. In 2016 when Google decided not to support the software further, it went on to provide the software free to photographers. This was both good and bad news. The software was free, but it was never going to to be updated. However, a month or so ago it was agreed that DxO acquire the Nik Collection, and fortunately they plan to continue to develop it. A revised version will be available mid 2018.

It is still possible to download the existing software, including Silver Efex for monochrome post processing here.

Silver Efex Pro2

This is a note to myself about how the image was processed.

Lightroom

In Lightroom, there are the usual workflow: exposure, sharpness and white balance adjustments to process from RAW. The image was then desaturated to -31, the vibrance taken down to -29 and the clarity pushed up to +71. Reducing the colour to provide a dark and moody presence. I also added a shallow tone curve and imperceptible vignette.

Photoshop

Removed the reflection of myself and used the burn tool to tone down the interior of the pub, reducing lights and reflections.

Silver Efex

Processed to mono using preset 23 Wet Rocks and film type Agfa APX Pro 100.

Conclusion

To achieve that look, without Silver Efex would be impossible for an amateur retoucher like myself. Furthermore, in the distant analogue days it would have taken hours of work in the darkroom to achieve the same results.

Learn more:

How to Make Your Photos Pop

by John Gough

I recently entered an event at Bedford Camera Club, where we were presented with six photographs in RAW. Our objective was to process three images and present back how we did it. These are my notes, about how I went about trying to make these photos pop in Lightroom and Photoshop. I have not explained the technical details, but I have included some links to all the technical information..

Amazon have a good deal on Lightroom and Photoshop at the moment:

Image 1. How to make Your Photos Pop

This is the first image in RAW. Looks very drab and ordinary, BEFORE processing.

Image 1 BEFORE

The Issues with this Image

The picture is grey and washed out. There is no detail in the sky. There is no real focus on what the subject is. There is too much foreground. The edges are messy. The detail in the pebbles and brickwork are lost.

Processing in Lightroom and Photoshop

Import the RAW file to Lightroom CC.
Crop to A4 (Custom size 2.1 x 2.97) tightening the view to concentrate on the fishing boats. Excluding the motor boat on the right.
Straighten the horizon. The roof in the background is not flat
Check exposure. This image looks around a third of a stop under exposed
Add contrast to make the image less flat
Launch a Develop Lightroom preset. Here we are using my user preset for landscape
1. Highlights -100 Shadows +100
2. Adjust the whites and blacks by holding down the alt key (Windows)
3. Move the Clarity / Vibrance / Saturation sliders to suit the effect required.
4. Tone Curve. Again to suit effect. Try an S curve
5. Sharpening and Luminance around 30-45
6. Tick Lens Correction and Enable Profile Correction
Check the white balance. Take the dropper and pick a neutral grey colour. This will set the white balance.
Move the image to Photoshop. Photo>Edit in>Edit in Photoshop CC
Clone out the distracting speed boat on the right.
Use the Dodge Tool to lighten the foreground and under the boats
Use the Burn Tool just to add some detail back into the buildings and the decks of the boat
To replace the sky. Erase the existing sky. Select>Colour Range>Fuzziness c’139. NB this method avoids having to somehow cut around the masts and rigging
Use Erase tool to take out any remaining sky.
Select an image with sky and add as a layer. Blend with the existing layer
In Photoshop save. Image then available in Lightroom
In Lightroom recheck the white balance / exposure /contrast etc for the new merged image
Add a Post Crop Vignette that is there but not visible e.g. -14
Save the image as a JPG

Image 1 AFTER

Image 2 How to make Your Photos Pop

This is the second image in RAW. At least there is some interest in this image, but despite the magnificent architecture, it is drab and unexciting.

Image 2 BEFORE

The Issues with this Image

This image has an odd sepia cast, as if the white balance needs correction. The detail in the sky is probably not worth trying to recover and could be replaced. The picture is dark and lacks detail. There is no real focus on the subject, the photograph is not about the two pigeons in the foreground.

Processing in Lightroom and Photoshop

Import the RAW file into Lightroom CC
Crop to A4 and lose the foreground
Check exposure. This image looks around a third of a stop under exposed
Add contrast to
Launch a Lightroom preset (see above)
1. Clarity / Vibrance / Saturation important to get some colour from the bland landscape.
2. Manipulate the tone curve to get some detail
The tower looks as though it is leaning backwards
1. Go to the Transform tool
2. Use the vertical slider to -20 to correct
Move the image to Photoshop. Photo>Edit in>Edit in Photoshop CC
Use dodge and burn tools to create different light in the piazza, and to the buildings left and right
Erase the sky. Select>Colour Range>Fuzziness (see above). This will preserve the building tracery on the buildings to the left and the spires and crosses
Select an image with sky and add as a layer. Blend with the existing layer
In Photoshop save. The image is then available in Lightroom
In Lightroom recheck the white balance / exposure /contrast etc for the new merged image
Add a Post Crop Vignette that is there but not visible
The image still has an orange cast so recheck the white balance. The foreground piazza looks as though it should be grey so use the dropper to sample colour there.
Save the image as a JPG

Image 2 AFTER

Image 3 How to Make Your Photos Pop

This is the third image in RAW. There is a picture in there somewhere trying to get out.

Image 3 BEFORE

The Issues with this Image

The detail in the columns is lost. There is no real colour so would it be better in black and white? The portrait mode makes the picture mostly pavement. The two nuns should be made the focus of the image.

Processing in Lightroom, Photoshop and Nik Silver Efex Pro2

Import the RAW file into Lightroom CC
Crop to A4 and change from portrait to landscape. That way we focus on the ladies walking and lose the black shadow overhead. Place ladies in the centre of the rule of thirds grid
Check white balance/exposure/contrast
Apply a Lightroom preset (see above)
Move the image to Photoshop. Photo>Edit in>Edit in Photoshop CC
Use dodge tool to reveal the detail in the columns and paving.
In Photoshop save. The image is then available in Lightroom
Move the image to Nik Silver Efex Pro2 which you can download for free here. Photo>Edit in>Edit in Siver Efex Pro2
Select a preset from the preset library in Silver Efex.
Save to move image back to Lightroom
Add a Post Crop Vignette that is there but not visible
Save the image as a JPEG

I am fascinated by digital post production. However, I am still very much in the foothills in the journey to master Photoshop especially. If you want to see just what can be achieved, look at the books and videos of Glyn Dewis.

Fujifilm X-Trans Sensor Problems

by John Gough

I just wanted to add to the debate about the Fujifilm X-Trans sensor which is the APSC sensor used in Fujifilm X series cameras like the XT2, XT20 and XPro2.

The debate which rages on countless forums, centres around the artefacts that can be found on RAW files after they have been processed in Lightroom. Photographers claim that there can be worm like backgrounds and smeary images on high ISO images. Other Fuji users claim never to have come across this problem. Well I did.

Examples of X-Trans Sensor Problems

Here are a couple of examples shown at high magnification taken on a Fuji XT20 at just ISO640.

X-Trans Sensor Worms

X-Trans Smears

Although the sensor is claimed to be 24 MP, and that size of sensor should be able to create up to a c’3′ x 2′ print. I would not like to rely on it if details like these were evident. Therefore creating fine art prints with this camera is not going to be possible.

The Technicalities: Fuji X-Trans Sensor

To understand the technicalities of why this is. Then refer to this excellent article.

https://petapixel.com/2017/01/27/x-trans-promise-problem/

Conclusion

The answer to the problem many people argue in forums is not to process Fujifim X-Trans images in Lightroom, users suggest instead to use Capture One. Surely however, there is something seriously wrong when one of the world’s most popular cameras, can not use the world’s most popular processing engine and workflow.

Where to Buy Your Equipment

I buy my equipment from Wex because of their exceptional customer service. I once returned a camera after 30 days, and the next day they called to return my money to my account. Their prices are always competitive and they offer good prices on the trade in of your used gear

Portraits in Lightroom

by John Gough

A note to myself, this is an excellent tutorial for processing a portrait in Lightroom. Until now I had always assumed that these tools were only available in Photoshop and required masking and layers, but this portrait is handled from start to finish in Lightroom. Impressive cloning too towards the end. Well done Marc Webster.

RPS International Photography Exhibition

by John Gough

Shoreditch Street Art / John Gough / Canon EOS 6D

I visited the RPS International Photography Exhibition this week and there were a lot of strong images on display. So strong I wished I had taken many of them. A high level of envy on my part, is sufficient criteria for a really stunning image.

The RPS International Photography Exhibition has been held almost every year since 1854. Now in its 160th year, it is the longest running exhibition of its kind in the world.

The RPS describes the exhibition as reflecting, ‘the varying interests and vibrant aesthetics of the photographic medium today, presenting work which demonstrates photographic skill and technique, alongside images exploring ideas and narratives rich in meaning and message. It encompasses single images and series work across all genres. The work is executed in many ways from alternative processes to contemporary approaches’.

The RPS it seems is becoming more and more pompous. A prime candidate for Private Eye / Pseuds Corner.

The Awards

The gold award went to Margaret Mitchell. Her winning entry is here. Her poignant environmental portraits of her sister’s children and others is part of a larger project, In This Place .

‘In This Place’ raises questions about choice—do we have choices in life, or are some predetermined and made for us?

Margaret took pictures of her nephew and two nieces as children, growing up in Stirling for a previous work called Family. More recently Margaret started photographing them again. Her sister’s children are now adults and have kids of their own. However their living conditions are the same, and it appears that the same outcome awaits each child. It is as if there were, some sort of self fulfilling cycle.

The silver award went to R J Kern. From this it is easy the current popularity of the environmental portrait. A glimpse of his exhibition The Unchosen Ones.

The Walk to the Station

The exhibition was at the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch, which was an excuse to walk the London streets with my camera. The street art is amazing.

Documentary Photographer of the Year

by John Gough

Lunch Break. John Gough Canon EOS6D

The Exhibition

I went along to the 2017 Documentary Photographer of the Year exhibition at Printspace in London this week. The exhibition is organised by the RPS Documentary Group. It was a bit thin to be honest, probably twenty five images, thirty at most. However, it was interesting to see how photographers had tackled a documentary subject in just five pictures.

Particularly impressive was the winner David Fletcher who’s photographs follows Ann, a New Forest commoner, and her purchase of eight calves in December. After a few weeks the calves began to fall ill and despite her efforts, and expense of the vet, only two calves survived the winter. The photographs were very moving, in just five images you sympathised with her plight and felt in there with her. See here.

The Street Walk

The Documentary Photographer of the Year exhibition was at Printspace in Hoxton London. So it was an opportunity to walk through the east end of London, down through the City to Blackfriars to catch the train home. The image above is just one of two keepers, from the 200+ shots taken on the trip with my Canon 6D. Still that 1% rule. If I take 100 pictures I am lucky to get one that is worth sharing.

Last night I listened to a talk by Tom Way a truly amazing wildlife photographer. His pictures were fabulous, because in my opinion he was not a naturalist taking pictures, but a photographer taking pictures of nature. He advocated putting your photographs away for two months and coming back to them to critique them. He put critiquing your own work as the number one photography skill. He looks for just twelve images a year! If I did that however I would probably be down to just 0.01%.

( Tom Way sells his work as fine art prints. This is just a note to myself about the paper and frame he uses)

Sony A6300 Image Quality

by John Gough

Sony A6500

I was looking to do some sensor comparisons and headed off to this fantastic site.

I have been researching Sony A6000 cameras for a bit now, because I am looking for the ultimate street camera. I did have a Fuji XT20 but I had to send that back to Wex because the AF was dire. See how I tried to overcome the problem. Can I just mention that Wex were fantastic and their customer service is second to none.

However back to the Sony 6300. At DXOMARK they measure the image quality of camera sensors, this covers colour sensitivity, noise including dynamic range and tonal range, and ISO sensitivity. The Sony 6300 and Sony 6500 have a score of 85.

This is on par with the Canon 6D MK2. The prestigious Canon EOS-1D X Mark II scores 88, the Canon 5D MKIV 91, and the extraordinary new Nikon D850 scores 100. The list here is dominated by Nikon, Sony and to a lesser extent Canon.

Sensor Comparison Mirrorless Cameras

So how about the competitor mirrorless cameras (priced at around £1000), how do they compare with the Sony A6300 score of 85. Unfortunately there are no recent Fujifilm cameras in the list (I wonder why?)

Samsung NX 500 87

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II 80

Canon EOS M6 78

Canon EOS M5 77

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 75

Leica T 75

Olympus PEN-F 74

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II 73

It is interesting reading reviews in which reviewers use their own image quality tests, but on this site it is completely impartial. The numbers do the talking.

Where to Buy Your Equipment

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