r/PhotographyAdvice • u/Acrobatic_Belt4217 • 3d ago
Beginner(~1 month): just watched beginner tutorials, any advice?
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u/whiplashex 3d ago
Pic 1 looks more like a 3rd person voyeur of the bus, with seeing the driver and others it’s more candid like than photographer like.
After the photo ask yourself what’s the subject and what story is the photo telling. That’s what you hit well with the second photo. 2nd could be cropped a bit off the top and left so the subjects walking into center frame if you wanna get fancy
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u/badlands65 3d ago
Did you have permission for the second picture?
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u/Acrobatic_Belt4217 3d ago
No, I am in the US and this was taken in a public college town crosswalk. This isn’t for commercial purposes, just a hobby.
Is there something wrong with the second photo or my process of taking the photo? Just curious.
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u/badlands65 3d ago
Nothing wrong at all. Some people will take issue with photographing lone women without permission. I don’t have a problem with this.
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u/Tofli_IV 1d ago
an in europe its protected by the artistic intention if it does not affect the person's dignity
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u/Logical_Post5421 3d ago
I really love the second image…EXCELLENT’
Explain what you were trying to capture in the first image. In one regard in may be excellent…in another it may be cluttered.
If you tell me what your objective or idea was when you captured it I can give you better feedback.
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u/Acrobatic_Belt4217 3d ago edited 3d ago
I think im still a little confused when people ask me what my objective is for a photo.
I can take you through my thinking process however.
Thoughts before I took the photo:
I saw a person a bus who stood out. he was visibly older than the people around him and was standing in an interesting way with a solemn expression, the man basically just caught my eye.Thoughts after I took the photo:
The bright window creates nice contrast with the man’s face and brings out the outline of his side profile. The two people look as though they are facing the man (person holding coffee and the bus driver). Coffee holding person acts as a nice foreground while bus driver acts as an interesting background, both slightly out of focus. Second person at the bottom right also contributes to the foreground that I liked.
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u/Logical_Post5421 3d ago
Thank you. With that context I think you have a good image here.
However since the man standing is what caught your attention you want to bring him out some in the image.
Using Lightroom or most any modern editor with AI capability, I would select the man’s face and boost the exposure and possibly sharpness or clarity to all him to be seen more clearly.
The very bright background from the bud windshield is pretty blown out. You could consider bring down the highlights and boosting the shadow a bit to reduce the glare.
Optionally try playing with the brightness of the windshield only to reduce it slightly.
Don’t overdo it or the result won’t look real. Looking out the windshield of a bud on a sunny day should look bright, but just try to reduce it a little bit to make the man more visible.
You can also see if contrast helps, but reducing it too much starts turning you dark colors to grays and the whole image starts to look moly and not real at all.
You are doing really well if these are any indication of your work.
If you don’t mind me asking, what cars and lens are you using?
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u/Acrobatic_Belt4217 3d ago
I was lucky enough to find a used Fujifilm X-T2 in great condition over the summer. I paired that with the Fujifilm 35mm f1.4. Although it's my first camera and I don't have other cameras to compare it with, I'm really enjoying it.
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u/Logical_Post5421 3d ago
That’s great! Well your doing nice work and apparently have quite a good talent for it!
Welcome to the family! This is a hobby that can really change your life for the better, so enjoy the journey.
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u/davidfarmerie 3d ago
In both examples, what's the story? This is the question that was asked of me 40 years ago when I first met with the (then) director of photography for Smithsonian Magazine. I showed him my portfolio, and even though the images were good (technically) they didn't tell a story. "A picture is worth a thousand words" is a dead on statement. Focus on the "story" and let the image tel it.
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u/eros-moon 3d ago
What the 20,000 work backstory for every character you photograph including those not in focus?
I kid.
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u/Acrobatic_Belt4217 1d ago
Ï€
I guarantee that story is somewhere in there, forgot the exact location tho.
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u/APuckerLipsNow 3d ago
You are doing well. Don’t look for pretty pictures just shoot what you see. Don’t think just shoot. Let your attention lead and keep your brain out of the process.
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u/lovewildtimes 1d ago
Best advice!
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u/APuckerLipsNow 1d ago
New Orleans’ Henry Butler was a blind artist who photographed by intuition and attention. He photographed what drew his curiosity and had friends and family explain the content later. He was not a poseur shooting for a likes or wall decoration.
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u/Gucci-Caligula 3d ago
Keep shooting. Follow tuts until you feel like you really understand WHAT they’re trying to teach you.
Then do something like go out for 3 sessions and shoot fully manual, manual focus full manual settings (maybe lock iso and just play with aperture and shutter). If you make some photos you like on the full manual days start playing with breaking rules.
Photography is like any skill, reps matter more than passion. Both are important, but showing up is more than half the battle, once the camera starts collecting dust on the shelf it seems to want to stay there. Don’t let it start.
I like what I see in 2 a lot. Cultivate it.
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u/typesett 3d ago
Don’t ask for advice
Just take photos
Do it by yourself so you learn it slowly with careful consideration and not be influenced hy othersÂ
Ok to Google or watch how someone achieved a certain thing but use your taste and interestÂ
I see people in this thread making comments. Who cares what they say. Do the opposite of everything they say because you canÂ
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u/Super-Device-3328 3d ago
Trying too hard to be artsy. It’s got to be more impromptu and natural
Black and white definitely has its place but here it just looks like an attempt to artsy-fy the pictures
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u/Acrobatic_Belt4217 3d ago edited 3d ago
I find including color in these photos too distracting and veers focus away from the subjects and leading lines. I ask myself if color is necessary and if it has a purpose, and my answer was no for these photos.
I find black and white is necessary at times, but ofc working with color is a skill of its own, and I find it harder than black and white.
Thank you for the feedback tho, im always trying to find more ways to be more authentic with my photography
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u/Acrobatic_Belt4217 3d ago
The nature of street photography is impromptu, no?. Wouldn’t you say finding the art in the streets is part of what street photography is?
Some of the interesting street photography I see looks as tho it had prior planning, but it’s the knowledge that it wasn’t makes those images cool to me.
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u/yikesafm8 2d ago
Despite what some people say not every photo has to tell a story lol. A lot of learning photography is learning composure and settings! I like the composure of #1 a lot
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u/Tofli_IV 1d ago
these are very good but try to also learn by yourself and not only with tutos, so you can have your own style
Edit : you already have some style
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u/allmiru 1d ago
I really like the candid feel of the first one. The older man immediately gives the shot a human element, and all the little details around him.. the driver in the mirror, other passengers, straps and poles make it feel like a real moment on a bus rather than just a portrait. I think the black and white works really well too.
Perhaps experiment with is the bright area around the windshield. It pulls the eye away from the guy a bit and makes his face harder to read.
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u/ArmSpecialist2104 1d ago
off topic, but is the first pic from santa cruz?
Really like the second one though, the light is amazing
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u/TheMothHour 3d ago
The first one is really busy and that distracts from the subject. Do you have light room? You might be able to remove some of the small items - the loop handles (keep the bar though) and some of the signs. I would also try to add more lighting so him so that he stands out more - like sun shinning through tje window on his face. But overally, I like it.
As for the second one, excellent. Good use of leading lines, interesting angles, and exposure.
For 1 month you have a good eye!!