Street Shooting: same day as my previous picture. This little girl was playing peek-a-boo with me as we were watching the grand opening of the restaurant across the street. The framing was estimated. We were looking at each other while my camera was at around waist level when I snapped the picture. I like the vintage look and feel of the shot. Camera: Zorki 4 w/50mm f2 lens. Film was Tri-X.
posted by Warren T. at 7:19 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Again, I'm not familiar with Tri-X but the photo is quite grainy. I also noticed some scratches on the shot, is it on the negative or print? Is it from the camera? If it was in color, I could say that it was taken in the current time. However, being B&W, grainy, scratchy, and no background for reference, it could easily pass for a very old photograph much like some pictures of relatives from a long time ago.
This photo is a better than the previous photo of the photographers. Showing faces can tell much about the subject. But maybe you should show more. How was she dressed? What were the surroundings? Showing more would give more information to the viewer showing the context in which the photo was taken. Cropping of the shot was a bit tight, tight cropping is good for a headshot or a portrait but maybe not in this case.
Thanks Martin. I agree with your comments regarding cropping, etc, especially about the importance of showing context. Unfortunately, I was standing right next to her and photographing from the hip with a 50mm!
Just some additional thoughts...
Upon further reflection, I think that this particular picture does not require additional context, but rather can stand alone as a character study. I think the girl's face tells enough on it's own. I like that fact this portrait has a timeless quality in that it could be a vintage shot, and not the recent picture that it is. You can see enough of her clothing to tell that she is not dressed in the finest clothes.
Her expression would be different if I had the camera at eye level.
Warren
Jill, when you shoot from the hip, you are most likely NOT looking through the viewfinder. The composition is purely by the "guess-and-pray-that-it-works" method. I had the focus and exposure preset, then I watched the expression on the subjects face to determine when to click the shutter. When you are looking through the viewfinder at someone (say a stranger on the street, or the girl in this picture), that person often does not have as natural an expression as when they are unaware that you took a picture. The Zorki 4 is very quiet in operation and like a Leica rangefinder, is very well suited to this kind of photography. --Warren
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