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Waiting on the Bus in NY
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Love the expressions and the different ‘genres’ of people! Comments welcome!!
Well spotted, though it could equally well have been titled it Waiting on the Bus in Dublin/Cork etc. :-)
I think if you broke the image up you would get a couple of interesting studies, for example the man and woman to the left would make a nice crop I think, really you have, at least, about 3 decent studies in that one shot, its just a thought but it’s the first thing I noticed when I looked at it.
Thanks all for the comments. When I was in NY I wanted to get real life people shots. This might look a little ‘snapshoty’ to some, but for me it reflects the metropolitan NY. Businessmen, African-Americans, students, moms…..Go NY!!
Jem wrote:
Thanks all for the comments. When I was in NY I wanted to get real life people shots. This might look a little ‘snapshoty’ to some, but for me it reflects the metropolitan NY. Businessmen, African-Americans, students, moms…..Go NY!!
Look Jem, as another poster suggested, it could have been taken anywhere!
There is nothing to suggest to anyone of where this image was taken.
If you were to ask someone to identify the location of the image only those with an
intimate knowledge of NY would have any idea! It’s as if you were passing the scene,
pulled out your camera & took a shot, no thought put in to it.John17 wrote:
There is nothing to suggest to anyone of where this image was taken.
If you were to ask someone to identify the location of the image only those with an
intimate knowledge of NY would have any idea!I am not sure I understand your criticism John. Yes, this photo could have been taken anywhere but so what? It appears you are more upset with the title of the post “Waiting on the Bus in NY” over anything else. The title of the photo itself (on Flickr) is just “Waiting” by the way and has no geographic component.
Hyères, France, 1932 could also have been taken anywhere. We know it was taken in Hyères, France because that is the title the photo goes by but it doesn’t take away from the photo that we can’t tell that from the subject matter.
John17 wrote:
It’s as if you were passing the scene,
pulled out your camera & took a shot, no thought put in to it.You are correct. This photo may not be up to Henri Cartier-Bresson (Happy birthday to HCB by the way) or Joel Meyerowitz standards but 99.9% of photos aren’t. For a lot of people, taking photos in the street can be intimidating and it is grab shots like this that help build up confidence over time. This is especially true when shooting with a normal or normal-wide lens like this shot.
Jem, keep shooting. Keep learning.
To be honest Dave, I’m not upset about anything.
If you’re in a city like NY there is not point in being nervous or coy when taking shots.
I’m sure with the population that NY has they are quite used to ‘a few’ people walking
about with cameras taking shots & going by the recent events across the U.S. they were probably
relieved that it was just a camera he pulled out. I just feel that he missed an opportunity to capture
something a whole lot better & more significant than he achieved.I agree that it could have been taken anywhere & there is nothing except the title to even suggest that they are waiting at a bus stop. I think that maybe the title may just add to this photo not working for some viewers. Ok, it’s not a great composition, but I don’t think that is it’s biggest problem.
For me, there is no “central” figure (not compositionally) that is the subject of the photograph & therefore my eye wanders to each of the people not knowing what I’m supposed to see. There is no activity (except perhaps the lady looking at her phone) to isolate any particular person in the shot & draw the viewers attention & therefore it becomes confusing for the viewer.
I wouldn’t call it a bad photo, but I would suggest that the OP pauses before shooting a scene such as this. There are many possible stories that can be taken from this scene. An example could be, how the two African American ladies are placed in relation to the two white males (with the white lady cropped out). Are the ladies 1st in line? or are they taking a back seat? which could suggest racism / sexism. Personally, I find a lot of street photography is snapshot photography & will admit that I would find it a bit daunting, but good street photography isolates a person(s) or activity and the subject / story of the photo becomes obvious to the viewer. Titles can be used to reinforce this.Hi all.
Miki, thanks for your well-grounded opinions. Point got. This is not one of my best shots in any way although it has sparked quite a fiesty conversation! I know there is no central point for the viewer’s eye to be drawn to however is this ALWAYS essential? I am a lover of all things journalistic and believe that some measure of interest can be found everywhere in a picture. That said, the strongest images usually grab you immediately with an obvious and clear message.
I am very well aware I have a long way to go regarding this type of photography. (I was in Brussels this Summer and had a rather nasty experience with an angry citizen who did not appreciate his picture being taken. It was largely my fault but I am learning to be smarter…..!That kind of experience however does throw you back a bit!)
Thanks all for opinions and comments,
Jemima (on another point, I am not a ‘he’…. :D :D)
I for one, don’t believe that a central point of interest is “absolutely essential” for a shot to work, but it does make it easier for a viewer if there is an obvious one present. What the viewer sees in an image is not necessarily what you saw. The actual wording “point of interest” will probably help to explain the point I’m making.
We all have different “interests” in our daily lives & if something in an image catches our eye, this becomes our point of interest, but that won’t necessarily be the same point of interest to everyone else. Even when it’s obvious to us, it may not be obvious to others. Also, what is pleasing to the eye is normally what we are drawn to & the composition of the shot will be important in placing the item of interest in an area which is easy for the eye to rest on.
Everyone will have different opinions as to whether a shot works or not, but these are only opinions and are not more valid than ours, they are only different. The image doesn’t need to be pleasing (for everyone) to look at & some might find it not to their taste, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad photograph either.
I can recall images of 9/11 which were horrific, but were they bad….? Some were excellent. Yet in some of these shots, I saw things of more interest to me personally than the planes hitting the buildings or the destruction. Images of the immediate “look of disbelief” on the faces of people on the ground, for example, worked best for me.
A photograph showing a person jumping from the building to escape the fire was not well taken (technically), but it worked on telling the story, but I was more drawn to the backs of the people on the ground & their reactions to what was happening. Although these are not normal street shots, I think they show how different people will “see” different things in a photo.
As for the “muscles from Brussels” guy, I wouldn’t be too bothered about people like that. If they don’t like to be photographed, fine, but I wouldn’t be bullied by them either. Don’t let him put you off.
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