Woman on Yonge St Photo

Photographer’s Note

Hello and happy new year to everyone!

This kid is back in Toronto shooting strangers on Yonge St. with my new cam (as Markoci points out that Sam the Record Man in the background a local landmark). I bought myself a new toy this past Boxing Day (for those unfamiliar it's on 26 Dec and it's basically a big end of year sale), a Canon 20D, and I've been teaching myself how to use it since! (Thanks to Claude Renault for first pointing me towards it!)

I'm moving up from my Oly 5050 and it's a bit of a learning curve, but I'm enjoying the challenge, and the improved capabilities of the hardware. The weather was half decent earlier this week and I took advantage of it by doing some street shooting. I'm not entirely pleased with the photos I brought home though, because I think I was too trigger-happy and wasn't as patient as I am with my Oly (ahh well, it's too be expected with a new toy and all though eh?) Still, I thought I'd share with you some of my better shots that day.

I'd be happy for any with advice for a new SLR shooter. Cheers!

Post-pro: convert to BW, levels, sharpening, curves. [this was shot with an 18mm, 27mm digital equiv. lens]

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Critiques | Translate

Miks (1707) 2005-01-05 20:29

Congrats on your new cam. In your capable hands it has produced a fine grey-scale on this occassion. Did you shoot in RAW or desaturate a JPEG? To me the composition is not quite up to your usual high standards. The low angle is good, but perhaps it would have been better had the figure stood out against the sky rather than against the buildings? Also, I think that the pic would have improved by focussing on the woman's face rather than on the street light behind her?

I look very much forward to see the forthcomming results of the D20 - keep us posted!

vapours (7913) 2005-01-05 21:26

Interesting shot, Im not sure what it is but I feel 'cramped' by looking at this image..whether its the low angle or what I really can't say.

Apart from this I think the subject is great, and the sky looks really good in black and white.

Im looking forward to seeing some more of your shots from your new cam, my friend has had it for a year and is still learning.

markoci (3917) 2005-01-05 21:49

very nice! agree with mikkel, the woman could have been a bit better isolated maybe with the building on the right in the bg., so that sam the recordman's store (a famous toronto landmark) would still show. love the sky and the streetlights. well captured congrats on your new camera!

joseelias (367) 2005-01-10 11:53

So, a 20D… I would call that more a weapon than a toy! ;-)

Congratulations!

And I believe that that camera does need some learning, especially the type of photography you’re making. It sure isn’t discrete and I guess you’ll have to learn a new approach to your subjects. Besides that, in more conventional people photography (like in events) people may look at you more like a pro so eventually have more confidence in letting be photographed than with a smaller common camera.

I also believe that the fact that you’ll be able to use different lens can boost your creativity and opportunities. A 300mm can give you the opportunity to get images of casual moments from far away, or for example using fish-eyes lets you explore distortions… But now don’t expect for the camera to do all the work… As you once told me you were a bit lazy… ;-)

About this photo I particularly like the softness of textures and the tones. They are very nice. I also like the traffic sign against the sky. Yet the woman is a bit out of focus and being she so dominant in the image it bothers me a little.