Topsy Turvy, a photo from Massachusetts, Northeast

Photographer's Note

Towards the end of a day of walking around downtown Boston, I came across a breakdance group performing in cold weather outside Boston's famous Fanueil Hall Marketplace - a good spot for performers due to the high tourist presence at all times. I only caught the end of the show, but there were some impressive moves being performed, perhaps none more impressive than this man who spent a solid ten seconds spinning at incredible speed on his head, without any other support. A crowd, as well as his fellow performers (wearing the bright yellow jackets) watched on.

It was a bit of a trick getting the shutter low enough to capture the movement while also keeping clarity in the rest of the shot; the BG isn't quite as sharp as I'd like, but it's close.

Two additional shots from the same show in WS.

lousat, thebest, tyro, CLODO, Miguel82, Noel_Byrne, delpeoples, ebingul, fritzi007 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

thebest (3370) 2013-01-26 16:34

Hi Andrew,

Topsy turvy or spinning top - gee this fella is really spinning fast.
Excellent clarity of the watchers - colours & POV... Well captured I wonder if these young people get many headaches...
What I like is the variety of expressions on the peoples faces.

Kindest regards,
Dawn.

chrisvek (5505) 2013-01-26 16:46

Hi Andrew

Very nice photo description of this famous figure of this dancing.Great details and the people behind made a great background.Well done!

All the best
Chris

tyro (13111) 2013-01-26 16:51

Hello Andrew,

A very fine trio of pictures of these incredible street performers!

Surely this guy must get a pretty sore nut spinning like this on it? But you have caught him perfectly and, in my opinion, you have used just the right shutter speed for us to appreciate the speed at which he is spinning.

The two other pictures are spot-on as well.

Brilliant!

Kind Regards,

John.

rogerl (770) 2013-01-26 17:06

Nice shot. I particularly love the "this is boring, I've seen this a million times before" expressions on the other performers' faces. You did a nice job with the shutter speed; I don't imagine you had a lot of opportunities for test shots unless he was spinning for a long time.

emka (58194) 2013-01-26 23:32

Hi Andrew, amazing view of this guy spinning like this. well caught the movement and I like the view of the girl just between the shoes. Well done.

have a nice Sunday

MAlgo

CLODO (24734) 2013-01-26 23:55

hi Andrew

good idea to have a slow speed so you recorded the turning man, watched by his 2 mates (same cloth) and more people. Good feeling of movement.
Greetings
CLODO

jcpix (3325) 2013-01-27 4:37

Good morning Andrew,

I noticed this photo yesterday but got pulled away before I could comment. Great capture, the timing couldn't be better, and the slower shutter speed was a perfect choice to put this individual in motion. It was the look on the younger kids face right between the break dancers feet that grabbed my attention. The expressions by the others are fascinating as well. Love these spontaneous moments that are brought to life, thanks for sharing this one. Have a great week.

Regards,

Jason

mjw364 (3720) 2013-01-27 8:41

Wow!How cool is that! You have shown how to use shutter speed in relation to focal length and ISO whilst also maintaining a sufficient depth of field to keep the spectators sharp here. No mean feat in itself. Just enough blur on the spiining guy too and his luminous top relative to the tops of the guys watching creates a good line for the eye. Very impressive work, Andrew.

TFS

Mike

abmdsudi (26295) 2013-01-28 8:58

Hi Andrew
Good motion blur of the spinning breakdancer. How lucky to be able to see this fast action activity let alone be able to take a good image such as this! Nice blurry in motion and brilliant timing in great contrasty colours and detail. This is not an easy so fast and hard to capture, the movement, the pose and the details but you have done yr best here, This is a cracking shot!
Kind regards

Noel_Byrne (7426) 2013-01-28 10:10

Hi Andrew,
The expression on the guy in the yellow topped hoodie and the white runners says exactly what I though on seeing this, and that is WOW! How can somebody spin on their head like this? A rare talent no doubt. You;ve done a brilliant job in catching the fine sense of movement, its dizzying to look at, so I can only imagine how the dancer must have felt.
All the best
Noel

vladic (4153) 2013-01-28 12:19

Bonsoir Andrew,

Cadrage approprié qui se concentre sur l’essentiel. J'aime beaucoup le flou de mouvement exprimé dans ta photo.

Avec toutes mes amitiés et une très bonne soirée,
Wlady

delpeoples (45006) 2013-01-28 18:36

HI Andrew

You did a great job with controlling the shutter speed here, especially, if I guess right, it was on short notice. Love the dynamic atmosphere here, the choice of the vertical frame and the vibrant colours. A wonderful part of daily life you've captured here, in an artistic and attractive way. Would love to see this in B&W, I think it would look great.

Cheers
Lisa

InasiaJones (29347) 2013-02-07 18:25

Hi Andrew,

Excellent shot capturing all the energy and movement of this break dancer.

I like the fact that you have resisted to frame him straight in the middle, and this off-centered composition strengthen your image. To see a by-stander between is legs is a key element, an additional layer of interest.

Well done!

André

ebingul (1760) 2013-02-19 7:02

Hello Andrew,
A very nice example of Street Photography.You emphasized the motion of the dancer very well with a good background people watching with interest.
Congrats and best regards.
Emin

fritzi007 (7580) 2013-05-20 13:56

Hi Andrew,
really a very dynamic photo, congratulations!
regards
Wolfgang