I promised to set the low bar, did I not, friends? ;)
In this first one I am tipping my "hat" to you all in the reflection.
The second one I post here to publicly announce that I was too shy to take photos of people in public, and had to resort to holding my camera at arms' length as I walked and snapped away blindly. Still, some interesting things came of it, and my shyness may have saved me from freaking out some unsuspecting metro-riders.
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6 comments:
Arms length works, but it's even less obvious if you shoot from the hip.
As long as you don't zoom too much you'll usually get something without too much blur, and noone *ever* expects you to be shooting photos when the camera is by your hip.
Yeah, I've tried the inconspicuous cameraphone photos like this second one. I recognize and empathize with your fear of public photography and all I can say about the topic is, "Soo is my idol."
The first photo, though, is really interesting to me and not at all for the hats! Photos that include the photographer always get me intrigued about the psychology of the photog. It's a pretty straightforward alignment: face on, hat behind the glass lining up above your head in the reflection... But another person might have shot from the ground upward so as not to show themselves in the reflection at all, or used some method to exactly line up their reflection with the mannequin's face, or shot it askew to avoid reflections altogether. The photo includes numerous interesting details because of the store display compounded with the reflected background and then compounded again by your own presence in the photo and then even more by the location of your presence in the photo. It's noisy for all the details, but keeps me interested because of that noise. I actually really like it.
One of the easiest things you can do is just ask people if they wouldn't mind being in a photo of the surrounding neighborhood. That way they don't think you're making them the subject of the photo but more or less just elements of a city shot. At least this is how I approach strangers on the street. Some are cool, some laugh, but most could care less.
But I will say this, the energy in your arms length shot is pretty cool. The blur and angle give the shot action that would otherwise not be there if it were in complete focus.
First, stop saying you're setting the low bar! I like that in your first picture, you're acknowledging that you can be seen in the photo and are actively doing something. I also like that you are kind of "in" the mannequin's body (is that creepy?). If you want to avoid reflections, I usually find there's nothing for it but to put your camera right on the glass... The hat is a great shape, and the soft palette of colors is nice. As far as freaking people out, I alternate being a creepy voyeur with my camera and straight up asking people so I have no good advice, I'm afraid. Most people haven't objected to having their photos taken though.
I love the second pic, specially because the orange hat stick out and give a clear subject.
The first picture is totally intriguing. I can go look at it over and over again to see what else may be in the shot.
I love to experiment in general. Reflections and mirror shots are not easy to do. It's fun to try out different stuff and see where it'll take you.
This photo is really interesting but I do not see a focal point in the picture. It has many different, intriguing elements but none of them stand out.
The second one looks like a neat watercolor painting. =) Hoorah for digital art, yeah?
Pish on the low bar! You are nothing of the kind. =P
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