Shoeshiners

[Nikkon]

Shoeshiners/busyness

Shoeshiners in Istanbul (Üsküdar, Asian side). Please comment on composition, sharpness, exposure, technique etc.

Camera: Nikon D700 Lens: Nikkor AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8 D IF-ED Exposure time: 1/500 sec Aperture: F/5.6 Focal length: 35mm ISO Speed: 200 Flash: Flash did not fire

 

[AC016]

Ken, what the heck are you doing on Nikonites? Don't you have your own website to run? lol. Nice photo by the way

 

[Nikkon]

Ken, what the heck are you doing on Nikonites? Don't you have your own website to run? lol.

You must be confusing me with another (or should I say THE) Ken Rockwell ;-)

 

[Roy1961]

i was going to ask the same, until i saw the Netherlands in your profile

 

[ohkphoto]

There is a lot going on in this photo, almost too much. My eyes are going in all kinds of directions . . . you could actually crop it into 3 separate photos.

First of all, I would not have known these were shoeshiners had you you not put it in your title. I see now that there's a man sitting on a stool towards the back, but you really can't tell that he's getting his shoes shined. It would have been better to get someone on the stool toward the front and focus on him.

If your vision/intent was to depict the "busy-ness" of the whole scene, or the activity around the shoeshiners, then I would suggest cropping a little closer so that you eliminate some of the activity on the periphery (guy on cell phone, woman walking, traffic), and/or even convert to black and white.

Overall, a very colorful and interesting photo. Technique and sharpness are excellent. My only issue is that I'm not sure what your center of interest is. This is one that you should have fun playing with to decide what your artistic intent is/was. IMHO. I hope this helps.

 

[Moab Man]

Sharp, colorful, and chaos. My eye is confused.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Composition?

It's a bit snapshot-y.

Technically speaking it's a crisp, well exposed shot, but I too am at a loss as to a subject...

 

[Nikkon]

Actually the chaos or activity/ busyness , is what I wanted to show. The jammed traffic, full micro buses and taxi's, some double parking, people walking, others making phone calls. And then those colors, yellow, blue, pink, red, green and more. In the midst of that the shoe-shiners, one with his armes spread out, apparently irritated by something. Maybe I should also have taken some with a larger aperture to decrease the field of depth and isolate the central scene a bit more. But like I said in the Mosque thread: I see something that appears interesting and I shoot, without a lot of thinking (

It's a bit snapshot-y.

)... thanks to the critique that I receive here, maybe I will think once a bit before shooting

 

[Moab Man]

I think as an ART shot it sufferers from what everyone has said above EXCEPT when you stated what your objective was - to show the chaos - you have achieved it.

 

[ohkphoto]

I think as an ART shot it sufferers from what everyone has said above EXCEPT when you stated what your objective was - to show the chaos - you have achieved it.

Exactly . . . which is why we expect posters to state the "artistic intent" when they post a photo for critique.

 

[STM]

I find the near to far sharpness in the image distracting. The shoe shiners almost get lost in all of the "clutter". Just my opinion, your mileage may vary, but might it not have been better to concentrate on just one or two of them, using much shallower depth of field to separate them from everything else that is going on?

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Actually the chaos or activity/busyness, is what I wanted to show. The jammed traffic, full micro buses and taxi's, some double parking, people walking, others making phone calls.

In my opinion, nothing like a little motion blur to achieve that sense of frenetic energy. That, or a dynamic in the chosen perspective.

I see something that appears interesting and I shoot, without a lot of thinking...

Which is fine, assuming what you want is a snapshot. I looked at your Mosque shot and I feel it has many of the same qualities. As each of my instructors have drilled into my head, "Good photographs are the result of effort... The first rule of of photography: Photography is WORK."



I will probably get labeled a big, fat meanie now...

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

I find the near to far sharpness in the image distracting. The shoe shiners almost get lost in all of the "clutter". Just my opinion, your mileage may vary, but might it not have been better to concentrate on just one or two of them, using much shallower depth of field to separate them from everything else that is going on?

Not sure this shows what he was after which was the chaos but I like this shot better.

 

[STM]

In my opinion, nothing like a little motion blur to achieve that sense of frenetic energy.

I was thinking the very same thing myself. A 1/8 or even 1/4 sec shutter speed with sturdy support for the camera and a little tighter crop might have really done the trick for what he was going to achieve. With some work you could simulate it in PS, but better to do it in the camera.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

@ STM...

I did a very similar crop, just for fun... But yours is mo' betteh!

 

[STM]

I hope I didn't cross the line here, but my twisted sense of humor got the best of me...............

 

[Phillydog1958]

Nice editing . . . I'm curious as to how their shoe shining systems work in Turkey. I'm assuming the gold thingy is the actual shoe shine kit.

 

[Nikkon]

assuming what you want is a snapshot. I looked at your Mosque shot and I feel it has many of the same qualities.

You mean the same qualities as this one, snapshot qualities?