Photo of the Day – 17 September 2016: Eye to Eye With Bowie
This month’s photo walk organised by the RPS London region took place in Brixton. I went along partly because I used to work there many years ago and had not been back since. As much as anything, I wanted to see how the place had changed. Photographically, it was not as productive as the RPS event the previous month, but that had been exceptional. The area was very busy and many people seemed more than unusually wary of cameras. This was the only half way decent shot from the day, taken at the improvised Bowie memorial. It is not the first time nor the last that street photography has proved challenging. That is half the fun of it, finding something when not inspired by the circumstances.
Eye to Eye With Bowie
(Click on image for a larger version)
My usual camera for street photography is an Olympus E-M10 and Panasonic Summilux 25 lens, usually set at f/2. With the 2x crop factor of the Micro 4/3 system, it is the full frame equivalent (FFE) in focal length terms of a standard 50 mm lens. It is a combination which I find works well for me, but this time I had lent it to a friend who wanted to try it out.
Instead I was using a Fuji X-E2 and 27 mm lens, which still produces good results, but the FFE focal length of 42 is slightly wider than I prefer. With a maximum aperture of f/2.8, it is also not possible to limit depth of field to the same extent, but it is a very sharp and compact lens. The camera lacks the flip out screen and touch focus of the Olympus, so it is not quite so versatile for street work. Although I do not usually advocate the use of a telephoto lens on the street, had I been using the E-M10 I would have been tempted to try the Olympus 45 f/1.8, again at f/2. The purpose would be to see if I could get some subject isolation in the busy conditions with the smaller depth of field.
The shot here is actually a fairly severe crop as I was observing two other people when this chap walked past. There was no time to change anything and I was not using a zoom lens, so the only option was to shoot from where I was standing. And hope for the best. Why not use a zoom lens for occasions such as this? Well, I find that it is a distraction and one more thing to worry about when quick reactions are often necessary to catch a fleeting moment. I have shown the original capture taken directly from the Raw without any processing to allow a comparison with the final result.
Eye to Eye With Bowie – original capture without post processing
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Not everyone I came across was reluctant to be photographed and this chap insisted that my friend take his picture. He struck a pose and would not be satisfied until the shot was in the camera. I took the opportunity to photograph him from the side and when I showed my mate afterwards, he reckoned that I had got the better of the encounter.
Take my picture!
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This post is part of my occasional “Photo of the Day” series when I publish any shots which I think might be of interest and tell the story behind them. They might not necessarily be portfolio standard images, nor the final version, but still be of sufficient interest for inclusion in my blog. If I do not show a shot on any given day, it does not mean that I did not take any photographs, just that I did not get anything worthwhile. For me, that is part of the fun of photography, not knowing what you will find on a shoot when nothing is planned.