Street Focus 05: Q&A and Street Challenge

Episode 5: Q&A;, Street Challenge and Pick of the Week

And The Winner is....

Congratulations to Dieter Henkel (aka.Variegator) from Austria! Dieter is the winner of our first Street Challenge contest with this great silhouette of a cyclist:

©Dieter Henkel, winner of the Silhouette Street Challenge.

I'm happy to send Dieter a copy of The Art Of Black and White Photography by Torsten Hoffmann, compliments of our friends at Rocky Nook Publishing.

After I contacted Dieter he kindly provided some details about how he shot this image:

"The photo was taken in Vienna on the waterside promenade of the Donaukanal, right in the centre of the city. It is a wonderful place to walk, run or cycle. Many people use it for sports, especially in the morning and evening. There are also many bars and small restaurants, many graffiti artists cover the walls running along the street (it is allowed and even encouraged by the city) which all contributes to a good place for street photography.

It is also not far from my home and so I grabbed my camera and looked for a suitable spot for silhouettes which I found almost instantly. I knew from earlier visits that the afternoon sun would be perfect at this part of the Donaukanal. I didn't know of the big circle but when I saw it, I used it for the composition. Then it was only a matter of waiting for a cyclist to cross at the right distance and getting the shot at the right point in time. Actually, I shot this photo within the first ten minutes of my photo walk."

Be sure to congratulate Dieter on G+ or on Flickr!

 Q&A; Segment:

This week I answer questions sent by Mark Reierson and Steve Brokaw about making money with your street photography. I also go into what to do in a situation when someone confronts you on the street about taking their picture. And how to incorporate fashion and street photography.

NEW Street Challenge: Motion!

I invite you to go out and shoot some motion in the streets over the next couple of weeks, then upload your best shot in the comment section below. Remember that the contest ends two weeks after this episode goes live, and your entry should be shot during that two week period.  Posts are moderated to prevent spam so your image may not show up right away. I will pick my favorite before the next Q&A; episode, and post the image on the show notes that week. 

Tips for shooting motion in street photography: Experiment with long exposure and motion blur, panning technique, try a stationary subject and a moving background, etc. Have fun!

Pick of the week: Portraits of Strangers by Ibarionex Perello

Special Announcements:

New 2015 photo workshops announced: A weekend of street photography in Paris in January, Rome for a week in April, Paris for a week in May. I hope to meet some of you in 2015!

Visit our growing Street Focus community on Google+

Samples for motion in the streets for inspiration.