Street Focus 11: Q&A and Street Challenge

Episode 11: Q&A;, Street Challenge and Pick of the Week

And the winner of the HUMOR challenge is....

Rob Langhorst for his entry titled Selfies are Everywhere'.

Rob provided some details about how he shot this image:

"During a trip in Portugal my wife and I visited Fatima. Fatima is an important Catholic pilgrimage. This pictures was taken during the evening ceremony. On one hand the priest taking a selfie during mass deserves a smile on the other hand is shows that experiencing Fatima is special, even for a priest. Technical details: Canon 5DIII, 105mm, f4.0, 1/30sec at ISO 4000."

See more of Rob's work on his website and through this link.

Selfies are Everywhere! ©Rob Langhorst

I'm happy to send Rob Photography as Meditation by T A Hoffmann , compliments of our friends at Rocky Nook Publishing.

Q&A; Segment:

This week I answer questions sent by Marshall DeCouto and Aaron Witherow about simplifying your gear and the impact it can have on your creativity and how to shoot without bringing the camera to your eye to remain invisible.

Link to one of my articles about the power of limitations published at dPS.

Street Focus listener Richie Palmer in the UK is using a Mamiya 7ii, which is a manual focus rangefinder, and would like to get in contact with street photographers using a similar camera to share notes on techniques. If you want to reach out to Richie, you can do so in the comment section below. Thanks!

New Street Challenge: LOOKING IN! or Window Street Photography

Do you ever photograph people through windows, in cafes, restaurants, trains, buses? Use reflections to your advantage, help give a sense of place. Shoot at an angle to avoid your own reflection in the glass unless you are doing a self portrait at the same time.

This may be out of your comfort zone, so an even bigger incentive to try it. Remember that’s the best way to grow as a photographer. Remember, respect is the number one rule. don’t photograph people in embarrassing or vulnerable situations.

The contest closes on December 19. Have fun!

Pick of the week:  The new Critique category in the Street Focus Community Page on Google+.

This new category is a space where you can post an image to get constructive feedback from your peers. Don't forget that it works both ways. If you post and image for critique, you also need to give feedback on other’s work. A critique needs to be constructive to give the photographer the tools to make better decisions the next time he or she hits the streets.

Special Announcements:

The 2015 photo workshops are filling up quickly!! a few spots left for Paris in May and Sept-Oct. New weekend workshops added in NYC and London. I hope to meet some of you in 2015!

Samples of 'Looking In' for inspiration. The images below are the Copyrighted by Valerie Jardin.