>> dgrin challenge 14: who are the people in your neighborhood? <<

Andy

challenge 14, who are the people in your neighborhood?

(with apologies to the creators of sesame street!)

we run into all sorts of people each and every day. now, you get to photograph them! people shots are are equal parts "piece of cake and "impossible." trying to capture the essence of that person, in their character or their job or at a particular scene in "your neighborhood," is what makes this a particularly "challenging" task. yes - i know this will be difficult for many of you, and a totally new experience for some. that's the point of being "challenged" right?

now you might be thinking - "oh no! .. i can't photograph total strangers!" my answer? sure you can! you can practice that famous question: "excuse me, sir (ma'am)...may i take your photograph?" you'll be surprised at the number of times folks will blush and say "okay" sure, you can also photograph folks you know, too. some of you are more bold than others - and so you can share the tips and techniques involved in this fascinating type of photography.

people are everywhere, in small towns and big cities..so there's no
shortage of subjects to shoot ...er... photograph. here are some ideas that come to mind: gas station attendant (if you still have them!); the fedex guy; the woman who serves you your coffee each day; the traffic cop; firefighters; the mayor; local thugs (from a distance, please!); the piano teacher; that old lady at the park who feed the ducks; the town "nut" (yes, every town has one - or two!); the traveling salesperson; perhaps the neigborhood kids playing basketball; the town doctor; the city clinic staff; a fisherman at the local stream or bridge...two lovers admiring a beautiful
sunset... well, by now you get the idea.

a couple of rule
modifications, so please check here

the contest runs until june 15th. (**contests will always always end on mondays at 12noon NYC time**)

a few examples submitted by me to get you going....

are located here in this gallery

this is an opportunity to stretch our imagination, and our photographic and our interpersonal skills. in addition, it's a great chance for us to get to know the people from towns and cities all around the world! i'm excited to see what you all come up with, i know that you guys are an extremely imaginative crowd! so *please* get involved, have a lot of fun, and share your photos ;>

enjoy (challenge) photography,

wxwax

Good one Andy, and thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed explanation of the assignment. Could be a challenge for Lynn, recovering from her ankle surgery. Do they still have milkmen making deliveries in MA?

damonff

One to Start (I took out the silhouette)
Daughter and Mother

Andy

neighborhood

ginger_55 wrote:

I guess I was thinking of neighborhood as walking distance. You sure can walk, and when you get there, you still have the stamina to get a lot done and take some great pictures while you are at it. I really like the one of the girl reading. And the old man on the bench, I never would have thought of taking him from the back. Some good pictures. Scary!
ginger

where you work, play, shop, recreate. not just where your home is ;-)

these pics are from nyc and environs. i live, 45 miles north of nyc on the hudson river, but i'm a ny-er thru and thru, and i'm there every day, so it's my "neighborhood"

the intent here is get people shots, candids, etc.

thanks for the kind words

Andy

some additional information here
you'll notice, in my examples, that i've employed varioius techniques. some are frontal shots, the person is aware. others are behind, they are not aware. some are b&w. some have various treatments in photoshop. realliy, this is a wide open challenge.

but let's remember the basics, please:

good composition.
interesting subject(s)
make good use of lighting, or add your own
proper exposure
good color management

before you post your entry, put on your newspaper photo-editor hat: would you put this photo in your publication?

don't forget that you can use the other "shots" forums to get feedback on your entries. and also the digital darkroom section of "photoshop shenanigans"

wxwax

damonff wrote:

Banana Seller
Daughter and Mother

Wow, off to a strong start, Damonff. I really like the silhouette. But I really, really like the expression on the mom's face and her posture and the framing.

gubbs

Village Station

wxwax

Cool shot, gubbs. I like what you did with the blur. What does she look like if she's the only one without blur?

And is it really that warm in England right now?

wxwax

andy wrote:

found these two at the end of my shooting session in nyc's central park today. i'll post example shots as i get them, is that alright with you guys?

Sure, of course. Then we can go out and steal yer ideas.

wxwax

gubbs wrote:

Cool shot, gubbs. I like what you did with the blur. What does she look like if she's the only one without blur?

who do you mean Sid, the girl with the pink?

I was thinking the center of attention was the one looking at the camera.

Andy

ginger_55 wrote:

I walked all over my neighborhood today, and I couldn't find anyone who looked like that. I did see the older lady who is always gardening next door. I am terrified of her, one, my yard is a mess, and hers is not a mess, also, I am afraid that she might try to talk to me, and I won't be able to hear her. I don't hear social talk very well anymore, there is no frame of reference. And I have a sign out front saying that i am deaf, so I have been scared of what she thinks of me, just in general. Well, she wasn't happy I was taking her picture, but I was. I made a copy for her, too. Maybe I will have my husband take it over. This is my favorite of the scary elderly lady. Doesn't she look scary? ginger


wtg, ginger! you're on your way!

Sandy

NEWBIE

Can you imagine being only 2 weeks old and coming into the world as it is today?
This little baby and his mama were at the park where I usually run my dog and I couldn't resist asking if I could photograph the baby.

gus

' Ziggy '

...ziggy has lived in this very spot for the 9 years that i have seen him. People say he has been there longer. When it pours rain he pulls the bubble wrap plastic sheet over himself & he still sits there in summer when the the temperature hits 42 c (107 f). He has money & family & doesn't drink, just chooses this life. He is well educated & will have a chat with you if you wish.
This is the footpath of one off our busiest arterial roads in the city.

gus

Hey andy...whats the go here ? one submission each or several ?

Andy

# of entries allowed

Humungus wrote:

Hey andy...whats the go here ? one submission each or several ?

right now the rules say THREE but be prepared soon that we'll move to TWO entries and then finally, ONE entry per challenge.

i'll be making the change gradually ;-)

Andy

ginger_55 wrote:

______________________

Why are you doing that?? What happened to Cletus group? Etc. Why is no one posting on this group like they did last time? The rules might be three, but it is easy to clean your submissions up to three at the last minute. What is the purpose of lowering the amt of submissions?

ginger

i believe that it is most important to be *self-critical* and so, in our case, we could use the regular shots forums for feedback, and submit our best shot to the challenge.

when i make a photograph, and present it, i *want* you all to like it, but i don't care if someone, or everyone, doesn't like it... becuase first and foremost, i like it. has to be this way for me.

think about it? thanks for continuing the discussion...

damonff

Number Three
Shadow Face

rutt

damonff wrote:

Shadow Face

Oh, oh. That's going to be hard to beat. The only opening might be relevance to topic. Really nice. (And, B+W has to be very special for me to like it at all.)

damonff

Thanks Rutt. I was waiting for my friend to pick something up before lunch on Saturday and this guy was riding down the street. I wanted to capture his face and I got him just as he entered the frame. I was disappointed at first but when I made it into a silhouette it worked...

Andy

self-criticism

ginger_55 wrote:

Andy, I guess I am not critical enough. I know which picture I would leave if I had to leave one. But it would tear me up taking the others off. And I stopped at a place today at a place called Breach Inlet. Too much current for real swimming, but there were a lot of people enjoying the place. Of course they are my neighbors as I talked to most of them. I even did something I hardly ever do, I asked someone for permission to take his picture. Usually, I just tell them what I am doing. Sometimes they get all coy, even the men, and they say "no", but I keep shooting, and they get comfortable. But this guy I asked, just to do it. My problem point is, I already have pictures, 3, to submit. I probably will pick from them, as I have defined, in my mind, neighborhood to mean my immediate area. So far all my pictures are of people in my own cul do sac, and I will probably enter from that. But I honestly just love a whole lot of my pictures. I guess I am not self critical enough, and you all are so good, but my pictures are my pictures, generally reflect my style. I learn new techniques, take more pictures than I normally would because of these challenges, but I like a whole lot of my pictures. Different subjects. I know I will enter the child in the doorway, because I happen to like sad children. I love sad children, just my quirk. But that does not mean the pictures are actually better, it just means that I prefer a picture of a sad child to almost anything else. I don't know how you could narrow your own pictures down to one. I think the topic should get more narrow as the selection process gets tighter. That would help in being self critical. Smile, ginger (I started taking pictures as a child, too, with a Brownie camera, I was 8)

very thoughtful post, ginger. you're on your way to self-criticism, keep it up. it's very very hard, and you *must* take chances with your work!

ginger_55

All around the Neighborhood
All around my neighborhood. From the young to the old, these are the young.


Child
by ginger


Across The Cul De Sac




The Cat Lady at the end of the cul de sac

photography by ginger






by ginger

Andy

ginger_55 wrote:

All around my neighborhood. From the young to the old, these are the young.


Children by ginger (the pictures, grin)

c'mon, they cudda been yours

ginger i like your style

gus

andy wrote:

right now the rules say THREE but be prepared soon that we'll move to TWO entries and then finally, ONE entry per challenge.

i'll be making the change gradually ;-)

Thats what i thought the entire idea was....one shot...do your best...& be judged.

Its not as if there isnt room in the other areas to post your good shots under many headings. I think its crowding out the assignment idea.

Andy

Humungus wrote:

Thats what i thought the entire idea was....one shot...do your best...& be judged.

Its not as if there isnt room in the other areas to post your good shots under many headings. I think its crowding out the assignment idea.

next challenge ....

thanks 'gus

lynnma

andy wrote:

next challenge ....

thanks 'gus

I agree entirely.. one really good shot, your best, then it makes the assignment tougher and more interesting I think. Just my 2 cents.:D

Andy

*** attention ***
please keep your contributions to the challenge to three shots. remember, you can "try out" your shots for comments and critique in the other fora ;-)

thanks

ginger_55

All those darn posts!
I have deleted most of mine. I cannot do anyone else's, but I think that all the talk makes this challenge very cluttered and difficult to look at. I also deleted all my "chatter" posts. Just an observation. by ginger

rutt

Green haired girl
I just couldn't resist this simple portrait of a happy child on a sunny June day. So here is my first submission.

Shakey

People photography is something I have not delved into much in my short time into this hobby.
At any rate I will try.


Title: Walking Away




Tim

gus

Cool to get the bird there as well shakey

lynnma

rutt wrote:

I just couldn't resist this simple portrait of a happy child on a sunny June day. So here is my first submission.

Thats a lovely shot rutt.. lovely tones. (bet it would make a great b&W):D