5, 1, 35, 14

rainbow · January 18, 2012

5 minutes, 1 block, 35 shutter clicks, on a 14 mm lens...

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Today I ran a quick errand into Chinatown, S. F. I was on a maiden voyage with my newly purchased Sigma 14mm f2.8 lens. Keeping in mind richardman's project (and trying to get the feel of the crowds there) and torags' shooting behind the back, I walked the length of the block, crossed the street and walked back to my starting point. All shots were taken without the viewfinder (or LCD), usually from the hip or from above (with the exception of #9).

Twelve of the 35 shots are posted. BTW, richardman, the New Year begins Monday and now is a great time to get to Stockton St. Note the extra stands on the street side of the sidewalk.

bfjr · January 19, 2012

Just when I was going to say, "Hip shootin, Baaa Humbug"!

In the context of the way you presented this, it is a very good series and I
really get a feel for China Town SF!

May even give me the impetous to visit China Town LA soon!

richardman · January 19, 2012

Cool! Exactly how tall are you?!! (see #11) :-) No offense, but one issue with this style of imaging is that it can feel a bit haphazard, but it does work well in these crowd situation.

I plan to go there again this Friday, unless it rains. I am Chinese, so I do know that Chinese New Year is next week :-)

Ben, if you go to LA Chinatown, I'd suggest go down to Broadway and walk toward the tall buildings and start shooting :-). You probably know this, but at the end is the Chinatown Gate with two nice big dragons on top. I couldn't get a good photo of it since it was too dark by then, but I think they can look pretty dramatic.

Richard · January 19, 2012

Nice work, rainbow. Congratulations on your new toy--great for shooting at close quarters in crowded places like Chinatown. The distortion works nicely in #11, but I'm less sure I like it in #8 and #10. I think my favorites are #1 and #7. Looking forward to seeing more.

torags · January 19, 2012

Good stuff Rainbow. chalk up a + for hip shooting...

RSL · January 19, 2012

I'd vote for 7, 11, and to a lesser extent 12. It's a good shoot Rainbow, but I'd have shortened the post. Since it doesn't try to tell a sequential story, there's a lot -- maybe a bit too much -- to absorb in one post.

jhefti · January 19, 2012

I vote for 1,7,8, and 12. 1 is a great overall experience shot: the crowds and the street life. I love the faces in 7, and the pathos in 8 (though a tighter crop showing more of the face in the person in the wheelchair might give it more punch). 12 might also benefit from tighter crop to include more of his face and the faces of the statures on the shelf. I like faces, especially with a bit of context and environment.

A really nice series!

rainbow · January 20, 2012

bfjr wrote: »

Just when I was going to say, "Hip shootin, Baaa Humbug"!

In the context of the way you presented this, it is a very good series and I
really get a feel for China Town SF!

May even give me the impetous to visit China Town LA soon!

Chinatown LA is not nearly as vibrant a place, but should have excellent photo ops. Even without the camera, you can get good food for cheap!

Thanks!

rainbow · January 20, 2012

richardman wrote: »

Cool! Exactly how tall are you?!! (see #11) :-) No offense, but one issue with this style of imaging is that it can feel a bit haphazard, but it does work well in these crowd situation.

Well, I tower above the little people... Would it scare you to realize that #1 was a hip shot?

Haphazard is the accurate description of the five minutes. There was no planning (except to take the camera with me) and the time constraint left little/no time for thoughtful composition. But chaotic/haphazard is what Chinatown is...

BTW, the wider the lens, the taller you look/feel by leaps and bounds when holding the lens high (as in #11)

rainbow · January 20, 2012

Richard wrote: »

Nice work, rainbow. Congratulations on your new toy--great for shooting at close quarters in crowded places like Chinatown. The distortion works nicely in #11, but I'm less sure I like it in #8 and #10. I think my favorites are #1 and #7. Looking forward to seeing more.

Thanks, Richard. I will have to get use to the lens more. I picked it up because I felt the 17-40 was sometimes not wide enough for situations like these. It will be a fun lens to shoot with.

rainbow · January 20, 2012

RSL wrote: »

I'd vote for 7, 11, and to a lesser extent 12. It's a good shoot Rainbow, but I'd have shortened the post. Since it doesn't try to tell a sequential story, there's a lot -- maybe a bit too much -- to absorb in one post.

Thanks, Russ. Your point is well taken and this would be the exception as I wanted to present a greater number due to the nature of this "project". It is a cheap way for me to see what captivates the viewers versus my assessments of them (#3 & #6 are my favorites).

rainbow · January 20, 2012

jhefti wrote: »

I vote for 1,7,8, and 12. 1 is a great overall experience shot: the crowds and the street life. I love the faces in 7, and the pathos in 8 (though a tighter crop showing more of the face in the person in the wheelchair might give it more punch). 12 might also benefit from tighter crop to include more of his face and the faces of the statures on the shelf. I like faces, especially with a bit of context and environment.

A really nice series!

Thanks! I am in complete agreement with you on loving faces with the context/environment.

bdcolen · January 20, 2012

rainbow wrote: »

5 minutes, 1 block, 35 shutter clicks, on a 14 mm lens...

You've got a damn good 'clicking average' here, Rainbow.

clap

lizzard_nyc · January 20, 2012

12 and 8 my favorite.

That is a hell of a keeper ration Rainbow.

lensmole · January 20, 2012

The lady in # 3 kills me it looks like she just stopped moving and I like the low angle .
# 12 has a nice restful feeling .

redleash · January 22, 2012

Terrific idea, rainbow--I hope you don't mind if I borrow it.

I like this set, especially 6 and 7. I also like the color shot; there is so much color in it that would be lost in B&W. Plus, it makes a nice contrast to the rest of the set. I also like the subject matter, with the shopkeeper waiting for customers. Nice work!

Lauren

rainbow · January 31, 2012

bdcolen wrote: »

You've got a damn good 'clicking average' here, Rainbow. clap

lizzard_nyc wrote: »

12 and 8 my favorite.

That is a hell of a keeper ration Rainbow.

Thanks. The combo of getting really close with an ultrawide angle lens really does increase the keeper rate. With this combo, you really must interact with the subjects and become part of the scene instead of being an observer and sniping from a distance. And it is hecka more fun!

rainbow · January 31, 2012

lensmole wrote: »

The lady in # 3 kills me it looks like she just stopped moving and I like the low angle .
# 12 has a nice restful feeling .

I noted the same in #3 and liked it for that same reason -- and it looks like the kid and stroller will run her over.

redleash wrote: »

Terrific idea, rainbow--I hope you don't mind if I borrow it. I like this set, especially 6 and 7. I also like the color shot; there is so much color in it that would be lost in B&W. Plus, it makes a nice contrast to the rest of the set. I also like the subject matter, with the shopkeeper waiting for customers. Nice work!

Lauren

Thanks for looking and commenting! Please borrow the idea and post your results -- it is a twist to have a limited time frame versus artificially limiting the number of clicks as an exercise.

5, 1, 35, 14

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