Cops, Emergency: NYC Street Shots

Earache · April 30, 2015

Sorry, for me, these images do not tell a story, either independently, or as a series.
The human subjects are not prominent in the compositions (people's backs are very seldom interesting) and the scenes captured
are not compelling or interesting in any significant way - although, I do recognize that a Police action is usually a tricky situation to capture.
Keep shooting though, and get up close to your subjects... provided that it is safe to do so!

Please take a look at this work by Gary Ayala as an example of the type of engagement with subjects that - imo - makes for excellent candid/documentary photography.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=253007
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=252120

torags · April 30, 2015

gvf · May 1, 2015

Earache wrote: »

Sorry, for me, these images do not tell a story, either independently, or as a series.
The human subjects are not prominent in the compositions (people's backs are very seldom interesting) and the scenes captured
are not compelling or interesting in any significant way - although, I do recognize that a Police action is usually a tricky situation to capture.
Keep shooting though, and get up close to your subjects... provided that it is safe to do so!

Please take a look at this work by Gary Ayala as an example of the type of engagement with subjects that - imo - makes for excellent candid/documentary photography.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=253007
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=252120

Well, I know people who find then interesting, because the story is NOT revealed. But individual reactions are individual reactions, they are not "accurate" or "inaccurate".

These photos didn't seem to fit in any other forum properly, so I put them in Documentary even though they're not a continuous and complete series of events, or "story". To me they are reminiscent of walking the streets of NYC, where peeks and glimpsed of many stories that happen so fast as you pass you don't know the story. It is a cacophony of images of possibilities of what has happened or will (the latter meaning: "Keep on walking if you have any sense".)

Here's another like that:

There is the complete oddity of coming around corner to a girl carrying a head and flashing this big smile, all in the two seconds you nearly bumped into each other, an immediate camera shot and a millisecond before, the big and knowing grin - and then walking on wondering what the hell THAT was about. That's NYC. No story is what is fascinating.

That's all they are to me...

Richard · May 1, 2015

gvf wrote: »

Here's another like that:

I like that last one.

Earache · May 1, 2015

gvf wrote: »

...That's all they are to me...

Documentary forum is fine for these images... as is common practice here, I simply offered my reaction as a viewer, and hopefully, constructive criticism.

I hear you, and understand that we all attach personal significance to the images we create... after all, we were there and images often record our experiences and express our
perceptions. I don't presume to challenge the validity of your personal appreciation of the images, or of your friends, or of people who are familiar with those places - my reaction is mine,
based on sitting 3 thousand miles away and seeing them posted with limited context. However, "No story is what's fascinating" is an uncommon criteria for capturing a police activity... jmo.

And, I agree with Richard, the last one is very enjoyable!!

gvf · May 2, 2015

Earache wrote: »

Documentary forum is fine for these images... as is common practice here, I simply offered my reaction as a viewer, and hopefully, constructive criticism.

I hear you, and understand that we all attach personal significance to the images we create... after all, we were there and images often record our experiences and express our
perceptions. I don't presume to challenge the validity of your personal appreciation of the images, or of your friends, or of people who are familiar with those places - my reaction is mine,
based on sitting 3 thousand miles away and seeing them posted with limited context. However, "No story is what's fascinating" is an uncommon criteria for capturing a police activity... jmo.

And, I agree with Richard, the last one is very enjoyable!!

Not at all, I was trying to explain really that Documentary is not really an apt description of these shots which your initial point makes very well.

So presenting them as Documentary is really for me a default (and not very accurate) description. I just didn't see any other place to put them.

Cops, Emergency: NYC Street Shots

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