Candid Street Portrait

[Lorey]

Street Portrait by Lorey Barnum, on Flickr

[Iguanasan]

An interesting portrait, Lorey. Looks like my M.O. (long lens from the other side of the street. )

Still, I like the moment. Well done.

[Lorey]

Thank you Iggy. yes, I use a 75-300 on my Oly E-M1. I like doing close in street candids and that combo give me good success. Like your Flickr page!

[Marko]

Light and the pose are decent here. really like the mood in the subject's face. Most of the shots we see from you Lorey are wider shots that show the environment and although I like this shot, I think it would be even better to show the environment.
(For me anyway, that's what street photography is... Maybe this is even a good topic worth considering for a podcast... )
anyway thanks for posting this Lorey

[Matt K.]

well done .. like the processing as well, adds to the mood ... not too flashy, and a bit on the contemplative side; well executed.

[Lorey]

Thank you Matt and Marko for viewing and comments.

Marko, I agree with you on what “street photography” is. What I’ve been doing lately is going out on the street with the mindset of getting candid ‘portraits’, in the sense of the definition of the word portrait, of people on the streets. Whether they are out and about for whatever reason or at a street event, which is what was going on for this shot. I just came up with calling them ‘street portraits’ because they are not, as you pointed out, images of what you would typically call ‘street photography’. Not saying I coined the phrase. I have no idea if it has already been technically issued a genre or not. If it isn’t then I guess its kind of a sub genre of ‘street photography’. That’s just what I call it anyway. In just a portrait alone I’m tying to catch the expression of the demeanor of the subject as the interest of the image, which the environment would take away from. Kind of the way I think one would focus on if it were in a studio or an on location portrait. I think you can get a much more original personality capture of a person’s face that is out on the street or somewhere else completely unaware that a portrait is being taken than in planned and setup situation. I too think it would be an interesting podcast topic. Would like to hear it.

I’ve posted another example from the same time of my original post of what I’d call a ‘street portrait’ simply because it is completely focused on a portrait of a little girl and I took it on the street.

Thank you again for viewing and comments, and any thing you would like to add to my reply.


Street Portrait by Lorey Barnum, on Flickr

[Marko]

Really digging the sharpness and contemplative pose on this second portrait...it would work super-super well as a bw.

" In just a portrait alone I’m tying to catch the expression of the demeanor of the subject as the interest of the image, which the environment would take away from."

To add to my reply then, if the environment takes away from the subject, then why reference it at all in the title?
Especially in the second shot which could have been taken in many interior or exterior locations.
I guess I find 'street portrait', like 'street photography to be a loaded phrase where expectations exist as a function of the history of the genre. JMO.

[Lorey]

Thank you Marko for your input. Just a preference in terminology. No big deal.

[Runmonty]

Great moments captured Lorey. Both are very nice, but I really love the 2nd one and agree with Marko, it would be super in B & W (I am guessing it has already been desaturated to some degree?).

I understand both sides of the nomenclature discussion, but at the end of the day the photos stand on their own with or without a label.

[Lorey]

Thank you RM for the comments. I appreciate it. Yes, it is about 30% or something like that desaturated.

I'm thinking the best solution is 'untitled'. That will always work