Portuguese photographer
wrote a great post the other day about how he brings fine art to his street shooting. One thing he does — which I think is essential for all photographers to be able to do — is he pulls out one of several what I’d call “games” (my word, I need to emphasize, not his) from his tool bag that he can play anytime. Depending on his particular temperament, or the location where he’s shooting, he may want to drop his usual street shooting approach and photograph with a specific rule or approach in mind instead.Some days, for instance, may not be good days to deal with other humans, so he describes how he exploits reflections in storefront glass as a way to indirectly capture passersby in a mock double exposure.
I call them games. You might call them “tools” or “exercises.” They’re specific approaches to photographing the street with their own set of rules to follow.
I’ve posted about a couple of games that I’ve developed for myself for those down days — Hipshots, ICM, and Vaseline. Each one of these “games” not only helps me to remain productive on days I’m not in the mood to shoot “straight” for whatever reason; they also bring a bit of play into my shooting — maybe even a little fun (
;>).I also find that applying what may seem like frivolous approaches to photography has helped to expand my creative approach and style, and broadened my eye.
“Fishing for Busses,” or “Fishing for Blur,” is another game I play on occasion. Any fast moving object will work, but I’ve found city busses to be ideal. Their colorful blur can extend across your entire frame, and with some practice you can take advantage of their windows to create unique frames.
It’s a pretty easy game to figure out. All that’s required is a camera that you can set with proper exposure to a 1/4-second (more or less) shutter speed1; a location with mass transit; a monopod or tripod; and patience.
You simply find a location with interesting framing, and you fish — you wait for a bus to pass by and you capture it.
I’ve found nights to be best for fishing; the streaks of light from the bus itself, and from the surrounding businesses and street lights, can bring a pop to the images. And not being afraid of pushing the “contrast” or “ clarity” sliders in Lightroom or whatever editing program you use also helps.
One of the points of this game — or of any of the other game I’ve mentioned — is not to make great art with every photograph. I do it as a way to add another tool to my photography bag that I can pull out on demand, and to change my mindset up a bit.
The games help me to take myself less seriously when I’m out on the streets. They effectively pull me away from my bad-habit inclination to look for “subjects” in the streets, and they push me to play and experiment with things like color and light, movement and framing. Subjects matter, of course, but often the subject reveals itself after you shoot.
Like I said, it’s just a game. And an excuse to hang that “Gone Fishing” sign on your door.
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For a bus traveling approximately 30MPH (48KPH), 1/4-sec yields a nice, smooth blur. Obviously, your results may vary.
cool shots. I especially liked the Space Needle picture.
Thanks, man. Gorgeous work. Great tips.