The violinist
In the photo, there's a very pleasant and charming violinist who was playing in the underground passage at Oławska Street in Wrocław.
At first, I ...
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In the photo, there's a very pleasant and charming violinist who was playing in the underground passage at Oławska Street in Wrocław.
At first, I took a few photos kind of sneakily, but then, to my surprise, when I was about to leave for the city, she asked if I could take more pictures of her.
Could I? Of course! After all, it was a dream opportunity for a beginner street portraitist!
So I took more photos. I'm really happy because they turned out much better than the ones I took earlier.
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At first, I took a few photos kind of sneakily, but then, to my surprise, when I was about to leave for the city, she asked if I could take more pictures of her.
Could I? Of course! After all, it was a dream opportunity for a beginner street portraitist!
So I took more photos. I'm really happy because they turned out much better than the ones I took earlier.
Read less
Jul, 2023Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in the underground passage in the city centre of Wroclaw-Poland. The interaction with strangers isn't natural to me so every such event is a challenge, but she - what surprised me a lot - asked me by herself to take a few pictures of her and I did it with pleasure.Time
I am really proud of this photo. I was walking through city streets in the afternoon of 19th of June 2023 after quite a hard few weeks for me. Photography was always relaxing me and that was what I needed that day. When I saw her playing in the underground passage I felt that this was the unique moment I was looking for.Lighting
It was during the summer afternoon but in the underground passage so there wasn't too much light. In my opinion, it gives more character to the scene I was looking at. I was trying to use this light to show more emotions I felt after I learned a little about her. She wasn't from there, she was from Ukraine and playing the violin to earn some money to pay the rent for a flat she was living in with her kids. When I heard her story I saw her in a different way: a lonely mother trying hard to make a living in a strange country by playing her violin and being passed by hundreds of strangers. They don't know her story but I am pretty sure she touches their souls with her music and maybe makes them remember her for a few more minutes after walking out of the passage.Equipment
This was shot on a Sony A7 III, with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. No other equipment was involved.Inspiration
Before I met her I was wandering a lot through Wroc?aw streets. I love the city centre because it has its own unique vibe which inspires me a lot. Especially if it came to street musicians - I like to think about them as someone who's bringing some uncatchable meaning to the city streets. After an hour or two I finally saw her playing on her violin in the underground passage and decided to take a few pictures from a distance. I didn't plan to take pictures of her from such a close distance (approaching strangers is quite hard for me) but since she asked me by herself if I could take some pictures of her I didn't hesitate. After all, it was a dream opportunity for me as a beginner street portraitist! So I took more photos and I'm really happy because they turned out much better than the ones I took earlier from a bigger distance.Editing
Usually, when I am taking a picture I have the back of my head a rough idea on how to edit the picture to bring the emotions I would like to. Here I adjusted the colors and contrast to fade the background and to make the violinist pop a little more.In my camera bag
At the beginning of my photography journey, I usually had an additional lens in the backpack and a tripod, now I am carrying a bag with only the camera and some basic stuff to clean the lens if needed.Feedback
Sometimes you feel there's SOMETHING in the frame, but you don't have an idea how to capture the moment to show what you feel or see. Despite that - just start taking pictures, and try different perspectives and different angles. After that review the pictures and - if needed - come back and try again.
