Guitar
Sep, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on a trip to San Diego at Balboa Park. The park itself was beautiful, but I couldn't help noticing a worn street performer playing an acoustic guitar. His song was enchanting and in this picture I tried to capture the beauty of his song.Time
It was around 4:00 in the afternoon. The crowd of people (including myself) were mulling about looking at the beauty of the park. At around 4:05 we came across a distraught street performer playing the guitar. I ended up listening to his song for 10-15 minutes before taking the picture. It was funny too because I didn't even know that my family had left the company of the man and me until I had taken the photo.Lighting
It was a fairly cloudy day so I tried my best to capture the shadows and texture within his hands and guitar. I purposefully made the image black and white to make the whites more white and the blacks more black. In the original picture it was just gray cause the lighting was grayed to begin with.Equipment
I used a Nikon d5100 55-200 mm lens without a flash or tripod.Inspiration
The idea of capturing the hands of someone playing the guitar instead of a whole man. The person behind the guitar may be gorgeous but it is their hands that create the music. Also I was enchanted by the mans song so in order to remember it I wanted to capture it. I hope that you all imagine some song in the background like I do. Another reason that inspired me to take it is that the hands tell a story, they aren't your run of the mill regular hands that you see in stock images, they are worn and battered, but rough and tough as well. It shows the hardships this man may have encountered or even his former life as a carpenter or his many years playing guitar. The picture makes you question who is the guitarist and what is their purpose?Editing
For this image I had to take the original raw and create a bit of contrast by editing it in Photoshop. I did this to create some form of 3D or dimension to the image as well as make your eye move from the focal point throughout the page.In my camera bag
I always carry a camera and 2-3 extra batteries with me. My camera is a Nikon d5100 and I use a 18-55 mm and a 55-200 mm and a 35 mm. I tend to also carry a mini tripod In case I need it. I also carry a lens cleaner and some sort of cloth in order to make sure my camera is clean and gunk free. I also carry a few chargers in order to maximize the amount of life in my batteries whenever I can.Feedback
Pay attention to the guitarist and understand their story. Try to speculate their background and then try to capture that in an image. There is nothing more satisfying than acurately retelling a story and seeing your work in all its beauty. Also try to capture the detail in this type of photo because detail is key. It is what separates your photo from the rest of your competition. Also try to think outside the box, however cliche it may seem. By doing that well you can create a whole new perspective that invites the viewer.
