Musicians
Street musicians in Warsaw
Street musicians in Warsaw
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Dec, 2015Views
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Awards
Winner in Stories Of The Street Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
All Star
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on my travels in Warsaw, Poland. The Old Town streets of the Polish capital were throning with tourists and locals alike, and these guys were down a secluded alleyway just playing for passersby.Time
This was a true 'in the moment' picture. It was May 5th, 2015, so early springtime in eastern Europe. There had been a warning of a terrific storm in the city, and the morning had been a total wash out, with torrential rain and thunder. About 12.30, the rain cleared and a blazing sun came out, and the street suddenly came alive with people. I captured the shot at 13.00, when the sun was at it's highest and hottest for the day.Lighting
When I passed these gentlemen sitting in the archway of a side street, the lighting is what really drew me to the scene. As mentioned, the sun was at it's highest point in the sky, so casting very long shadows and making strong contrasts naturally. I love silhouettes, and the natural. everyday setup of the picture combined with the drama of a silhouette created the image for me.Equipment
I used my beloved Sony DSC-HX60, which was a relatively new purchase for this trip. I often use a Canon DSLR, but as I was inter railing, I didn't want the bulky extra bag full of lenses and the huge body to carry around as well as my backpack. As it is technically a 'bridge' camera, it does not have interchangeable lenses, and on this occasion, I don't have my tripod with me. So it was a very basic setup, physically. I always shoot on Manual, so that I can adjust the ISO, shutter speed and aperture according to the scene. I remember having to play with the ISO for a bit to get the right one, coming from the Old Town Square, where I had a very low ISO as the sun was so bright, I needed to alter it to find the correct one for this, more shadowy setting. It was taken with ISO 100 in the end.Inspiration
I have a bit of a mania for framing, symmetry and colour palettes in photographs (blame my love of Wes Anderson films for that!). When I passed these guys in the street, I knew I had to capture the moment, simply because the setup was already perfect for me. I don't do a lot of street photography for this reason-I prefer architecture because I can manipulate the lines and angles so much easier than with a spontaneous moment, but not he occasion when it works out as I want, it is so thrilling. It makes me want to do more street photography!Editing
I was on the road for another month at the time of taking this, so only had my very basic editing software on my tablet to play with. I did alter the usual-so the exposure, brightness, contrast and white balance levels, as the contrast between the sunlit street and the dark alleyway was initially too strong.In my camera bag
When out and about on a daily basis, I will have my Canon EOS 450D, which was my first DSLR camera, and a fantastic entry point for me. I got it second hand off a friend, so I know that it's not an all singing all dancing model, but for me to find my level it has been perfect. I will also have my Sony DSC-HX60, which I prefer. I can see that wonderful images come from the DSLR kit, but for me, as a person who has a tremor to contend with (essentially my hands shake constantly, like I've been at the gin cabinet!), holding the large body and changing of lenses can be impossible on a bad day. I have many, many tripods for this reason. I have my tiny travel tripod, which comes everywhere with me, as well as a mid sized and a large. My mid sized one is probably the most handy for toting around and still being trustworthy enough to hold up the camera in less than ideal weather, and I really saw the value of it when I went in search of the Northern Lights in arctic Norway last year. Even when my hands were shaking like mad in the -18 degree cold, the tripod remained steady to allow me photograph this most beautiful of sights. That brings me to another gadget I always have just in case-a remote shutter release. It became a must have early on in my photography adventures, when my shakiness meant that pushing the shutter caused the entire camera-tripod set up to wobble no matter how hard I tried. Being able to stand back and take the photo was the saviour of my sanity and my photographs!Feedback
I feel totally ill equipped to be giving anyone advice on street photography-as I really did just get lucky! I suppose that that would be the first and most important thing I could offer-have your eyes open and be alert to the possibilities. There were hundreds of people taking advantage of the sunshine in Warsaw's beautiful Old Town Square that afternoon, and everyone walked passed these men without seeing them-or hearing the beauty of what they were playing. Patience, patience patience is crucial in any photography, you have to be prepared to wait for the scene to be clear of any wandering tourists or allow anyone in a hurry through. I never expect the rest of the world to stop and wait if I am taking a photograph, particularly in a busy city! If it is symmetry that you are after, which I so often am, you have to take the time to asses how to frame your picture. This can take some time and practice, but it is always worth it in the end.
