Living Statue Girl
Photo shot on 3 august 2016 in workum (Netherlands).
I cropped the photo to fit in the rule of thirds, right eye is a corner and that horizontal line is c...
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Photo shot on 3 august 2016 in workum (Netherlands).
I cropped the photo to fit in the rule of thirds, right eye is a corner and that horizontal line is crossing her left eye as well. That vertical line crossing her right eye passes her chin on the right side nicely passing the outside of her right leg. The second horizontal line is just above her knees and the second vertical line is just on the outside of her left leg. The girl was covered in solver color, but I thought a black & white version would do her more justice.
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I cropped the photo to fit in the rule of thirds, right eye is a corner and that horizontal line is crossing her left eye as well. That vertical line crossing her right eye passes her chin on the right side nicely passing the outside of her right leg. The second horizontal line is just above her knees and the second vertical line is just on the outside of her left leg. The girl was covered in solver color, but I thought a black & white version would do her more justice.
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Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo shot in Workum (Netherlands). This city is tiny compared to many other cities and lays in the north of the country. I took it on the main street that was closed off that day due to a market known locally as the longest market of Workum which is 1 km long. This market has new goods as second hand goods. But this sight is rather new. I did teach myself how to use a camera and learned on the go from my own mistakes. I still have a long way to go in my eyes as I am very harsh on myself and my work. Most of my photo's there for end up being axed before I even get to the editing. I usually take several rounds to get the final few photo's that will be uploaded.Time
This photo is one of my better ones although I did have a lot of trouble shooting it. Other people getting in the way, modern street signs that I rather avoid as it distracts and there was a small truck on the right side of this photo which didn't make it too easy either. I took it on 3 august 2016 around and it was around noon I believe. Because this girl was still so young I was forced to sit down on the somewhat wet floor (it did rain a little bit earlier that day) and tried out several shots. From holding the camera near to the ground up to in plain sitting position. I ended up with this shot which wasn't ideal for my back as I slightly had to bend over while sitting on the floor.Lighting
I planned the monochrome thing from the start as it would make the better idea in my mind. This girl was sitting on her own accord there with her sister and mother not far away. Her clothing was spray painted in a silver color and even her face, hands, neck and hair were painted in this silver color. Her umbrella and her chair were also painted in this silver color which made it complete. Her mother told me that she decided on doing this and her father helped her mostly with the painting of the objects while mom painted her daughter. The girl wanted to portray a living statue and earn a little bit of money, which could be donated in the hat in front of her which is also silver colored including her stuffed animal. I of course donated her as well, I think it would be a good idea to show appreciation of what she's trying to do. It would also stimulate her to keep enjoying what she loves to do.Equipment
I used a Nikon D5200 with at that moment with a 18-55mm kit lens, a lens that I replaced a year later as I seriously didn't like it at all. I did not use any other equipment at all.Inspiration
I noticed that where she was sitting would make a excellent photo opportunity with the background behind her. Although it would make a highly difficult shot I did decide to attempt it as I wanted to learn from it as well together I wished to see whether it would indeed make a good shot as I had in mind. I did end up cropping a bit due to several objects being in the way and that didn't look nice at all.Editing
I did make the photo a little more sharper and turned it to monochrome. Something I planned for from the start as I already mentioned. Aside from that I cropped it in the hope I would get the rule of thirds, but not knowing enough about that, that last bit may have failed. Other then that I didn't change anything at all.In my camera bag
Because I don't really have money to buy new things I only had my Nikon D5200 and the 18-55mm kit lens with me. I decided not to go with anything else that day. It would be too heavy while trying to move trough the crowd. But going to what I now always carry, that would be the D5200 with a Sigma 17-70mm lens and a Tamron 70-300mm lens. This together with a basic cleaning kit. I am however planning to upgrade by replacing my D5200 for the near future. I would love to own a Nikon D850 with the Tamron G2 series lenses but those are far out of my financial reach. I am currently looking at the option of perhaps getting a Nikon D750 instead. With luck I can get a 500mm lens, but In the end I really need to get lucky with that. Financially I am not rich at all so I'm forced to sell my D5200 and my fathers equipment (Canon AV-1 with many lenses and other equipment, yes it's ancient) I prefer to keep it for obvious reasons, but alas, financially I have no choice if I wish to keep making photo's in the future.Feedback
I'm not sure if I can give tips regarding this specific shot other then don't be afraid of getting wet and dirty to get the shots you want. Clothes can be washed and at the end of the day you shower anyways. A little dirt doesn't hurt you but it does end up giving you a good feeling of having put in the work to get the shots you wanted. It may also be helpful not to be scared of making photo's in public. Yes there might be a lot of people around that may not like you taking photo's, but you need to do your job just like they need to do theirs. Let them complain all they want, if you are not doing anything wrong then they can't really do anything other then complain. A fact I had to endure as well during the shooting of this photo. I did go out without planning ahead for this photo, it was a spur of the moment and ended up taking my time to get this photo done. In case of kids that are not your own I however strongly recommend not to upload anything without talking to the parents first so they can see your photo's and decide on whether they allow you to upload it or not. This often can lead to either getting asked to give them a copy as well, do this for free as you benefit as well from this photo. People are much more likely to help you out if you are willing to help them out.
