Thanks for sharing. Would like to know a little about each photo. Having some context would help with the critiquing process.
Like the Adjustments I made?
More of what you wanted to achieve with each photo or the set of photos.
Oh! Well! I wanted a film look and a grungy type photo. I wanted each photo to speak for itself and have a story within itself. It was afternoon and the light was harsh. But I had an advantage that there were building around and there were shadows to play with. The color photos were mostly provia 400 film emulations And the black and white ones were agfa and Fuji acros.
A little more about the photos: These tailors sit on the streets all day and get the work done immediately at a low cost. Itâs basically rainy season in India RN but they are determined to finish the work on time so no matter what happens, they sit there all day to earn money. They sit in a line near the wall under a roof where pigeons are always there and âpoopingâ on them and the clothes.
I loved those pictures!
Sorry if I donât give you a more in depth, techical rationale. Itâs just that they striked me at first.
Do these workers work for themselves?
Also, most of them seem to be aged. Coincidence?
Nice set! The only one I donât like that much is the one where the tailor looks at the camera.
Maybe for the third and fourth pictures, I would have tried to recover a bit more of the face details in the shadows.
NIce use of film simulations (I love using film simulation too).
I agree. The fifth is a good balance.
Itâs fine. Yes! They work for themselves / their families mostly. Not a coincidence. They all are old and have been working there for many years. Apparently, there arenât many âyoungâ tailors over there.
Thank you for the critique. I intentionally crushed the details in a few photos because I wanted to add the mystery to the image. Also, I couldâve done it with some local adjustments. But RT doesnât have any local adjustment options which is why I couldnât retrieve much details from the face. I am also not quite familiar with GIMP/Photoshop. It always looks like a fresh new language everytime I try learning either one of them.
Hi Tarun, thank you for sharing these with us! For a first street shoot, you did a great job. I like this as a series and in thinking about the application (use) for the images, I think they are best suited for exhibition. The vertical format gives some restrictions for editorial/magazine use and there is not enough negative space to use the format perfectly for book covers or applications where type is needed.
Going though them one-by-one, here is some feedback that I hope is helpful:
#1. I like the mood and angle here. Itâs easy to understand what the person is doing by showing just enough of the sewing machine. The eye gets to bounce up to the tallest window and a bit of the sky.
#2. Less than ideal because of the shadow on the back of the tailorâs shit, and too much of his back is in the frame.
#3. This is very nice, especially how the light is falling on the shirt for that pop of blue and the hair light is nice. I might have asked the tailor to move the plastic bags on the right side of the table out of the frame. That is perfectly fine to do as long as you ask (especially for art shots) and in editorial use typically fine as long as you donât change the integrity of the situation (i.e., the plastic bags donât have to be there.)
#4. I like the composition but it would be better with a slight adjustment in position so the spool of thread doesnât cut into the tailorâs chin.
#5. A good portrait.
#6. This one is a miss for me and Iâm sure you know why without me saying anything more.
#7. The water bottle is distracting but I like the idea you are going for. A horizontal shot might have been more interesting here.
#8. This is the best establishing shot, but it seems as though the nearest face is not as sharp as it should be, maybe itâs just too dark.
#9. Very nice as the hands are engaged, which is the most important bit of information when shooting environmental portriats of someone working. It would have been a great shot if the full wheel of the machine was in the frame.
Keep shooting!
First and forth really stand out, in terms of street photography. Good work!