[matthew]

I dislike landscapes. I only like people, and plastic flowers.
- Elliott Erwitt*

For the next two weeks, let's look at photographs that capture people.

We looked at Portraits in Assignment #26, but I'd like to broaden the subject to include all photographs that involve people. Street scenes, candid shots, photographs with people as a supporting element or ones where they are central to the action without dominating the frame -- people are complex and varied, and our photos of them should reflect that.

* Besides having an excellent name, Elliott Erwitt recently topped Mike Johnston's list of the ten best living photographers. His work is definitely worth checking out.

[soholinda]

I was walking on the beach enjoying the sunset and ran into this cool guy.

[matthew]

Interesting image -- there's an intriguing story there. Seeing it makes me want to know more about who he is, what he's doing, and how he came to be there....

The link seems to be formatted with some extra "http" prefixes. I had to open it in a new window and delete them from the address. It could just be me, though.

[Wedding Shooter]

I can't see the link here.

[Irma]

I couldn't see your picture before... I was curious... It is really a very interesting person... Someone you would like to know more about...

I didn't see the assignment before I posted my street singer picture, I think It would have fit great here... I will have to go to the Chrismas market again

[Wedding Shooter]

It certainly begs a question as to what is this guy doing? Nice use of light too.

[jbman]

Taken while in India November 2003. The father of this family asked me to take the photo while I was walking by. I wish I could give him a copy since he was so proud of his children. The afternoon sun was to the right of the photo. Pretty much a point and shoot shot, but I really like how it came out. The children are looking at a person who was walking with me who also had a camera.

[shuttertalk]

soholinda: truly a fascinating shot! just wondering - was that posed, or was he genuinely staring at a cover of a shakespeare book? tell us more!

jbman: lovely pic - love the vibrant colours...

[jbman]

Thanks for the comments, taken back in the day with film, something about film that i still love.

[soholinda]

soholinda: truly a fascinating shot! just wondering - was that posed, or was he genuinely staring at a cover of a shakespeare book? tell us more!

The picture was posed. He permitted me about 12-15 shots. I put his back to the sunset and focused on the book and shot him from different levels. I was trying to follow the assignment.

This gentleman owns a house on the beach and can often be seen walking on the beach at sunset. He spends his days writing and reading.

[NT73]

Just another picasso in the bud.

Taken in Gibraltar. Who is he ? No idea. Just seem to fit the pic.

[Wedding Shooter]

Love that picture Jbman.

[wulinka]

Hey, great captures here! I like them both, although soholinda's is a bit more difficult to grasp, less obvious, I feel. well done!

[BeaglesToo]

This is our (dog)agility trainer at our Christmas party.The photo was take in a large horse barn.The lighting was poor but I liked the picture.Tv 1/60 Av 4.0 expos comp iso 400 raw
Lorraine

[matthew]

Great images, everyone -- I do love the assignments that can pull in such a diverse and unexpected mix of photographs.

I've been working on family photos (Christmas is coming!) for the past week without quite making the connection to this assignment. Here are two that I like:









And one from today, when I was looking for people in the cityscape:

[shuttertalk]

Matt, the first pic is great - I really feel the connection between the two. I wish I knew more about the people now!

The 2nd one also embodies the theme of the assignment... well done!

[Teri]

I hope that I can post here :/ and I get the assignment..This is a picture I took this summer when my cousins were down from Iowa. The kids using the swingset as monkey bars.

[matthew]

Hi Teri, I really like that shot. It has a great feel to it, like this is a slice out of time, and that the children and swings could continue on in both directions forever. The more I look at it, the better it gets: I like how the heads of the children are all about the same level and distance from the top of the frame, making them into the 'horizon' (visual reference for what's level) instead of the slanting ground and top bar. It creates a wonderfully unstable but satisfying feeling when I look at it, as if the children are what is real and substantial, and that perspective itself is their playing. I like how you've include all of all of the children in the frame, except for the hands of the girls on the extreme edges of the frame. I think this is part of why I feel like the photograph is so much larger than the image itself. The fun, chaos, and spontaneity is wonderful.

(as an aside, it's an interesting contrast to flip between your photo and the last one that I posted, with its hard ominous composition...)

Julian, 1st photo is my brother and eldest niece, who's very busy being 14 but still took a little time to watch the Santa Claus Parade with Dad. It's the photo I'm using as the cover for the family calendar I'm having printed. It's the only photo in the series with two subjects, as the rest focus on each of my three nieces individually. Some of their photos came out almost as cute as Paul's, so I may post a few more here too.

The second is my GF's step-brothers after the birth of their newest family member. It was taken in the hospital, with this great overcast light coming through a wall of windows picture-left, and fill flash bounced from the ceiling. (And the resulting shadows were painstaking cloned out because they didn't move far enough away from the wall.) This was the first time I met the father and daughter on the left of the picture, and only the second time I had met the others, so it wasn't easy to get everyone to relax and enjoy themselves. (It was my first time meeting little Alexandra, too, but she slept through it all.) There were two other people taking the same photo at the same time, but I had staked out the best angle, having climbed half-way across the vacant bed. A framed copy of this print is going in all of their christmas stockings.

[Petographer]

I saw this topic the other day and thought of this photo right away. I must have tried 4 different crops and ended up settling with this one.

[Pat]

My feet hurt and I need coffee

[Keith Alan]

I have really been enjoying the photos posted in this Assignment!
Every entry is excellent.

Here's mine.
It's an outtake from my downtown shoot tonight, as I'm waiting for the area in front of The Alamo to be clear of people--which is nearly impossible no matter the day or time.
But I noticed that the couple "in the way" of my long exposure had stopped walking around and had paused for some reason, and remembering this 'People' Assignment I hoped that I had caught something interesting when tripping the shutter.

(Please click on the photo for an 800x600 version)

[Polly]

From late Summer, early Autumn of this year coming up. All of them candid shots.

First one - "On holiday with his bucket and spade" ..... awwww




Learning to see life from a different perspective




Hand feeding a bold juvenile Seagull. The Gull was actually approaching people, looking up at them and screeching (asking) for titbits.




Polly

[matthew]

Great shots, everyone!

Taking candid shots is something that I do very badly -- I don't even like photographing near people. Actually turning a 100mm lens on someone standing next to me is something I almost never do. In this case, I made an exception, but the results still show how hurried I was.

[Pat]

This is a typical scene on the beachfront at Shoal Bay, leisurely eating midweek, however that's all about to change as the tourist season is upon us. Sorry about the cars, no carparks in this area

[shuttertalk]

We had our Kids Christmas Service at church today, and part of the activities was a Candy Cane hunt! This little guy was plenty proud of his efforts...