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Tag Archives: candids

A Friday night in town

Last Friday I went, with some friends, to a nice little place in the Melbourne CBD called Baraki” (Baraki homepage). The plan was to have some eats (Friday after work – people were quite hungry), and enjoy the live music.

Live at Baraki
A standalone artist performing in the lead up to the main event.
Capture details
Focal Length (real): 35mm Aperture: f/4
Shutter Speed: 1/30 ISO: ISO 10000
Captured with a Nikon D3s and a AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED


The plan worked out only half way. The food was only average, and we ate what we ordered more because we were starving, than for any other reason. The ambiance, and the music, on the other hand, were very nice. By the time the main act, by a band called Motif , had started, everyone was having a very good time, despite the, slightly, confined space.

Motif - Live at Baraki
Motif – Live at Baraki
Capture details
Focal Length (real): 58mm Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/250 ISO: ISO 10000
Captured with a Nikon D3s and a AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED


Motif - Live at Baraki
Motif – Live at Baraki
Capture details
Focal Length (real): 14mm Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/160 ISO: ISO 10000
Captured with a Nikon D3s and a AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED


We slowly made our way to Zoe’s car, to drive home. On the way, we passed a few horse carriages, of which Swanston St has plenty, and all of which are out in force on a busy Friday night.

Don
Don’t be afraid
Capture details
Focal Length (real): 70mm Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/180 ISO: ISO 9000
Captured with a Nikon D3s and a AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED


The girl was, at first, curious, but soon she became very tender towards the beast.I literally saw this scene with the corner of my eye, as I was discussing with Zoe something that had happened earlier. It was, quite literally, almost a reflex action to reposition myself and try 3 frames to make a good photograph out of this moment.

It was a beautiful scene, the girl was so curious about the horse, which, in turn, was very relaxed.

Photographing people on the street

Taking candids of strangers on the street is an artform in itself. The requirements to perform well are:

  • Be there with a camera (pretty much rule #1 in anything)
  • Spot the activity
  • Capture it in, or out of (your call), context

Oftentimes, however, you also need to interact with your subject, either to extend/elaborate on what just occurred, or to obtain consent for the photographs. In most cases, this is an easy task. Within the boundaries of common sense, people, if approached properly, and respectfully, will more than agree to pose for you. In this example bellow, for instance, all that was required was an exchange of nods between the man, and myself, and I shot off 30-40 shots in the span of 2 minutes.

I come in peace

Beware, however, that there are, also, people that react badly to any sort of lens being pointed at them. In such cases, it is best to apease and avoid the confrontation, as your “opponent” is not approaching you from a rational standpoint.