X-Pro 3 Film simulation: Superia 100 ISO 640 f/5.0 1/4000sec Fujifilm 50mm 2.0
Los Angeles - 01/19/2023
Sometimes you see a shot and you have a plan, but something in the world will come and spoil it. This, to me, is a classic street shot. The harsh shadow that cuts across the frame leaves a blank, empty space that helps direct the eye to the subject. My subject is the person walking into the light with his cart, casting a long shadow onto the pavement. Unfortunately, there is another shadow from the person holding the grocery bag.
I captured this image from the vantage point of the 6th Street Bridge. My initial intention was to photograph the individual pushing the cart, but he was obscured by the shadow of the surrounding building at the time of my observation. As a result, I decided to wait and observe to see if another opportunity would present itself. After tracking his movement and positioning myself on the opposite side of the bridge, I was able to identify a suitable composition. The shadows cast by the parking cones in the foreground provided a visually interesting element, and I determined that the defined shadows would enhance the overall aesthetics of the photograph. I waited patiently as the subject leisurely walked along, but unfortunately, an individual carrying a grocery bag on the opposite side of the street entered the frame at the critical moment of capturing the image, casting a distracting shadow. Despite this, the shadow of the individual pushing the cart is not visible as he walked beside it rather than pulling it.
It's not a great shot, to be honest, but I wanted to talk about why it should have worked and why I like the composition. To me, the light was perfect. It was nearing 10am, so the sun was starting to get high in the sky. There is very little detail in the darkness of the building to help bring the viewer's eyes to the subject. That perfect line that cuts from one corner of the image to the other. The white line in the road also helps frame the subject, and I like the fade from light to shadow towards the left side of the frame. The light is direct but soft, and you can see the edge highlighting on the front of the pants to help shape the man. His silhouette is also very nice, as he's wearing a hood to give the added mystery to who this person is. I really like the framing, at least. I think it's pretty on point for a great photo, again, to me, it's just a classic shot you've seen in plenty of cool street photos.
The things that really kill this photo are the most obvious. The first is that both shadows do not help the photo at all when it is one of the main elements of the photo. The cart shadow doesn't work as he's blending in with the shape of the cart. There are no defining shapes that help tell a story at all. The shadow is also cutting through the white line. In a perfect world, the shadows would be in the bottom edge of the white line so it looks like it's walking on it. The next is obviously the other random shadow of the man holding the grocery bag. It might have worked if they were both in the shot and both shadows had the perfect shape. The last big thing to me is the timing, I was definitely a few seconds late on this photo. I would have liked the subject in the middle of those two cones. He's definitely too far to the right, and it breaks up the symmetry that is all over the frame.
It's not a photo I would choose to share, but I thought it was a good one to talk about. It does show a lot about street photography and how things really do have to line up perfectly to get a great shot. Even if your idea is there, and things do start to go your way, the world is random, and you don't really know what you're going to get.
