Speaking candidly - #

unposed shots of people at work, rest, and play

gallery pages: < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > >>

< 28 of 394 >

Over the years, every time I have put a non Nikon lens on one my camera's I have always bitterly regretted it - with one lone exception. This Tokina 12-24mm f4 has performed so well I reach for it now without even thinking. Here again when I wanted to take in a sweeping contrasty lit view, it didn't let me down.

The world is a 6 foot man's paradise. But for those of us who fall far below that lofty ideal (I'm 5' 6"), we can many times feel short changed - pardon the pun. At my height it became quickly apparent that I wasn't ever going to get a clean shot at the stage with one of my longer lenses because of the hundred pairs of hands and heads between me and it. So I decided to capture the emotions and reactions of the crowd as they enjoyed the performers on stage instead.

With so much going on around you at an event like this, one might ask how do you know when a group of people are doing something that's worth recording above everyone else in the crowd? If candid photography flows through your blood you'll know instinctively. Here the young performer turned back for a moment to hear what her friend was saying to her. Only they know what he was teasing her about, but the parallel of those two turning from the action on stage, while the rest of the crowd intensely followed it, easily made for a great shot.

After much time and effort I had worked my way through the crowd to as close a spot to the stage as possible. I could finally start getting some shots of the acts on stage. The sun was so hot, my feet in my sandals felt like they were cooking in an oven, and perspiration was running down my face. A very nice woman standing next to me would stop and fan me now and again so I didn't have to stop shooting to keep the sweat from running into my eyes. (Thanks so much to you!!) Here I recorded the finale of a number that got a nice reaction from the crowd.

dsc_7484 children get their chance to shine

After taking a break to eat lunch, I went looking for a view from above and behind the stage to get a different perspective. I found this one. But this view was partially blocked if I simply stood straight up from the railing, and in order to get the shots I had to aim the camera down and stick it all the way out over the railing as far as I could reach while it sat in the palm of my right hand, and pull the neck strap dangling from my camera towards me with my left hand to create enough tension to keep the camera steady in this unorthodox grip.

Those of you familiar with the more professional line of camera's, can guess that without the use of my motordrive which conveniently has a trigger button located on it right where my thumb had to rest in this odd arrangement, I could never have been able to push the trigger to get the shots. This button on the battery drive was added to allow for easier vertical composition shots, but you know what they say about necessity. Once I had the camera balanced steadily I used the live view option to aim the focus point at the dancers on stage. All a bit tricky, but as you can see it worked.

Even though the Latin dance festival that took place here today was long over, there was still music in the air, as this spot by the piers is available for rent by large groups for whatever event you want, and has festive music playing over the loudspeakers all the time. The three folks captured here are actually a dance instructing team from South America who teach also in Florida and were here in the Big Apple from down south to catch the spirit of New York for a spell, and in this case, do what comes naturally.

Over the years, every time I have put a non Nikon lens on one my camera's I have always bitterly regretted it - with one lone exception. This Tokina 12-24mm f4 has performed so well I reach for it now without even thinking. Here again when I wanted to take in a sweeping contrasty lit view, it didn't let me down.

Nikon D300 |

More details: exif |

Original size: 3913x2599 |

Current: 800x532 |

filename: dsc_7296 daughter gets the best view |

Keywords: summer candid south street seaport parents children latin dance festival sld2

gallery pages: < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > >>

< 28 of 394 >

Comments

Available Feeds

Gallery Photos:

Atom |

RSS