Picture This

Our Favorite Reader Photos from the "Street Photography" Assignment

Staff | Jan 5, 2016

Alone/Together
This contemplative subway photo is from Douglass Dresher’s series titled “You Must Not Forget Anything.”
© Douglass Dresher

Capturing good street photography images can be a lot tougher than it seems. First, you have to be bold enough to shoot candid images of people on the street, most times without their permission. Secondly, in this assignment we were looking for powerful street photography images that captured an emotion or told a story; not just random shots of people walking down the street. Or, to paraphrase the great Henri Cartier-Bresson, we were seeking images that captured “the decisive moment.” With these 10 favorites by Shutterbug readers from the Street Photography assignment, we found them.

Untitled 4
Ronald Zeytoonian captured this colorful photo of a street performer on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and an EF 24-105mm f/4 lens at 1/500 second, f/4.5, ISO 160.
© Ronald Zeytoonian

Naples Bride
“As I crossed from the Archaeological Museum to the arcade across the street, I suddenly saw this bride with her attendant,” Frederick Allstetter says. “I had almost no time for camera settings. (Luckily I was already in ISO 800.) After the shot, the bride found her bridegroom, and they stood in a more traditional and less interesting pose for their own photographer.” It was captured with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 compact camera at 1/200 second, ISO 800, f/3.3. The focal length of the 8x integrated optical lens was at 5mm.
© Frederick Allstetter

Young Homeless Couple
“On a cold and blustery November day, Don and Kathy, both just 19 years old, patiently wait with other street folk for a meal van to arrive,” Leroy Skalstad writes. “Hot soup and sandwiches will provide a brief yet welcome respite.” Skalstad captured this dramatic image with a Pentax K1000 and a 50mm f/1.8 lens using Kodak Tri-X film at f/8.
© Leroy Skalstad

Jumper
“This was the second of two surfers jumping from the pier,” Matthew Fischbach writes about this surprising shot. “His partner got my attention and I turned just in time to capture this.”
© Matthew Fischbach

Stop Eating Carbs!
“Just taking a walk in Venice, Italy, and I shot the couple kissing. I noticed the woman walking up on the scene later and I had to include it in the crop!” Paul Bennett says about this humorous image.
© Paul Bennett

Taxi, Yangon, Myanmar
Gary Rocchio offered no background on this strange photo, most likely because it clearly speaks for itself!
© Gary Rocchio

Skid Row
Len Rachlin shot this touching street image on the Bowery in New York City. “One unfortunate is helping another,” he writes. “Notice the dilapidated neighborhood, the empty booze bottle and discarded sneakers in the photo.”
© Len Rachlin

Streets: L.A.
We love the color and composition of this image of a street scene in Los Angeles, California, by Timo Saarelma.
© Timo Saarelma

Rainy Day Bean Visitors
“Several years ago when I was visiting Chicago, I went over to ‘The Bean,’ Chicago’s famous metal sculpture, just after it stopped raining,” Frank Goroszko explains. “A number of people were already there in spite of the wet weather. The particular collection of people in this shot is enhanced by the presence of the man on the left in the long raincoat. The cloud reflections are very impressive.” He shot it with a Nikon D300 and a Tamron 17-50mm lens at 17mm, f/8, 1/250 second, ISO 400. Topaz Adjust software was used to enhance the contrast of the reflection.
© Frank Goroszko

Picture This! – Our Next Assignment
Food Photography
No, we don’t want to see the boring photos you snapped of the bologna sandwich you were about to have for lunch. We’re looking for food (and drink) images that are not only beautifully composed, compellingly lit, and so appetizing-looking they make our stomachs growl, we’re looking for photos that capture cuisine from a unique or interesting angle. (Please don’t just post flat photos of limp-looking food on a plate.) Food images can be still lifes or environmental or lifestyle photos where edibles and drinkables are prominently featured. Mix it up, toss it around, add some spice, and make a real meal of it!

Happy Hour
I shot this image of a strawberry daiquiri with a Pentax 645Z at a press event in 2014 to launch the camera. As you’ll probably notice, the 50-megapixel, 44x33mm CMOS image sensor in the Pentax medium format camera system captured massive amounts of detail in this icy drink. I shot it using a Pentax FA Macro 90mm f/2.8 ED AW SR lens at f/16, 1/125 second, ISO 100. I later processed the image with Nik Color Efex Pro 4, employing a vignetting filter to darken the corners and draw attention to the drink in the right foreground. The hardest part about this shot? Getting something good before the studio’s strobes melted this frozen concoction.
© Dan Havlik

How To Submit Online
1. Go to www.shutterbug.com and register. Scroll down the page and on the right side you will see a box for entering your username and your password. If you have already registered and/or submitted images for the Galleries you can skip this step. Respond to the activation e-mail. Registration is free. You will use your username and password whenever you visit or, with some systems, it will automatically load for you when you visit www.shutterbug.com.

2. Check the assignment and closing dates in the magazine. When the magazine is printed we will create an appropriate gallery for your images. The limit is two images per assignment.

3. Select and prepare your images. We only accept files at a maximum 5MB size, JPEG format. Save the JPEG at a quality level of 10 or higher. Note that file size in your image folder directory will determine upload size, not the “opened” file size, as JPEG compresses at 1:4 at higher quality ratings. If your images do not load it probably means you have exceeded the file size or have not used JPEG format.

4. Click on the Galleries tab on the homepage. In the Category section use the drop-down menu to select the Picture This! assignment. Note that images are simultaneously loaded into the assignment category as well as your own personal gallery. When the Picture This! assignment deadline date has lapsed the assignment gallery will be removed, but your images will still reside in your own gallery.

5. In the Description box add title, camera, lens, exposure information, and your full name. Also add any other comments or anecdotes you think relevant. We reserve the right to edit comments as needed.

6. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page. This uploads the image.

7. You retain copyright on the image.

8. We will choose the images after close of the due date.

9. Please feel free to comment on images submitted by other readers.

Please Note: If the photograph includes a minor or a recognizable individual or group you are guaranteeing that you have a signed model release form, and especially a parental or guardian release form for minors. You should keep a copy of that release in your files. Scan that release and keep it handy. If an image is chosen for publication, failure to provide a form when requested will eliminate the image from consideration. You can find release forms at http://asmp.org/tutorials/model-release-minor-child.html and other resources on the Internet. By uploading images you attest that the model release form is valid, that any depiction of a person is with their consent, that you have a model release form available on request, and that all images you submit have been made by you.

Scorecard
Deadline for submission: January 1, 2016.
Images will appear in our April 2016 issue.

Our next topic: Travel Photography
Deadline: February 1, 2016
Publication Date: May 2016

Please Note: By submitting you agree to give us the right to show the image(s) on the web and for publication. You give us publication rights in the magazine and on the website(s) of TEN: The Enthusiast Network, LLC.

Want to see images selected for past picture this! Assignments? Go to www.shutterbug.com and click on picture this! In the “more articles…” box on the homepage.

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