I was trying to capture a glimpse of the Melbourne atmosphere in my short visit there.
Street Musician by Spyridon Revithis
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Pentax K-r; SMC Pentax-F 80-200mm; 80mm; f/6.3; 1/100s; 200 ISO; -1 EV
Don’s response
My favourite part of this picture is the accordian player’s quietly focused expression. While I appreciate that Spyridon’s intention was to capture the street scene atmosphere, the player’s expression is so strong that the rest of the image seems cluttered. By coming in closer, the distraction of the lamp post on the musician’s left would not have been a factor.
As well, opening up to maximum aperture would have helped by defocusing the dull background.
When photographing street scenes such as this, it’s rarely a bad idea to ask yourself “what’s the subject here – and what’s just a distraction”. Photograph the true subject and eliminate the distraction(s).
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