Coffee in Seattle

[John Geerts]

Why do street-photo's work, or not ? 

Obviously there is a subjective manner to it. You like it or not.    But in this case it's adding some things up. (at least for me)

The symmetry of the three woman, the heads, the coffee cans, the feet, and the different attitude of the middle one.

Then we have an attention point to the right side of the two woman, and interestingly not the middle one who is addressing her friend. (as it looks like) but we  really don't know.

There is also the public transportation in the background, the two buses, and one can ask why they are walking in the middle of the street with these coffee cans, which relates to the remark of Sten regarding overconsumption, or something like 'indecent consumptional behaviour in public'. 

[Sash]

Hmm, since it is not in Critique section I can not be sure if any critique would be welcome here, but the conversation here is rather interesting.

It looks like photographers with experience of shooting street see street shots quite differently compared to other folks. I know that Lew treats street photography with respect and expects certain standard. Others may accept it as a "slice of life" or a "window into the world" and be happy to see "stuff" and find that "something is going on".

Almost any random street shot is a slice of life, a window into the world, and in most cases there is something going on. There are always some legs and heads and buses, pavement is almost guaranteed, and you can find a lot of other stuff if you are hard pressed. So to me, as another street shooter, it all means nothing, absolutely nothing. It is like looking at a chair in a furniture shop saying: "Look, there is some wood, and fabric, and also nails, and it has paint on it, so why don't we buy this chair?".

[Ron Scubadiver]

I am a bit surprised about the extent of the discussion.

[pluton]

It's probably some fancy coffee with ice, flavorings and cream, not the usual stuff we try to start the day with.

Go ahead, Ron...say it....Frappuccino

[Ron Scubadiver]

Frappuccino...  that feels good.I am back in Houston.  It is 39C and humid.  My yard looks half dead.  Workmen will not return until Monday to rip out what is left of the kitchen in preparation for building a new one.

I believe what I do is within the definition of street photography.  When I first started to take a lot of photos of what could be described as good looking women in public places, it caused an uproar.  Flickr considered such material to be voyeurism and deleted accounts (including mine) for publishing such material.  Until recently there was a risk of prosecution for merely taking such photos in Texas, but the State courts threw the law out.

It appears things have changed. 

[The_Traveler]

I believe what I do is within the definition of street photography.  When I first started to take a lot of photos of what could be described as good looking women in public places, it caused an uproar.  Flickr considered such material to be voyeurism and deleted accounts (including mine) for publishing such material.  Until recently there was a risk of prosecution for merely taking such photos in Texas, but the State courts threw the law out.

It appears things have changed. 

Sorry to be so long getting back here; incidents on the home front have tied up virtually all of my time and the entirety of my attention.
Ron, in the quoted words above, you seem to be trying to portray yourself as the victim of some sort of puritanical point of view.

From my standpoint, no. 

I didn't find your pictures of good looking females interesting as pictures but if that's how you want to spend your efforts, go to it.
My attitude here is that you went to the effort to catch a picture and then converted it to B&W - and I would have thought that you had a reason for the subject, the composition and the framing and then the conversion.
And I couldn't see what you were trying to show?

And I couldn't understand what people were 'liking.'

AFA I c[size=78%]ould tell, this could have been a single random frame from a camera set off with an interval timer - and chosen because there were intact people in the frame.[/size]

And that was my question.
There must have been intent - and that is the common factor in photography - what is the intent here.

Sure, I guess it can be dropped into the bin of street photography but just classifying something isn't enough.

[Jakov Minić]

May I agree with Lew without stepping on anybody's toes?
I am missing the story or the context.

That of course doesn't mean that street photos shouldn't be taken or published

[Olivier]

Well, the fact that many people can't be in the street (or anywhere for some) without eating or drinking something they purchased says something to me, and something I don't really understand or appreciate.
Maybe this was Ron's point? Maybe not.
I don't care much for the shot as a picture, but at least it got me to think about our crazy world.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

"I don't care much for the shot as a picture, but at least it got me to think about our crazy world. "

Not every picture displayed on the web will elicit that response. So maybe Ron has accomplished a mission?

Photography has many aspects. We often tend to equate technical excellence with a "good" image. The discussion here shows other sides can be rewarding to discuss as well. There is nothing "right" in the world of photography.

[Ron Scubadiver]

That the world is crazy, silly or odd is a regular theme for me.  Lew, I think you are overdoing it.

[Sash]

Having no intention to highjack the thread, I hope you do not mind me sharing here a couple of "Coffee in London" photos. These guys started to sell coffee at the Underground on my way to the office two or three weeks ago. The idea was great - London Black Cab Coffee, the most London coffee you can imagine (especially if there is a red double decker bus on the background). They had no customers for a while, but it changed recently, they have a lot of customers. A cup of this hipster's Black Cab Coffee on the go is £5, not cheap even in London. But they have a proper coffee machine. I would have tried it, had I not be always late for the office.

[Ron Scubadiver]

That is a lot of pounds for a cup of coffee.  I don't mind when people add more photos to my threads.  Warm clothing looks so alien to me.  It is rarely cold enough in Houston during the day to need a coat.