On Thu, 11 Feb 1999 ALEXSCIFI@xxxxxxx wrote:
<Doris spouted>
> << People forget that the legendary street photographers (Winogrand,
> Meyerowitz, Friendlander, Papageorge, etc.) were shooting at 1/1000th
> of a second handheld (and at small apertures, pushing their Tri-X to
> 1200-1600 EI) with their 28-35-50mm lenses.
>
> *= Doris Fang =*
> That was an excellent observation about "Legendary Street photographers".
> I have yet to review the work of the photographers you mention--and will do so
> thoroughly.
Treat yourself, it is fabulous work.
But did any of them articulate why they shot that way? Was it an
> "all I can see"/documentary approach, or were they avoiding the use of wide
> apertures of early lenses, or was that the esthetic of the times?
These guys had lightning-fast reflexes. I brought up the point
about them shooting at 1/1000th whenever possible with their 28-35-50mm's
regarding the shutter speed/sharpness relationship. Each had his themes,
styles and reasons. Robert Frank had slower film, check out "The
Americans", there's plenty of soft images, though the book illustrates
one thing: An ultra-sharp boring image is nothing compared to a slightly
blurry one that speaks volumes.
> Much of the street shooting I have seen published, concentrates on
> "plucking" some activity out of a mass swarm--hence the modern emphasis on
> "bokeh", fast lenses and so on. This is my own personal approach also.
There's a broad spectrum among street shooters. I advise you to find
the book: Bystander (current at B&N and Borders), it has a good history of
street photography.
*= Doris Fang =*
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