NYC street photography with Steve Hill

I love street photography. Getting out into the streets, looking for that unique image that captures a moment, tells a story or gives us an insight into the human spirit can be very challenging. Add to that the need to be quick with the camera and you have the makings of a wonderful photographic event.

This past weekend we had the good fortune to be in the presence of a knowledgeable and successful NYC photographer, Mr. Steve Hill. Our group received a first class tour of Hell's Kitchen with someone who has a unique insight into the neighborhood and it's many denizens. Along with the tour came a large dose of photography tricks and tips, suggestions and plenty of inspiration.

Introduction to digital noise

Back in the film days, high ISO films were notorious for creating a very grainy image. It was the trade off for having enough sensitivity to light to be able to capture low light situations. In today's digital age we have a similar problem called digital noise or image noise.

Image noise is something most serious photographers have to take into account when creating a photo. Specially if a paying client is going to be on the receiving end. No one wants a picture that looks grainy with a lot of imperfections. Casual shooters could probably care less though I find many of them worry about it simply because it's mentioned so often everywhere you read.

Why settings don't matter much after the fact

I recently went on a trip to Mystic Seaport with Pat Cook's group, Beyond the Photo with HDR. It was a great day for shooting and capturing images for HDR. Of course there were plenty of opportunities for all kinds of photography and this portrait op landed in my lap. I just had to take it.

After posting this photo of Mystic Seaport employee, Sam, to the group I was asked by another member regarding the settings used to get this particular look. I thought I'd share and elaborate on my response.

Upgrade Merry-go-round

Canon's release of their entry level full framed camera, the 6D, was a heralded event that received its fair share of anticipation, trepidation and arguments. I for one was looking forward to its arrival as I was in the market for a FF sensor but couldn't justify the cost of a 5D or 1D. Plus the fact that they have more features than I really need.

When it came out I was one of the early buyers down at Milford Photo and before long I was unwrapping my new toy. Not soon after I discovered one of the hidden pitfalls of buying new gear; compatibility. In particular it was the compatibility with Adobe's Lightroom 3 which did not support the new 6D. "No problem," I thought, "I'll just upgrade to LR4." After all, the newest offering from Adobe promised some nice features I would appreciate.

And this is where I got on the merry-go-round.

Multiplicity Self-Portrait - a MPG event

Saturday turned out to be a great day for a meet up. On the schedule was a repeat performance of last year's multiplicity event, a fun project that stretches the imagination, pushes editing techniques and forces the photographer to multitask in a unique way.

We held the event in my home town of Shelton in an area referred to by locals as the slab, a large plot of land converted to public use that originally held factory buildings. The area offers many photographic backgrounds including so urban decay, a war memorial and a seldom used train trestle.

We had a great turnout of photographers who were teamed up into pairs to work together. Props were brought in, creativity was unleashed and fun was had. The end results can be seen in the meet up photo album, Multiplicity Self-Portrait. Check them out.