Street Photography: Amazing Black and White Examples

An article on Street Photography by Photographytuts.com, including an image of mine taken in Santiago, Chile, South America. NB: Colour version shown here.

Street Art & Street Photography in Santiago, South America.

Street Art & Street Photography in Santiago, South America.

 

Although we walk the streets every day, we do not always notice the beauty in them. Street photography is one of the photography topics that help us to see the streets around us in a different and creative way.

Street photography mainly focuses on everything we can see in the streets including people, pets, objects, and cars. It allows you to see the streets through a camera frame, and this little change in your point of view can help you notice the feelings and emotions behind these ordinary scenes. For example, you can take street photos of people to show the feelings of being in a rush, waiting, sadness, or being homeless.

Time plays a significant role in street photos, because it adds an extra value to the old streets and objects and brings up memories from the past.

Black and white can also give a dramatic look to the shots because you actually take the colors out of the image and let the viewer focus on the objects, light, and shadows.

You can use black and white photos, also known as monochrome photos, to shoot street photography. This will help you to focus on people’s feelings, faces, and emotions. Also, it can help you to show the effect of time in the image.

In the following showcase, you can see black and white street photography examples of people and objects in streets from around the world. You can compare the impact of black and white in the compositions with the ordinary colorful street scenes you can see every day, and share your thoughts with us.

Full article here.

25 Beautiful Photos Of Children Playing That Will Make Your Heart Soar

A nice selection of photographs of children including one of my black and white photos taken in Bamako, Mali:

Children play in Bamako, Mali, Geraint Rowland Photography

See the other great photos of children here: 

More of the photos from that West African road trip can be found on my website, my Instagram, and my Flickr account.  If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

Window on Africa, Road Trip Photograph Published by Sunday Times

One of my African road trip photos that was published in the Sunday Times in 2011.  The actual photo was taken as we were leaving Nouakchott, the Capital of Mauritania.  I took it with my Canon 50mm lens through the car window of this beautiful tall women in her amazing clothing.

Published by the Sunday Times in 2011. From a road trip I carried out with some friends driving from the North of Morocco to Bamako, the Capital of Mali.  The trip took us seven days of constant driving, only stopping in the evenings for sleep.

Window on Africa by Geraint Rowland, published by the Sunday Times

Window on Africa by Geraint Rowland, published by the Sunday Times

Window on Africa by Geraint Rowland 

On a road trip from Morocco to Mali, Geraint was always going to come across plenty of local colour. Here’s his highlight, from Nouakchott, Mauritania. Looks a bit breezy, but the desert city’s name does mean “the place of winds” in Berber.

Full article and photo on the Sunday Times website here.

More of the photos from that West African road trip can be found on my website, my Instagram, and my Flickr account.  If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

“Manhattan Through The Bridge” by Geraint Rowland (Or The Importance Of Finishing Touches)

An article written in 2011 on ShutterPhoto.net by D. Travis North on one of my New York City photos.

Sometimes, the power behind a photograph isn’t the subject or the composition – it’s the finishing touches.  I’m a fan of getting a shot right in-the-camera.  But sometimes it’s more than simply choosing the right depth of field and achieving the right exposure.  The finishing touches really do matter.  To prove that point, I’d like to share with you a photo, Manhattan Through The Bridge, by Geraint Rowland.

Manhattan Through the Bridge by Geraint Rowland

Manhattan Through the Bridge by Geraint Rowland

 

The skyline featured in Geraint’s photo is world famous.  It is the financial capitol of the world, home to some of the most well known skyscrapers and a well photographed, well documented skyline.  As if the title of the photo didn’t give you a clue, it’s Manhattan Island in New York City, New York, USA.  When dealing with such a well-known subject, the natural inclination of any good photographer is to shoot it in a unique manner.  But photographers have been shooting this particular subject in unique ways for as long as the consumer has afforded the camera (a very long time).  You could shoot it from different sides – shoot it from New Jersey, or shoot it from Brooklyn – you can even shoot it from the Brooklyn Bridge.  Geraint shot from the Manhattan Bridge (which is right next to the somewhat more famous Brooklyn Bridge).  And while I’d like to commend Geraint for his vision in choice of vantage points, I can’t help but to think that this shot has been done before.  But something here is unique.  What is it?

What sets Geraint’s photo apart from other photos of this world famous skyline is all in the finishing touches.  It’s the colors of the sky: On Flickr, he sub-labels the shot “Neon Blue”, suggesting that the eerie topaz sky was created either with a filter or in post.  It’s the placement of the bridge’s rail – just a hair above the bottom edge of the frame, just enough to let you know you’re on the bridge.  And finally, it’s the atypical aspect ratio.  There’s no real reason he needed to use this aspect ratio.  He could have introduced more sky, introduced more of the bridge or he could have placed the horizon closer to the traditional spot at one third from the bottom.  Instead, he chose to use a wide, panoramic aspect ratio on a subject that is compressed into the right side of the frame.  In fact, the only compositional advantage of the wide ratio is that it allows the sun to get into the shot.  But that is the reason, isn’t it?  Having the sun in the shot isn’t really the most important reason to use such framing.  To me, the sun introduces a nice gradient going from brightest to darkest, left to right.  With such a clear sky, the sun and the gradient that it creates adds interest to the sky against the high-contrast facets of the city.  I would hold the advantage if I were to argue in favor of Geraint’s choice of ratios and framing.  I think that his photo, Manhattan Through The Bridge, settles that debate very quickly.  It’s beautiful.

Geraint Rowland’s photostream on Flickr is a testament to his dedication to his craft.  His works are raw and inspired, often featuring simple subjects and mesmerizing post-treatments.  As I said, the beauty is in the finishing touches, and it would appear as though Mr. Rowland always has that at the back of his mind.  Interestingly, Geraint considers himself to be “very much a beginner”, yet I see many signs of experience in his works.

Full article here

Remembering our Past: The Q’eswachaka Bridge Building Festival.

An article written for the Karikuy Blog, a resource for Peruvian news, culture and travel.

I was lucky enough to attend the first day of the annual Q'eswachaka Bridge building festival.  The Q'eswachaka Bridge is located over 100 kms from Cusco and crosses the Apurimac Canyon.  It is the last remaining hand woven Inca bridge in Peru, made entirely of long blades of grass and traditional materials.  

The festival lasts for four days each June when the neighbouring communities join together to celebrate and honour their Inca ancestors.  This photo essay focuses on the local people involved on that first day, which involves preparing the ropes for the new bridge.  It was a fascinating day and the local people were extremely friendly and very colourful.  Next year I hope to return and document the entire four days of the festival.  

Full article found here.

Local women at the Q’eswachaka Bridge Building Festival, Peru by Geraint Rowland Photography