Here are my final photos for the street photography unit:

I think that this image is really strong in its imagery – the abstract sculptures of the people having a fun conversation contrast with the security guard, who walks by unseen. There are stars on the roof and sunlight streaming down from the sky, and the image is full of life and beauty, and yet the ones who help protect and maintain this beauty are often unappreciated. This image was originally larger, but I decided to crop it down so that there is a clearer focus on the statues and the security officer. I think this helps the theme come across more clearly, as well as making the message feel more powerful.

I think that there is something special about the fact that a statue of a dog has been petted so many times that its head has turned gold. It shows the love that people have for each other and the animals around them, and that love leaves its mark on us even after the people who loved us have passed. A child’s hand reaches out to pet the dog, the newest person to join the long chain of giving love and affection – and even if the contact is only for a few brief moments, over time the dull bronze of a statue can be turned into a polished shine through the brief touches of thousands of hands. I think the close-up shot works really well, because not only does it let us focus on the dog and all the details of how years of love had changed its surface, I think it also makes it feel as if we are seeing the photo from the perspective of the dog. The dog may not know exactly who this child is, the dog may not remember this exact moment years from now, but the dog will remember the brief kindness of thousands of strangers, and the impact they had on it. “To be loved is to be changed.”

This image shows a bunch of Waimai delivery people chilling outside of a tea shop. I think the colors work really well in this photo, with the various blues and yellows complementing each other (color theory!) and then the whites as a neutral tone. The simple color scheme makes this image feel very simple as well, far from the busy and lively combinations of color in some other images – just like taking a well-deserved break from work while you wait to pick up your next delivery. The three Waimai delivery people stand out against the background as well in their vibrant uniforms, which makes it clear that they are the focus of the image.

This image is energetic and fun, but also warm and comforting. It is an afternoon spent with your loved ones, goofing around and laughing. The warm tones of this image make it feel cozier, and the head of one of the people running is in one of the rule of third intersections while the other is clearly silhouetted against the brighter background, making it very clear that they are the subject of the photograph. The photo captures them in the middle of a motion as if it is a snapshot of a memory. Overall, I think that this image conveys a lot of positive emotion.

This image has a really nice composition, with the baby lining up with the colorful decoration board. It almost looks as if the parent is guiding the child through a beautiful wonderland of imagination, and I think that this image evokes childlike wonder and parental warmth at the same time. The image is largely made up of cheerful yellows and oranges, which stand out nicely against the dark green of the background. I tried zooming in on the people to see if it will make the image more compelling (like the photo of the security guard and the abstract statues), but instead I found that it works better with the wider viewpoint and context. There was also a little bit of fishing involved in this photo, as I had to take a bunch of photos before they reached the right spot on the board.

This image is once again of a mundane moment of warmth. Despite the image largely being in shadow, the two people stand out due to their bright colors (the inside of the car, the handbag, their clothing), and the way these colors contrast with the darker colors around them. The colors are very nice and vibrant but still being calm enough to not be overwhelming, and I think this is just a nice image in general. However, I think it may be my least favorite one out of the bunch, just because it has a lot of overlapping concepts from the other photos and doesn’t add much to the set on its own. It has the meaning of time spent with friends and family, but so does three other photos, which in my opinion all express the theme much better (especially the orange and yellow one with the parent and child). It speaks of sunlight, but so does the photo of the people running and the security guards. It just doesn’t feel particularly focused in a good way, and although it has a focus it isn’t as emotionally or thought-compelling than the other photos.

This image is interesting because it shows a bunch of people walking side by side, all wearing different uniforms. I think that this image shows that no matter the differences that separate us (like what jobs we have) we are all people at the end of the day. I like how vibrant the colors are and how the different uniforms really stand out against the light background, as it places a focus on the people. I also find the back lighting to be really fitting, as it makes the people feel like superheroes walking towards the camera, dramatic lighting and all – which shows the importance of the people who work hard day and night to keep our society running.

I like this image because it is so bright and vibrant and there is just a singular bee in the middle of a bunch of plants. As far as “unseen and underappreciated” goes, I think nature is definitely pretty high on the list. How many bees does a person see on average throughout their lifetime? Thousands, probably. Thousands of tiny little bees who look almost exactly the same to the average person, buzzing around that one patch of flowers you’ve walked past millions of times already. Which is why I think it’s even more special that this image captures this one specific bee, with the intention of capturing this one specific bee. I actually used the fishing technique for this image, and I just followed this bee and continued to zoom in on this one specific bee until I got an image that I liked. I think it’s very interesting when the process that goes into creating a photo ends up adding to its meaning, and I think this is definitely one of those cases.

This image could have many subjects: the most noticeable one is the parent and the child crossing the road, but the audience could also choose to look at the two people on a bike, or the people walking in the background, or the person standing still amongst all the action surrounding them. What I like about this image is that it shows many different lives intersecting in this one moment, but it isn’t crowded or overwhelming at all. It is just complex enough to show the different lives of the different people around us, but simple enough to still be easy to follow along.

This photo is unique because it is the only black-and-white image out of the set. The image is black-and-white to accentuate the different faces on the wall, as the image was too distracting from the message when there was still color. There is something powerful about seeing dozens of faces behind the singular public service worker, the thousands of people who will likely never see or notice the worker, but are directly impacted by the actions of the worker. The monochrome colors adds an element of abstraction that helps the messages come across more poignantly, and I think that although it doesn’t look like much at first glance, upon a closer inspection it turns out to be much more meaningful that it appears – just like the people we walk past every day.

This image is another one related to nature – I wanted to capture the majestic birds in flight, but also the beauty of these ordinary pigeons. I wanted to capture the sense of wonder when you stand amongst a flock of birds that spontaneously take flight, no matter how small, common, or insignificant the birds seem. I like how the blue of the sky reflected in the glass stands out amongst the other colors, which are either dulled (like the oranges) or mostly covered by shadows or light (like the greens). It really accentuates the birds, whose white feathers contrast against the other colors.

This photo is by far the closest we have gotten to a person’s face, capturing a candid smile from a security officer. This is one of the photos where I asked someone to take their photo, and I think it worked out really well. The security officer stands out against the background with the dark uniform and warm colors compared to the mass of green in the trees, helped by adjusting the focus to blur the background. This close-up shot of the security guard creates a connection with the audience, and maybe it will lead them to notice and appreciate the people who are often taken for granted.

Overall, I think these images – especially when put together – create a powerful narrative that shows the people and moments that we see but never truly notice, the moments that maybe we should start appreciating more. Family, friends, social workers, nature: The Ones We Pass By.

*(title drop sound effect)*

Here are the 10 best photos from the photos I took last weekend:

This photo is nice partially because the beam covering the guy’s face is kind of funny, so it makes the picture more interesting to look at. The pillars make a nice divide in the different parts of the image, creating contrast while not completely overpowering the other things either. There’s a nice amount of people both in the background and closer to the camera, and you can take the time to see what each of them are doing if you want (like the two people on the left looking at their phones, the people shopping on the right, the person with a stroller near the middle, etc). It seems like a normal scene from a normal day that captures normal people going about their lives.

Like the last picture, this image is also a photo of people just going places (I think that’s going to become a consistent theme with these crowd photos). There’s a nice balance of a bunch of different colors here, with lots of vibrant colors in the trees and the people while the buildings are in more subdued colors, and I think this contrast really points out how colorful and bright living things can be. I especially like the guy in blue in the middle, I find it really funny how their pose is so still compared to everybody else (it’s probably because of the scooter thing), but also they stand out nicely against the other people and they’re in a nice centered part of the photo, so it all works out pretty nicely.

This image is unique because it depicts animal subjects instead of human ones. I think the puppies are super cute, and this is one of the few images that I really managed to get close on (I think that’s reflected in the level of quality and detail in this image compared to the others haha). I like how one of them (the one on the right) is kind of side-eyeing the camera while the other one is staring blankly ahead, it gives the puppies a lot of personality. Overall this image is pretty bright and peppy, but still with some darker tones to balance it out.

What I like about this image is that it almost seems abstract? The repeating pattern of stairs and handrails and straight lines, as well as the few people scattered throughout the staircase… It’s a little strange and very interesting to look at. This image is also considerably more focused in terms of color palette – most things in the image are made up of some shade of green or orange, which helps add a sense of cohesiveness and order to this image compared to the delightful slice-of-life chaos of the crowd photos. I think it’s good to have these sort of less cluttered pictures amongst the cluttered ones, both for diversity but also so that I show many different sides of life, including the sides that aren’t always busy and bustling all the time.

This image is also a little different from the others, as it focuses on a specific pair of people as if we’re seeing a little snapshot of their lives. They take up the majority of the frame, and they are the main focus of the photograph. I like how focused both of them are, with the artist working their craft while the other person sits there and watches. It’s a really nice image, and the colors are slightly chaotic but still orderly enough to create a vague sense of cohesiveness.

On the other hand, this image is about as cluttered and chaotic as it gets. There is very little negative space in this image, with the crowd and buildings taking up most of the photo. There are a bunch of different intersecting lines in this photo, with the beams of the bridge and the shape of the building in the background, and the people and market stalls in the foreground. There’s a lot of people and text and a bunch of different objects everywhere, and it’s just a very very busy image in general. However, there’s a vaguely consistent theme of red that sort of ties it together, while still letting the image retain its chaotic nature. I think this look into a messier image is important to the idea of sonder as well, as I find these kinds of crowds to be really filled with that people-feeling (人气 in Mandarin) as you become part of the crowd. There are so many people doing so many things, and if you stop and listen, then you can hear a thousand different conversations going on at once. It’s nice.

This is another crowd image – it’s not really that different from the first two crowd images, and I don’t know if there’s anything specifically that sets it apart from the others.  This one does have a lot less negative space than the first two, while not becoming as chaotic and busy as the market image. The colors are nice and vibrant, but otherwise I can’t think of a lot else to say about this one.

I really like this image because it’s one of the less busy ones, and I find the perspective to be really interesting. Instead of seeing the subjects up close, you’re watching them from afar, like a brief glance into the life of someone you’ll likely never see again. It’s a moment of brief connection that maybe neither parties are aware of, as you ponder, “hey, I wonder they’re doing over there.” I find the trains to be really fitting for this image too, (though I might be biased because I love old-styled trains, they look super cool in my opinion) because an analogy could be made about how we’re all passengers on the trains of life, hustling and bustling from station to station. Sometimes we bump into someone in the crowd – an interesting-looking stranger or someone you used to know – but the moment passes just as easily as it arrives. They are swept into the crowd and becomes just another figure in a sea of unfamiliar faces, and you never see them again.

This image is another less busy one, although there are still a bunch of different patterns and textures present in the image. This one is unique because of its perspective – we’re looking down at the people from above, instead of from eye level like the other images. It is also the only image in black and white, which adds a strange, abstracted quality to it. The people stand out clearly against the background with their bold, contrasting colors (compared to the neutral greys of the building surrounding them), and they seem to be having fun chatting and hanging out with one another. Why are they sitting on the sidewalk? Nobody knows (except them, I suppose). Maybe they got tired? Maybe they always come and sit on this one sidewalk when they meet up? Maybe they just bumped into each other on the road and decided to sit down and have a little chat? Whatever their reason may be, though, that’s up for them to know and for us to wonder about, as they stand out as a bright clump of lights and darks amongst a vast, neutral world.

This image is my personal favorite out of this set, not only because it was one of the few images that had something close to golden hour lighting, but because it’s just a very very nice image in general. I like the bright but not overwhelming colors, I like the lighting, I like how the people are reflected in the surfaces of the bus stop, and the image gives off a very warm, comfy feeling in general. I think this is a image that captures the slice-of-life really well, as it has a clear focus on the simplicity of daily life. The two people are walking together from a bus stop, like they just got off the bus, and they’re holding some bags of what seems to be groceries. They look like they’re friends with one another, and it’s just a nice photo that captures a cozy moment of the mundane.

These images relate to the work of Robert Doiseneau because they all have and focus on human subjects (except for the picture with the puppies), and I incorporated the background into the narrative of some images (especially the train one). However I have a lot of silhouette shots or shots from the back, so I don’t have as many subjects showing their faces.

My images tell the stories of people – maybe not any specific story, but a brief paragraph from their lives. It is about the present moment, and how everybody in the crowd has a life just as bright, interesting and vibrant as yours. I would say that is an overall strength in these images – they’re a little weird and vague and messy sometimes, but they’re also really interesting and filled with bright colors.

One skill that I’ve applied is the skill of capturing brief moments – although I still missed some really cool moments, I still got a lot of them too. I also applied the skill of being sneaky (although it does mean that some of my photos are more blurry as they’re taken from a distance). However, I didn’t really get around to asking anybody to take a photo, except for the puppies and that one time where someone was walking their cat.

I think that some things I could do better is to get closer to the subjects, as a lot of these images are kind of blurred (or at least, not in very high definition). Having a better camera would also help increase the quality of my photos as well (and it would allow me to get closer to my subjects because I would appear more professional). Having stronger lighting would also be great – it was pretty gloomy the entire weekend, so I didn’t get many photos with the nice golden hour light, even though I went outside during the golden hour. I hope that the trip on Monday would have the nice light though (it’s looking promising based on what the weather forecast says, but the weather kind of does what it wants sometimes, so I don’t know if anything is set in stone yet).

Here are some of my best practice photos:

A lot of my photos are going to be candid photography, such as this one. I don’t really have a lot to say about this one, but I think that the colors are really nice and cohesive. It gives a sort of summery feel and I think that’s really cool. I also really really like the shadows on the floor from the trees, and I think it’s really nice how the person in the pink shirt is highlighted by the sunlight while everything else is in shadow.

I think this could have been a really really good photograph, but my camera only worked in automatic focus at the time so I couldn’t focus the camera manually. Maybe I should have waited more to see if I can get the camera to focus? Either way, I originally wanted to have that nice juxtaposition with the words on the hat “don’t smile” and the elderly person smiling, especially because their smile is actually really really really nice and genuine. The light and shadows could use some work though. This is also an example of asking people for their photographs.

This photo is more of a thoughtful one, which is reflected in the pose. I think that the other person showing in the screen of the camera is really neat, and it’s a nice way of showing what’s happening off frame and the friendship between the two people while still keeping the image focused and precise. The colors are also pretty pleasant, as although it is mainly in more desaturated colors (grey, black, white), the pops of more saturated colors still balance out the image pretty nicely. I think it also creates a sort of contrast between the person posing and the person taking the photo, as their sides of the image are divided into more saturated and less saturated.

I’m not sure exactly what about this image makes it so interesting – maybe it’s the contrast between the shirts of the people, or the fact that they’re facing away from the camera – butI think that there is a very nice balance in the different values in this image. There’s a lot of really dark colors, but also a lot of really bright ones and they balance each other out so that neither is overpowering the other.

I think this photo might just be my favorite out of all these photos, as it captures a really genuine moment in a really interesting way. The poses and body language of the people, the way one of them is reaching out and holding the camera, the way they seem to be passing something, their expressions, all of it just combines into a really nice moment. The saturated colors also helps add a sense of vibrancy and life to the photo, and out of all my candid photographs this is definitely the best one in my opinion.

I think this image is very interesting, as normally it would be a pretty fun and energetic image, but due to the far perspective and the fact that it is in black and white, it feels a lot more abstract than it usually is. I like th contrast in the values in this image, and I think that the different shapes in this image and the way they interact with each other is very interesting. I do wish that there is a bit more contrast between the trees and the person’s head though, since they kind of blend into each other a bit.

I find this image to be really fun and whimsical, from the patterns on the floor and bright colors to the poses and actions of the people. None of them are facing the camera, but from their body language and what we can see on their faces, it is clear that they are also having fun. I find the way the shadows almost line up with one another to be really neat, as it fills up the negative space that is away from the people’s faces, which directs the viewers to look at the faces when their eyes are drawn towards the less cluttered spaces instead. Overall, the movement in this image is very energetic and interesting.

Compared to the last image, this image is very still and ponderous, with little movement and no color at all. I think this photo gives the feeling of reflection, or deep thought, or simply staring out into empty space. The bars of the playground slide handrail covering the person is very interesting, and the lack of color definitely adds to the feeling as well.

I think that this image is very interesting because it invites the viewer to wonder about the scene in the photograph. Unlike some of the other photographs, it is not immediately clear what the people are doing in this image – having some sort of fun, maybe, but how they’re playing is kind of vague. However, the image is still bright and vibrant despite the slightly confusing scene, so maybe we don’t really need to know exactly what game they’re playing, as long as they’re having fun with it. Side note though, I really like the blue gradient in the shadow of the scooter, it looks super cool.

This is an example of fishing, where I stayed in this spot and took a bunch of pictures while the person was climbing the object, and eventually ended up with this photo. I think that the subtle colors in the wood and the shadows are very nice, although I wish that I could make a sort of lens flare effect near the top left of the screen for the sun, as I think that would add some more atmosphere to the image. I like. the way the person’s face sticks out from between the wood, and the perspective is also very interesting. The sky makes a nice, plain background for all the things overlapping in the foreground, so that the image isn’t too cluttered.

The artist that I want to take inspiration from is Robert Doiseneau, who uses his photography to capture moments of humanity in his subjects. His photos often have a special kind of charm and poetry to them, ranging from whimsical to ponderous, and all of them show the vivacity of life. Even without any sort of color, they can still portray vivid scenes with heart, which is something that I want to figure out how to do. Thus, I will be analyzing some key traits of Doiseneau’s photographs.

The first and most noticeable feature of Doiseneau’s street photography is that they all have human subjects. This is definitely one part of what gives these images their iconic sense of human connection, as you wouldn’t be able to connect with other people if there are no other people around.

Here are some examples of his photos:

Another key feature of his photos is that he doesn’t just photograph his subjects; he incorporates their environments and surroundings into his photos too. This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but the backgrounds and sometimes foregrounds in Doiseneau’s photographs always add something more to the photo – whether it’s providing context for the actions of the subject (like how the shiny floor provides the context of rain for the photo of the man holding an umbrella), by drawing attention to the subjects (such as the negative space in the photo of the two children, or the blurred crowds in the photo of the two people kissing), or adding general atmosphere and emotion (which is present in all of the photos – the people in the rain evokes thought and interest; the bright openness of the children playing creates a sense of childlike innocence and freedom; the blurred crowds almost feels like the viewer is seeing the photo from the perspective of the couple as if the only people that matters in that moment is each other; and the sprawling and cluttered buildings in the final image adds to the atmosphere of the city, and makes the children feel small facing a wide world). Overall, the backgrounds are never just “an environment that the subject happens to be in”, but are always something that is integral to the photograph itself, just as much as the subject.

Something else that seems to be consistent across these photographs is that there is always at least one main subject that is showing their face. Doiseneau’s photos rarely consist of only silhouettes of people from the back, and being able to see the face of at least one subject is definitely something that adds emotion to the piece, whether positive, negative, or neutral. These photos also generally feature a wide range of values, which is made more noticeable by the fact that the photos are all taken in black and white. These different values create depth in the image, often by creating separations between different parts of the image (such as the sky vs the people), and creates more visual dynamics and interest as well. Overall, Doiseneau’s photographs are clearly taken with great amounts of intent, and his style of photography is very emotional and thought-provoking.

The title of this project is “Sonder”

The word “sonder” represents the idea that everybody is the main protagonist of their own stories, and the feeling when you realize that others have lives just as vibrant and full as your own. I think that it’s a really humanizing concept that creates a sense of connection between us and the billions of other people in the world, and I want to try my best to embody that with my street photography. I may also include photos of animals and other subjects, to showcase their corners of the universe as well. When looking at my photos, I want the audience to experience something close to the idea of sonder, and I hope that they will enjoy thinking about this subject.

I want to take inspiration from candid street photography, because it captures people in their natural environment and will showcase more authentic parts of their lives. I want to take little snapshots of humanity, and candid photography is definitely very fit for that purpose.

Ideally, I would like to take photographs during that period of time in the afternoon when everything is glowing with golden sunlight, because to me, that is one of the time when the world feels the most real and alive, and I think that will help make my photos feel real and alive as well.