I took my camera to downtown San Diego yesterday morning. There was one architecture shot I had planned, and I figured as long as I was down there, I'd try to practice my street photography.
Figure 1. Planned, architecture shot. The image is composed of 5 individual, partially overlapping photos stitched together in post and cropped.
Fig.1 shows the planned shot: the main reason I went to that particular location. I was hoping my 21 mm lens would be wide enough to get everything in the frame. It was not.
So I did the next best thing and sat on the curb, put all the camera settings in manual, and took several overlapping shots, each covering a section of the intended view.
Photoshop's stitching algorithm wasn't perfect, but you'd need to pixel peep to see the flaws, so I'm OK with it, I guess.
Now onto the street photography.
Figure 2. Pigeons in puddle.
Figure 3. Pigeons in puddle, different angle.
I haven't done any street photography since I was in my late teens. And I wasn't all that good at it anyway. So to get the re-education going, I started with some birds (Figs 2,3). I hesitated at first, confident that I would frighten them off. My fears were unfounded, however. The pigeons immediately welcomed me into their flock. They considered me one of their own.
In retrospect, I should have taken a few shots way down low, only a couple of centimeters from the ground, but I didn't think of it at the time. Well, live and learn. There'll be a next time.
Figure 4. I don't know what that contraption is or why it belongs here. But, there it is.
Figure 5. The interior lighting and the outdoor reflection worked really well together here.
Figure 6. Omg.
This guy was hauling a bunch of stuff stacked up on a hand cart. Just as I approached the corner (the same corner where I took the photo), something happened to his cart, and everything toppled over. Thinking about it now, I feel bad not asking if he needed help. He looks like he's having a bad day.
Figure 7. No actual humans in this image. I thought the buildings looked interesting and quaint.
I really wanted to stop in at the coffee shop, but I didn't have a lot of time. I couldn't find a good parking spot when I arrived downtown, so I parked in a pay lot for $10. And it was only good for two hours.
Next time I think I'll travel light, drive to the nearest trolley station and take the trolley the rest of the way. That should give me more time.
Figure 8. Some mornings can be a struggle.
Figure 9. Some fountain outside of the Wells Fargo building. I needed the practice with slow-ish shutter speeds.
To be continued ...
