The open public would serve as the most promising grounds I prowl for new prey, but my people-watching antics does persist in other ways. Behind closed doors; at open or private events; within personal circles or perhaps random acquaintances. For these occasions I’ve created a new category called “Social Studies”
Here you’ll find candid photographs taken within social venues or environments — and although Perfect Strangers would remain the primary subject, Personal Contacts may very well find themselves hanging loose right here.
These introductory images were for the most part recently captured at various venues (or a residence) in Sydney; Los Angeles; and New York.
Your eye never fails to impress! These look like something straight from a movie set. 1,2 & 9 are absolute faves :)!
Hey Belinda, thanks for those huge compliments!
In reply I thought you might appreciate some added context behind your “instant faves” so here are the stories behind them.
The subjects in the first two photos were my opponents in probably the best game of pool I’ve played since, like 2005 or so. This table was an instant attraction, reminiscent of those I’d often play on at bar-scenes in New York and Miami – where you’d “put your Quarters up” on the wooden frames to mark your place in turn, waiting; watching; thinking; and drinking. After these two finished a one-on-one match I “washed the drawers” to play next and was approached by subject 1 with a proposal: “Me and my friends against you and your friends”? Can’t recall my exact reply but agreed to a doubles match — after making sure at least one of my peops’ had skills. I think that exchange; a brief introduction before the match; and handshakes afterwards were the only interactions I may ever have with this pair.
The shots were fired during the match using fully manual settings and no flash – overhead lamps at the table provided the key lighting. It would have been obvious to them that I took their photo several times, but even so their focus would remain on the table — think the game was too intense to care, comment or question me why.
You’d probably agree the 9th photo speaks for itself, but I’ll add that it was close to closing time at a bar in Soho, New York — and that the applied lighting was a shoe-mounted bounce-flash about 75 degrees off a low ceiling.
Cheers,
Kurt
Kurt,
I like this idea a lot. good work.
what sort of lens are you using
Geoff
Thanks Geoff!
Most of these were shot with a 50mm 1.8 prime. A few were shot with an 80-200mm 2.8 zoom. In saying so, when using the 50mm lens I rarely shoot with it wide open – as the 1.8 depth is so shallow that subjects in motion can fall beyond the boundaries of the focal point between the tiny space of time it takes to focus then release the shutter.
Cheers,
Kurt