Daily Inspiration #135 by Dave Ng

#135 comes from Dave Ng with his Leica M9 and 35 Summicron. Thanks Dave!

Steve,

Thanks for offering a chance for enthusiasts such as myself an avenue to share our photography. I’ve just recently decided to pursue photography in a more serious nature and took my first intro to photography course this summer. Working in accounting does not always allow me to be artistic day to day, but photography has renewed the creativity in me that was lost in my younger days. While I will never do this professionally, it does feel invigorating to be doing something you have a passion for on a daily basis, even if it is just 30 minutes after work.

I’ve picked up a Leica M9 and have fallen in love with rangefinder shooting. It forces me to think a lot more in terms of composition than just random rapid shooting I used to do with my DSLR.

Please see a couple New York street shots attached. Any comments and critiques would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to continue to learn (both technical and artistic aspects) and improve as a photographer.

All shot with a Leica M9 with a 35mm Summicron at f2.0.

Regards,

Dave”

More from dave at his Flickr stream – http://www.flickr.com/photos/davecsparty

15 Comments

  1. Thanks everyone for such nice comments!

    I did talk to the gentleman in the first shot before taking the photo. At first I was hesitant because I felt like I would be taking advantage, but he actually encouraged it.

    All the shots were processed in Lightroom 3. I’m glad you guys like them. I’m trying to do more B&W shots now though to try a different route, but I’ve always loved the desaturated look to make NYC just a little more romantic.

    Thanks for checking out the photos and I always welcome any comments or criticism (good or bad). I’m really new to photography and street type work so any tips would also be appreciated! 🙂

  2. Great shots Dave! I love number 1, a man at one with nature in the middle of the city. He looks so content as he shares this moment with the pigeons. Thanks for sharing.

  3. I really like your street shots, Dave. I laughed when I saw the man with the birds. he looks like he’s totally in the moment. The woman sitting at the table has a mysterious look and I love the colors in the third picture.

  4. I guess we all know why Steve chose these photos… All shot at f2.0 🙂

    Great Photos…

  5. All 3 are nice street shots, but I particularly like the first 2. Nr 1 because of the intimate nature of the portret and nr 2 because I just think this is a great candid with nice depth in it.
    The post processing is also nice because it makes the images more “real”. There are no overly saturated colours and that is just what we see mostly in real life as well wandering through the city on a standard overcast day, certainly on a moment as I type this, looking outside the window wondering if Summer has come to an early end 🙁

  6. Great images Dave and you have a great photo stream with many strong shots in there.
    Here are my comments to each photo.
    1. I would have moved back just a tiny bit to show more of the pigeons on his lap and the one flying.
    Showing a bit more around him including more of his wheelchair would have made this image even stronger for me.
    2. The woman is just gorgeous. Great moment. You could have aimed a bit lower to not cut off the shoes. When I see a person to 95% in the frame then I want to see the whole 100%. It is like a Peter Lindbergh photo.
    3. Nice shot. The face could have a bit more light and contrast.

    It looks like that you desaturate the colors and that you give them an overall warmer tone in post processing. That works really well. Image 1 and 2 are the strongest to me. Very unique situations.

  7. Gorgeous tones! I shoot an M8.2 but i can’t seem to get the same tones. Is it a characteristic of the Summicron or post-processing?

  8. Great shots, and many more on your Flikr stream too! I particularly like the neutral, desaturated tones and textures in the color/street photos. As a non-Leica person (for now, maybe forever, sigh!), is this something you do in post, or a characteristic of the camera/lens?

  9. Nice work! I like shallow depth of field you use. It really makes the characters in your shots stand out. Keep up the good work 🙂

  10. HI Dave

    I really love the first shot. There is so much to see in the mans expression. It makes me wonder what he is feeling at that moment. Beautifully done. Please keep shooting and sharing.

    Rob Creek

  11. Great series of photographs!

    Love the crop in #1, and the pigeon flying out of the frame gives it a “punch” in relations to interesting details hidden in the depth of field. They all seem so natural and unobtrusive, despite the notion that the two last ones seem to be taken without the subject knowing (?). What about #1, did he notice you before or after you captured him trough the glass?

    Keep it up Dave!

  12. Nice works you have there Dave, keep up the good work and looking forward to see more of your gorgeous work on flickr.

Comments are closed.