SELECTED IMAGES FROM THE EDGE GALLERY
These images have been selected by the Yard’s Edge Gallery Moderator team.
“Confined Freedom”, 
Jonathan, Singapore
“Sleepers IV”, 
Nuno Figueira, Portugal
And then, one day we stopped talking about negatives and darkrooms and discovered jpgs, raws and tiffs and photo-editing software instead. The transition was much easier back then for those who already owned a computer for the rest it took a short or a longer while. Digital, changed the photography industry, bringing the whole photography world upside-down.
I had been shooting with film cameras, both negative and positive film (transparencies) since I was a teenager. Lately, I shot only transparencies as their quality and impact were superior to that of printed images. They cost a lot and transparency boxes were piling in my apartment.
What did digital photography mean to me?
It meant I could shoot my heart out without thinking of the expenses.
It meant I could immediately see (and show to others) what I had just shot.
It meant I could DEVELOP my own shots and not rely to any clumsy photo-lab.
It meant freedom and creativity.
So I turned digital.
Do I miss the film era? Yes I do. Because deep down I’m a romantic.
This is why I have kept most of my film cameras (and all my vinyl records).
Am I a digital fanatic? I wouldn’t say so.
What pisses me off in digital is that you almost need to be a computer geek in order to understand and shoot with a digi camera (I’m not talking about the compacts here). Cameras look more like e-gadgets than cameras. The war of the MPixels gets to my nerves. I’m very frustrated that the brand new, damn expensive camera body I bought today will be old and outdated in few months when the new model will hit the selves.
Still, I keep shooting digital. Because the world moves forward.
People often ask me: “what digi-camera is good for street?”
I usually answer that the best camera for street is the one you can always have with you.
Street photography is always around us so we’d better have always a camera handy in our pockets.
Is this possible? Not yet, but soon I guess it will be!
We, the filmie team, present a little new series to all of you. Obviously we all love taking pictures on film, so we thought to spread our film love and hopefully inspire some of you to give it a go and also try out film photography – and hopefully fall in love as well!
Some of you might have been using film a few years ago and then switched to digital, but a few probably never have tried film before, so it can be a bit scary. In order to help you get started, we created this little series, where we plan to cover different topics. And where better to start than with cameras, more precisely rangefinders. *DougNZ selected a few cheap rangefinder models that might be the perfect entry – and on a really good budget!
So here we go – let‘s see what *DougNZ recommends!
Looking for a high quality, sharp and sophisticated 35mm rangefinder but on a budget?
You can’t beat the 1960s and 1970s models from Canon, Minolta, Olympus, Konica and so on. These cameras are absolute jewels and would cost thousands if made today. They often have f1.8 (or even less) lenses, manual and auto exposure and the lenses are as good as anything made today.
And they can be bought very cheaply at online auctions sites and secondhand shops.
Just perfect for street photography!
Some of the best are:
Olympus XA – my favourite (I own three). Tiny, very sophisticated, sharp, easy to use, 35mm f2.8. It was a quantum leap forward when introduced in 1979 and still is a fine piece of equipment. See: [link]
“BEHIND THE SCENES – WITH DOUG”
This time in “Behind the scenes” the photo is taken by Marko from Croatia.
The photo was taken in the small town of Labin, Croatia. It was August of 2009 and it was a hot summer day. Since I was a tourist, while sightseeing, I had my camera ready for just about anything.
Other kids were playing around, but those two came to my attention because, unlike the other kids, they were selling seashells. They seemed a bit bored sitting there, like parents told them to do so, unable to play with other kids. I did not want to be rude just by snapping a photo and then walking away. I figured out they would be more open to me if I bought something so I bought a seashell. I think that’s the best approach with “merchants”; they will be more comfortable in presence of a camera if I buy something. I can spare some change for a good photo.
I usually try to take street photos while being discrete (hipshot or telephoto lens), but for the first time I tried “buy something before you shoot” approach and it turned out great. The street was just to narrow to be discrete.
I’ve tried many photographic styles, but in last 2 or 3 years, I’ve found myself shooting mostly street and spontaneous photos. This photo in particular was shot while attending Croatian Photography Association summer workshop and it’s the part of “Istrian Heritage” series. Istria is the western Croatian county.
I used a Canon EOS 400D with Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM. The streets in Labin are really narrow so wide angle lens is the most effective.
The postprocessing is done in Adobe Lightroom and it’s the basic one:
- crop to 1:1 format
- conversion to BW
(In Lightroom, there is one-click conversion to BW. Since Lightroom works on different principle than Photoshop, it remembers every information before the final save. After conversion, I can easily finetune it using HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) sliders for every color (RGB, CYM and additional orange, purple and aqua). I can also adjust Hue and Saturation for RGB channels).
- curves for contrast
- clarity for midtone contrast
- sharpen a bit
- corrected lens distortion (ultrawide lens)
JANUARY 6, 2012:
A big congrats to the two runner ups, ~sagi-k and ~gato1 whose picks were prefered by the judges, and down below you’ll find their awarded entries.
Number 22 in The Yard Shed by ~sagi-k
and entry number 79 in The Yard Shed by ~gato1
and also enjoy their other two entries each in to the competition:
DECEMBER 10, 2011:
SOON WE WILL PRESENT THE WINNER!
Almost all of the judges have given their input anD before Christamas someone will recieve one great gift, a Diploma with a motivation from the judges, a Large Print of their winning entry + an exclusive Mega Feature! The three runner ups will also be featured, but not as extensively, and in the issue after the Mega Feature. Furthermore all runner ups and the winner will be given Premium memberships here on dA.
Today you all three of The Yards galleries will be featured with four images each, and also Annieta =onyx2010 recieves the Veterans Award Badge.
NOVEMBER 23, 2011:
Updated: 2011-11-23 | 19:00:00 GMT+1 -
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES
In only a week we will stop admitting new entries to the Yard Autumn Competition. On November 30, this particular window of opportunity closes, so if you want to enter, make sure to do it before it is too late. Also remember that wewhot administrate the competition entries also have lives to live and we therefore will not allow changes to be made after the third entry is submitted. When you enter the third one that is it, no more can be done!
In todays issue there is also a Filmie Gallery selection and a Brian’s Five Q’s, plus some news items.
These images are selected once every 4 weeks by the Yard’s Filmie Gallery Moderator team and will be found in the featured gallery on dA, but also on our home page, the Yards Facebook page and our other off dA hangabouts…
NOVEMBER 3, 2011:
Sea Lane – ”A sea lane or shipping lane is a regularly used route for ocean-going and large lake vessels.”
Updated: 2011-11-03 | 15:00:00 GMT+1 –
The deadline for submitting entries into The Yard’s Autumn Contest is getting closer. At the end of this month the entry period expires, so make sure you are hitting the streets and taking that one pic that will blow our minds.
In this issue a selection of images from the Digi Classic gallery are shown, Brian Q. Webb gives a new PhotoJazz Five interview as a some short news towards the end.
Bunkering – ”The act or process of supplying a ship with fuel.”
Our common endeavor made it necessary for us to rendezvous with a supply ship in the mid-Atlantic. Bunkering fuel and taking on other provisions we are now prepared to continue our mission of capturing the most amazing street pics and entering them into the Yard Autumn Contest. Just remember that you are only allowed three entries, so do not be overly eager submitting your final three…
Today you will also get to enjoy the latest selected feature from the Filmie Gallery, read about the latest Veteran’s Badge Award, find out more about our vision regarding the The Yards .com (www.the-yard-collective.com) as well as browse through a few short news.
OCTOBER 4, 2011:
Target! - ”In so far as objects are concerned, limited to those which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to action and whose capture or, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a defining moment”*.
A for street photography purposes modification of a the Geneva Conventions Protocol I, article 52, section 2 [link]
SEPTEMBER 25, 2011:
*Buoy (Races)! - In regattas a form of racing held in protected waters, often within the limits of a harbor.
We have already received a few entries into the competition. And why not? If you just know it will be one of your three strongest pictures than why wait! Well perhaps because you in fact will shoot better ones in the two months to come! And once you make an entry it stays there. When you make an entry, send it it as a JPEG or PNG to contest@the-yard-collective.com
Remember that your entry will be anonymous as far as the judges go, but when submitting your entry please include your dA nickname in the email as well as your real name. Please also bear in mind that the image has got to be a minimum of 900px wide for landscape orientations, and 600px wide for portrait orientations. More info can be found on The Yards front page.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2011:
*Action Stations! - A general signal to the personnel of a warship (usually British or Commonwealth) that combat with a hostile attacker (contact) is imminent or deemed probable.
Up until the 30th of November, think twice before you publish a street shot. The very second you do so it becomes ineligible as an entry for the Yard’s Autumn Street Photo Competition. So cherish your very best ones and submit them to the competition instead. In the next section you can read more about the competition. We will also announce and feature our 2500th member! Welcome aboard. Furthermore you can enjoy a feature of the best shots admitted in to the Filmie gallery over the last month. Brian continues his quest and continues to portray another of our members, this time it is Asli Gönen ~pigarot.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2011:
“A regatta” – is a series of racing competitions at sea. A regatta often includes social and promotional activities which surround the racing event, and except in the case of boat type (or “class”) championships, is usually named for the town or venue where the event takes place.
These images are selected once every for 6 weeks by the Yard’s Digi Classic Gallery Moderator team and will be found in the featured gallery on dA, but also on our WordPress blog, the Yards Facebook page and our other off site Yard hangabouts…
JULY 22, 2011:
Drydock* – A dry dock (also commonly dry dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform.
MAINTENANCE
Not only of the ship herself, but also of the crew and others. The Summer on the Northern Hemisphere means a dip in the online activity levels. Well, to honor this I will not spend more time on this section. Enjoy life wherever you are!
JULY 10, 2011:
Disembark* – To go ashore from a ship.
HIGH SUMMER IN THE UK
It is impossible not to mention London in this issue if you are into street photography. Seemingly out of the blue, a Street Photography Festival [link] was announced to be held in London earlier this year, with exhibitions, events, workshops and awards. It was all to go on through much of the months June and July. Perhaps the most interesting item was the International Street Photography Awards [link] where street photography portfolios from all of the world. Well apparently the marketing staff have outdone themselves, because it seems like everybody into street photography is talking about London.
I have a friend who is a wizard when it comes to music. He is a conservatory schooled composer and arranger, and also a studio musician as well as a live music instrumentalist on all varieties of saxophone & clarinet and piano other clavichords. Although two of the operas he has created have been performed at Opera houses in Stockholm, he first and foremost is a jazz musician. Or if you were to ask him, ”I am nothing but a jazz musician!” Well he is quite cultivated and knows more than a thing or two about everything that is fine art, and hence so too about photography. His girlfriend is a professional photographer and he verbally outwrestles her most of the time when it comes to discussing the craft of painting with light.
At this moment our The Yard is like a ship in in the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean, more precisely the Sargasso Sea. Our crew has put in a lot of work and now the task is to sail the ship safely to the destination. But at this time it is matter of allowing time to pass by, letting the winds carry us forward while hoping the the four ocean currents that surround the Sargasso Sea do not throw us off our course.
May 19, 2011:
A definition of garbling* – The (illegal) practice of mixing cargo with garbage on a ship.
QUALITY STANDARDS
The New Yard is about quality. Quality of images, quality of members values and quality of exposure. As far as the quality of the galleries there is no doubt that the standard has been raised, and a lot too. That has been the number one priority in the short run and the gallery moderator teams have done fantastic jobs so far. But we must also improve the standards by which we help and support each other. More experienced members deserve more recognition for their amazing work, and newer members deserve more attention in form of support of their efforts, but mainly by a lot of honest, but not cruel feedback! This is not only the Admins task but all Senior Members (Boatswain) are expected to give at least some of their time to less experienced members. As far as exposure goes, there is no doubt that our journals are serious business. Give it sixth months or a year and you will see just how much it is worth upon googling your name… And that equals quality in exposure.
May 9, 2011: A definition of steerageway: The minimum rate of motion required for a ship or boat to be maneuverable.
A) – THE FIRST 9 DAYS
The New Yard is not very old and there is still ironing required before we can say that the fabric of which she is woven is without wrinkles. But we are getting there. A few things that need attention are the Edge gallery submissions guideline, the role and importance of our senior members, how can we find ways of helping lesser experienced Yardies developing their street skills faster, our upcoming competitions – how go about acquire sponsors?, and probably lots more if you just take your time and ponder long enough about it. But the speed of ship is up to steerageway and so far our charts seem to accurate enough. Hopefully they are, because these waters can be quite treacherous.
From now on you don’t need to search anymore to find one of the best Street Photography Clubs ever, because you’ve already found it. Here at WordPress and our headquarters are at http://the-yard-collective.deviantart.com/
I proudly present you the ‘New’ Yard Collective:
New galleries, new admins with new tasks, Sudor’s Corner, Brian’s Five Q’s, new intensified featuring of select images, mega exposure, new demands on Senior Members (to be posted), new submission’s guidelines (not quite finished yet), cool competitions, Yard IRL meetings, new ways of helping lesser experienced street shooters, the Yard on WordPress – Facebook – Shadowness – and several more places! These are some of the things that are either happening or will be happening in the Yard!