Subway Kitchen Party

Posted by Damon Schreiber (Toronto, Canada) on 12 January 2009 in People & Portrait and Portfolio.

I haven't taken any photos here in a while. Two previous shots I posted, though, were taken at the exact same place.

This young fella was monumental on the fiddle. He was just creating a wall of sound - a real pleasure to listen to. As is my custom, I took the photo and then gave him a dollar. The photo has a somewhat blurry effect because I had just been outside shooting in the snow and my lens filter was fogged up.

[Spadina Subway Station, Toronto]

For the Street Photography theme (see below), some people have qualms about photographing strangers (I know I do). There are many approaches, but often the most direct one is the best. I've collected a number of tutorials from YouTube for instruction and inspiration: Here's Joel Meyerowitz, Jeff Mermelstein (part 1, 2, and 3), Garry Winogrand (part 1, part 2), Bruce Gilden, and Henri Cartier Bresson (there are 10 parts of this interview; you can find them all here).

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Comments (19)

GJC from Kyoto, Japan

I like the amount of surrounding space you've given in this composition. somehow a tighter crop would make the image lose something, though I can't say exactly what.
Thanks for the links! Really enjoyed seeing the material. I admire street photography when it's done well (as it is here) but it's not something I do well at all so usually stay away.

12 Jan 2009 5:18am

Dimitrios from ATHENS, Greece

its a fine image, I cannot promis anything but I shall try to pasrticipate if any goodies will come along in February, greetings.

12 Jan 2009 7:14am

k@ from Paris, France

We can feel that wall of sound, in your great blurred effect...

12 Jan 2009 7:51am

zahai from Berlin, Germany

The blur adds quite some interest to the picture. Love the contrast as well. Nicely captuerd motion :)

12 Jan 2009 9:40am

ティモシー from Tokyo, Japan

ha! wow, how you got this to look almost as a studio shot with the lighting and all-- i'm well impressed. great work here.

12 Jan 2009 9:56am

Paula Camps from Mahón (Menorca), Spain

nice shot

12 Jan 2009 10:32am

Ana Lúcia from Leiria, Portugal

Fabulous effect... Well captured, very nice, I can hear the music too.

12 Jan 2009 10:49am

Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada

I love the drama of this, it's stunning....

12 Jan 2009 2:18pm

yiannis krikis from thessaloniki, Greece

great scene and blur effect

12 Jan 2009 5:10pm

Rui from Leiria, Portugal

Very dramatic, and the blurry efect reforces this mood. I agree... it's possible to "feel" the music. Well done.

12 Jan 2009 6:48pm

Olivier Jules from Lanciano, Italy

very nice capture! lovely black and white picture

12 Jan 2009 7:21pm

lydia from Paris, France

Great capture , I 'll give you my response soon ............!Thank you !

12 Jan 2009 7:29pm

Richard_Irwin from Belper, United Kingdom

I like the sense of vignetting light that leads to the musician, his movement here is so very necessary, and brings the shot to life.

12 Jan 2009 9:28pm

Ronnie 2¢ from London, United Kingdom

Shrewd move to sub-zero the filter before taking this one . . gives it that 'surveillance' look which suits the subject. I see the pitches are marked, like they are here.

12 Jan 2009 10:56pm

Rags from Plano, United States

Nice image. I am always amazed by street performers.

13 Jan 2009 5:27am

baobab from Cambridge, United States

there's something strong about this simple dimly lit image... like GJC I can't put my finger on exactly what. everything in the composition somehow works together and I really like that subtle box framing the subject's space.

thanks for the street photography links. not sure I'll be able to participate since i am spending most of my time in the woods (often offline) and the last time I went walking in the city with my camera both I and it came down very hard. luckily it still seems to work, but after seeing the major cracks it put in the thick layer of ice I'm sort of glad that my original strategy of getting under it to cushion any fall didn't work out...

16 Jan 2009 5:30pm

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

In my experience the "just do it" approach works best (or the Goethe approach --be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid) --and when done with confidence and the right equipment many people accept you as a journalist (though that could have its downsides).

As far as the fiddler goes --I saw an article last year about one of the world's premier violinists playing in a US subway station --virtually no one even bothered to stop and listen. The US may be unique in it's blend of economic well-being and anti-art and anti-intellectualism.

16 Jan 2009 10:43pm

@Twelvebit: Thanks for the comment, 12bit! I think you're right about street photography. I find in general that people pay far less attention to me that I originally fear they will. And, I read that article you described. It's here for anyone else who's interested, and it's quite a fascinating study of human psychology. It's about Joshua Bell busking in Washington DC. Mind you, I've heard a few buskers who are so good they should be famous even if they aren't.

Gowa from Englishtown, United States

Love it.

26 Jan 2009 4:37am

ZmAjEvA from Belgrade, Serbia

Nice atmosphere! Maybe I would do it closer.

10 Feb 2009 12:42pm

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1/6 second
F/6.7
ISO 1100
23 mm