Street a l'Orange

Today the sun was shining and I had some room in my schedule to get out on the street - so overall, a good day :)

for "get pushed" this week, Jeff (@jsw0109) challenged me to "capture something on the street with bold colors"...

this made me think about why i generally convert street shots to black and white... which is usually because of a chaotic background that takes away from what i am thinking ought to be the main focus of the image... so today i tried to find street shots where i could make the colour work... I am not entirely convinced i was successful here (the guy in the back with the orange and yellow vest is a bit distracting), but i still kind of like this :)

a silly shadow shot for the november word challenge is in my other album:
http://365project.org/northy/just-because/2012-11-08

thank you so much for the continued encouragement... it is so much appreciated!

[Cathy Donohoue]

I really like it. The orange cones are the bomb!

[Humphrey Hippo]

Very colourful!
I know what you mean about the guy in the back, but my eye follows the cones and then the railing to him anyway, so it's not an unduly distracting.

[☠northy]

@jsw0109 is this the kind of thing you were thinking of?

[Sharon Lee]

I like the vest... It draws me in further

[Kerri]

Great shot

[Jeff Walker]

I do like this... the cones and railing form an "arrow" which points at the woman... the guy in the vest seems to belong there because of the cones and guides my eyes right back to the "arrow" and therefore, the woman, so I don't find him distracting at all. Its not quite what I had in mind.... do you follow Richard Tyson at all? He is like, the King of colorfully bold street shots.

[☠northy]

@jsw0109 hmmm... yes - i follow Richard and love his street stuff... you are right - he is totally da bomb when it comes to colourful street... to be honest i'm not sure what it takes to pull that off...

[Karen H]

I didn't notice him until I read it. My eyes went from the orange cones to the red flower to the red little light.

[Jeff Walker]

@northy I totally believe you can do it

[ladyjane]

I like this - you have oranges, yellows and reds popping against a fairly neutral backdrop.

[Monika]

Ahh, the old black and white debate again. Your niche and comfort zone does seem to be B&W. I think it creates drama and enhances the light and shadow. this photo however is about the colour with pops of colour it works well.

[Sandra]

Excellent street shot!

[Lyn]

nice job on the challenge - now i can't wait to see what else you come up with!

[Caryn]

I like that you purposefully looked for the right color comps. I don't think I would have figured that out! I'd still be just snapping away and trying to make it work in post.

[Bobbyj]

great candid street capture!

[Peter de Graaff]

The lady with all grey except for red flower is the highlight for me

[Ruth Moucharafieh]

Cones and a poppy, you did well!

[Donna]

very cool title, with great shot of color! i love street photography!

[Marie]

Nice composition!

[Simon]

Great candid shot

[John]

Love the orange pop

[❀ Lynn]

Nice shot....cones take me to the woman...and then I notice her all bundled up with ... blue running shoes!!?

[Alison Tomlin]

What an intruiging combo.

[Lisa Pouncy]

My eye is drawn to the cones initially but then travels round the shot. Nicely done xx

[Maggiemae]

Orange is certainly bold here! I like the orange on the dark man too in the shadows. Good stuff!

[Frank Hymus]

Hi! if only the frame allowed you crop to just the older lady! Nice bright cones. I am going to take up the same challenge. This would be, actually, my first "street shoot" so it will be scary being seen to photograph people. But in public space, at least the USA laws are explicit. No prohibition.

Could you follow @beccsby and offer advice? She is new, and if you can see your way clear, I think she needs a lot of help. Especially from folks like you who are more seasoned than I am.

Thanks.

[Michael Elliott]

That's bold alright. Often I try to avoid those cones as they are distracting being so bright orange. But fits the bill nicely here.

[☠northy]

@frankhymus hey Frank... I can certainly check in on @beccsby - but i am always leery of offering advice... i am so NOT an expert! but thank you for the kudos none the less :)

[David]

Totally agree with you about why street shots often work best in b&w and I also think we should try a different approach from time to time. If I had seen this, camera in hand, I would have been torn between the woman and the orange bollards which point towards her on the other side of the barrier. I think it works - and I also think that guy balances it in some way, but I can't explain how!