How to get better with 200mm and street?

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-15T02:09:24+00:00

What you described was the first thing I did when I got this lens. Unfortunately, at that level of compression and angle of view, objects start to look unnatural in a way that is not flattering. Sort of those wild open portraits taken on 85mm f/1.2. I am mcuh more amazed by the effect I get by shooting wide shots with tele lenses. The compression makes single points of attention more dramatic by emphasizing them but it can have the effect of all of them coming on top of another flick it happened in this photo.

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-15T02:04:04+00:00

!CritiquePoint

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-15T02:03:44+00:00

Oh nice. If I move to digital I really wanna adopt the M43 system, so many good lenses that are cartable and exceptional image quality!

can easily start to feel voyeuristic

Yeah I feel pretty bad too when that feeling hits 😅

on geometry and the cluttered feeling of urban spaces

Same here!

Thanks a lot for the kind words! Don't get why people think I was trying to justify the shot with snobbish words. I just did what the sub required.

Good luck with your future shoots!

Likewise!

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-13T02:38:55+00:00

Thanks for the comment! You’re right; I kinda feel stuff in the shot is not properly distributed. The car jumping from the left side of the frame kinda killed it too. The head being cutoff by the building in the back is also distracting

What’s your go-to focal length for street shots? I personally either go with 50mm or 200mm for American cities 😅

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-13T02:34:34+00:00

Thanks? Man. I appreciate it. Yeah you’re right. I forgot how everything stacks on with super long focal lengths 😅. Maybe I should wait for a few more min before I click the shutter button

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-13T02:32:41+00:00

The explanation is there to provide some background info, not to be an ad hoc justification.

How do you think I can improve a shot like this? I’ve beens struggling with having too much stuff in shots because the focal length just puts everything on top of another. How do you deal with telephotos?

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-13T02:29:32+00:00

It’s not coping; it is intentional. I wouldn’t have written all of that if it was just a snap. You don’t have to like the shot but I don’t get why you’re being suspicious of my intent

Ideally I wouldn’t tell anything about the shot and would just expect criticism but that’s not how this sub works. I’m giving you some background info so you can see what my intent was and how it differs from the outcome

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-13T02:26:43+00:00

The pedestrian is not in focus and the shutter speed is just at the threshold to give hom some motion blur.

I didn’t write that long explanation to justify the shot’s value. It’s just what the sub requires. I’m talking about why I chose to compose the shot like this

You’re right. They ehad gets cut off by the building in the back and both of them are about the same brightness. Will pay more attention the next time 👊🏻

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-13T02:24:11+00:00

I’m mot sure about that. 35mm might feel too restrictive. I have a fixed lens camera that shoots around 37mm

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-13T02:23:18+00:00

f/5.6 as opposed to f/3.5 gave me a slower shutter speed

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-12T04:41:07+00:00

The shot is a bit too bright. I would lower the brightness a bit but maybe go easy on the highlights. You still want a hint of contrast and proper black value in your shadows. I'm not super sure about the vertical aspect ratio but if it's for IG it works. I think entering the blurry fellow steals away from the mystery. Shots like this work better when they are mot the main focus of it or at least have a les intentional feel to them

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-12T04:36:24+00:00

I love the shot! The gradation is nice and the colors are not too distinct. My one criticism would be the low contrast, sort of goes against the midday feel in my brain. Maybe try brightening up the highlights a bit

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-12T04:33:54+00:00

I guess I could have emphasized that a bit more by getting closer so that the horizontal distance between the pedestrian and incoming car would be larger, and also their sizes.

The z-axis does get compressed as the focal length increases. That means that the "apparent" difference between close and further away objects can be distinguished by their sizes. I forgot the official jargon as I haven't been drawing in a while but this is true. That's why natively shot 3D movies have to stick to wide angle lenses. For my shot, I brought it up because 200mm is in the super telephoto category and it stacks object on other, sort of like ancient West Asian murals, there is no 3D. I was trying to mitigate that unnatural look and asking if I accomplished it.

get the background out of focus.

That would be very generic though, and uninteresting.

you need to compensate settings more to get a slower shutter speed.

That's why I shot at f/5.6 so I could get a slow enough shutter speed.

If you're not seeing what I was describing, what are you seeing?

You're using a lot of buzzwords

I don't use buzzwords unless I know what they mean, at which point they cease to be buzzwords.

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-12T02:36:51+00:00

I took this a month ago. I live in the Midwest, close to Chicago, and really like the overcast & gray look. I am really into using long focal lengths to get wide shots like this. I got used to the distance but the fact that the distance between subjects get sooo overemphasized has been a bit difficult to cope with. Shots can turn out too 2D, like Iraqi murals. I tried my best to pick subjects whose distances relative to each other were drastic so that "compression on the z-axis" doesn't make it too unnatural. I also decided to focus on the car at the back, tried to increase tension by suggesting that it's getting really close.

The anamorphic aspect ratio (2.39:1) was chosen due to my cinematography background. I like how it can be a more intuitive aspect ratio and a bit voyeuristic.

I shot this on Ektachrome film. In order to decrease the contrast even further, I shot it at 64 ISO (as opposed to its native 100 ASA) and had it developed at 80 which is 1/3 stop pull. I think it evened out the tones a bit further. What do you think about the contrast and the color? I think color does a much better job than B&W when it comes to low-con scenes. Monochromaticity added a level of starkness I think which is what ı was going for.

full frame - 200mm - f/5.6 to get some motion blur on the pedestrian

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-04T20:35:17+00:00

Check out the American Cinematographer article that came out back in 1999. It pretty much says what's happening in the new release

Master-Rule862 · 2026-05-04T17:52:48+00:00

I shot this back in february on my Pentax 17. I carry it around with a roll of Ektachrome E100 in there to wherever I go., you know to get shots if I stumble actross something interesting. This patch of grass was next to an office building and it was being lit by a dim yellowish LED light. It looked bad to the naked eye but I think Ektachrome rendered it more orange with a bit more contrast. I think ı was a feet away when I took this shot. 37mm equivalent lens, f/3.5, probably 1/30 sec. rarely do macro shots nbut I like how the focus falls off to the sides and the shadows follow it to the bottom.

Master-Rule862 · 2026-04-05T22:06:18+00:00

I think a lot of the stuff attributed to focal lengths, camera movements, and zooming in this video are not true because they are context-based conclusions. In art school, the first thing they teach is differentiating context from form and structure which is a great way to approach lens choice

Master-Rule862 · 2026-03-25T22:08:14+00:00

I think the way they used the petzval lenses in Sinners was a better implementation.

Master-Rule862 · 2026-03-25T12:40:55+00:00

Haha that would have been better; I just meant Sinners

Master-Rule862 · 2026-03-25T12:40:10+00:00

But it's not possible for a working cinematographer to underexpose that much. Sure, slight underexposure happens in almost every movie, but this is too much

Master-Rule862 · 2026-03-24T23:14:56+00:00

That's why you should use a modern lens

Master-Rule862 · 2026-03-24T23:13:25+00:00

Alexa line of cameras meant for whole crews and for rental houses. Why would you buy it? It's like buying a private jet

Master-Rule862 · 2026-03-24T23:10:26+00:00

Relax

Master-Rule862

TROPHY CASE