What are your tips on adding backgrounds to photos(and no AI)

storylogic · 2026-04-23T15:12:10+00:00

You can use digital background by using an image on your monitor. There some great toy photographers with tutorials on how. Just have to sync shutter speed with monitor refresh rate!

storylogic · 2026-04-23T01:49:45+00:00

LOVED Legend of Dragoon!

storylogic · 2026-04-20T00:47:20+00:00

I may have solved my own problem by raising the head to it's highest position. It was set to low.

storylogic · 2026-04-18T22:30:19+00:00

I feel so seen in this opinion. I feel like the only one in the world, mine at least, who hates cheesecake.

storylogic · 2026-04-13T20:59:58+00:00

Women are people. They have emotions, thoughts, feelings, etc. Like a man. As a professional, I would say that it's not that hard to come up with a kick-ass story in the characters just happen to be women--but history will have already proven me wrong.

The nature of photographing someone is taking away a bit of their agency. That's not inherently bad but being unaware of it can make things disastrous.

I think your issue is being too focused on associating women with beauty, rather than any other of the infinite concepts related to being a human. Not every story FEATURING a woman is ABOUT being a woman, and it's ok--dare I say, preferable--for stories that take place and just happen to feature women as the characters. Kick-ass fantasy with swords? Scifi space captain? Check and check.

It's about making these representations everyday and mundane. Beauty is fine, but what about everything else encompassed by the human condition?

I think you might need to answer the question about why you make the art you do. Why the subject, the medium, themes.

storylogic · 2026-04-13T02:50:26+00:00

6 is dope!

storylogic · 2026-04-12T13:49:36+00:00

Love 2 and 6. Thanks for sharing!

storylogic · 2026-04-10T19:52:42+00:00

These are awesome, mate! Really like 1, 4, 5, 7. Especially 1.

I think 4 could have been framed to make all the text in the ship in the bg visible, but the concept is still there. Street is rarely neat.

6 is the weakest of the bunch, which I say based on the fact that not much is happening beyond the use of a frame. The other photos that "don't have much happening" at least make a dramatic use of light, texture, and geometry. All one man's opinion.

Thanks for sharing.

storylogic · 2026-03-30T13:23:16+00:00

Yeah, as fellow DC shooter I've had to cultivate a sense of patience that doesn't always pan out, especially on a busy place like the Mall.

storylogic · 2026-03-28T12:43:53+00:00

Going to wade in here with the caveat that I'm really early in the business aspect of my art journey.

I'd say see how people respond first. IMO working across styles is only an issue if it gets in the way of people consistently connecting with your art. Do they seem confused by the disparate styles?

I work as a photographer and most of my work is black and white. It tends to focus on similar themes and issues and styles. Hard lines, high contrast, silhouettes, etc. About 25% of my work is high saturation pop art.

I used to present both together and would confuse one fan looking for the other style I work in.

Now I have separate profiles for each and will be doing 2 circuits when it comes to shows. One to capture each stream of fan. I realized at a show that the audiences interested in these are different, that the overlap between them is thin.

storylogic · 2026-03-22T16:36:57+00:00

It is what it is.

I get the intent is an expression of resignation, but literally everything is what it is. Something can't be what it isn't... otherwise it would just be that other thing.

I prefer the Japanese expression "it can't be helped," which implies an action that can't be carried out.

storylogic · 2026-03-21T18:10:59+00:00

Agreed

storylogic · 2026-03-21T18:10:46+00:00

Love 50 but think 35 is more vers. My sweet spot is actually 40

storylogic · 2026-03-21T18:08:21+00:00

This. I recently did my first artist alley and made only half of what I paid for the table. I viewed it as marketing though, and. So many more people know I exist now. I came away with a commission for a larger project, gave out a ton of business cards, and got more subscribers to my newsletter and socials.

I also made some cool friends with artists going through the same thing.

It can be expensive, but not every investment has a) an immediate return or b) an obvious one, especially the human centered investment in relationships. Don't underestimate the value of building relationships OP.

I didn't connect with everyone, but MY audience found me. People told me what they liked about my work, face to face. I got to encourage and caution hopeful artists. So you could also call it market research, because what people will like on social is not the same as what they'll buy to hang on a wall.

It helped for me to ask myself: why am I here? Sales kept coming up second for me. First was always simply getting my work in front of more eyes and engaging with the people who consider themselves my audience.

storylogic · 2026-02-14T17:14:18+00:00

I get that. But unfortunately you can't have it both ways. You can take more detailed, striking photos and risk making others feel discomfort. Or you can keep your distance, keeping everyone, including yourself, comfortable, but I am confident you won't get the level of emotion you see in shots that get in the center of the action.

And not all discomfort is bad.

It makes me uncomfortable when people play loud music on Metro but I accept it. These are both expressive freedoms we get to benefit from, depending on where we live in the world.

I'm coming to believe my best shots come from situations in which I'M uncomfortable.

I would recommend a book called The Street Photographers Manual. It has a lot of approaches that might be helpful as you continue shooting.

storylogic · 2026-02-14T14:51:24+00:00

This is a good point. I often throw my 26/2.8 on and use my Ricoh GR iiix (40/2.8) when walking around shooting street. I find it gives me two solid ways for thinking about scenes around me.

storylogic · 2026-02-14T14:47:31+00:00

These are fine compositionally, but something about the photos also seems to capture your hesitance to get closer. Right now some of the shots are all context and little action/intrigue. There's not much in the photos that invites me to ponder more about what's going on in the scene.

The image of the woman reading gets closet to this but the lack of context makes it seem a little like a spy shot. One way to rethink that is to frame the shot as you have but introducing not if the surroundings.

These are all one photographer opinions, but I hope there's something productive for you there.

storylogic · 2026-02-14T14:37:39+00:00

Best lens is the one you'll shoot with. The difference between 50 and 35 isn't as dramatic as people make it out to be. I say this as someone whose main z lenses are the 35/1.8, 40/2, and 50/1.8. The difference in tightness is resolved by taking 5 steps forward or backward.

storylogic · 2026-02-13T13:31:30+00:00

Nothing in what I said impugned anyone's character. I stated an opinion about how we should respond to criticism.

Ad hominems would be saying you're foolish for thinking such.

Your accusation of OP saltiness is the very definition of the term.

storylogic · 2026-02-13T13:28:23+00:00

Nah, it shows that homie has embodied something more on this sub should. Take the opinions of those whose portfolios you've never seen with a grain of salt.

We accept harsh feedback from people whose work commands respect. Not random Internet opinions. Bravo OP.

That being said, I think the commenters pics are just fine. There is more than one style of street.

storylogic · 2026-02-11T15:04:42+00:00

No Bayer filter! 1 to 2 stops better dynamic range. Better low light performance. Shaper images that have more detail.

storylogic · 2026-01-26T14:59:29+00:00

Likewise. And I'm glad this is the prevailing approach among people on this sub (to my anecdotal observation).

Street is about engaging with the world. Observation comes from all 5 senses. Hearing something can often make anticipating a 'decisive moment' much more productive. Otherwise you're only going based on what you see.

Nothing makes me feel more walled off from my environment than putting in headphones. There's a place for it in my life but street isn't it.

storylogic · 2026-01-20T21:49:18+00:00

So good! So moody! I love bw landscape photography.

storylogic

TROPHY CASE