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#144 — ALL PHOTOS - Saturday January 5th 2019 — Ryan Ellis Photography - Detroit Street Photography Session #144 — Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 - Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 - Roy R. Rowlands

Arrived @ 11 AM 

Departed @ 5:45 PM 

205 photos taken in 6 3/4 hours with 21 “keepers” among them, rendering a 10.24% “success” rate at a 30.4 shots-per-hour pace (I aim for at least 100 shots per hour at a “success” rate of at least 10%). 

WHAT WENT ON ON THIS DAY OUT IN THE CITY OF DETROIT —

I met with my good friend, Roy, today. We hung out at Milano in the Market and Pegasus in Greektown and “The Bean” (Urban Bean Co.) in Downtown. We had lovely conversations as always, and he challenged me to try to speak up more. I could not help but notice and bring up him speaking his mind out and around in the city today, and he said that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” and that no one would think of you if you did not remind them. 

We heard some African music playing in The Bean, and it was “Ali Farka Toure” playing on the internet playlist radio station. Roy also praised “Lucky Dubai.” Both of these men were brilliant African artists, and both (sadly) recently passed away. Roy also made mention of an albino guitar player in Africa that was out of this world, but he could not remember the man’s name. 

I met analog photographers, Ben and Garrett (sp?) today in the city that I do not love (but am learning to appreciate). 

Wanting a little respite from the difficult lens I have used for the last few weeks, I took it easy with the 24mm and 55mm lenses. Though they are easier to use than the Tokina 60-300mm f/4-5.6 vintage lens, I still had trouble getting as good of pictures as I would have preferred on this day in Detroit. Truth be told, I had more facility conversing with my new pals than I did taking pictures today. It was worth it, since people are more important than pictures. People actually last infinitely longer than any and all photos ever, so I had the right idea to give more attention to my new friends than the city life happening around me. Also, sometimes I find it takes some adjustment learning to shoot with another person (or other people). There is a rhythm in street photography, and I was interested in gelling mine with theirs for mutual inspiration.

Garrett (sp?) explained the chemical processes around photography with expert precision and economy. I was blown away. I have read many, many, many heady books (most unabridged) in my day, and my approach to thick literature (for my finite mind) has always been to pick up what I can and figure out all the rest when I can, and that is how I listened to this brilliant young man speak about the science and craft of photography. I could not thank them enough for their hospitality and depth of engagement. It was a Providence I had prayed for and gotten. 

My resolution for 2019 is to link arms with others. I have been full bore into photography since January 2016. That makes me three years into this goodness, and I hope to make a move to the next level soon. To do photography / videography for a living would be a dream job. 

“Do what you love for a living, and you will never work a day in your life.”

May it be so! 

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#108 — Saturday, April 7th, 2018 — Ryan Ellis Photography - Detroit Street Photography Session #108 — Chasing Steve McCurry’s “Afghan Girl’s” Inscape

GEAR USED:

BODIES:  Nikon D800 & D600 (both ca. 2012)

LENSES:  Nikkor 105mm f/2.5  (ca. 1981)  —  24mm 2.8 (ca. 1971) 

Arrived:  11 AM 

Departed:  4 PM 

976 photos taken w/ 84 “keepers” among them in an ungenerous 5-hour span (8.6% “success” rate w/ a walloping 195 photos per hour [I aim for at least 10% success in shooting and at least 100 shots per hour]) (919 shots on the D800  &   57 shots on the D600) (All of the “Top Ten” shots shown here were taken with the 105mm on the D800) 

Today, as my goal, I sought out the unseen turmoil of Steve McCurry’s “Afghan Girl“ National Geographic (June 1985) cover photo, and all I came home with were these shots. Haha. The same lens used to take McCurry’s famous photo was what I used (along with my 24mm) today in the city. 

My photographer friend (Marcus?) in Eastern Market was my first stop of the day. I wanted to show him the lens that took the wondrous NatGeo photograph. He was impressed by it, and he told me that the Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 lens that I shot with today is one of the sharpest lenses you can find. We smiled. I shook his hand and went off to conquer Detroit with McCurry’s famous lens model.