This month's image came from a trip I took to downtown Los Angeles with my Lancaster Photography Association. We had a good time, riding the metro all over and seeing some of the landmarks. As we walked back to pick up the subway back to Union Station, I spotted a pack of bicycle riders coming down the street towards us. It seemed to be some kind of organized ride. With World Cup going on in LA and other weekend activities, there was a lot going on. I stood on a closed part of the street and snapped some images as the cyclists made the corner. I was hand-held, but played with different shutter speeds to try to capture the motion of the pack. Here's one of my favorites.
I used a Nikon Z9, Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens at 58mm, ISO 90, 1/25 sec @ f/22. In post processing I cropped to get rid of some distractions on the edges and played with muting the colors. It was taken in the mid-day sun, so I played with the contrast but tried to maintain sharpness in the image. I gave it a lighter vignette to complement the muted colors. I hope everyone has a safe Independence Day holiday!
3 comments posted
Bruce Michelotti
Cool street scene Andrew. I like your processing, it does give it an "olden time" feel to the image. I normally would tell you to guard against having part of the image cut off at the edges, but in this case I think it works. You have cyclists across the frame. It gives the viewer the impression there are lots and lots of them, which obviously there are. The modern cars are well enough hiddes by riders so that they don't distract from the look. I would suggest, though, to tone down the guards yellow vest a bit. He seems to stand out too much for his own good.
Nice work. Posted: 07/12/2026 20:47:59
Harley Rubens
Very nice well composed image Andrew. The bicyclists motion giving a leading line in front of the buildings and around the corner whch keeps my eye moving, but centered on the traffic officer. The officer and background are both sharp, well placed and motionless which also accentuates the motion of the cyclists. The shading also gives a sense of timelessness to the image. Nice picture Andrew. Posted: 07/16/2026 21:52:51
Mark McKinney
Why am I experiencing Déjà vu? I seen to remember another photo with a police officer as an important element. Your technique here works perfectly to show motion. You have it on the left and the right! The bicclists represent choas and the officer is a focal point of stability. I like it very much that you made the officer's vest stand out. Posted: 07/17/2026 20:13:08
