Musician in Red, 6th Street – Austin, Texas

What may look like a traditional portrait, albeit with an unusual red coloration, was a grab shot. A street portrait, if you like, which I shot from the sidewalk into a bar on 6th Street. I was testing the then new for me, Olympus PEN-F with the equally new Olympus 75mm f1.8 lens, late last year. As I recall, it was one of my first outings with this combo, which I took downtown to eagerly test my newest toys.

Street shooting with a 150mm equivalent is odd as I usually prefer to get closer with 28mm, 35mm or 50mm equivalent primes. But the long focal length and shallower depth of field does have its advantages — this oddly red portrait being one of them. The red, supplied by, most likely, a beer neon sign, creates a look that I kind of like. The complimentary red and black is minimalist, though still colorful.

Though slightly defocused, the positioning of the microphone is unfortunate. If I were in a controlled portrait session, these distractions are things that I try to avoid. But overall, I still like the image.