Capital Captures

Roger Moore uses the Tamron 18-270mm Di II VC PZD for compelling street photography in historic DC neighborhoods.

Article By Jennifer Gidman

Images by Roger Moore

Today Moore's photographic penchant is travel and street photography. "Gordon Parks is one of my influences," he explains. "I really like his documentary style and how compelling his images are."

Moore has captured street scenes in Italy and England, where he lived for two years, but he also finds visual allure in the neighborhoods near his Maryland home, including Williamsburg, Virginia, and DC's Adams Morgan area. On a recent weekend jaunt to Adams Morgan, Moore took along his Tamron 18-270mm all-in-one zoom lens to capture the people and places of the vibrant, culturally diverse neighborhood.

Using other zoom lenses after his transition from a point-and-shoot to a DSLR, Moore was initially disappointed with the image quality and vignetting. But once he received his initial Tamron 18-270 (the pre-PZD model), he was hooked. "That lens worked fabulously," he says. "I was so impressed with how sharp my images were and how versatile it was that I started using it as my primary lens whenever I did travel photography."

Even though Moore's personal shooting preference is to get close up to his subjects, he appreciates the 18-270's flexibility to adapt to any situation a roving photographer may encounter. "There's really not much that's going to be out of your range, unless you're birding or on safari," he says. "I like being close and often shoot within 70mm to 100mm, but it's great having that expanded range at your disposal. When I was in Italy, I wanted to do some close-ups from far away, and that zoom really helped."

At just under 16 oz., Moore's PZD model is even lighter and more compact than his previous 18-270, which helps when he's spending a busy day on the streets. "The autofocus is faster and quieter, too, though honestly, the autofocus on my first 18-270 was always so good," he says. "I can always accurately focus where I need to shoot."

A Mix of the Linear and the Personal

Moore, an electrical engineer by day, may use his technical bent to draw out the linear aesthetics in a colorful parade of historic DC row houses, but he also tries to look for more detail in his shots. "One of my favorite things is to capture patterns, but after awhile, I see myself getting complacent and doing the same type of shots," he explains. "When I was in Paris, I would see these bikes lined up at the bike stations and get a great shot. Then I'd see pretty much the exact same shot in another part of the city and take it before realizing it was the same shot I already did."

He recommends repurposing your focus and looking for something new in each street scene, even if it's been photographed hundreds of times before. "When I lived overseas, I got spoiled with all of the castles and other historical places," he says. "The challenge for me now is finding interesting things to shoot right here in nearby neighborhoods. Even if you've been in the same area for 30 years, you want to find what's unique and different that hasn't been shown before in that place. For instance, being in the DC area, I could just go out and always shoot the memorials, but that's been done already."

As an example, he cites a recent trip to Williamsburg, where old-time actors and Colonial architecture merge with contemporary backdrops and people. "I could see in my mind's eye the type of picture that would be fun," he explains. "The buildings are from the 1700s and 1800s, and there are people dressed in Colonial period dress roaming the streets. However, at the same time, you have the College of William and Mary right down the street. It would be an amusing shot, for example, to juxtapose a Colonial character next to a student in a William and Mary sweatshirt jogging with her iPod and headphones on. You just have to practice so you can get good at being in place for that decisive moment."

Focusing on people, in fact, can be the best way to break out of a linear-based rut. "Candid images are the most captivating images to me," Moore says. "It can be hard to draw out of yourself, and engineers are known for being kind of introverted, but street photography gives you the opportunity to come out of your shell, establish a dialogue with people, and then capture that moment in time."

Moore often uses the 18-270 during his candid shots to blur the background and focus attention on his subjects. "One thing I'll do is zoom in, typically between 50mm and 100mm, depending on what I'm taking a picture of, and then zoom out, just so I can blur the background," he says. "This is especially true if I'm doing a headshot or three-quarter shot of somebody - I focus in on them pretty tight but have the background out of focus to create a great portrait."

Moore's favorite time of day to shoot is at twilight, when the sun has been down for 15 minutes or so and the sky is that deep blue before it goes black. "Because that little window of time is one of my favorite times of day, I usually do carry my tripod - but the Vibration Compensation (VC) on the 18-270 is a godsend, too," he says. "Being able to shoot as many as three or four stops slower than I usually can is wonderful. With the high ISO capabilities of today's DSLRs and the VC on that lens, I know I can handhold my camera and get terrific shots."

To see more of Roger Moore's images, check out his website at http://www.Moore-Images.com/blog.