Street Photography - Ever been confronted?

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dancook

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Dan
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At the moment I'm torn between keeping my EM-1 (discreet) or using my 5DM3 (again) for street photography.

I popped out with my 5DM3/85mm 1.2L II at lunch to see how much courage I had mustered over the last month or two... I told myself to suck it up, if I see something - point the camera and shoot!

Well I keep thinking back now to the moments I missed.. I don't know yet how people would react because I'm overly cautious about making people aware that I am taking a photo of them specifically.

So this afternoon - I saw a woman standing talking on her mobile phone, she's in good light and her white dress and fashion stand her out from the crowd. My current angle (over her shoulder) is no good, I'd have to walk past her and look back to shoot, if I crouched down on one knee I could even introduce an interesting perspective - but I'd pretty much be in front of her by then, a very high chance she will see me...

...and by this point I'm quite far down the street wondering what that photo could have been...

I feel like I should push myself to risk more.. but at the same time I don't want to be obnoxious about it.

Also since the 5dm3 AF in liveview sucks, I feel like I need to use the VF more - since I like subject isolation. Maybe I need to prefocus, but I don't know.

I wonder how far people have had to push it before they got confronted?
 
Can't help you here... as not brave enough to do it myself, but for the example you just need to use your charm ;) and sure she'd raised a smile.

On confrontation say you are doing a project most people wouldn't mind. :exit:
 
Only by security personnel, uniformed and otherwise.
Mind you I'm not the 35mm 'stick-it-in-your-face' type of individual that generally would invite confrontation ... if someone stuck a camera in my face I would find it objectionable so I don't do it to others.
 
I take peoples pictures and then look over there shoulder or past them as if to say they are in the way.. its easy and they do look around to see what your photogprahing..if they are stubborn i then purposely take a pic of anything thats behind them.. too late the moments gone and they carry on with what they where doing.. works every time for me.. they feel to stupid to ask if taking photo of them when obviously its summat behind them..
 
Touch wood I've never been confronted so far - although due to my disability I'm always out on a mobility scooter so right or wrong I feel less likely that people would argue with me.. I also kind of weigh people up before to think do they look like the sort of person that'd take offense to me taking their picture... like I say so far I've not had one person complain and thats been with my Sony A57 DSLR..

I'm in a similar position to you with regards cameras - got the bigger Sony A57 DSLR but contemplating something more compact as I do feel concious about using the larger DSLR at times..

As a side I've started to carry around some business cards with me now that have my name, flickr address etc on.. so if I did get confronted or I'm taking one of the capture a stranger shots I'm doing currently then I can hand them a card so they can look at my work for themselves and see im not some kind of pervy weirdo taking random pics.. lol
 
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A personal project, photograph 1 million strangers :D just so they can't ever suggest that i should have hit my number by now...

I've had a security from a shopping centre keep a close eye on me, 3 of them stood chatting and peering over at me. I know better than to venture into shopping centres - I bet they were hoping otherwise....

I took a photo of a woman and her friend hugging and they noticed and were actually flattered. There was also a woman I saw today, I remembered photographing her a day or two before, and she seemed to give a knowing look.. not the unwelcoming kind.
 
dancook said:
A personal project, photograph 1 million strangers :D just so they can't ever suggest that i should have hit my number by now...

I've had a security from a shopping centre keep a close eye on me, 3 of them stood chatting and peering over at me. I know better than to venture into shopping centres - I bet they were hoping otherwise....

I took a photo of a woman and her friend hugging and they noticed and were actually flattered. There was also a woman I saw today, I remembered photographing her a day or two before, and she seemed to give a knowing look.. not the unwelcoming kind.
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yes I don't think I'll stop at 100.. some of the FlickR groups people are over 800+.. although I'm choosy with the people I photograph - there has to be something interesting about them - so for me I'll probably choose maybe 2 or 3 per week.. slow and steady and all that :D
 
Maybe having that excuse in the back of my head, will give me confidence and a purpose.
 
When I have been out and about I have asked if I could take a persons photo, they always say no and always say the same old thing. Oh I don't like my photo taken , or look at me like I am a weirdo. The occasions that I did get permission to take photo, was foreign tourists or students. They don't seem to have the same hang ups as the British, one woman even said that man tried to take a photo of me, while pointing an angry finger at me. So I would no longer ask, I would simply take a photo, and anyone happens to be in the frame tough !

Someone took a photo of me the other week, I was unshaven and in my scruff walking the dog around the park. I thought why would anyone want a photo of me ! Just hope that the photo does not end up on a forum, titled homeless tramp LOL

PS

Maybe people are just worried where the photos will end up :thinking:
 
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If someone made a scene, pointing and shouting at me - I might not be able to go back to the same town again :D
 
This guy confronted me after I had taken this

MarketStreet16 by jakeblu, on Flickr

He came over in a bit of an aggressive manner asking why I had photographed him. I didnt give him any "your in a public place and its my right to photograph you if I want" I just smiled told I thought he looked interesting stood there and that I enjoyed taking photos of people going about their business. I showed him the shot and told him I would delete it if he wanted. He was happy with that and off he walked.

It was a little unnerving at the time but considering it was one of my concerns shooting street it went pretty well

Steve
 
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I try to disguise it if theres some kind of street event going on, whether theres a band playing or something that would allow the situation of having a photographer and not get queried about it. You have to play it safe, more for the equipment than my own safety to be honest lol
 
Maybe I just need a few confrontations so I can stop being so worried about them :D FACE YOUR FEAR!!
 
good photo steve, pity you got spotted but sounds like you handled it very well and done the right thing - just show them the pic and if they want it deleted, just delete it, its better to delete than get into some confrontation about public-rights on photography.
 
dancook said:
If someone made a scene, pointing and shouting at me - I might not be able to go back to the same town again :D
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I tend to go to into my home town City Centre Liverpool, and take some people photos there. People tend to be too busy to notice, plus everyone else is taking photos of all the building etc. Besides you can even shoot from the hip if you want, of course you don't know what you will end up with. I tend to point the camera towards an old historical building that everyone else is photographing, but use a shorter focal length and get people shots instead, while keeping my eye line on the building. If I do view the photo on the screen, I will look up at the building once or twice suggesting I am comparing the building with the photo I just took. It does work, well not got bashed yet lol
 
XFile2708 said:
I can hand them a card so they can look at my work for themselves and see im not some kind of pervy weirdo taking random pics.. lol
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Although pervy weirdos have just as much right to photograph in public as you do... and they could also have business cards!


Steve.
 
I shoot personal work on the street quite a lot, but when I'm out to make images without people's permission I work fast and very rarely use anything other than a small, non-threatening camera. It stands to reason that if you poke a bloody great DSLR into people's faces, they're going to get alarmed about it and want to know why. Big cameras are intimidating - more so if they're noisy and come with a big old lump of glass on the end. That's just simple psychology. To work effectively on the street with anything bigger than a Leica, you have to be bold or you have to be sneaky and if there's one thing I've learned about shooting street over the last few years it's this:

Don't be sneaky unless you're 100% sure you can get away with it and make an image that's worthwhile.

For me, that's virtually never - I shoot with a little rangefinder and I keep both eyes open. If I'm taking someone's picture up close, I smile a lot and work so fast that by the time the silent little leaf shutter has twitched, they're not even sure that I've taken a picture. Eye contact with my subjects is really important for many of the street photographs that I like to make. If I'm in close in with a thirty-five, I can sometimes just feel how someone will react to me raising the camera and I can work accordingly. I smile before I shoot and I smile afterwards. Smiling helps.

Yeah, I've had a few people say, "did you just take my photo?" Sometimes, I keep walking, sometimes I smile and tell them yes. If they want to know why, I tell them it's because I photograph beautiful things and I think they're beautiful. I keep smiling. I've only rarely had people want to take it further. I've never had any real problems or anyone demanding I delete a photo. I'd only hand out a business card in exceptional circumstances - generally, I keep those for the 'with permission' shots I make where I'm sure I'm going to like the image I've just made.

I'll admit that it's easier being a woman because you're about a million times less likely to be perceived as a sex pest or a weirdo. But I think my advice still holds.

Look unremarkable
Use a small, non-descript camera
Work fast

Did I mention the smiling?
 
KIPAX said:
I take peoples pictures and then look over there shoulder or past them as if to say they are in the way.. its easy and they do look around to see what your photogprahing..if they are stubborn i then purposely take a pic of anything thats behind them.. too late the moments gone and they carry on with what they where doing.. works every time for me.. they feel to stupid to ask if taking photo of them when obviously its summat behind them..
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I do pretty much the same from time to time, works a treat, I normally shot in small French towns a villages, I find the more respect I have the less problems arise, only had one request in around 10yrs to delete a photo.
 
One advantage of taking photos on a smaller camera using LCD screen and not viewfinder ( I prefer viewfinder ) it could be mistaken for a mobile phone, and people assume you are composing a text and not taking photos. The amount of people walking about while staring at their phone, it's all about blending in.
 
5d3 and 85/1.2 ? Wow. If I were you, I'd be looking for every opportunity to shoot. Just think how much you've spent on that gear to not get the shot you're after.

I've done a bit of SP with 5dc and 85/1.8. I just don't worry about potential confrontation, as if someone asked, I'd just be 100% honest. I like street photography.

As above though, most of my shots I shoot through the VF, and look at something behind the person. 85mm is a great focal length on FF.
 
I havent done full on street photogrpahy.. I have taken the odd pic..and in my work i take lots of people pics in allsorts of controlled and candid situations......

However the thought does occur... what if you went the opposite way about things.... buy a hi viz vest stating PHOTOGRPAHER . put some sort of id tag around you neck...and stood in the middle of the street taking pics.. must would avoid eye contact anyway.. some would wave and smile but doubt anyone would confront as they would presume you are meant to be there...thats how peoples minds work in my experience.. if they think your supposed to be there they dont question.. :)
 
A 5d3 and 85 1.2 (as good as it is) is kinda the nuclear missile of discrete street photography.

How about a small mirrorless with a flip screen and great af in live view, so you can be more discreet shooting at waist height or even when 'tieing' your shoelace, in front of said woman on mobile phone.
 
I think sizing up the situation, and instinctively knowing that you are not prying or being intrusive comes thru practice and also knowing your camera so that you can act fast is invaluable.
I check out Donald Barnat`s photo blog regularly to view his street photography and he seems to just get along fine in L.A, considering the reactions he gets from his subjects as they stand and give the "stare". He has not mentioned any confrontation but his site www.50lux.com is worth checking out, particularly if you use Leica.
 
Lyope said:
I'll admit that it's easier being a woman because you're about a million times less likely to be perceived as a sex pest or a weirdo.
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My biggest problem with photographing strangers candidly is the striking resemblance I bear to Harold Shipman in a bad mood.
 
Brazo said:
A 5d3 and 85 1.2 (as good as it is) is kinda the nuclear missile of discrete street photography.

How about a small mirrorless with a flip screen and great af in live view, so you can be more discreet shooting at waist height or even when 'tieing' your shoelace, in front of said woman on mobile phone.
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Well I recently bought the em-1 and some lenses for street photography, and I do see the clear benefits of how people react to you - or not as the case may be :)
 
KIPAX said:
However the thought does occur... what if you went the opposite way about things.... buy a hi viz vest stating PHOTOGRPAHER . put some sort of id tag around you neck...and stood in the middle of the street taking pics..
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Someone on another forum does this. High visibility jacket and a camera on a yellow surveyor's tripod. As he looks like he is supposed to be there, he says he is virtually invisible.


Steve.
 
I took the 85mm out again after work, and walking around with it held up near my chest, occasionally checking my focal point through the VF - i found the transition to point at someone and take the photograph much easier.
 
If you done it as long as i have done,at some point you will be confronted,its just the nature of street photography,the worst was a few years ago when the new laws came out,but since they have been changed things are not so bad.
How do i handle it,to be honest just smile and walk on,if the person want to make more of it i try talking and say i will delete if that make them happy :).

Years ago i used to do a bit of photojournalism and sometimes in dangerous places,one moment i have had soldiers shouting "you dont take photos" and the next minute shouting "you take photo ".and sometimes i have come across photographer & people who really ask for trouble.

Have i ever had photos taken of me yes,but i the the kind of person who not bother by it all :)
 
You know my views dan, I just shot, or if very close, shot from the hip for the interesting angle.

I got challenged when shooting in the park a couple of years ago by a very aggressive mum, who carried on even when I offered to show her the shot, gave her my card with details on it, asked if she wanted a copy. I was with my wife and dog and it was quite embarrassing in a busy area and in the end walked to the wardens office and called the police.

The wardens calmed her down but it wasn't a pleasant experience. It's been the only time though. Most of the time you get away with everything with a smile.
 
simonblue said:
So an cheap E-M-1 coming up for sale then :D

Why have you decided to sell ?
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and it sold already :) both lenses body and extra battery!

I miss the quality of my 5dm3 for a start, and now I've taken off the grip - I think I can work to being more confident with it for street photography again. Plus I can put the money towards the 200mm f2 I Was saving for in the first place!
 
dancook said:
and it sold already :) both lenses body and extra battery!

I miss the quality of my 5dm3 for a start, and now I've taken off the grip - I think I can work to being more confident with it for street photography again. Plus I can put the money towards the 200mm f2 I Was saving for in the first place!
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Enjoy your 200mm :)
 
Hi
Personally I think the more you shoot the easier it will get. A lot though does depend on the place where you're shooting at. I live in a town and I know I would find street photography hard as everyone seems to know everyone, and am especially worried/wary of an angry person thinking I'm being a weirdo and telling other people about me. I'm sure, although not certain, it would be easier in a city as you can be more anonymous. I actually think wearing a high-viz is a good idea and that most people won't give you a second glance if you 'seem' to be in a place in an official capacity.
JohnyT
 
Johnytuono said:
Hi
Personally I think the more you shoot the easier it will get. A lot though does depend on the place where you're shooting at. I live in a town and I know I would find street photography hard as everyone seems to know everyone, and am especially worried/wary of an angry person thinking I'm being a weirdo and telling other people about me. I'm sure, although not certain, it would be easier in a city as you can be more anonymous. I actually think wearing a high-viz is a good idea and that most people won't give you a second glance if you 'seem' to be in a place in an official capacity.
JohnyT
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I do like big city for shooting street,just because they present more photo op,and a chance of getting the shot :)
 
I use a variety of approaches not that I am that big on street- not least because of the lack of people on streets around here:D

Big cities like Edinburgh in the south- everyone has a camera and no ones cares- with the fringe, tourists etc they've seen it all.

I'm not discrete so I don't do covert- I just walk around with masses of kit like I am supposed to be there and I project the fact that I am not doing anything wrong- because a) I'm allowed to be there and b) I'm not doing anything wrong. I think people can sense if you are uneasy so I'm not.

If you pay attention it can be reasonably easy to figure out who may give you problems and decide whether it's worth it or not- appearance, mannerisms, eyes ,alone, group, age etc

Looking past people, pretend framing as a sleight of hand trick can be good as can working in pairs ie looking like your photographing your mate etc

Being adaptable and having an awareness works for me as well as being polite. Always have plan B though;)
 
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