Famous street photographer / new york.

asphotographymk said:
Yes in a real world situation i would put him on his back. And no im not saying i am a big hard guy or a thug the total opposite in fact but i have seen enough "real world situations" to know that you dont allow anyone to invade your space in that way. I would have no clue what he was doing and would happily ask questions after. I think the way he works is aggressive and his main aim is to gain a reaction which to me casts aside the whole point of this kind of street photography.
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I disagree.
You'd barely have enough time to blink let alone react that quick, unless you are Bruce Lee, or see it coming. I have also seen too many real world situations where this kind of thing happens, not just photography and the best anyone can do, is look shocked or suprised, its natural instinct unless you are a born and trained fighter, but even then you have to be in the right frame of mind.
 
Lunaticsamurai said:
I disagree.
You'd barely have enough time to blink let alone react that quick, unless you are Bruce Lee, or see it coming. I have also seen too many real world situations where this kind of thing happens, not just photography and the best anyone can do, is look shocked or suprised, its natural instinct unless you are a born and trained fighter, but even then you have to be in the right frame of mind.
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+1 well put.

I do that as well but it's pretty hard to be super fast all day.
and then you still have to understand the person you're photographing in a split second.

street photography is something truly amazing.
 
Starastin said:
is what ?
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Silly because you never know how someone might react. He might get away with it most of the time but he will just end up getting hurt.
 
I'd be willing to bet that growing up in Brooklyn, having experience of being in places like Haiti etc at times of conflict and spending pretty much the rest of his life doing what he does on the streets of NYC will mean that while Gilden might not walk as fast as he once did he still isn't a man to mess with.

His approach isn't one I would adopt and I've no shame in saying that the reasons for that are quite evenly split between preferring more candid images and not having the balls to work like he does but of all the things that are going to invade my personal space when walking down a busy street I'd reckon an old guy with a Leica would be one of the least offensive to me - and to many others.

There's also no doubt that Gilden's locale has informed his technique and having been a practitioner of that technique for so long he may now be able to pull of that kind of shooting wherever he goes but had Gilden been based in pretty much any British city other than possibly London I doubt he would have come to work the same way. I'm sure that he didn't work like that from the first time he ventured out onto the streets of New York, he will have started off quite timidly and through years of experience has learned what he can get away with. There is definitely a difference to how people react to being photographed depending on what city you are in, I can notice the difference just going between shooting in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
 
asphotographymk said:
Yes in a real world situation i would put him on his back.
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Nope, I doubt you would. We're a reserved bunch of people. You'd have been typically British and 'tutted' loudly, then complained about it afterwards :)
 
Byker28i said:
Nope, I doubt you would. We're a reserved bunch of people. You'd have been typically British and 'tutted' loudly, then complained about it afterwards :)
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I agree,deck someone for taking your pic (weirdly) a slight over reaction.
 
Lunaticsamurai said:
I disagree.
You'd barely have enough time to blink let alone react that quick, unless you are Bruce Lee, or see it coming. I have also seen too many real world situations where this kind of thing happens, not just photography and the best anyone can do, is look shocked or suprised, its natural instinct unless you are a born and trained fighter, but even then you have to be in the right frame of mind.
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Is 19 years of martial arts with 21 pro fights trained enough for you. Fighting is my life, photography comes second :). Its a great way to get clients also i i teach Kids Martial arts 3 times.... Loads of portrait clients.
 
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snigg said:
I agree,deck someone for taking your pic (weirdly) a slight over reaction.
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Its not about taking an image its about an invasion of space and it is done in a very aggressive manor. His main aim is to get a reaction.
 
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asphotographymk said:
Is 19 years of martial arts with 21 pro fights trained enough for you. Fighting is my life, photography comes second :). Its a great way to get clients also i i teach Kids Martial arts 3 times.... Loads of portrait clients.
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Then you should know of the consequences of being a trained fighter and using that on the street.

Attacking someone for something as non-physical as an 'invasion of space', you'd be looking at the inside of a cell. And rightly so.
 
asphotographymk said:
Is 19 years of martial arts with 21 pro fights trained enough for you. Fighting is my life, photography comes second :). Its a great way to get clients also i i teach Kids Martial arts 3 times.... Loads of portrait clients.
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Then you of all people would know that in that situation you would first be on guard, you certainly would not react in a split second and put him on his arse, if you did act like that, that quickly, then i would question your sanity when out and about every day and if known you was like that would probably get you into a lot of trouble for being a nutter.

Situations like that happen every single day that shock you or put you on your guard, a sneeze next to your or kids mucking about, you telling me you would smack all of them? because that's how quick you react?

Don't get me wrong, i kickbox and spend most of my life in the gym, so i too know about fighting, the only time i react like that is when a situation is presented to me that brings my fighting skills to the surface.

I'm being honest, if the guy did that to me, surprise would set in first, then i'd think about what just happened, its not a fighting situation so it doesn't call for you to be on the defensive, unless you walk around every day on the defensive.

Different if i saw it coming, chances are i would get out of his way to stop him from taking a photo, i certainly wouldn't punch him. Be realistic. ;)


If you are like that and i am wrong then i appologise, i think you have anger issues and need to get it sorted before you hurt someone for the wrong reason.
 
asphotographymk said:
Its not about taking an image its about an invasion of space and it is done in a very aggressive manor. His main aim is to get a reaction.
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"aggressive manner" can't eally correctly be used,he is fast with his movements but thats not aggressive,its just fast,I agree I wouldn't like it myself,I just think the facts speak for themselves,most people just carry on walking,I'm just surpised some people here think he would get into more trouble here,I remember when I was in NY and ask someone for help in using the payphone,he looked at me like he was about to kill me,he never said a word and just stared untill I walked away:wacky: now I would agree with you he no matter where in the world would deck that guy.
 
Its about how he acts not what he is doing. He carrys himself like an aggressor. And yes my reaction would be defensive i am not saying a would kick the living poo out of him i have better things to do and if i want to fight i have 2 mat sessions a day to do that on but an aggressive action is only going to trigger an aggressive reaction with me.

I think for some reason his style just offends me more than anything, i enjoy street photography and think he slightly makes a mockery of it but being so aggressive to trigger a reaction. Street photography should be natural and there is nothing natural in his work.
 
snigg said:
"aggressive manner" can't eally correctly be used,he is fast with his movements but thats not aggressive,
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Come on even the way he talks to people is aggressive when they question his actions. He is looking for a reaction and his aim is to provoke.
 
asphotographymk said:
Its about how he acts not what he is doing. He carrys himself like an aggressor. And yes my reaction would be defensive i am not saying a would kick the living poo out of him i have better things to do and if i want to fight i have 2 mat sessions a day to do that on but an aggressive action is only going to trigger an aggressive reaction with me.

I think for some reason his style just offends me more than anything, i enjoy street photography and think he slightly makes a mockery of it but being so aggressive to trigger a reaction. Street photography should be natural and there is nothing natural in his work.
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highly discussable matter.
I think the most important thing is - the result. if he would say that he doesn't interact with the subject, he would be lying .

there are lots of different approaches to street photography.

I will always defend wide angle shooters. e.g. 45mm and wider on FF . Just seems the proper way to do it.
 
Starastin said:
highly discussable matter.
I think the most important thing is - the result. if he would say that he doesn't interact with the subject, he would be lying .

there are lots of different approaches to street photography.

I will always defend wide angle shooters. e.g. 45mm and wider on FF . Just seems the proper way to do it.
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Agreed, there is plenty of interaction thats for sure and i guess if that is what he is looking for. I just dont feel you gain any true personality from his images as it is all a reaction to his approach.
 
asphotographymk said:
Agreed, there is plenty of interaction thats for sure and i guess if that is what he is looking for. I just dont feel you gain any true personality from his images as it is all a reaction to his approach.
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I think you might be judging him too hard by the video.
I think he's showing off a bit as well and doing it a bit NY style.
He's a Magnum tog and I think there is a reason for that. just had a look at his photos, and it seems that only some are disturbed by his presence.

but of course can't blame anyone for not liking him judging by that video.
 
Starastin said:
I think you might be judging him too hard by the video.
I think he's showing off a bit as well and doing it a bit NY style.
He's a Magnum tog and I think there is a reason for that. just had a look at his photos, and it seems that only some are disturbed by his presence.

but of course can't blame anyone for not liking him judging by that video.
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I think you may be right. He is acting up a little and showing off. By that video and a few others he looks like nothing but a pain but as you said i am sure he does have skills also.
 
asphotographymk said:
I think you may be right. He is acting up a little and showing off. By that video and a few others he looks like nothing but a pain but as you said i am sure he does have skills also.
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he probably got what he wanted - we're all sitting here discussing him.

also have to add- I'm quiet influenced by his work ,although I didn't know that it was him before this video.
 
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