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To be fair, that's subject to the god(s) you have chosen to support...eerm yes we do
and please use their services
Have You Ever Been Accosted In Such A Way During Street Photography
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KIPAX
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I'll say it again.. the best way to do street photography if you don't want people asking what your doing.... is put a hi-viz vest on and stand in plain view of everyone... If you have photogrpaher or photo on the hi-viz and maybe a clipboard You can stand there all day and nobody will bother you ..try it
IMHO of course
You can stand there all day and nobody will bother you ..try it IMHO of course
DG Phototraining
Woof
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Interesting read - maybe my version of 'Street', where I'm literally just photographing the street (or details thereof) is the best after all
I really only shoot people when I'm getting paid to, but twice I've had to take a photo of my B&G with a drunk (and a couple who were drunk) just to get them to sod off - the photos weren't in the couples' selections
Dave
I really only shoot people when I'm getting paid to, but twice I've had to take a photo of my B&G with a drunk (and a couple who were drunk) just to get them to sod off - the photos weren't in the couples' selections
Dave
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If everyone went by this then we'd have very few non-posed photos of city life across previous generations. I bet when you look at some old photos of town and city life from the 20's/30's,40's etc you're not concerned about whether the photographer had everyone's permission - and I very much doubt they had
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I was doing that a few weeks ago (part of a survey for the local council). A bloke who'd parked his delivery truck on the pavement of a corner decorated with double yellow lines came up to me. In a strong eastern European accent he told me I couldn't do that (without asking me what I was doing). So I told him I was recording traffic for the council and he got even stroppier. So then I got out my phone and told him that pursuant to standing instructions I was reporting him to the police. Very suddenly he wasn't there any more. Full disclosure time: we had no such instructions but the bloke was bigger than me.and maybe a clipboard
I’m not saying about getting everyone’s permission I am talking about people who actively and verbally don’t want their photograph taken. I’ve not seen many old photographs with people shaking their fist or looking as if they are saying something like F off P**** as per the original post.
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I bet they exist!
I get what you mean, but the photographer doesn't know someone is going to react OTT until after they take the picture.
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Just seen this, some mentioned security guards bothering them and claiming private property etc .. these guys caught it on cam while vlogging - they weren't going to stop - Gary Gough looks the type that would have told him where to go good and proper if the camera wasn't on. Incident occurs at 3:19
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGvfpFbZO2c
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Thanks, I enjoyed that!
..... off to check out more gareth danks / gough ... I need to learn more about proper street.
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Thanks, I enjoyed that!
..... off to check out more gareth danks / gough ... I need to learn more about proper street.
Afaik Gough is much more a landscape and wedding photographer, at least any video I've ever seen him do was landscape based - maybe he does street a lot but not for his channel
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Gareth Danks ... main man in your above video ... has got more street stuff on youtube. He seems a nice lad, doesn't pretend to know it all, just sharing his experience.
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Is there such a thing as "proper" street? If so, who defines it?I need to learn more about proper street.
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I get what he means, the difference between casual tourist snaps and decent, artistic street photographs. Proper may not be the best word for it, but that's a bit nit picky.
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Doesn't that simply shift the question to "who defines decent, artistic street photographs"?
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It could also shift it to who cares?
'proper' is whatever it meant to d00d - that's all that matters. So the answer is the photographer does to their own personal taste- Messages
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I agree.
For me the correct name for street photography is social reportage. Telling a story, or invoking a viewer to create a back story from an image that was taken on the “street”. If a photographer can do that through a photo then they have captured the essence. Other wise it’s just a photo taken in a street.
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Well said, nicely put.
I like taking pics of people in the street, here are two albums featuring such ...
Extinction Rebellion ... Westminster
But I've not yet really attempted what I'm now calling the "proper" stuff ... that sort of art quite often featuring modern architectural lines, a lone person striding, lots of empty space, considered use of light and shadow ....
Here are examples from google ...
- 1 - ... - 2 - ... - 3 - ... - 4 -
Abstract, anonymity.
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I haven't yet, but it is something I worry will happen.
I'm fairly well known/ get on with people in my local area, so if it happened here I wouldn't be too bothered, but if it happened somewhere else I'm not sure how I would handle it.
Even some of my friends have said things along the lines of "won't other people be in your photographs, isn't that an invasion of privacy?".
I'm fairly well known/ get on with people in my local area, so if it happened here I wouldn't be too bothered, but if it happened somewhere else I'm not sure how I would handle it.
Even some of my friends have said things along the lines of "won't other people be in your photographs, isn't that an invasion of privacy?".
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This is why it's our duty [IMO] as photographers to educate people on these matters. Explain to them that you are documenting the times, capturing moments that people don't normally take notice of, there's nothing weird or strange or invasive about it so long as we use common sense. If you point the camera at someone and they're shaking their fist at you, well not only is it maybe wise to turn away and move on - but the moment is already lost, it's not what you were hoping to capture. I mean, you could just get a friend to stand across the street and shake their fist
it's no long a candid image. Besides that, you are Conan, what you worried bout?
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This is why it's our duty [IMO] as photographers to educate people on these matters. Explain to them that you are documenting the times, capturing moments that people don't normally take notice of, there's nothing weird or strange or invasive about it so long as we use common sense. If you point the camera at someone and they're shaking their fist at you, well not only is it maybe wise to turn away and move on - but the moment is already lost, it's not what you were hoping to capture. I mean, you could just get a friend to stand across the street and shake their fist
Besides that, you are Conan, what you worried bout?
Oh I agree with that, I have told the friends who have mentioned that they are incorrect in a nice way and they now know.
I'm worried as I can be a very nervous/anxious person- some times I am the complete opposite but on bad days I can even find conversation hard. If it was a good day, I doubt someone would approach me in a bad way as I am talkative and speak with anyone, for example the last time I went to London I had no problem taking photos on my way up there.
Where I was confident in what I was doing, and talking to people on the whole carriage, they just let me get on with what I was doing. Even had some good chats on there.
Just in case when I am more sheepish, and nervous people may think I am up to something where they can pick up on that if it makes sense, even though I am doing nothing wrong?
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We each perceive things differently. For me, proper street is getting in close, usually asking permission and taking portrait shots of strangers to tell a story in a street contex. The 4 images you linked strike me much more as urban landscape with a bit of careful observation and timing thrown in - 'anyone' could take them.
I'm in 2 minds about 'street' too. For some it seems you MUST interact with the subject, have permission etc, but this destroys the moment IMO. Much better to have people going about their lives, photographed candidly and without their awareness at the time in order to actually show life as it happens.
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Not recently but this thread reminds me of a sticky situation I found myself in a few years ago, I think it was February 2013.
We'd been living in this town for a few years, we weren't particularly well known to that many townfolk as generally, we've kept ourselves to ourselves. Since my daughter has started school though, she's now 7, we have become better known as a family but that's an aside.
Anyway, back to the day in question. We live very close to a large woods, it's part of a country estate, it is teeming with wildlife. The snowdrops had just begun to appear and I was off to get some images of them. I had to pass through a large park, which is mainly grassed but there is a children's play area to one side. Here I am, carrying my then new 7D, with a 180mm macro lens on at the time, so a fair lump but away from the play area. I'm minding my own business when along come a group of kids, who had been minding their own business too in fairness but a guy with a camera had to be investigated. They came up to me, asked all the usual stuff, "what you upto", what you taking pictures of" etc etc. I gave my usual reply of "just out for a walk with my camera" and the kids headed for the play area and I thought no more of it.
I get to the snowdrops, which are situated in the woods away from the play area and park when I become aware of 2 ladies, shouting my way, saying over and over, "is everything ok?" I carry on, thinking they can't be meaning me but they are, as they approach me and long story short, acuse me of taking pictures of the kids. I'm dumbfounded, I tell them exactly what I'm doing to which one of them replies, "there are parents in the park who would phone the police." I tell them "that's fine, I'll sit and wait", which I did. About 20 minutes later, the police turn up, ask me a few questions, they seem happy enough. The police ask to see the pictures on my camera to which I reply " I don't have to, you need a warrant for that but I will show you anyway, I have nothing to hide. I showed them the snowdrops, one cop commented, "wow, that's a killer photo." I thought it was pants but anyway.
The police were happy, they left me in peace, telling me to enjoy my day. They then returned to what was now a bit of a crowd about 100 metres away, asked who phoned and gave them a rollocking for wasting police time. I later found this out from a friend who was nearby.
My concern was though, that probably everyone of those adults had a camera in their pocket, ie, their phone and the phone(s) used to make the call(s) to the police probably had the latest camera on it too. They had probably been using those 'phones' to take pictures/video at the park that very same day and it was just taken for granted, yet somebody (me) walks a respectable distance from the play area carrying something that actually resembles a camera and assumptions are made on the spot.
The incident fair shook me up for a few days but I soon got over it. As I say, we are now well known in the village and I'm known as 'Dale the photographer' but it could so easily have been something else.
Scary times.
We'd been living in this town for a few years, we weren't particularly well known to that many townfolk as generally, we've kept ourselves to ourselves. Since my daughter has started school though, she's now 7, we have become better known as a family but that's an aside.
Anyway, back to the day in question. We live very close to a large woods, it's part of a country estate, it is teeming with wildlife. The snowdrops had just begun to appear and I was off to get some images of them. I had to pass through a large park, which is mainly grassed but there is a children's play area to one side. Here I am, carrying my then new 7D, with a 180mm macro lens on at the time, so a fair lump but away from the play area. I'm minding my own business when along come a group of kids, who had been minding their own business too in fairness but a guy with a camera had to be investigated. They came up to me, asked all the usual stuff, "what you upto", what you taking pictures of" etc etc. I gave my usual reply of "just out for a walk with my camera" and the kids headed for the play area and I thought no more of it.
I get to the snowdrops, which are situated in the woods away from the play area and park when I become aware of 2 ladies, shouting my way, saying over and over, "is everything ok?" I carry on, thinking they can't be meaning me but they are, as they approach me and long story short, acuse me of taking pictures of the kids. I'm dumbfounded, I tell them exactly what I'm doing to which one of them replies, "there are parents in the park who would phone the police." I tell them "that's fine, I'll sit and wait", which I did. About 20 minutes later, the police turn up, ask me a few questions, they seem happy enough. The police ask to see the pictures on my camera to which I reply " I don't have to, you need a warrant for that but I will show you anyway, I have nothing to hide. I showed them the snowdrops, one cop commented, "wow, that's a killer photo." I thought it was pants but anyway.
The police were happy, they left me in peace, telling me to enjoy my day. They then returned to what was now a bit of a crowd about 100 metres away, asked who phoned and gave them a rollocking for wasting police time. I later found this out from a friend who was nearby.
My concern was though, that probably everyone of those adults had a camera in their pocket, ie, their phone and the phone(s) used to make the call(s) to the police probably had the latest camera on it too. They had probably been using those 'phones' to take pictures/video at the park that very same day and it was just taken for granted, yet somebody (me) walks a respectable distance from the play area carrying something that actually resembles a camera and assumptions are made on the spot.
The incident fair shook me up for a few days but I soon got over it. As I say, we are now well known in the village and I'm known as 'Dale the photographer' but it could so easily have been something else.
Scary times.
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I started doing this sort of thing when it was referred to as "candid" photography and the whole point (as in wildlife photography) was to achieve zero interaction with people. For me the idea is to record their activities as they go about their lives.
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Not a god given right, but in the UK & most of the western world a state given right when in a public place.
People are generally very incidental to my photographs, but I don't see any reason to encourage people like this.
woof woof
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Maybe this is all a part of the current and rising trend for people to be social media style enraged by anything and everything. I'm sure some people are just looking for something to be enraged about and perhaps actually enjoy the experience of targeting, upsetting, frightening or bullying someone else. I may be being sexist here but in my experience this enragement is more likely to affect women than men. When I'm alone and taking pictures I get the odd bloke come over to me to see what I'm doing and maybe have a chat and that's even happened with kids too but thankfully without their mams forming a posse to get me on the way back whereas a woman or women are in my experience more likely to glare with an if looks could kill look. If there are women about I'd be more likely to put my camera away if not with Mrs WW.
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I don’t think people actually realise, that in a public place you can’t stop anybody photographing anything as long as its not illegal, rude etc. I don’t need permission to take a photo of somebody walking down the street, or on a bench reading the paper. If I was challenged, I would put them straight, whether I shot them or not.....
sphexx
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And the funny thing is that in urban areas they are being filmed all the time by cctv
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And the funny thing is that in urban areas they are being filmed all the time by cctv
Big Brother is constantly watching! it is a bit ironic, the same people who get heated over someone taking their picture would probably wave at the Google photo van hoping they made it into the map
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Another one with jumped up security making laws up. Ignore the thumbnail, it was a very calm encounter he had but he confused them with being the Police - their uniforms are misleading.
An otherwise pleasant street video, and shows that most people will play ball if you approach them correctly
An otherwise pleasant street video, and shows that most people will play ball if you approach them correctly
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I really quite enjoyed that video, he seems like a very friendly young man.
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Thought it was really cool that everyone he asked for a picture was perfectly fine with it, love that he met into one of his followers too
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Thought it was really cool that everyone he asked for a picture was perfectly fine with it, love that he met into one of his followers too
I don't have the b**ls to just walk up to random people and ask if it's alright to take their photo. It's just not who I am. But he showed that most people are fine with it.
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For me it's very much location dependent, I have done so in cities but I'd never do it in my own town. Smaller towns are really not ideal for street shooting anyway. But like he says in the video, when you are a foreigner or tourist, people tend to be a bit nicer to you than they might be if you're a local.
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eerm yes we do
No, we have a state-given right to photograph anyone going about their daily business (in a public place).
Whether we have a moral right to do so is open to debate.
I was with my nephew (who was about 8) in the park and while he was playing I was taking photos of insects and my mum said "I am not sure that is a good idea, people might think you are taking photos of children".
Fortunately I didn't have a problem but I feel for you. Hopefully the idiot who phoned the police learned from this.