Street Photography

Jimmy_Lemon said:
It's a wierd one! For some reason I get scared trying to do street photography (with a stills camera) but don't mind at all with a video camera. Can't work out why, but I can quite happily stand there with a video camera on a busy street filming crows or events with lots of people there....I really don't get it!
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Maybe down to the fact that a stills camera is more subject specific whereas a video camera is not usually....something about the movement?
 
One thing's for sure. The problems I have with street photography, makes me comfortable in the fact I could never grow up to be one of those pervy old man who wires cameras into shopping bags and the like :LOL:
 
*bins shopping bag* I tried some today. I had my lomo and was building my confidence. I took any photo I felt like and got the shots developed. They're all blurry. HAHA! Sodding manual cameras. I don't think the light meter works on it. Point at the light, red. Put hand over camera, red. Later I pointed my 30D + 24-70 at some people, who spotted me. The lens didn't focus properly so I was pointing at them for like 30 seconds focusing. That was like the worst thing ever :D
 
I watched that video and I am pleased he is able to do that. I can tell you now that If I did that in Manchester (or anyplace) I would get people turning around saying "what the hell are you doing" People will tell each other "excuse me, that man was taking a photo of you"

If you do want the image you have to get over this and snap. But Its too much of a fuss for me to deal with. I would have to explain myself on a daily basis.
 
fingerz said:
A lot of these 'tips & tricks' go against the whole ethos of street photography. Standing in public with a camera concealed under your jacket is only going to reinforce the idea that you're doing something shifty, when the emphasis ought to be on building the confidence to take the pictures openly, honestly and without apology or subversive tactics.
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A friend of mine stood in the middle of Canterbury with a D200 and large lens openly taking pictures and was called a paedophile by a passer by :thumbsdown:
 
I have a real problem with this too, I get really nervous if I know that people are watching me take photos or if I have to take photos of them. It seems to worsen with my SLR, I'm not too bad when I use my compact but that doesn't give the greatest results!:bang:

I also geet really funny looks just walking round town with my camera hanging around my neck. I once had some immature little girl hurl abuse at me as me and my friend walked by. I was so tempted to turn round and take a shot of her looking angry. :LOL:

My friend, however, doesn't seem to care less. He once walked up to a guy who was arguing with a traffic warden if he could take a photo of them arguing. The guy nearly hit him!
 
It definately helps if you are out with a photo-buddy. Confidence-wise anyway.
 
petemc said:
Having a 30D + grip + 24-70, soon to be white Canon 24-70, makes me stand out a mile.
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You'll be fine - the Canon 24-70 is black, although it's a beast of a lens compared to my old kit. I think the bigger the camera the better though - people take you as a proper photographer where as if you try to take pictures of strangers with a compact they think you're some kind of weirdo.

I know what you mean about street photography. I've tried it a few times and didn't really enjoy it too much. The main problem was when people saw me with the camera they either acted like a clown or tried to get out of shot. There was only one bloke that got the hump - I was trying to get some pictures of paper deliveries (rubbish theme 'Newpapers' at my club) at Oxford Circus Evening Standard stall and only had my Sigma 10-20 on. Delivery bloke saw me and said something like 'ain't you got enough yet!' Not too bad I suppose - I pretended to be foreign and not understand and sloped off down the tube.
 
I think with a 30D, get a 35mm prime, take off the grip. It'll be just fine I think for SP.
 
A 30D without the battery grip is small enough for Street work.

The 35mm prime is a more useful focal length but the 50mm prime is smaller and lighter so it's six to one and half a dozen to the other on the lens issue./
 
That's the problem. Thanks to fear, hysteria and the press, anyone seen waving a camera is potentially 'dodgy'. And little scally kid is going to shout that. Although it hasn't happened to me, I should imagine it would be quite embarassing.

But I can understand your concerns Pete, as I'm similar. I'm ok carrying my camera about, but feel bad pointing it in someone's face. Maybe I should get wasted first!!!
 
blinekrz said:
To make things worse, you have to be careful your not taking any pictures that include kids.
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Nonsense. You're in the UK, you can take pictures of anything you damned well like on public ground and you're not committing any offence. If what you mean is you would CHOOSE to avoid taking pics of kids then that's something different altogether.
 
This is a very real problem that virtually everyone suffers from to some degree or other. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the size of your equipment *cough*. It's all in the mind. It is all about your attitude and your fears.

It is a remarkably similar situation to one faced by me and my team when approaching members of the public - just to talk to them. Even though the activity involves people you don't know, there remains a fear and that fear is one of rejection. Some people can handle it better than others. But most find it crippling until they have built up a reservoir of experience.

To help build up this experience and alleviate the fear you need to take part in a training session. Keep with me here....... Pick a town, not too far away but one you wouldn't normally go to. Set yourself a time - e.g. the training course will be from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. Prepare yourself and your equipment just as you would for any other course. Drive there and park up in plenty of time. Be early. Grab a Starbucks and soak up the atmosphere. Come 2 o'clock, chuck the coffee and get stuck in. Tell yourself it is a training session and it doesn't matter how it turns out. Tell yourself you won't meet anyone you know - and people that see you today won't see you in the future. They are there like extras on a film set, one that has been set up for this training session.

There is no short cut way. Just get stuck in and do it. But condition your brain that it is a training session and it just doesn't matter what happens. It's all about building up experience and, with it, confidence.

Another, possibly easier, way of doing the same thing is, instead of a nearby town centre, try to find a local show. Three Counties Showground, Bath & West, Truckfest at Peterborough or whatever is on in your area. Go along and mingle, get stuck in. Tell yourself that you are in a town centre - on another training day.

tis all in the mind, honest :bonk:
 
Hmmm...may have to do another Masterclass...

Warsaw is good BTW - just got back from a weekend there...
 
2blue4u said:
To help build up this experience and alleviate the fear you need to take part in a training session. Keep with me here....... Pick a town, not too far away but one you wouldn't normally go to. Set yourself a time - e.g. the training course will be from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. Prepare yourself and your equipment just as you would for any other course. Drive there and park up in plenty of time. Be early. Grab a Starbucks and soak up the atmosphere. Come 2 o'clock, chuck the coffee and get stuck in. Tell yourself it is a training session and it doesn't matter how it turns out. Tell yourself you won't meet anyone you know - and people that see you today won't see you in the future. They are there like extras on a film set, one that has been set up for this training session.

There is no short cut way. Just get stuck in and do it. But condition your brain that it is a training session and it just doesn't matter what happens. It's all about building up experience and, with it, confidence.



tis all in the mind, honest :bonk:
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Thanks for that. :clap: I have no problem taking pic's when on holiday or there are other photographers around. I'm going to give your suggestion a try, wish me luck.

Di
 
robmiller said:
I never got this. Surely it requires only slightly less balls than taking the photo properly, but looks a thousand times more suspicious?
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Its about not having enough time to put the camera to your eye, having to react very quickly, I dont behave in a suspicious way, its not illegal to take pics in public, also I dont want people to notice me, I dont want any eye contact. When that happens it becomes something else.

To do this you have to remove your thinking from - stop still - eye to camera viewfinder - compose = "taking the photo properly"
 
Defining street photography might do injustice to it's free, liberated and completely non-uniform nature.

Simply put street photography includes any photograph made anywhere in public places. Some people narrow it down to urban settings and some people think there must be people present in these kinds of photos. But the bottom line is that each street photographer will find their own meaning and approach therefore whatever definition they might arrive at will work just as well.

The purpose of street photography will again vary from one street photographer to another. Some photographers are interested in simply and honestly documenting life as they see it, at times adding their own interpretation to the scene. Some want to make artistic photographs of available street scenes and others basically enjoy taking pictures and do it purely for the pleasure of it.

As you probably guessed already the methods of shooting street photographs vary greatly amongst different photographers?

And so clearly street photography has no need for any set of rules and guidelines on HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE, and better be independently created and elaborated by the photographer.


Stay Safe
Sean
 
Dmorton said:
Its about not having enough time to put the camera to your eye, having to react very quickly, I dont behave in a suspicious way, its not illegal to take pics in public, also I dont want people to notice me, I dont want any eye contact. When that happens it becomes something else.

To do this you have to remove your thinking from - stop still - eye to camera viewfinder - compose = "taking the photo properly"
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Not too sure about this - just practice and get better/faster at composing and shooting.
It's far better to take the image properly; i.e. focus, compose etc. than just bang away and hope you get something - you can't really claim to be the author of an image you didn't see when the shutter was pressed.

Richmond has the right idea - treat it all as a 'training session'.
Practice, practice, practice. There's no other way.
 
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