Personal ethics clash with Street photography


haha.. i use my heavy 70-200 for streets... bcos i have yet to reach tungtong's level of courage yet.. and one thing good about using tele lens is that u can catch them not noticing you, which is good sometimes.. if they are aware, then you might miss something interesting.. and of course soemtimes it is that look or their being aware of your presence that helps alot... street photography is fun... haha...

its fun but the feel is totally different.

can sense the distance btw u and the subject and sometimes more like voyeurism or snipe shoots. ;p

u know? like "Smile! u are on candid camera!"

i still prefer to go close.
 

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
its fun but the feel is totally different.

can sense the distance btw u and the subject and sometimes more like voyeurism or snipe shoots. ;p

u know? like "Smile! u are on candid camera!"

i still prefer to go close.
 

There are a few way to approach Street photography. The most common way is snap first talk later candid shots (I think HCB approach).

However, recent talk by Joe McNally, have showed us that by interacting and getting comfortable with the subjects, photos can be much more intimate without loosing the "street/casual" feel.

Then again, not everyone have street-shooting "personality", dun force yourself there are many other generes of photography to try. ;)
 

I take shooting people on the 'streets' as more a social activity than photography

Usually the first thing I do is .... strangely enough....... PUT THE CAMEA away to one side .... get to know people first ..... THEN if it happens.... it happens.....

z_chat2.jpg


Walking away with some photos is ONE thing.......... walking away with an UNDERSTANDING/Appreciation of a situation and maybe a STORY that is beyond skin-deep and superficial ..... is another

I've tried in my early days to approach these types of street shooting with a purely photographic perspective ...... u know, just get the pics..... I just wasnt any good nor got anywhere with that approach

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: "a world without strangers"...
 

actually as long as it is taken on a street, it can be classified as street photography or something close... so the next point is whether the pic attract attention or not... getting close is of course better.. largely because i know i still can't do it as much as i like, but shooting from far does not mean it won't produce keepers... like i said, sometimes u want a pic where the subject is totally unaware of being snap, and it could be a good one if u r there at the right time.
 

PS: For 'insulting' photos, let's not misunderstood that I took them deliberately, rather, the shutter click + something happened at millisecond = something that looks really weird = something that doesn't tell a story, but rather a freeze frame that look ugly/insulting/not wanted/people will scream you to delete... Hope that clears up the air :D

Then maybe it's not your thing?
 

actually as long as it is taken on a street, it can be classified as street photography or something close... so the next point is whether the pic attract attention or not... getting close is of course better.. largely because i know i still can't do it as much as i like, but shooting from far does not mean it won't produce keepers... like i said, sometimes u want a pic where the subject is totally unaware of being snap, and it could be a good one if u r there at the right time.

That seems to be the consensus of street photography going by some of the opinions here, merely shooting on the street is not enough, you want the reaction!

I guess street photogs more or less want to do what Bruce Gilden is doing, only you can decide whether that is ethically right or wrong.
 

That seems to be the consensus of street photography going by some of the opinions here, merely shooting on the street is not enough, you want the reaction!

I guess street photogs more or less want to do what Bruce Gilden is doing, only you can decide whether that is ethically right or wrong.

ya.. if u want reaction, then u must get noticed... .. actually i got noticed when i used my big fat lens... haha..

for me, as long as the pic is more than a snapshot, i am happy...

for example, i like pics here: http://www.in-public.com/ alot of the pics there are good but not so close..

i will try using uwa some days... i tried it before,.. but not successful..
 

Maybe you should try shooting with a 'Spy Lens'.

It's fun, and it may help you getting what you want in street photogs.

i had fun with it, but sold it :bheart:.. to fund for a markins Q3 ballhead which i bought.

8a7211b.jpg


[youtube]quD0IO8z2oU[/youtube]
 

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Care to share your tips? >_<

haha.. sometimes those ppl just don't notice u.. and u can shoot..

sometimes they notice u and allow u to shoot...

then sometimes, u just need to stay around there for a little longer.. pretend that u r not shooting them.. and then wait for opportunity.. but in some cases they knew u r going to shoot them.. but they can't do anything... i did post one pic in portrait.. the name of the thread is portrait of a stranger... he knew i will shoot him... and he don't appear very pleased... for that pic, i waited till he look away and shoot... but it is not a good pic lah.. now i regret uploading it...

anyway, i am not a good street pg lah.. so i got nothing to offer u.. u must learn from tt... he can even enter house of stranger n shoot... :thumbsup:
 

Maybe you should try shooting with a 'Spy Lens'.

It's fun, and it may help you getting what you want in street photogs.

i had fun with it, but sold it :bheart:.. to fund for a markins Q3 ballhead which i bought.

8a7211b.jpg


[youtube]quD0IO8z2o[/youtube]

wow

eye opening! why is there a hole in the lens? is it very expensive?
:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 

Thanks, appreciate your sharing :)

@ SurrealDreamWalker: Is that a periscope? XD

Not going to such extend to take a photo >_< Oh my...

I've heard of some street photography philosophy such as "Take it, you're taking their expression and that moments", "They might not like it and you might not like it... but hey, many years down the road and looking back at that photos, you'll not regret missing that moment"... stuffs like that... Big hurdle to overcome >_<

Nevertheless, a big thanks to all for the sharing. I hope I could do something to 'balance' between them... Easiest is to go out and shoot, and this Sat seemed to be a good day for that :D

I.... hope I'll still... be alive to reply this thread (hope that nobody bashes me up then) T_T
 

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@ sfoto100: It is not expensive. The hole at the side is to shoot the un-suspecting subject while giving a false impression that you're shooting in front ;)
This lens can be rotated. There is a mirror inside it.

[youtube]quD0IO8z2oU[/youtube]


@ PaulKami: Something like that ;) But really it is FUN! It's good for people like ourselves who has no guts to shoot like Bruce Gilden, and to retain that emo-candid moment of the subject without being confronted later :cool: You should get this lens!

Will post some shots later tonight when i reach home :)
 

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"A smile defuses a lot of situations" :)

I think there's no rule in street photography, every situation is different. You have to judge for yourself what is appropriate behaviour, and what best reflects your style. I prefer not to upset people. I always try to do it stealth, but if I'm being noticed – I’d smile and nod. If they give an indication they don't want their picture taken, I don't. I move on to the next person. Empathy and being able to read body language are important.
 

yeah i know ... make it a 2-3 person group shoot :p

RF.SG is holding a outing at Chinatown, you are most welcome to join!

No RF camera also doesnt matter ;)

Icy said:
"A smile defuses a lot of situations"

I think there's no rule in street photography, every situation is different. You have to judge for yourself what is appropriate behaviour, and what best reflects your style. I prefer not to upset people. I always try to do it stealth, but if I'm being noticed &#8211; I&#8217;d smile and nod. If they give an indication they don't want their picture taken, I don't. I move on to the next person. Empathy and being able to read body language are important.

Well said. :thumbsup: Every different situation deserves a different approach.

Sometimes, it pays to lurk around, after awhile you just sort of blend in naturally into the crowd & you can go about shooting.
Something like this one in little india:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/5254071613/

Somedays, while walking around, you see observe interesting people, doing interesting things, just dive in & take the picture & make your exit by walking away.

Agressive looking people like this one, if you such ones from far, frame him visually in your mind, go up, based on my experience, you got 2 seconds of shock from them, so shoot fast & choose your exit point fast:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/5241593484/
he was shouting at the top of his lungs after I shot this one......

There are also subjects which are on the street that cant run away because they are held up with something e.g. those queuing to buy HDB / in a queue to get Jay chou to sign CD etc.heehee, shoot & move on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/5296785953/


The best kind is being up close & they still dont know, just shoot & prob after when you turned around & leave, the realise you shot them:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/5290192901/


I respect tungtung alot for being able to enter peeps houses to shoot! that one is seriously master level!

I've yet to reach the level where I chat with my "victims" yet sometimes yes but most of the time I snap & move on, I dont even know if I got the shot or not till I get home & develope the film

lol! Sorry for sharing all my nonesense, working late in the office, need to de-stress abit
 

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