Personal ethics clash with Street photography

[edutilos-]

Can anyone offer me their advise on street photography? Feel quite shitty about it

I think as long as you don't:

1) make anyone uncomfortable
2) shoot people and then laugh at them and tell them that you are entitled to shoot them if they are angry
3) make anyone upset

You'll be fine.

Most times, a lot of the people making noise about so-and-so being uncomfortable are not the people being photographed. Some are making noise out of genuine concern, others are making noise to feel like they have a moral higher ground. Learn to explain yourself (if you feel the need to) to the first group, learn to ignore the second as noise. I think being sensitive and streetsmart are skills that you have to develop by yourself. The two are separate.

One has to do with respecting your subject. Would you wnat to wave a photo around if the person you had shot was unhappy about it, despite all the laws in the world supporting you? I won't.

The other has to do with protecting yourself. Waving a good photo around would make no sense if you end up getting beaten up, getting detained, getting a black eye for it. Observance of body language, knowing how to react to people confronting you because you misjudged... Street photography is not just about taking photos, it is about blending in, observing people's behaviour, knowing how to get it without being intrusive.

And yes, I can't say I ever agreed with Bruce Gilden's style.

 

[ongmy]

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.

[youtube]quD0IO8z2oU[/youtube]

wow wow...eye opener.seems fun..soo....where did you get it? rough price range?

 

[SurrealDreamWalker]

wow wow...eye opener.seems fun..soo....where did you get it? rough price range?

@ ongmy: i got it from a fellow CS-er in the BnS last year. You may have to order it online @ http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/candid-photography-spy-lens/

Cheers!

 

[idi0tekue]

for me i shoot people when they are too engrossed in something and I become invisible to them.

Another way to be stealthy when shooting upclose is to be fluid with your movements. Bring the camera up slowly, or leave it at face level before bringing it up. People notice your body movements first before noticing your camera. I think the size of your camera plays a lesser part in being stealthy, than your body movements.

 

[PaulKami]

Thanks for the share, really appreciate it >_<

I actually went to china town to practice a little... actually quite lame lah... was with a group of friends @ McDonalds, and playing around with my camera... What happened is that, I've my camera set to AF-C and my fingers on the shuttle half-pressed all the time, while pretending to engross with my friend's conversation...

When someone walk passed, I'll just move my camera around and snapped... (of course, with the guilt too )

Caught many photos that expressed nothing, and majority of them are missed shots... but one caught my attention:

This man looks like he's having a worrisome thoughts while walking... I wonder what he's thinking... I hope I can understand too as I, too, have too many things to worry about and times I also walk with such expression too...

Many a times I wanna give up doing such things that makes me uncomfortable... But the motivation to fight on is to take photo that catches people's expression at that point of time... For some reasons ironically, that what makes me interested in street photography

 

[Odyssey-Boy]

Be a little more thick skin, and if you don't have the courage, I would suggest to shoot in a group let's say around 3-4 guys together. In that way you will feel much comfortable and less tense when shooting, which makes your shooting session an enjoyable session.

 

[allenleonhart]

well... it seems almost like street is totally opposite to the documentary approach that i'm used too.

street seems like just going up to whack...

documentary is like will spend some time interact, and still getting the natural looking shot...

interesting...

 

[SurrealDreamWalker]

As promised, these 2 street-photogs @ orchard Rd were shot with the Spy lens

#1 (this shot was taken secretly side-way at this 'Mat-Rocker' coming down the stairway from where i was standing)

#2 (this shot was secretly taken side-way too on the street as i saw this 'Rocker-Chick' walking towards me)