Street Photography - A Lesson Learning

[Bogotron]

I've been doing street photography for about a year now. Basically, I love it more than anything. I love having a wide angle prime lens prefocused at the ready wherever I go, looking left and right, waiting for the right moment. I love the fact that a great image can come from anywhere, that there are pictures all around us waiting to be taken. I love watching and seeing people. I love getting a photograph quickly and quietly, without anybody noticing. I love getting my film back, getting that one (rare) portfolio shot amongst hundreds of poor to okay to good ones. I love being engaged with the world in this way.

It's a constant learning process. I feel like I've come a long way, but I'm looking to get better. Shooting shooting shooting. I have a deep-seated shyness that I struggle with. I'm a lot gutsier than I used to be, but I still miss occasional shots because I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger. But still, there is progress.

I try to have as much respect as possible for my subject. Shoot quickly and move on, but get the shot. I'm getting a bit thicker skin, which I think is necessary for this type of shooting. You need to own it, to be confident and not ashamed of what you're doing, to feel that you belong on the street and you belong behind the camera. Some people will think you have nefarious intentions, that's part of the game, especially in today's world.

Today I learned a lesson. I spotted a street preacher turning the corner of 7th and H St. I had shot him before ( I spend a LOT of time shooting on that corner), and wasn't seeing many good pictures or feeling that inspired that afternoon when I saw him. I thought "well, maybe I can make some interesting frames", so I followed him a few feet until he set up shop and started doing his thing.

I like to get close to my subjects. Shooting with a 35mm lens, I feel it's a relative necessity. I was standing a few feet away from him as he was moving back and forth (he has incredible energy); he was actually pretty hard to shoot, as since the light wasn't so great I couldn't just rely on scale focusing. He was at the bus stop, and there were people on the far wall listening, and there was me standing next to him shooting. I got a few frames that I thought might have been worthwhile.

A few of the folks who were listening took exception to what I was doing and made it known, telling me to stop shooting and that I obviously thought he was a "clown" and making a spectacle of him. I didn't feel that way at all, but looking at it from an outsider's point of view, I understand why they felt that way about this weird dude who was all up in the street preacher's business, snapping pictures.

Thinking back, I believe I know where I went wrong. I don't know if I could have completely won over people who would have been annoyed with someone snapping pictures in that scenario. I couldn't have been completely inconspicuous, as there was nowhere to hide. But what I didn't do was warm up to my subject, to stand back and wait for the moments to present themselves, to be more a part of the scene and less a part of the spectacle. To maybe not be so close, or not linger so closely. Sometimes it's okay to throw the camera in someone's face, other times not. It wasn't okay in this instance, I don't think. It's a delicate balance, to get the shot while being unobtrusive and respectful. I failed.

Anyway, while I was momentarily discouraged today, I'll be back on the street with my camera tomorrow, where I'm sure there will be more lessons to learn.

Thanks to anyone who bothered to read this! Anyone have any similar lessons to share?

Best

Mike

 

[gerbilthemistake]

Good read, Seems like your intentions and reason for wanting to take the photo was good and not at all disrespectful. I wouldn't worry about it too much, people often jump to assumptions without knowing the complete story. Your awareness of the situation and the ability to step away and look at it from their point of view shows that you are compassionate and all is ok.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Mike,

Nice posting!

Warming up and being part of the scene... You're so right!

It's necessary for those times we want to shoot for some time and not just snap and go...

Thanks for sharing your episode and thoughts!

Cheers,

Juan

 

[DNG]

I hear ya

I too like Street Candid Photography. I find with my RF, I use a 28 more than a 35.. (BW image is with 35 though), It allows me to get close and still get a full body image. BUT, I am a walker...that is, I just walk and aim my camera in the direction I need to and take a photo (at waist level).

The other day I took my DSLR out with a 70-300.... Yup I did.
But, I changed my style a bit. I might find someone on a bench, I would stand about 50 feet away and take s few photos. (in plain sight)

I did get some looks also.
But, I have just as much right (on Publicly Owned Land) to be there too.

I make it a point to be friendly and I don't hide behind anything.
I wear cloths that don't make me look like a crackhead.

I don't hide my camera when I am not using it.

 

[easyrider]

Since the advent of digital and the Inertnet people have become much more sensitive about having their photos taken.

I avoid shooting children and don't post those of friends that I do shoot on the Net or even on my web pages.

Recently I took some shots of a badly parked truck in my neighbourhood and a guy coming out of Starbucks who was in the shot chased me to tell that what I was doing was illegal. (It's not, of course.) Another time shooting a construction site, a foreman came out to ask that I don't show faces of his workers in the shots. I obliged, of course.

Some nice shots in your portfolio, Bogotron.

 

[DNG]

Since the advent of digital and the Inertnet people have become much more sensitive about having their photos taken.

I avoid shooting children and don't post those of friends that I do shoot on the Net or even on my web pages.

Recently I took some shots of a badly parked truck in my neighbourhood and a guy coming out of Starbucks who was in the shot chased me to tell that what I was doing was illegal. (It's not, of course.) Another time shooting a construction site, a foreman came out to ask that I don't show faces of his workers in the shots. I obliged, of course.

Some nice shots in your portfolio, Bogotron.

YES, No Children candid at all... unless they are yours 😉

 

[Bogotron]

Thanks, all, for reading, and for your feedback. I was a little unnerved by the experience and disappointed in myself (though if that's the worst thing that I encounter while photographing I'll be a lucky man...I did have one person threaten to punch me in the face one time).

I'll usually avoid shooting children, but if a child is part of a great scene or a great shot I'll do my best to get it. I was doing hip shooting as well at one time (especially in the Metro), but I got too many throwaway frames, so now I always look through the viewfinder.

 

[Sine]

Hi Mike, thanks for posting this! Street has to be the toughest kind of photography to crack, precisely because it's always skirting the edge of being invasive. I'm just getting my feet wet with street at the moment - planning to be downtown DC tomorrow to burn a few rolls actually, so let me know if you want to meet up somewhere.

Anyway, I was really impressed by your portfolio. Chinatown is probably a good place to shoot; it's always busy especially in the summer. Really nice colors as well, what sort of color films do you use?

-Phil

 

[Bogotron]

Hi Sine, thanks for the response. Of all the places I've shot, Chinatown is the one I keep coming back to (though I have to consciously avoid it some days just to re-set my eyes). Feel free to send a PM, I work downtown and usually take lunches around noon to shoot, and I also do some shooting after 6 when I get out.

I really like Portra 400 VC, but as it is quite expensive I've been shooting Kodak Gold 400. It is also a surprisingly good film, and cheap.

 

[typhillips]

If the preacher wasn't bothered, you weren't out of line at all. The people making the comments are the rude ones.

I definitely sympathize with the mixed feelings you have about it, though. I make a point to try and get out of my comfort zone as much as possible when I shoot on the street (not that I always succeed - sometimes I simply lack the balls). I try to be nonchalant and confident at the same time. I also do the "smile and nod". That often helps.

You have some great shots on your Flickr page, which I was just checking out. Keep on!!

 

[xxloverxx]

Those people making comments were doing what you were — they were expressing themselves. If what you were doing was out of line, they weren't any better.

 

[Sparrow]

Preachers are fair game I think, and a good place to start




I find I need to "play myself in", like batting in a cricket match, walk slowly or hang about an area until I feel sort of a sense of ownership or entitlement, I find it much easier to overcome my English reserve that way

 

[Luna]

Everyone has to develop their own ethics for street photography.

For me, I follow the rule of ...
"Unlike sex, in photography, no means yes."

 

[OurManInTangier]

Photographing on the streets is all about learning. With everything being so fluid from situations, lighting, attitudes, your interaction or lack of right down to whether your eye is 'in' that day or you're feeling less confident than you'd expect. It all changes both day to day but also fraction of a second by fraction of a second - I think this is a huge part of the thrill for those of us that like to do this kind of thing.

The biggest learning curve for me, or perhaps the one that makes the most difference to me, was understanding where my boundaries of conscience lay; again on a situation by situation basis. What am I comfortable doing and what will make me feel that I am abusing an individual or no longer poking fun at us as people but rather more poking fun at an individual.

A big part of this is doing exactly what you have done Mike, to sit back at the end of the day and think through what has occured, ponder on why things turned out as they did, what may have changed a situation etc etc. I don't believe this gives us any greater level of control over events but allows us to understand where things may be heading. With understanding like that we may get both better pictures and avoid the nastier or more unnessary confrontations.

I had a look at you porfolio, good stuff. I'm also jealous of all the good light in many of your shots. I'm about to go out shooting but its flat, grey and dull...oh for some funky shadows to play with 😀

 

[Joao]

Good post, you have raised a good point.
Some years ago, in Senegal, I was taking pictures of those many hand-painted signs they have everywhere in the shops (barbers, tailors, etc), you still find them in small streets of the outskirts of major African cities. Beautiful colours, naïf drawings, carefully painted lettering. People inside the shops thought I was taking pictures of those signs as a kind of mockery, as if in some way, they were ridiculous. On the contrary, I was doing it with respect, as I really consider those signs a dying form of expression: in some years those shops will have plastic and neon signs, machine-made lettering, similar to many other shops anywhere on the planet. And the beautiful shop signs, unique and made by skilled human hands, will be thrown away. It was very hard to convince the shop owners of my motivation…
Joao

 

[gb hill]

As one who has both preached on the streets as well as photographed on the streets I can say from the street preacher POV that you don't need to feel like you did anything wrong. MOF I'm sure you were felt quite welcome. The preacher, I'm sure just figured you were sitting on the front row!😀 Your color work gives street a different perspective, nice work! I haven't shot any street in a while. I need to get back out on the street. I was in DC last year for the tea party rally. I went mainly to shoot, took my Bessa R & L with the 25/4. It was fun! Hope to get back up there again when there isn't anything going on.

 

[Michael Markey]

I too have been guilty of taking advantage of their good will .

 

[Jaques H]

Good post, you have raised a good point.
Some years ago, in Senegal, I was taking pictures of those many hand-painted signs they have everywhere in the shops (barbers, tailors, etc), you still find them in small streets of the outskirts of major African cities. Beautiful colours, naïf drawings, carefully painted lettering. People inside the shops thought I was taking pictures of those signs as a kind of mockery, as if in some way, they were ridiculous. On the contrary, I was doing it with respect, as I really consider those signs a dying form of expression: in some years those shops will have plastic and neon signs, machine-made lettering, similar to many other shops anywhere on the planet. And the beautiful shop signs, unique and made by skilled human hands, will be thrown away. It was very hard to convince the shop owners of my motivation…
Joao

Please do not change default colors for text.

 

[aad]

Try talking to the preacher. I've made many friends with the folk who work the streets. Also found the ones to avoid.

 

[Spyro]

Ι've never had any confrontations in the street personally, but I'm 6'5" 130kg and not a big fan of shaving, maybe thats got something to do with it 😛
Often people apologise for getting in my shot though LOL

But seriously, you have to be quick and efficient. You have to know your lens and learn to see with your hands a little bit, you cant afford to take your time framing. A lot of good street photography is done like that. For example I was looking at Stan Raucher's work today, good stuff. You can tell that a lot of his photos are made from somewhere between his lap and his chin, particularly his "metro" and "Parisian gestures" series. Unless he is reeeeally short LOL Sometimes you have to do this to get your shot.