Bruce Gilden's tactics, repurcussions

Yes, lets go around shooting people cause he took my picture, with a flash!!!!! 😱 😀

Plenty of people in NY and NJ own and carry , even though its illegal.. Plenty.
 
John Rountree said:
I showed my students a YouTube video of Bruce Gilden working the streets of Manhattan. The question arose about his personal safety when taking photographs in such an invasive way. Does anyone know if Gilden has ever been assaulted as a result of the way he takes pictures?
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I am curious if you made any reference to his Haitian refugee photo series, his foreclosure series, or his commercial work which puts bread on his table? I would hate to think of students knowledge of a significant photographer be limited to what is on YouTube.

Don't laugh. There are people here who think he gets paid big bucks for his street photography or that he pops out behind a bush with a flash to photograph earthquake victims in Haiti.
 
I must admit, I didn't read through everyone's post. From what I understand, Bruce Gilden is not a Street Photographer. He is a photographer. period.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
In New York, guns are illegal to own, carry, or use. In Most of the rest of the USA, guns are legal to own, carry, and use. In Indiana, someone would just shoot him, and his large size wouldn't do a thing to protect him. Half the people here have concealed carry permits, and a lot of others carry (illegally) without one!
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What about the photo series he did in Detroit?
 
jamesbf said:
What about the photo series he did in Detroit?
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The stuff he did in Detroit was photojournalism and was respectful of his subjects. Big difference. He's a talented journalist. I think its a shame, and a sign of how f--ked up our world is, that he has become famous for work that is frankly garbage, while his truly great work is virtually unknown.
 
Jack the Ripper's work was outstanding; so what?

It's not photography; it's assault by someone who appears to be a real jerk. Isn't it sad that he gets any attention at all?

What's wrong with you people? I feel dirty just posting in this thread.
 
250swb said:
Ahh, the old invisible photographer delusion.

Maybe thats what rubs some camera users up the wrong way, he is not under the illusion that being there and making a photograph is a neutral act. Instead he takes responsibility for his actions instead of lurking.
[...]
Its not much different to Martin Parr's work, each chooses to say 'I'm here', an honest approach considering the stealth techniques some people adopt in the name of street photography.
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I understand that "Hey, I am here" approach. Personally I like the fact of being noticable when using a flash instead of taking sneaky stealth photos, but it ironically can really get you into trouble. My last experience was on a dancefloor while a rockabilly band was on stage. Most people were really comfortable (close up, flash) and if someone wanted his/her picture deleted, no problem with me. But later I ran into a confrontation with a young lady that resulted in a cigarette extinguished on the camera display and a trashed memory card. 🙄 It turned out that her father was a photographer and I guess that somehow was not a pleasurable experience for her. So now: still life, landscape, ...
 
nice find

nice find

I think this is the video clip the OP should show his class.

Then perhaps ask the class: Does anyone think any of his subjects didn't just think "asshole" or some similar description after he jumped in their faces with a flash and took his "street" photo??


Roma said:
Not sure if anyone posted it, but in this video he gets attacked by a girl.
When you get to the site, just click "Bruce Gilden Interview":

http://www.everybodystreet.com/
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Notice that the videographer guys in these videos can remain seemingly invisible. Even while the photographer gets called out for not asking, there's no mention of deleting images captured by the video.

Like an act of nature,
Bruce moves in fast and strikes, a brief thunderstorm flashes and booms, and then moves on leaving a whiff of ionized air.
 
It seems this comes up, reliably, every few months and the usual huffs of derision come out...over and over and over again.

To what point?

As has been mentioned, he has a big body of other work. He's also a solid member of Magnum...let me know when anyone else here can make that claim.

His street work makes him like a modern day Weegee, is the impression I get. Anyway, it's an opportunity to think about what we do and why.
 
I saw a blog which asked the question "Bruce Gilden - Arsehole or genius?"

My vote goes to the former at least in his street photos. I do not like his style of working nor do I really like the results.

Most of his street photos are really very ordinary in my view. In fact they have a kind of awful similarity about them - close up shots of some poor sucker or other, often with a look on their puss that screams "What's this guy doing and whats this thing he is shoving in my face." His style of working is designed to p*ss people off.

Plenty of others disagree of course - at least about the results. But then again call me odd - I like photos have something interesting in them.
 
Why so much ire over the way someone chooses to work? Does he come over to your house and berate you for shooting without flash, and from your hiding place behind a bush? 🙄
 
Is this street photography? Or is it horsesh*t?😀
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Disaster_Area said:
Not every picture taken on a street is "street photography", if for instance you shot a wedding or a fashion shoot outside on a street, it wouldn't be considered street photography. I don't know of any official definition, but the general consensus seems to be that Street Photography is the art of capturing life on the streets in "natural" way... ie as if the photographer was invisible. Every photographer is going to change the reactions of people around him to some degree, unless you're using some kind of spy camera... but Bruce induces such an unnatural reaction, and even stages shots to a point where I don't feel he's describing life on the streets, he's creating something that wasn't there before.
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