Camouflaged amongst the tourists

[Fawley]

I'm relatively new to street shooting, most of my photography being best described as urban or rural landscape. My biggest problem has always been feeling comfortable enough to be "forward" with the camera. This summer I decided to go to tourist areas, reasoning that if everyone else had a camera, my comfort level would be much improved. I was correct. One location was Chinatown, which I would always have avoided during tourist season; if tourists are taking pictures it can't be serious photography, right? I don't know yet whether this has improved my pictures or not; I don't go through that much film and I am way behind on my developing anyway, but I am convinced it will help me gain the confidence I need to work better in areas where I am more conspicuous. How about other people. Do you have a technique that's working for you?

 

[user237428934]

Exactly the same for me. What also helps is when you make a tour with a photo buddy. You know that someone is there if the persons being photographed don't like this 🙂

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Your idea is a great one: things that relax us help a lot, and that can be a huge difference and give us great shots.

Although I focus too, I have a lot of fun and get more images I like since I prefocus, because I'm ready for real fast shooting... Most interesting situations (street shooting) last for less than 5 seconds, so the camera must be ready and in your hand...

28 and 35 lenses are great for prefocusing: at f/11 and 8 feet, focus goes from near one meter to infinity, so if your shutter speed is set or you have AE, you're ready to shoot... For sun I use 400 film, and for lower light, 3200.

Cheers,

Juan

 

[Fawley]

David Vestal suggests taking beefy friend along. 🙂 But seriously, if I was concerned about getting beat up, I probably wouldn't be there in the first place and if I was, my picture taking would definitely suffer. But its my impression that most people either don't notice or don't object to cameras as much as we think they do. For me, its a matter of gaining the confidence to realize that.

 

[gns]

You could use one of those right angle viewfinder attachments. I think Helen Leavitt used one.

But really, people are usually too busy with their own stuff to care or maybe even notice. It's kind of funny. We are worried about them watching us watching them?

Cheers,
Gary

 

[johannielscom]

Look for the Gary Winogrand clip on YouTube, in it he looks like a new-camera test driving goofball all the time. You can see people have a hard time figuring out whether he's serious or not.

I did that on occasions, and it really helped!

 

[John Elder]

Another good way to get comfortable shooting street and sticking the camera in strangers faces is to go to events that bring alot of people. Parades, food fairs(NYC), Pride events, Protests of any kind, Wash DC on Memorial Day and Veteran's day, etc
Every week I look in the "TO DO" list in the weekend section of the paper and see if there is an event I can go shoot. The more prople there are the easier it is to be comfortable. Finally, you will be able to get to the point where you and the subject are the only 2 people on the street and you have the nerve to cross the street and make a photograph.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I've found that using a 25mm lens and shooting "off-centre" i.e. essentially aiming the camera to one side of the person, is quite do-able. They tend to think you're focussed on the background and pay little attention. Sometimes too you can easily swing the camera at the last second and if you don't have a noisy shutter they're often unaware that you've actually taken the shot. RF's are good for this.

 

[DabCan10]

I completely agree. I'm in Paris right now and every person you pass on the street has at minimum a p+s around their wrist, and the rest have big dslr's around their necks, so when you take a picture of someone, they just think you're a tourist and don't really care. I also find using a film camera makes people think less of the matter. It's like they think a digital will get them posted on the web, but a film camera won't be able to be digitized.

 

[user237428934]

I completely agree. I'm in Paris right now and every person you pass on the street has at minimum a p+s around their wrist, and the rest have big dslr's around their necks, so when you take a picture of someone, they just think you're a tourist and don't really care. I also find using a film camera makes people think less of the matter. It's like they think a digital will get them posted on the web, but a film camera won't be able to be digitized.

You assume that someone notices the difference between a digital and film camera just from looking at the camera-body?. This will only be true if that person is a photo gear head. The rest automatically assumes that it's a digital camera.

 

[Roger Hicks]

You assume that someone notices the difference between a digital and film camera just from looking at the camera-body?. This will only be true if that person is a photo gear head. The rest automatically assumes that it's a digital camera.

Absolutely true for most cameras, though there are exceptions, including (obviously) LF, most MF cameras, and really 'retro' kit like Retinas. And, possibly, Leicas, because 'everyone knows' that Leicas are film cameras. I was at the donkey races at Sauzeau yesterday, and a young lad said to his father, as I was shooting, "C'est un LEICA!" Father nodded wisely...

But I completely agree that hiding among tourists is a great idea. Or come to rural France, where having your picure taken is still a bit of a lark. Actually that's true in most of Europe, still.

When I lived in Cambridge in the early 70s I also found that carrying a camera was a great way of avoiding being asked for directions by all the tourists.

Cheers,

R.

 

[DabCan10]

The other great camouflage is a baby. I usually have my daughter in the stroller when I'm walking around, a dad with a stroller is pretty harmless.

 

[johannielscom]

The other great camouflage is a baby. I usually have my daughter in the stroller when I'm walking around, a dad with a stroller is pretty harmless.

Hm. Guess I gotta borrow someones kid then 😛

 

[user237428934]

Absolutely true for most cameras, though there are exceptions, including (obviously) LF, most MF cameras, and really 'retro' kit like Retinas. And, possibly, Leicas, because 'everyone knows' that Leicas are film cameras. I was at the donkey races at Sauzeau yesterday, and a young lad said to his father, as I was shooting, "C'est un LEICA!" Father nodded wisely...

You are right, I always forget the larger ones.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Hm. Guess I gotta borrow someones kid then 😛

Yes, but do ask first. Mothers get hysterical when men walk off with their infants in pram or stroller.

 

[cidereye]

Whenever I get any dirty/nasty looks after taking a shot I generally either ignore them as if I am totally oblivious to their existence, start examining the camera as if there is some fault with it or if using my M8 look at the rear screen as if I was only browsing through my taken pictures - All depending on circumstance of course. (Situations like that only generally happen when I've been very close such as sat at the next table in a coffee shop or a pub and snapped off a quick frame too.)

But to be honest, that sort of reaction happens so rarely I hardly give it thought these days. You will soon get the hang of it and conquer any fears you may have. Discretion, stealth & speed are the keys I feel and by using a rangefinder you are most of the way there before you even take the shot.

As the golfer Gary Player famously once said:- "The more I practise the luckier I get." Just do it, confidence will come. Just be positive, I've met some really nice people just by taking their photographs on the street (usually without asking, I rarely ever do ask) and had requests for pictures once processed - Only last week a busker asked me if I minded taking a series of shots of him so he could use them on his MySpace site. 🙂

 

[hitmanh]

When I lived in Cambridge in the early 70s I also found that carrying a camera was a great way of avoiding being asked for directions by all the tourists.

Cheers,

R.

Ah, and it still works today :0)

The problem I have is I like big old clunky medium format cameras with shutters that sound like a minor car crash... neither my Kiev 60 or Hasselblad 553 is exactly subtle, yet I love shooting them.

 

[rxmd]

Ah, and it still works today :0)

The problem I have is I like big old clunky medium format cameras with shutters that sound like a minor car crash... neither my Kiev 60 or Hasselblad 553 is exactly subtle, yet I love shooting them.

So what? Get a backpack, wear outdoor sandals and short trousers, keep a grin on your face, get a female sidekick who looks the same, and your camera noise won't matter at all anymore.

 

[lynnb]

What technique to use depends on the situation. Sometimes that can mean shooting from the waist or hip, preferably with a wide angle in case your framing is a bit off-subject; at other times just being a tourist in your own city openly taking snaps. If you stand in one place for a while people will often get used to you and ignore you. Think about how you would feel if you saw someone taking a photo of you. If the photographer appears harmless you would probably just ignore him/her. I do. It's only when someone behaves strangely that you wonder what they're up to, and look twice.
Taking photographs is one of the most natural things in the world - almost everyone does it. Relax and enjoy yourself.

 

[wgerrard]

Expanding on the notion of hiding among the tourists, I think the same principle applies to any city large enough to have a good number of people on the streets. People who routinely spend time on busy streets are accustomed to ignoring other people. That doesn't mean they will ignore someone who blocks their way and shoves a camera in their face, of course.

Here in the U.S. of A., lots of us live in places where simply being on the street at all provokes a second look. There are precious few people on those streets to be photographed. Taking pictures of them could be interesting: "Police? There's a guy out here walking around on the sidewalk taking pictures of people!"