Camouflaged amongst the tourists

if you are not a confrontational type then a wide angle definately helps, the wider the better, don't make eye contact and look past the subject into the background as if you never noticed them. It is very much a cultural thing, in Europe people get very defensive and even abusive at their image being 'stolen', Paris and London particularly. By the time you get into the near and far east, you are practically obliged to take pictures of strangers... In London this past year or so photographers have had many issues with the police for photographing in public spaces, such is the sense of paranoia: last year a pro photographer was arrested and detained under the prevention of terrorism act, for taking pictures of their friends wedding guests arriving for a reception. Local knowledge is important, in the UK taking images with any children in frame is also a very sensitive issue too.
 
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Man, a lot of posts can happen when your aren't looking. I was doing darkroom work most of the day yesterday and I checked the main page a few times, but never saw any responses after Juan's. Thanks for the responses everybody. The comments about working crowded and special events, prefocusing etc are good ones. I am actually useing the tourist thing to get better in crowded streets. When I have worked in downtown streets in the past, I have felt a little off balance and not quite as brave as I need to be. I have to work on lynnb's suggestion of feeling natural and therefore looking harmless. I very recently discovered the off center short focus lense shot as Leigh suggested below. I own a 28mm in an SLR but unfortunately not a rangefinder.

Leigh Youdale said:
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.
Click to expand...
 
johnnygulliver said:
if you are not a confrontational type then a wide angle definately helps, the wider the better, don't make eye contact and look past the subject into the background as if you never noticed them. It is very much a cultural thing, in Europe people get very defensive and even abusive at their image being 'stolen', Paris and London particularly. By the time you get into the near and far east, you are practically obliged to take pictures of strangers... In London this past year or so photographers have had many issues with the police for photographing in public spaces, such is the sense of paranoia: last year a pro photographer was arrested and detained under the prevention of terrorism act, for taking pictures of their friends wedding guests arriving for a reception. Local knowledge is important, in the UK taking images with any children in frame is also a very sensitive issue too.
Click to expand...

Sorry, disagree. The UK, certainly -- the South East in particular seems to contain far more than its fair share of miserable paranoiacs -- and Paris maybe, but just about everywhere else I go in Europe (and I travel a LOT) there are very, very few problems. I think the last time anyone got funny was in Arles about 18 months ago: she may have been a minor celebrity labouring under the delusion that I knew or cared who she was. I have yet to have any problems in Central and Eastern Europe, Greece, Spain, Portugal... I'm not saying it can't happen: Juan had a problem recently in Spain. I'm just saying that as a rule, people don't 'get very defensive and even abusive'.

Also not sure what you mean about 'By the time you get into the near and far east, you are practically obliged to take pictures of strangers...'

Cheers,

R.
 
I personally believe that the level of self confidence one exudes is very important. If one believes there is no problem with them photographing, that attitude is subconsciously transmitted to subjects. If one has thoughts of a problem arising, there is potential of it becoming a self fulfilling prophecy.

I am just not very good at pulling off deception. It always shows.
 
paulfish4570 said:
It would be a trip to watch buzzardkid in his Johnny Cash black work the streets in a sub-tropical tourist spot ... 🙂
Click to expand...

Oh I got shorts too, you'll never guess the color they are 😀
I might change into the very occasional really wild Aloha shirt, but the black pants don't come off 😉

I did maskerade as a homeless fellow in London though, and that helped too. Baggy jacket with gear stuffed in pockets, bag no, unshaven yes, etc.
 
Bob Michaels said:
I personally believe that the level of self confidence one exudes is very important. If one believes there is no problem with them photographing, that attitude is subconsciously transmitted to subjects. If one has thoughts of a problem arising, there is potential of it becoming a self fulfilling prophecy.

I am just not very good at pulling off deception. It always shows.
Click to expand...


There is an interesting show on TV for dog owners/lovers called The Dog Whisperer. It's all about giving off a calm assertive energy. It is amazing how well it works.
 
Juan Valdenebro said:
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..
Juan
Click to expand...

This is a whole other technique that I don't know if I will ever master. I don't know how Cartier-Bresson did it, the whole anticipating a moment thing. Many times I've been walking along camera in hand, seen a situation that would be great, but by the time I have actually realized that, the moment is gone before I even get the camera up to my face. Maybe I'm going to have to try the shoot from the hip thing.🙂 One thing working like this does do is tune you into your surroundings much more, which I guess is a good life skill in itself even if it doesn't translate into that many good photos.
 
Counterclockwise

Counterclockwise

Hi, when travelling i never look like a tourist and when shooting in my hometown always look like one, it´s very helpfull against paranoids.

bye!
 
Roger, many thanks for that valid comment, but do I sense you do agree with me a little? I apologise if maybe I greatly overstated my case to make a point and to illustrate the real difference I have sometimes experienced between cultures. Also, for me, public reaction does often depend on what type of street/documentary photography and which 'districts' one is moving in, especially outside the normal tourist routes, when one can become an object of curiosity - both good and bad. I also travel a lot in Europe but also India, South America, Taiwan, China, Japan and have many times been asked to be photographed in turn photograph people, hence my (somewhat tongue in cheek comment). By contrast, in north Afrika, I found people for whom photography was tabu, and one naturally left it out. Bob's is a very wise contribution, two different photographers in the same situation can invoke a very different response indeed, it is not the kit, but the person behind and in front of the camera that makes the picture sing...
 
For street shooting, pre-set exposure (sunny-16, or meter) or use an auto exposure camera. Also pre-set focus to how far you anticipate being from a subject. This will depend on the situation/context of what/where you are shooting, and how crowded it is. Use a wide lens (35, 28, or 21), use a small aperture (f8, 11, 16) and let DOF take care of any discrepancy between the pre-set focused distance and the actual subject distance. You can see this range using the printed f-stops on the lens barrel. Practise.
 
Johan, black is one of my favorite colors. My 250cc scooter, helmet, both jackets and gloves are black.

Another trick to street shooting is looking over your live subjects' head, and maybe pointing that way, if the subjects hear your shot and look your way. It is my experience that the subjects will then apologize for being in your way. I always say, "No, no, you're not in my way at all," then go back to shooting ... 🙂
 
One of the biggest differences between an experienced street shooter and a learner is that the experienced photographer has the camera exposure and focus pre-set, needing to raise the camera to his eye for only a brief moment to frame and shoot, while the learner usually has the camera to his eye for 1/2 minute to set or check the exposure (chasing the needle) and to focus. Many street "moments" are lost during this time. And subjects become uncomfortable having a camera trained on them for several seconds.

Pre-focusing can be done using the distance scale on the lens, or by focusing on an alternative/stand-in subject the same distance as the intended subject.
 
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foodiusmaximus said:
I sorta shoot street. I try, I really do. Lets examine a few masters:


Bruce Gilden, up in your face, up in your business:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBARi09je8&feature=related

Joe Wigfall, subtle and hyper aware of where his hands are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-IOEAlBpSo&feature=channel

Major Deegan, total wtf'ery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WClsY7I4vPw&feature=channel
Click to expand...

Interestingly, Bruce Gilden is also the only one who uses a rangefinder, the other two use digital compacts and DSLRs... And even Bruce Gilden might use just about any camera with his technique.
 
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