can it be street if shot with a 70-210 zoom?

I don't think focal length has anything to do w/ the quality of shots, and I prefer to have little to no interaction w/ the subject because in nearly all cases it results in them looking right at the camera. Not what I'm after. I prefer to not be in the mix at all, just capture it as it happens. But I dislike using long lenses on the streets so I usually just crop what I was interested in. There's no doubt in my mind that you can capture some great shots w/ long lenses at events and on the street. They just won't be shot by me because I dislike the attention they attract to the photographer.
 
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It is street, but the truth is that most of the great street photos being taken are done with a 50mm or less. The kind of 'distance' a super-zoom gives.. the image doesn't feel right to many viewers of the photo, people do feel distanced from the scene itself. But that said and as others have pointed out, a bit of imagination from the photographer can produce some very great images with zooms.
 
Im just going to say no. You really have to be in amongst the people, not overlooking from a distance. The angle of view of a 200mm lens is that narrow that unless you are significantly far away, it will usually be a single-person candid portrait anyway.
 
long lenses allow street...portraiture?
Head shots with blurred background, that's what I call portraits. Just studio backdrops are replaced with natural background which isn't too disturbing because of focal length+aperture. Some people just don't have studio or access to such!
 
Well a good thing I read this thread.

This is NOT a street photograph:


(Above unframed, HipShot)

But this is:

picture.php

(Above framed)

Or- Street Photography is Candid Photography of people on the street. There is no magical FOV that turns it into street photography. Any camera can be used. As for the comment that perverts would use long lenses for street photography, the case that I know about was done with a Cell Phone carried at an angle to take pictures up girl's skirts. They did not use a long telephoto for it.
 
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Connection between the subject and photographer?

Who said that this is needed in street photography?

I bet it's a photographer from the 1930's to 1950's...

In those days, cameras were relatively a new thing to the masses. The masses are "innocent" of what a photograph can do, that's why you can get truthful images even if the subject knows he/she is being photographed.

Today, point a camera at some random human being and their reaction can range from complete acceptence to complete annoyance. Heck some even call brandishing a camera "suspicious activity". Some would even place negative connotations as to how you're going to use the photograph.

Street photography with long tele-zooms? Completely acceptable for me. It's called photographing people in their natural habitat.
 
igi said:
It's called photographing people in their natural habitat.
Click to expand...

Watch as Jim slowly approaches his subject, Ohh looks like Jim's been spotted,,,,yesss it looks like he's going to charge. Quick Jim run away run away.

Join me Marlin Perkin's on this week's Wild Wild Kingdom
 
I thought those lenses were used for shooting Rocky Mountain sheep or eagles where a photographer can't reach the ledge the subject is standing on without falling down the mountain and dying. I've heard that even these photographers have debates regarding the use of a 50mm when possible.
 
Well obviously, "Street Photography" must contain primarily "Street" in the photograph. We'll define "Street" as urban infrastructure, actual street, buildings, street lights, signs, etc. The "human" subject must be a small percentage of the photographed area.

So: it is not dependent on field-of-view of the lens used, but more the human/street ratio. To determine if any single image is a street photograph, integrate the surface area of the human subjects and divide by total area of the image. Sky is allowed. If this ratio exceeds 0.09 (9%), it is not a street photograph. Long lenses put you at a disadvantage as they are likely to increase this ratio as you tend to focus on an individual subject.

And, you cannot use a digital camera, color film, SLR, or any camera with a manufacturer's name that does not begin with "L".
 
They will have to make up a new name for their style of photography, please direct them to this thread.
 
Yes, THAT is different.

I was going to say "Acros Street Photography" for the purist.

No one states that "Portrait Photograhy" can only be done using lenses between 75mm and 105mm. It is too exclusive of the use of the term. The style of the photography is more important than the equipment used.
 
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"I hate the term street photography, its stupid, I mean, I shot a lot in the zoo, is that make me a zoo photographer..." -Winogrand
 
Sure you can shoot street with a longer lens. While I prefer a lens in the 24-50mm range (or equivalent) some of my best work has been with an 85mm or 100mm-e lens. A moderate telephoto allows you to isolate a subject more easily, allowing you to pick out subjects in a crowd in a way that you can't with a typical wide-angle.

Note both these shots are from 10-20 feet, hardly across the street.

F2a, Nikkor 85/1.8:


Waiting for the Light by Mawz, on Flickr

Panasonic G1, Canon 50/1.5 LTM (100mm-e)

No Eyes for the Photographers by Mawz, on Flickr
 
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