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

back alley said:
amazingly insightful thread...along with some incredibly dogmatic comments...

my original post was a semi rant and an honest plea for some insight...i see some of the local boys trying to be better street shooters and they use auto dslr rigs and long lenses for the most part.

what they get, in terms of images, are street head and shoulder shots and this has been driving me up the wall. yes, it's my problem that it makes me crazy...but to me it's not street photography...it's portraiture, done on the street.

some of the examples presented here, especially greg's, have shown me that street shooting with a long lens can still tell a story and involve the viewer enough to make brian want to know about the lost little girl...that makes me very happy.

FOR ME, street shooting is also about being a part of the scene that i am shooting and usually means shorter lenses and being physically closer to the people in that scene. i am close enough to many of my subjects to touch them while shooting. (i do try to stay away from the touching part though, ;))

many thanks for the sincere comments and thought put into them.

joe
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I'm in shock ... you used capitals! :eek:
 
Thanks Back Alley.

While I still use long glass to shoot on the street, it is but one tool in the bag/over the shoulder so to speak.
Call me old school, but I still try to shoot everything as if it was a photo essay. It's how I was taught, not to mention that I grew up reading Life magazine and National Geographic :).

One of the things that I learned is that a solid close-up is a vital part of a photo essay. And so in that context, it makes sense to use telephotos. And fish-eyes and wide angles and 50 mm ...00.

Some people have made the point that close-ups with a tele are not street photography, they're portraiture. Fair enough. However, the things is, unlike what is considered to be portraiture, my full body, head and shoulder shots and extreme close-ups are not set up in any way, shape or form. And are only one shot in a set, part of a given photo essay on the street.
 
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rondo said:
well i realize you use the word "hunt" in a derogatory way, but many good street photographers were essentially hunters. One can find many good videos on youtube showing the big names in action.
Street photography has to be about being alert, good observation and very quick action: very much like hunting. You may interact or not, challenge them, engage them or just observe...no single right approach there...
But tele is inappropriate, I would say....If street photography is about catching a segment of social life, isolating it from the context makes very little sense. I find those people portraits with stereotypical expressions extremely boring: but the very same person's interaction with the city, and capturing their reaction to a situation, or another person can be very interesting. That would require you to be in the midst of things...Not enough tension and energy when you are a distant observer with a shallow depth of field...
This is probably the single most difficult kind of photography.
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Ok, I will happily contradict myself, just found this, and i think it is a long lens.

klein_macys.jpg
 
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Let me ask a question: Is there a calculation method to determine the focal length of a photograph? With all the digital technology you would think it might be possible...but who knows? Maybe this is a question for a separate thread.
 
I got a headache reading this thread...thank goodness for the humor.

Sheesh, a cat herder couldn't keep up with this discussion as it has not yet been established on RFF what constitutes photography; photographer; art; or in this case STREET photography....;)
 
Okay Dave, then why don't you define all those things for us? I'm sure everyone will agree :D.



Nikkor 300 2.8 IF-ED AIS on F2AS on Tri-X (sorry about my toes holding the curled print down)

Taken on the first Earth Day in Calgary, Canada.
 
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Gregory, it is not my problem, I am happy with my own definitions and understanding. To try to find concensus among all these definitions is not really possible. It is an interesting thread indeed to see all different perspectives.:angel: Having used long lenses with my Nikons for years, I see no problem with calling it "street photography". Besides, it is the photographer's own definition that matters to him anyway. Your wonderful images are an example of that.

I am enjoying the humorous posts and that is enough.:D
 
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Thanks Dave. Very nice of you to comment on my work. I would like to see more of your work.

I completely agree about the definitions. "I am what I say I am" or more importantly, "I am what I do." And I'm good with being called a zoo photographer, dumpster photographer, abstract photographer ...OO. So long as the word photographer gets in there, I'm good.

And again, any discussion on street photography, IMO, is a good thing.
Kind of reminds me of that expression, "It doesn't matter what they say as long as they're talking."
 
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This was shot with a P&S with a 300mm equivalent focal length. Works for me. Frankly, I think shooting with a longer lens gets you more honest shots of people. You are still part of the scene but at a discreet distance. The notion that you have to be in someone's face for street photography cred is hooey.

Downtown%20Twin%20Falls%2011-4-09%20064.jpg
 
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O Canada

Nikkor 300 2.8 IF ED AIS on FM2 100 ASA film








Nikkor 135 2.0 AIS on F3T on Kodachrome




Nikkor 300 2.8 IF-ED AIS on F2AS taken with Kodachrome 64

I agree about getting into people faces on the street. Sometimes it can be a little creepy and intrusive.









Not at all like photographing some one with a 300 2.8 IF ED AIS and a FM2 with moter drive sleeping in a park :)


Nikkor 300 2.8 IF-ED AIS on FM2 and Kodachrome 64
 
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Nikkor 300 2.8 IF-ED AIS on F2AS on Tri-X

"Konica and a bottle of wine"

I wanted to share this one for Back Alley :angel:. Telling a story with a telephoto on the street is not always easy. I went digging in my boxes for this one because to me, it really tells a story.

On a personal note, I took several from the ground and they were okay. But still not satisfied (I never am), I ended up running up four stories on a rusty metal staircase on the building beside the dumpster and the impromptu living-room scene and leaned over the rail to get this shot.

This shot was not set up in any way.
 
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I love those shots. Mostly because of the fascinating faces, and partially because I'm Canadian myself. Do they still make Molson Export even?
 
Nikkor AIS said:


Nikkor 300 2.8 IF-ED AIS on F2AS on Tri-X

"Konica and a bottle of wine"

I wanted to share this one for Back Alley:angel:. Telling a story with a telephoto on the street is not always easy. I went digging in my boxes for this one because to me , it really tells a story.

On a personal note, I took several from the ground and they where okay. But still not satisifed( I never am) I ending running up four stories on a rusty metal stair case on the building beside the dumpster and the improtu living room scene and leaned over the rail to get this shot.

This shot was not set up in any way.
Click to expand...

thank you sir!
excellent shot.
while i think my slr days are far behind me and so my days of long lenses...i just might look for a 75 or 90 and take a step back when shooting.
heck, maybe even a 135!!
 
Thanks Darkhorse. It's my pleasure.

Back Alley, we must have been typing at the same time. You're very welcome. I'm enjoying this thread. It's inspired me to dig through some old boxes and see some prints I haven't looked at in ... awhile.

Take care.

Here is another one that I really think tells a story.
Taken in Banff, Alberta several years ago of a travelling musician.



Nikkor 300 2.8 IF-ED AIS on F2AS and Tri-X
 
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