Hidden cameras for street photography

Jason Schneider wrote up a piece in Modern Photography back in the 70's about his attempt at this. Used a Ricoh auto half, spring wound half frame under a shirt with a cable release in the pocket.
 
I'm not sure where's the boundary is between a hidden camera and a camera held visible but where you wouldn't expect it to be, like at hip level, or stomach level like in this (not so wondeful but decent to me) shot I took yesterday. I do use this method (the latter) now and then as I prefer it to Gilden's (though my results suck compare to his..).

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Hidden camera...
Are you too cowardly to face your subject?
Or shy? Or a spy? :D

This whole street photography thing is becoming more and more abstruse for me... at least in the discussions here.
 
Hidden cameras are an invasion of privacy as far as I'm concerned. Street is not cloak-and-dagger stuff. I'd say have some courage but taking a photo doesn't rise to the occasion of courage. Courage is photographing in Afghanistan.

The guys who have to hide to take photos same guys too afraid to ask pretty girls on a date. You know who you are.
 
But since when was photography all about proving yourself as a strong, brave man (or woman)? Isn't it all about getting the shots you're looking for, not getting street cred for taking good shots with a hand held 4x5 field camera balanced on your nose 2 inches from the face of the subject?
 
cambolt said:
But since when was photography all about proving yourself as a strong, brave man (or woman)? Isn't it all about getting the shots you're looking for, not getting street cred for taking good shots with a hand held 4x5 field camera balanced on your nose 2 inches from the face of the subject?
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Right, this is the other extreme. Also not nice.

But why the fear to come in contact with your subjects?
 
haempe said:
Right, this is the other extreme. Also not nice.

But why the fear to come in contact with your subjects?
Click to expand...

I've never used hidden cameras but guess that for some it may be fear to come in contact with subjects (shy photographers do exist), for others it may be fear to influence subjects' expression or what they're doing by showing that they're being photographed. I held my camera at stomach level as I took the picture I posted above because that elegant old lady would most likely have got her hand out of her mouth if she had realised that I was taking a picture of her..
 
I do whatever method I feel comfortable with at the time. The results are what matters. There is no one way to do photography.
 
Andrea
you get a lot of tilted shots like that until you perfect it.
A waist level viewfinder on a SLR might be the answer.
I have an old Nikon F and I bought a waist level finder to use for street photography.
This is where a twin lens camera is great- I think this is why so many of Vivian Maier's street shots are so great.
 
Not interested in hidden cameras so much, but as I'm slightly tall I occasionally shoot from the hip/chest while I move for a different perspective. No guilt in terms of artistry, as I feel photography is as much about the edit as it is the initial taking.
 
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