I wear my M around my neck

I spent all day with a body slung over my shoulder and another over my neck with my camera bag slung around the other shoulder. I couldn't help thinking about this thread,

Anyway, I don't think anyone thought I was a tourist...the multiple cameras can kill that vibe.
 
Anyone hold the camera like a "clutch" ? Kinda womanly, but it gets the job done..

aolsenclutchyc1.jpg
 
I use all the styles according to the circumstances: bandolero, shoulder wrist and the one more: sometimes I walk looking through the viewfinder (this I would call faceless style). But when I have the camera at my eye-level I always put the strap around the neck, because I am scared it coul drop. Whereas I don't mind people around me I should say that I have had often nice reactions. Couples that seeing me with say an M5 or an RTSIII ask me to take a picture of them with their digitals. In this way although I have no digital camera, I have taken quite a few pictures for honeymoon couples and they were pleased by the results. In other occasions some people asked me technical advice. Evidently even if they din't know what is an M5, they perceive that the person using it should be an expert. All this is very nece. I guess it depends on the places ones goes: I am too old to take any chance in this respect now. Whan I was a boy I remember me running from a very angry street subject....
 
Ok, now that all of us use our cameras around our necks, time is ripe to enter the fine grain detail.

One of my reasons to carry the camera pending from my neck is to have it available as quick as possible. Experience has showed me that camera on chest is much more quick to fire than walking with it wristed to your hand, if your hand is down.

Also the movement from the hand down to eye level is more abrupt to the subject than from chest to eyelevel.

Nevertheless, the quickest way of all is the HCB style, as i saw it in a photograph. His camera strap was wristed around his hand, and both hands were holding the camera at chest level.

This way aroused a great interest in my mind. First, as said, it is the quickest way to shoot. But besides, when you hold the camera pending from your chest, you are letting the lyons sleep, i.e. you are not alerting you are going to make a photo, but rather are making a statement of who are you, and the possibility you may make a photo.

'The HCB style' as I saw it from that image, is more bold and usefull from my viewpoint. It enables you to measure the reaction of people around you, at the same time that it alerts them they are going to be photographed. It gives people the chance to turn away, and it gives the photographer a more "honest" stand on the ground. 'you saw me with the camera going to make a pic - now don't complain'.

Of course, you cannot walk too long with both your arms holding the camera at chest level. But it is usefull to remember for "hot spots". It helps yourself to make the mental transition from tourist to photographer.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
tourist??

tourist??

what the heck, i wear my camera - my mamiya6 or leica m6 or rollieflex 6002 or diana - around my neck. 😛

when asked the question "where are you visiting from?" my answer depends on a number of things. ...when i'm feeling goofy/quirky/clever i will reply in my (really) limited french, german, italian, or russian with a phrase book expression. sometimes the person asking will then reply in the very language i replied to their question in...and aarrgghhh!! it's mud in face mr. wise guy and where's a rock i can slither under, etc. :bang: that cures me of that mischief...for awhile. more often that not we both have a laugh over my lame bit of mischief and then share travel stories. 😀 😛 😀

whether or not i am far afield from home, i've found most people who ask are as curious about me as i am about them. they are often helpful with insights and information about the place i'm visiting. some are folks you speak with once and never see again. others become new friends. life is a cabaret old chum. 😛

as several folks have already mentioned, i believe the best way to carry your camera is the best way for you. importantly, it has to be what makes you the most comfortable.

also, as already mentioned, "what's wrong with being viewed as a tourist"? for me, nothing. if you travel with a smile, it's amazing how great the experience can be. in countries, cities, etc where brandishing a smile will get you suspiicious/irritated/scornful responses - that's ok, roll with it. ne vous inquietez pas. i've had smiles returned from uniformed police, military, militia, and soldiers from nicaragua to mexico city to nyc to zurich and to moscow. btw, i have also received a few cold stares, non-responses, frowns, smirks, sneers, and just plain old, hard looks as well. the same has applied to everyone else i encountered along the way.

solares: you are so right about the question of why you carry a camera...indeed, why not!

Big SteveG: i think the phrase - one i identify with waaaay to often - came from the sci-fi classic of the same name by Robert A Heinlein. i also remember an old leon russel song with that title.

Gabriel MA: ay chihuahua!!

John Goldfarb: you've shown me the light...where's my crown graphic?

Ruben: well said, lots and lots of good points.

i've been drifting around like a boat with one anchor out in changing tide. thanks to evryone for wading through this stream of conscious rambling. 😛

breathe, relax, and enjoy!!

"...patience and shuffle the cards." miguel cervantes
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hasta la vista, adieu, dazvidanya, fino al prossimo tempo, auf wiedersehen, zaijen, shalom, and later y’all. 😀 p 😀
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The seeds we plant today are the harvest of today's and tomorrow's children of the world. (tm)


kenneth
NEVER FORGET BESLAN
www.neverforgetbeslan.org
www.neverforgetbeslan.com
 
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I carry a camera around my neck, unless it is too heavy. My Hasselblad with Prism and 50mm lens is too heavy, as is my D200 with its heavy zoom. These cameras are carried in one hand, with a short strap. Bandolier style is a good compromise between comfort, discreetness, and utility.

As far as looking like a tourist, Eisenstadt carried his Leica around his neck--and so have many other pros.

"Why are you carrying a camera?" My standard answer: "I find I get more and better pictures that way."
 
I don't think I can go out on the streets anymore with M+Viso+560 Telyt and shoulder stock, let alone go anywhere near an airport.

Mind you, not sure why I'd want to...

Michael
 
GoodPhotos said:
When I'm shooting for me, (and it is nice weather) this is how I roll...


Most people hardly notice the camera at all!
😎
Click to expand...

Wow, Michael, that's one hell of tourist-photographer...😱, I did notice the camera on your shoulder until I scrolled down your picture....😀, then it dawned on me: no matter which camera, be it even 4x5 folder on your chest, you are safe from any photograther-related suspicions...perhaps ultimate solution for those humble street shooters among us... LOL..
 
EmilGil said:
If carrying a camera implies that you are either a tourist or a presumptive terrorist, I'd rather be taken for a tourist. I think most people would care less if a "tourist" took their picture than they would if a local took it.

Fortunately, it hasn't gone this far in Norway yet (but judging from the amount of security checks at the airports, it's where we are going... 🙁)
Click to expand...

Oh if only everyone ignored me as a worthless tourist who's simply not worth concerning themselves about.

I can only agree with EmilGil, I'd actually prefer people to think of me as a camera geek or tourist who's taking pictures of trains, famous sights or such like.

I find that people seem to be split between those that think photographers are "cool" and those that think they're a bit geeky or sad. So long as they don't realise I'm photographing them and start to act differently...or kick seven shades of so and so out of me I couldn't care less.

As such despite usually carrying my M in my hand with the strap round my wrist for exactly the same reasons as Pesphoto, I'm more than happy to wear it around my neck when my wrist starts to ache....sometimes I find it easier to look like the geeky tourist than to try and be sneaky with it in my hand - though this may be my natural propensity to geekiness🙂
 
show that person some of your really favourite shots you took in such conditions. They don't have to be great, just some you really like. Talk about them and show alot of enthusiasm. If he still thinks you are just snapshooting and photography is a joke for you then he's an @hole and you should not care.

I mean come on... People that seem reasonably sane occasionally rave about football!😀
 
But you can also talk to them about the big photographers and show them some of their work if you feel inconfident of yours. You can also tell them how much work or risk goes into those (think Capa) or how much they might sell for... depends on who you are talking to.
But the most important, show them enthusiasm and make it clear that it's something important for you AND that you know much more about it than they might think. It should work. Even with people who never take a photograph.
 
I think around the neck works great for easy access. If you have any kind of large stomach it looks terrible. My fashion sense prevails.
 
While technically a 'skirt' this is a man's garment called a Utilikilt (link).

As a kilt covers you more than a pair of shorts, I'm fairly certain that they are legal anywhere in the US. The general assumption from those who live their lives according to what others might think of them, is that you'd get harassed by idiots who feel somehow threatened by what someone else is wearing, but my wife and I live in a VERY conservative and rural part of the country and I have never had any negative reactions to my wearing any kilt since at least 2003 when I got my first. To the contrary, most women seem to love the idea of a dude in a kilt and most of the comments that kilts elicit from other men are "Where can I buy one!"

I wear kilts mostly in the summer time in lieu of shorts. Kilts are as comfortable to wear today as when my anscestors wore them daily (and even more practical now with the advent of pockets and poly cotton fabric instead of being only 9 yards of 16 oz wool.)

The perfect outfit for a photographic outing in warm weather.
(In cold weather I usually wear Carharts or Columbia trousers.)
🙂
 
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i've been following this thread for the past few days and simply love each and every post.

I've been running around my last few years of college with a worn/battered/over-dinged 10 yr old F5 and 20-35 2.8 combo every single day, from the class room, to the streets, even to work at the local burger joint where i flipped patties on sundays. (Foster's)

loved every moment with the camera although it did attract stares from customers when i had it cross strung over my shoulder while at the grill working.

=)
 
As many others here have already stated, looking like a tourist can be a good thing. It allows you to convey a non-threatening image. But truthfully, I will often change the way I carry my camera, sometimes depending on the specific feeling of the area, and sometimes by just how I feel myself.

I've only been shooting street for about 6 or 7 months now, and most of the time I carry my camera by my side, with strap rapped around my wrist. It's accessible and by keeping my thumb on the shutter button, I am always ready for a hip shot. That's how I carry it when I'm in a steady walk. If I'm casually strolling along, or just hanging out on a street corner, I have recently been letting it hang from my neck more often when I'm standing around. Like someone else said in an earlier post, having the camera clearly visible in this manner, almost acts like a tolerance guage to what the passerby might tolerate.

Now, I found what Ruben said most interesting, in reference to HC-B holding the camera in front of himself with two hands, in a state of semi-awareness/readiness, ready to pounce and shoot at a moment's notice. I have been using this technique more and more lately, as I'm trying to minimize the surprize factor when I suddenly raise my camera to my eye.

So far, no one has asked me why Iam carrying a camera. If/when some finally does, I'l just to tell them the truth, "Because I'm a photographer!". 😀

BTW, I've heard this said time and time again, that if you shoot with a smile, people will generally find you less threatening. If someone just catches me right after I took a cnadid shot, I might look them directly into the eye and say 'hi', as I continue to walk in another direction, asif I'm too busy taking pictures to care about making any trouble.
 
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