pesphoto
Veteran
I always knew I was unstable.......now I know why I like to do sreet photography.
Nh3
Well-known
Interesting. So, basically Its a sign of my recovery from my 'mental deficiencies' that I'm not interested in shooting the street anymore?
I cannot argue with that because I have always been secretly proud of my insanity but I can assure you that I'm not 'cured'. I'm just recharging and I will be back on the streets with a vengeance!
But I always thought landscape and wildlife photographers were the crazy ones because they seek solitude and wait for ages photographing a silly bird or some fluffy clouds over the mountains, but I'm wrong as usual.
T
tedwhite
Guest
I always knew that about you, Paul - the lack of mental stability and integrity. Fortunately these traits do not show in your photography.
Did you get the GSN yet?
btgc:
That's a great line about the "nerve of the situation." Also, your analogy between lovers before and after the long marriage and a camera lens. Wide open during first love, stopped down years later. Very nice.
Did you get the GSN yet?
btgc:
That's a great line about the "nerve of the situation." Also, your analogy between lovers before and after the long marriage and a camera lens. Wide open during first love, stopped down years later. Very nice.
froyd
Veteran
Some good advice here!
My 2 cents are to give yourself boundries and/or a theme. I find that my brain is more creative whenever I have to overcome obstacles, even if they are self-imposed. Leave me with a blank canvas and I would not know where to start filling it, but tell me that I have to represent flowers using only straight lines and the color yellow, and I'm likely to surprise myself at the results.
How about setting a theme for your photography: smokers, street workers (not that kind of street worker:angel, dog owners, etc.? Or something more abstract, like pictures with stop signs in them, trash bins, or payphones?
You can also limit yourself in terms of camera type, focal lenght, focusing technique.
Instead of being constricting, these self-inposed rules and guidelines can be quite liberating for the creative juices!
Good luck.
My 2 cents are to give yourself boundries and/or a theme. I find that my brain is more creative whenever I have to overcome obstacles, even if they are self-imposed. Leave me with a blank canvas and I would not know where to start filling it, but tell me that I have to represent flowers using only straight lines and the color yellow, and I'm likely to surprise myself at the results.
How about setting a theme for your photography: smokers, street workers (not that kind of street worker:angel
, dog owners, etc.? Or something more abstract, like pictures with stop signs in them, trash bins, or payphones?You can also limit yourself in terms of camera type, focal lenght, focusing technique.
Instead of being constricting, these self-inposed rules and guidelines can be quite liberating for the creative juices!
Good luck.
T
tedwhite
Guest
froyd:
I'm just the opposite. I start with a blank slate and one camera, one lens. Nothing in mind, just wander about.
I'm just the opposite. I start with a blank slate and one camera, one lens. Nothing in mind, just wander about.
btgc
Veteran
Right, those nature/wildlife shooters seem to be crazy, waking up at 3a.m. to be on spot at 5a.m. or hiding under leaves for hours to meet bird. From those rare cases when I have woken up before dawn to go out with camera, I remember being rather calm and harmonized - this occured during vacation. Watching nature I don't want to see emotions, there is no beforementioned "nerve", rather "adorance of majesty" or at least "calmness". True, if anyone will say that each case is individual, I will agree. Here also plays role character of photographer - to say, one stressful photog can go out and take pics of angry bugs eating each other and no mist, no sunsets, no nice clouds. That's his manifestation of inner state. Or opposite - photographer in comfortable mood can go out on street and take pics of funny cars or architecture, or shadows falling from fence.
Rather, I will speculate, degree of inner emotional state could be judged from what subject one chooses, how close gets to subject(s) (zooms count as mean intention to get closer, some are just more shy), what moments they try to capture, what angles are used to compose.
Rather, I will speculate, degree of inner emotional state could be judged from what subject one chooses, how close gets to subject(s) (zooms count as mean intention to get closer, some are just more shy), what moments they try to capture, what angles are used to compose.
marke
Well-known
You're right about that I just had to accept the environment. But there had also been something stirring within me even before I met my wife. I had been able to borrow a friend's Canon 500/f4L IS lens a few times. It didn't take me long to realize that I had to get one of those lenses myself if I wanted to stick with wildlife. Now about this time, the stirring was getting stronger, And I realized I had a decision to make, invest in a $5,000 lens and stick with wildlife, or invest in a new RF kit, and discover the street. Strangely, I had begun to study the work of some long-gone street photographers and wasn't sure what to do. That was about the time I started to hang out in the city. It was if meeting my future wife (and the actual NEED to spend time in the city) was the final piece in the puzzle I was trying to solve.
By the way, I don't understand what you mean by people who have been married for many years have "stopped down".
marke
Well-known
Now you mentioned something of significance in my recent evolution as a photographer! I had been using long lenses, mostly because I needed them to get good pictures of my subjects, that being wildlife. But I was getting tired of all that, including lugging around a big kit with heavy glass. But I wanted a new challenge, something that would REALLY challenge me, even SCARE me. I wanted to start using normal focal lengths (50mm) and even wide angle, so that I HAD to get physically close to my subjects, that now being people.
T
tedwhite
Guest
Marke:
If I sense his meaning correctly about "stopped down" the bright flame of first love - after thirty years of marriage - has simmered down to glowing embers.
As for 50mm lenses and wider being a bit scary, think of it this way. If you are in a city, on the street, and you shoot someone with a 200mm lens you've got yourself a nice head shot. What you don't have is the physical environment in which that person existed/was moving through at the moment you took the picture.
With a 50mm lens you get more of that, and with a 35mm lens (my favorite for street photography) you of course get even more. With practice you can get closer and closer to your subject and still remain relatively unobtrusive.
The best street photographers have that uncanny ability to remain virtually un-noticed while working. I think HCB was one of those. I had a friend in SF who, when street-shooting, always wore a suit and tie and was immediately ignored as just another businessman walking down the street. He used a Leica, not with a neck strap but with a wrist strap, so it was much less noticeable.
There's lots of tricks. I'm an older guy, so people automatically don't see me, at least for the most part. Makes it a bit easier.
Take a stab at it. But always do what you feel comfortable doing.
If I sense his meaning correctly about "stopped down" the bright flame of first love - after thirty years of marriage - has simmered down to glowing embers.
As for 50mm lenses and wider being a bit scary, think of it this way. If you are in a city, on the street, and you shoot someone with a 200mm lens you've got yourself a nice head shot. What you don't have is the physical environment in which that person existed/was moving through at the moment you took the picture.
With a 50mm lens you get more of that, and with a 35mm lens (my favorite for street photography) you of course get even more. With practice you can get closer and closer to your subject and still remain relatively unobtrusive.
The best street photographers have that uncanny ability to remain virtually un-noticed while working. I think HCB was one of those. I had a friend in SF who, when street-shooting, always wore a suit and tie and was immediately ignored as just another businessman walking down the street. He used a Leica, not with a neck strap but with a wrist strap, so it was much less noticeable.
There's lots of tricks. I'm an older guy, so people automatically don't see me, at least for the most part. Makes it a bit easier.
Take a stab at it. But always do what you feel comfortable doing.
Ororaro
Well-known
Please don't blame your city or street photography in general. The problem is clearly you.
There is a thin line between genious street photography and totally mediocre street photography. An true great street photographer will create, will use the people on the streets as pawns, as symbols. He will play with them. The street's a stage and the photographer is the maestro.
You say you've shot a lot of street and you are now bored. I can't go against your feelings about your work. But if I go by the principle that once one photographer starts to understand and to create with what's around instead of just snapping around like a fly without a head, there is no going back. Good street shooting is extremely hard and it's an addiction.
Look at those two photograpers. One is a master and the other is merely good, IMO. Basically, they could be shooting together. The scenes are similar. One has a vision and the other doesn't really have one. Look:
http://www.in-public.com/TrentParke/image/1497
http://www.in-public.com/GusPowell/image/1615
There is a thin line between genious street photography and totally mediocre street photography. An true great street photographer will create, will use the people on the streets as pawns, as symbols. He will play with them. The street's a stage and the photographer is the maestro.
You say you've shot a lot of street and you are now bored. I can't go against your feelings about your work. But if I go by the principle that once one photographer starts to understand and to create with what's around instead of just snapping around like a fly without a head, there is no going back. Good street shooting is extremely hard and it's an addiction.
Look at those two photograpers. One is a master and the other is merely good, IMO. Basically, they could be shooting together. The scenes are similar. One has a vision and the other doesn't really have one. Look:
http://www.in-public.com/TrentParke/image/1497
http://www.in-public.com/GusPowell/image/1615
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Chris101
summicronia
At first I thought, "well, one's black and white and the other is color" so it should be easy, right? But then I saw that the vision went further than that - much further. Take a look at Parke's Gallery1 - it's in color. But look at the angle of the light in nearly every photograph. I've got to keep drilling it in to my head: it's the light stupid!
Ororaro
Well-known
Chris, you're right as usual!
wray
Well-known
Thanks for that link, Ned! Several good photographers there!
Ororaro
Well-known
Hi Ray!
I picked it up on dpreview... But the internet is full of great links showcasing great photographers. I stopped saving them when I realized there we're too many great unknown photographers. There are some really worthy artists out there.
The most scary part is, I am sure, there are artists out there who shoot the most outstanding photos that humanity has ever seen and probably never will be seen by nobody.
ernstk
Retro Renaissance
Excellent site! Thank you.
Ernst
Ernst
marke
Well-known
Yes, I'm just not clear on why he was bringing this up. When I began to shoot street, I decided to accept the new environment I was now shooting in, but my "bright flame" of new love didn't allow me fearless shooting. I was still afraid! But I think what's important is not to be afraid of fear itself.
Yes, I understand. That's one reason why I enjoy the genre. Kind of like this:
Yes, like this?
I usually just wrap my neckstrap around my wrist. That way I stil have the other option of wearing it like a tourist (around the neck). I've never gone as far as wearing a suit, but I will often wear a sportcoat. I like to experiment, and sometimes I just go with how I feel at the moment.
Yes, your external appearance has a lot to do with the comfort level of others around you. If I walk around with a 3-day growth of beard, dressed in a black leather coat, and ripped up jeans, I'll see different reactions than when I'm in a sportcoat. Neither is wrong if used in the right environment. I see this as just another tool to use.
I might have given you the wrong impression. I'm still new at street, but I have been practicing it for about a year now. Even so, I don't see anything wrong with having a certain level of "fear" (maybe that's just too strong of a word) when you go out shooting. I see it as the same healthy nervousness as when a performer goes on stage.
T
tedwhite
Guest
I like your responses, Marke, and "healthy nervousness" is a fine way of expressing what I might have merely described as a heightened state of consciousness.
I was blown away by Trent Parke's black and white photographs.
I was blown away by Trent Parke's black and white photographs.
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marke
Well-known
Yes, I think that heightened state of consciousness/alertness/awareness is a by product of the healthy nervousness.
I cannot agree more.
marke
Well-known
That is so well said, Ned. When one looks at it that way, it truly becomes an exciting endevor.
I can understand what you mean by not going back. I have (too infrequently) been in those moments of understanding and creating, but once you've experienced it, you can't let go of it. It's like an athlete who experiences the sweet spot, he is always trying to recapture that experience every time he's performing. It won't happen often, but now that he knows what the feeling is like, it is enough to keep him going back to find it again.
As you said "good" street photography is hard and addicting. I think one reason why it is so addicting, is there are almost endless possibilities out there to find. Time, a good eye, and an open heart is what we need to find them.