Overcoming fear

N

navilluspm

Well-known
Local time
10:14 AM
Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
434
Location
Among high mountains and lush forests of Regina, S
View My Gallery
Dear Mr. Pierce,

I love taking pictures, and I love looking at street photography. I am somewhat of a novice. I want to get into street photography, but I am afraid. Everysingle time I attempt it, something bad happens. Eg. My first attempt: Walking downtown, a security guard from Northwestern Mutual yelled at me for taking a picture of a garbage can that was on their steps - claiming that the Northwestern logo would be in the picture and it would be copyright infringment. (And I am not kidding about his excuse).

My second attempt was at an open air mall. While I was taking pictures of a child playing in a fountain with his mother (and the two did not seem to care that I took the picture) a security guard again told me I was not allowed to use the camera because the stores do not want their displays and merchandise photographed by the competition. (I could not believe this one, especially since I was not near a store.)

My third attempt was taking picture of a mansion on Lake Drive in Milwaukee - a man ran out of the house and yelled at me for "casing out the joint." When I tried to calmly explain that I was just taking a picture of the architecture of his house and that my 40 year old Yashica Electro would in no way be able to case the joint from such a distance (I was shooting from the sidewalk across a rather large front lawn) he got even angrier.

Everytime I try street photography, I am met with resistance. Is it always like this everytime a person does street photography? What are some tips you can give me to over come my fear of street photography? How can I approach a stranger and have them allow me to take their picture?
 
This is sadly the world we live in now. Even as far away as here in New Zealand this is slowly becoming an issue, and I don't think that historical experiences with documentory photography will help. the days of HCB etc are not the days of now.

We should look at it as a challenge, perhaps the social-political issues we face now are to us like the challenge photographers in the past had with lesser equipment.

WE now live in a very insecure sociaty that is either scared of being photographed or scared the photographs you make are in some way going to harm people or because we are such a commerce driven sociaety today they want a piecet of the action. The challenge is to photograph what we are now. That means we have to develope new approahes to street photography. we shouldn't shy away from it but find a way to shoot it. it will never be for us like it was for HCB's lot.
 
navilluspm said:
Dear Mr. Pierce,

I love taking pictures, and I love looking at street photography. I am somewhat of a novice. I want to get into street photography, but I am afraid. How can I approach a stranger and have them allow me to take their picture?
Click to expand...

No question about it. Street photography is more difficult than it ever was because of the resistance, i.e. downright hostility. Here are a few thoughts on starting.

Shoot at events that attract a lot of other photographers - street fairs, tourist spots, e.t.c..

Use one small camera.

Don't spend a lot of time. Shoot and move on.

If somebody looks up, subject or otherwise, don't avoid them. Smile, wave, ask them how they're doing and wear your best "You've got to be kidding." look when they tell you can't shoot. But don't argue. Just say, "Your the boss." Do not say, "You are an insecure asshole." If appropriate, strike up a conversation.

If need be, don't raise the camera to your eye. Shoot from the hip with a small camera. After awhile your framing will be pretty good.

(Even when you are raising your camera to your eye, you should know what the frame will cover before you quickly look through the finder. I am told that Bresson brought that camera up to his eye and had it down again faster than any of us.)

When working without looking through the viewfinder, those visual accidents are often more interesting than those produced by your sense of composition. When God gives you a really good shot, don't rat Him out. Claim it as your own.

One other thing that you can do is very simple. Tell the stranger you are an avid photographer and would like to take his picture. It won't be candid, but it can be very good.
 
Sorry to hear about your bad experiences. I think the resistance is largely based on your shooting style. I'm able to take plenty of street shots and not have to take too much flack. Here are few ideas:

Don't ask for permission--just Be aware---learn the art of anticipation!
Pre-focus so you'll catch the shot.
Stay aware of chaging light conditions---adjust your meter accordingly
Work with one focal length until you can use it without looking through the VF.
If some one gives you attitude--just move on!!!
 
"Work with one focal length until you can use it without looking through the VF"

This really simplifies the process of framing resulting in only spending a small amount of time raising the camera...
 
Some gentle advice - never take pictures of children without first asking their parents for permission. Even then I wouldn't do it. It's wading into dangerous territory.
 
fdigital: I was walking with a camera near a wading pool, which happened to have a classroom full of children enjoying the cool water, when I was told by their aides that I not take a picture... I had no such intentions....
 
Hi Navilluspm,

You have entitled it "Overcoming Fear". It seems to me this thread is mixing two different situations. If a representative of authority tells you no pics here, you smile and don't make the pic. You have no choice (*)

But if you walk around with a feeling of fear, as if at any moment an enraged big dog is going to jump on you this is a different issue.

For this purpose solely, I think I have a good idea. Pick two of the biggest cameras you have, and walk around with them wherever you go, be it the university, work, shopping, etc

Furthermore, one of the two will be at your chest. You will not use the cameras but get used that common people, vigilants, mafiosos, CIA, and all what you have around will notice you. During the process you may start finding photo opportunities in which you are not much visible to your subjects.

Or better said, you will distinguish between people tensioned by your cameras, people interested in your cameras, and people that don't look at you at all. This third last group will be your starter, but latter.

Do this exercise without firing your cameras for some month or two, until you get used to the first and second group, really feeling deep in your bones you have overcomed fear from them.

I strongly oppose to hide cameras for the obvious reason that one day you will be caught, and then what ? Secondly because you will be adapting (yielding) to fear instead of overcoming (fighting) it.

Cheers,
Ruben

PS: while i own the copyrights for the exercise, the very issue of showing your cameras was directly told to me by a great street photographer. He tought me to show around: I am a photographer and I am going to take pictures.

(*) Unless you prepare yourself beforehand for the meeting and take care of having got the pic before the smile.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ruben: I'm curious what the attitude towards photography is in Israel. After all, Israel has been dealing with terrorism for a long time, much longer and more frequently than the U.S. or most of Western Europe.

Do the police tell people not to take pictures on the street? Is there the same issues of people not wanting to be photographed in public? Is there the level of paranoia about photographing children we find in the U.S. or the U.K.?

--Peter
 
As a very gross generalization, if you are a foreign press photographer, you are an ally of the enemy, handy for anyone's vendetta with the understanding of the authorities. Press photographers distinguish themselves by their big bazookas. They are just out of the law, and right now the Brittish Governments is negotiating for the trial of an Israeli soldier who shot to death a Brittish photographer in the Gaza Strip 3 years ago. Many Israeli photographers have been shot and injured at the Occupied Territories.

But if you, like me, go around within Israeli reckognized borders with two canonets or two kievs, people will be just get interested in these oldies, and there are no restrictions within malls, shops, central bus stations, buildings and airports. All these excluding X-ray machines and personel everywhere.

No paranoia, no problem with taking pics of children, although here I am rather tactfull.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ruben is exactly right.

To give my take on it (and it's less mature or thoughtful than his) just take the photo and stop being so scared. If police, security guards, or other people raise a fit, just be polite and move on. There are plenty of other places to take photos.

But at the end of the day, if you want to do street photography, you will get hassled by police and security guards. You will get dirty looks from people you photograph. You will likely get people very angry at you or at least obviously very displeased you took their photo. It's just the statistics -- no matter how stealthy you try to be you will get caught. And sometimes some of your subjects or bystanders really, really won't like it.

If you can't deal with that, then maybe you should limit your street photography to public events, like parades and the like. But otherwise, it goes with the territory. Be open and comfortable with what you're doing.

Again, if anyone gives you a hassle, move on. Arguing about it is rarely worth it.

Seriously, what right does anyone have not to have their photograph taken in public?

Best regards,

-Jason

Postscript: Rereading this post, I realize the tone can come across as fairly hostile -- and that's not right (nor is it my point). I think you should be hostile to your own fear, don't get me wrong. But don't have an attitude of hostility towards people you photograph or bystanders (including police or security guards). This comes across in your body language, and the better your body language, the more likely you'll get better photos where your subject knows you are there or taking a photo of them. Just don't let yourself be your own worst enemy when it comes to photographing people in public. That's what you should be hostile towards.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom