Portraits

[Deleted member 65559]

Deardorff, 8 1/4" Dagor, FP4+ 4x5", Darkroom print

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

How do you manage to get so close all the time, and without losing a tooth or acquiring a black eye in the process?

This is the response I gave the last time I was asked that question:

You may not believe it when you look at the images but most people have no idea I’m taking their picture.

I never want to be intrusive. I don’t want to bother anybody. If people are out enjoying themselves or just living their life, the last thing I want to do is spoil it for them by getting in their face.

Having said that, there are ways to slide by people and casually take their picture without them knowing it. Firstly, Japan is a very camera friendly place. If you go to a public gathering place a lot of people will be carrying a camera, nothing unusual or out of place about it. Secondly, if you have your camera set up for it, it’s easy to swing it up, take a picture and keep moving and nobody will notice. A lot of times when I’m out my wife will be with me. Later after we get home I’ll show her some of the pictures I took while we were walking around and she’ll ask me “when did you take that picture”. So even she doesn't notice that I’m taking pictures.

Lastly, occasionally I’ll see that a person whose picture I just took suspects that that’s just what I did. In those cases I look past them as if they’re not there and bring my camera back up to my face and point it in a direction past them (and keep moving) as if they aren't there. I’ve heard of other street photographers doing this. However, if I see an interesting person or people that I want to photograph and I see that there’s no way to do it without them noticing, I’ll pass; like I said I don’t want to intrude on people's lives.

I do on some occasions ask people if I can take a picture. Sometimes I don’t even have to say a word; I just point at my camera and then point at them or their dog or car or whatever I’m seeking permission to take a picture of - put the expression on my face that asks if it’s okay along with a head nod and a smile… if they smile back I’m good to go.

This is probably a lot more than you ever wanted to know about how I do people pictures, but there it is.

All the best,
Mike

 

[Out to Lunch]

Ba Chieu Market, Saigon. Fuji X-T1 - XF 1.2/56.

 

[f.hayek]

This is the response I gave the last time I was asked that question:

You may not believe it when you look at the images but most people have no idea I’m taking their picture.

I never want to be intrusive. I don’t want to bother anybody. If people are out enjoying themselves or just living their life, the last thing I want to do is spoil it for them by getting in their face.

Having said that, there are ways to slide by people and casually take their picture without them knowing it. Firstly, Japan is a very camera friendly place. If you go to a public gathering place a lot of people will be carrying a camera, nothing unusual or out of place about it. Secondly, if you have your camera set up for it, it’s easy to swing it up, take a picture and keep moving and nobody will notice. A lot of times when I’m out my wife will be with me. Later after we get home I’ll show her some of the pictures I took while we were walking around and she’ll ask me “when did you take that picture”. So even she doesn't notice that I’m taking pictures.

Lastly, occasionally I’ll see that a person whose picture I just took suspects that that’s just what I did. In those cases I look past them as if they’re not there and bring my camera back up to my face and point it in a direction past them (and keep moving) as if they aren't there. I’ve heard of other street photographers doing this. However, if I see an interesting person or people that I want to photograph and I see that there’s no way to do it without them noticing, I’ll pass; like I said I don’t want to intrude on people's lives.

I do on some occasions ask people if I can take a picture. Sometimes I don’t even have to say a word; I just point at my camera and then point at them or their dog or car or whatever I’m seeking permission to take a picture of - put the expression on my face that asks if it’s okay along with a head nod and a smile… if they smile back I’m good to go.

This is probably a lot more than you ever wanted to know about how I do people pictures, but there it is.

All the best,
Mike

Worth asking because it's a technique most aren't comfortable with or mastered. I'm not...

 

[Erik van Straten]

gelatin silver print (summicron 50mm f2 rigid) leica m3

D.v.S., 1980

Erik.

 

[Erik van Straten]

gelatin silver print (summicron rigid 50mm f2) leica m3

Duco, 1979

Erik.

View attachment 4819047

 

[Out to Lunch]

Ba Chieu Market, Saigon. Fuji X-T1 - XF 1.2/56.

 

[JoseP]

Canoniid2/Elmar 3.5 5cm/fp4/Df96

 

[Out to Lunch]

Four women, three generations. Canon 30D - probably EF L 2.8/16-35, a very good lens.

 

[Harry the K]

15 years old

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Street Portrait​

Fujifilm X-H1, Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 (X-mount) lens
Astia film simulation
Yokohama, Japan - April 2023
Image is lower resolution than original​

 

[Zuiko-logist]

Canoniid2/Elmar 3.5 5cm/fp4/Df96View attachment 4819068

Lovely portrait. It feels like so much personality coming through this photo.

 

[Erik van Straten]

gelatin silver print (summilux 50mm f1.4 v2) leica m3

Sansepolcro, Italy, 1988

Erik.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Portrait of a portrait. Cafe Sách, Saigon. Leica SL2S - TTArtisan 1.4/35.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Street Portrait of a Happy Couple​

Fujifilm X-T2, Voigtländer Nokton 23mm f1.2 (X-mount) lens
ACROS+G film simulation
Yokohama, Japan - March 2023​

 

[Erik van Straten]

gelatin silver print (heliar 40mm f2.8) leica lll

D.v.S, Utrecht, 2022

Erik.

 

[x-ray]

Two portraits my father did in Europe during WWII. I believe he was using a Russian copy of a Leica wit a Russian lens. Both were shot on nitrate based film.

 

[x-ray]

Collodion wet plate, Ambrotypes. The first was shot on whole plate with a Darlot Petzval dating to around 1860-1865. The second with an Ajax Petzval on quarter plate and the last is quarter plate with a projection Petzval.

 

[x-ray]

And finally a few conventional film images.

 

[Mackinaw]

A Zombie taking a break while the video crew gets ready for the next shot. Canon 50/0.95 wide open.



Jim B.