Shoot alone or with friend(s)?

[Michael I.]

I dont have photographing friends.I feel like shooting them from time to time,but thats a whole different thread

 

[jan normandale]

I shoot about two thirds of the time alone by choice for reasons of timing or because I’m carrying a camera and can take the shot. I also shoot alone when I’m on a project.

I shoot with photographic friends when I get the chance which is often. They are very different in equipment and style. What I like about this is they see things that I miss or see the same thing very differently. I considered myself to be visually acute, image conscious and I have found that I have far less of these attributes than I originally thought. Shooting with these people over the last four months has broadened my perceptions of what comprises a photograph, how to compose a photo and different uses of light and perspective. Key is finding people who are ‘good’ some are good and have only shot for one or two years others have shot for years and are in a rut.

I shoot with friends and solo and wouldn’t change now.

 

[Nachkebia]

It is usualy hard to shoot with other person, I mean I usualy go out with my wife, but she also has to be shooting and that way it is joy, since we both can isolate from each other and search for pictures 🙂

 

[colyn]

Most of the time I shoot alone. In part because most of my photog friends like to stop at every donut shop for a quick bite.

 

[pesphoto]

Alone, I feel like a tourist when shooting with other people. Plus, I like to walk in places some people might not be too keen on and I want to go where I want to without worrying what others think about it.

 

[ErnestoJL]

Mostly alone, but sometimes with either my wife or some other friend photographers.
Going with other people gives me another point of view regarding the subjects.
Another reason that usually encourages me to go with other people, is security.

Ernesto

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I like to take photos either way. I like it a lot more when I'm with a fellow shooter. When I'm on vacation, though, that depends.

 

[FrankS]

I prefer to be alone with a beautiful model.

 

[pesphoto]

Now Frank has the right answer. Don't tell my new wife I said that.

 

[harmsr]

I personally prefer the enjoyment of conversation and companionship with someone else along. However, they need to be the type of person that enjoys seeing or another photographer.

I do have to go with Frank's idea also. (Forget the friend and give me a pretty model 😀 )

Best,

Ray

 

[Ronald M]

If they are patient, take them along. If you ant to sit and wait for the decissive moment, they nee to be more patient.

 

[kaiyen]

<recently frustrated mood and wanting to say it>

I am beginning to wonder why we even have regional forums on here. Sure, I shoot alone a lot, but shooting with others _can_ be valuable. Photography is not _nec_ a solitary pursuit. Yet I keep getting the impression that people feel it is or should be.

It's not like my friends and I point our cameras at the same things. There were seven of us up in the hospital at Alcatraz last time I was there. We were all shooting the same small area. I am the only one that took this particular shot of the hostpital sink, and it is the shot of which I am the most proud I have ver taken. Sad, dark, desolate. Exactly what I felt when I looked at it.

I would've gotten up there without my friends being present, and I wouldn't have taken that shot without having seen what others were doing, as stimulation for my mind.

</recently frustrated and feeling like saying it>

allan

 

[kvanderlaag]

With someone else wherever possible.

I like being able to bounce ideas off someone else, and things are just so much more satisfying when there's someone else who understands.

I used to have a girl I'd go shooting with. We'd almost always shoot the same things, but we'd shoot them completely differently. It was a great experience, watching the photos come out and being able to laugh about how different they turned out, even if they were of the same thing. I miss that a fair bit!

I've still got lots of photographer friends. We go out and make pictures once in a while. It's a good time.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I prefer to be alone with a beautiful model.

I hope you meant to be shooting along with a model. Alone with a model conjures up a magazine :angel:

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I would've gotten up there without my friends being present, and I wouldn't have taken that shot without having seen what others were doing, as stimulation for my mind.

Yes. That's the reason why I like going Hans Nonsolo, there are things that I tend to look at differently; I get certain ideas of what to and what not to shoot too. It's funny, too, how sometimes, unknowingly, there are shots of the same thing, but with a different focus/angle.

 

[sf]

I prefer to be alone with a beautiful model.

I love working with the girls one-on-one, for sure. It allows more intimacy and allows my style to come out more. I need that kind of intimacy to do my work well. BUT, I also really appreciate the useful input of others. So, having a model and her friend is a nice thing. Then the friend cools things down a bit when necessary, adds comments, fixes hair, etc. I like that.

Bottom line, though, is I prefer to be alone. Often with headphones on.

 

[sf]

It is usualy hard to shoot with other person, I mean I usualy go out with my wife, but she also has to be shooting and that way it is joy, since we both can isolate from each other and search for pictures 🙂

When I went to Europe with my cousin, we only spend night walks together and a few moments during the day (eating or perhaps meeting at a museum before splitting up). He likes to see museums alone, and I liked to walk around the city myself. I much preferred to be totally isolated, under my headphones and through the viewfinder. I liked being behind the language barrier as well - it really helped me close off all but the visual aesthetic.

 

[dmr]

Whenever I shoot alone, I prefer to be by myself ... 🙂

 

[Talisker]

Either alone or with my wife - she's a good location spotter and in very encouraging of my photography, but it does usually get too much for her on long walks!

 

[FrankS]

Seriously, when I'm engaged in photography, I get into a zone, a peculiar state of mind that is not the same as when I'm chatting with friends.