Strange Leica guerilla-style photographer on 5th Ave. NYC

[aeolist]

Watch the "Bruce has a ball" video. The guy just knows how to handle people. The part where he takes a photo of a girl's uh.. jewel! and how he handles the angry mother, just excellent.

is it creepy? It the picture that matters, some of them are really good so...

 

[Arjay]

Very interestijg video links!

My conclusion about his shooting style: He has learnt he can get away with the way he does it, and he is being fueled by the recognition he gets. In the end, it's the pictures he takes that provide justification for his ways. Also, it seems he can connect very well with people, and that also helps in situations that could border to being embarrassing.

I have on several occasion attempted to take on a similar style of photographing. For me, this only works if people are in large crowds, and are distracted by some kind of an event, e.g. on a fair. To experience success in such situations provides enormous reassurance, and helps you do what you do with more confidence. And if you're in that state of mind, you'll be able to better connect with people, because you don't feel defensive.

Try it for yourself - it's an exhilarating experience.

 

[chrishayton]

Gilden is getting the pictures a lot of people would love to get but don't have the balls too. He is incredibly abrasive but he is doing something a bit different and for that I respect him greatly. I also love his photos. The Texas ball video is fantastic.

 

[emraphoto]

Gilden is getting the pictures a lot of people would love to get but don't have the balls too. He is incredibly abrasive but he is doing something a bit different and for that I respect him greatly. I also love his photos. The Texas ball video is fantastic.

Amen to that. His approach is very connected to the final image.

He has also suffered a bit of a YouTube curse in that folks define him by a 2-3/whatever minute snippet of his life. The audio of some of his work in Detroit and Haiti hints otherwise.

 

[bigeye]

Smash and grab. He captures a revealing instant of uncertainty.

.

 

[oftheherd]

The flash allows him to not worry about focus. It also isolates his subjects from the background. Not my style, but with his glib conversation, it works without putting him in conflict, and delivers interesting photos.

 

[cosmonaut]

He knows how to work a crowd. That helps.

 

[gdmcclintock]

Shoving his camera and flash in the face of a homeless person is to profit from the misfortunes of others and does not seem to require much imagination.

 

[emraphoto]

The magic of the Internet... How do we know anyone was homeless? I have met many "homeless" types that aren't homeless? I know a fella named Roy who has duct tape pants and a dreadlock beard. He is a well regarded poet and most certainly isn't homeless.

People are people, sporting Gucci luggage or plum crazy with dreads in their eyebrows.

 

[Ducky]

Forget about his right to photograph on the street etc: I'm surprised noone has charged him with assault for hitting them with that flash. That's an easy way to disarm an old lady and steal her purse or something. Personaly I'd give him a good wack.

 

[emraphoto]

Charge him for 'hitting' who? He doesn't hit people?

 

[robklurfield]

that video is tremendous.

 

[apodeictic]

His style might make you cringe, but you can't argue with the results. His photos are captivating. I flipped through his book "A Beautiful Catastrophe" and they are mesmerizing.

I'd never have the cojones to do what he does, I commend him on his tenacity.

Also his "I have no ethics" was a bit of a glib remark. There's a radio interview on youtube where he explains himself a bit further.

 

[cosmonaut]

I had a couple of homeless gents beg me to take thier picture, jumped around and posed for me. I had to promise one a print which I delivered. The only people I seem to make mad are uptight.

 

[Pablito]

But this guy openly admits "I have no ethics." At least he's honest!

Bruce has a sense of humor and it does not help to quote stuff like this out of context. He has a deep love and appreciation of people, he could not do the work he does without that.

Emraphoto is right about making judgments about folks being "homeless".

 

[cosmonaut]

Bruce has a sense of humor and it does not help to quote stuff like this out of context. He has a deep love and appreciation of people, he could not do the work he does without that.

Emraphoto is right about making judgments about folks being "homeless".

It is just as much fun meeting people as it is taking pictures. I think most of the world is cool with it. If he snapped at me I would be laughing, it just depends on how you look at it. In my hometown if I tried that I would be dead in a day or two. But there is comfort in large crowds.
I made a guy mad one time and I was on public property taking a shot of an old factory from across the street. I was in a PARK.

 

[cliffpov]

I would like to know more of Gildens story, or "The Rest of The Story" as Paul Harvey would say. There are other videos of him with a front tooth missing. Can't help but wonder how that happened. Mixing his type of shooting within a group of strangers boozing it up and I would bet at some point someone "misunderstands" his intentions and decks him. Apparently its a risk he's willing to take and he does produce the photographic goods though.

 

[Ducky]

Charge him for 'hitting' who? He doesn't hit people?

Figure of speech, try blind. Sheesh....

 

[Ducky]

Let;s really nit-pick: Temporarily blind. Double sheesh...

 

[anu L ogy]

Hah, thats great that you ran into Bruce. I have heard that if you bump into him on the street he is not only really nice - but usually will stop and shoot the **** for a few minutes. I would love to have the opportunity to stop and talk with him - but im afraid that if he saw a photo op while talking to me that hed backhand me in an effort to not miss the composition.