Street Photography for the purist. A great read!

[wlewisiii]

I found myself underwhelmed by both the writing and illustrations. In my case this may have to do with having recently read "On Being a Photographer" by David Hurn & Bill Jay (Lenswork Publishing 2001) which is a really great book on the subject by two long term professional photographers. Not free either, but then, many times you do get what you pay for...

William

 

[fitzihardwurshd]

I am the only one here that reacts against his shooting style? Shooting "from the hip" is covardly....

.... and does not lead to anything like a street photo anyway. Excepted Bernhard Wolfs photos there isn't much what I would consider as a real street photo, it is mostly a superficial imitation of photos we have seen yet elsewhere.
The words are a bit too arty sounding sometimes and a lot of Leica babble does not contibute anything positive either .

Sounds mean but anyway, "Hasn't really understood the idea" would be my comment.

Fitzi

 

[rxmd]

I must say I liked the different introductions, though, because they were nicely heterogenous and managed to convey the impression that street photography isn't one thing.

Philipp

 

[FrankS]

I wasn't so impressed with the pictures from the main author either. Many here at RFF do it better. Still it was an entertaining read. You don't have to agree with it.

 

[telenous]

Thanks for the link quizzard (btw the link worked for me). Max's piece was written with humility and respect for the subject. I can see that Chris Weeks is passionate about Leicas (and that I can understand) but his staccato kind of writing is virtually unreadable. I liked the photos, most were presentable, with some better than others.

 

[quizzard87]

yeah, i dont like some of the photos chris used either...but he definitely got some great street shots!
you can check out his work at http://cweeks.deviantart.com

the deviantart nicknames to the other authors are in the article.

 

[RayPA]

I am the only one here that reacts against his shooting style? Shooting "from the hip" is covardly....

Shooting from the hip is a shooting technique. It's as valid as any other shooting technique. You may not like the results, but it's really no different from any method of shooting where the camera is not held up to the eye (e.g., documentary, war photography, reportage). Instead of calling it cowardly, I'd argue that as a photographer you should probably become comfortable/proficient with all shooting techniques/methods. IMO, you've really got to know your gear and have some skill to focus, compose and shoot without looking through the viewfinder. It's really more than just another tool, it's a valuable skill.

🙂

 

[RayPA]

Thanks for passing along the link. I could only read the first several pages and agree that the writing is a little rough, but the points come across and the sentiment is definitely there. [The writers] make some great observations about shooting on the street. [The] passion for street shooting comes across and anyone who loves this style of photography will instantly recognize what he's talking about.

A great effort!

🙂

 

[ampguy]

some interesting photos. creepy techniques. bad writing --

"...i followed this girl for 40 minutes...turned out she was a he...sold my contax on ebay..."

wtf?

 

[Iyidin_Kyeimo]

The author is registered on here as well, btw: Chrisweeks

 

[Crasis]

Well, I'm glad at least one person defended shooting from the hip.

So you're on the bus with a bunch of guys talking about the big fight they got into and how they should have 'shanked that guy'. I assume that in your non-cowardly ways, you'd lift up the camera and take a photo? Maybe you'd try to strike up a conversation to get a photo op?

To each his own. I'm personally cowardly like that. 🙂

 

[PetarDima]

Hard work... I am wondering ... many people wrote about Leica brochures. Can I find it on the web😕
Here - it's very hard to find something like that ... THANK'S😀

 

[back alley]

i love shooting from the hip, very effective at times and hard to do well.
i have printed the entire 160 pages and plan to give it a look see later on.
yes, chris is a member here and i hope he chimes in if he sees this.

a side comment here...in the past 2 days there have been 2 threads that were so heavily weighted in the negative, the new rf-less zi for wa use and now this one.


folks, we, film and rf cameras could easily be seen as a dying breed. anything that helps promote us, film and rf cams should be celebrated not reviled.
agree or not with a camera, a photo or an article, i think we need to rally and be more supportive.
just my opinion.

joe

 

[quizzard87]

for those who are interested in reading more from chris:
You have to click on download on the upper left corner. all files are pdf.

Why...we photograph: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/23125033/

thwaap...an ode to the Leica: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/25794857/

Quest of the Muse: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/26388593/

Seeing: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/17931929/

 

[VinceC]

>>To be better photographer two things: audacity (with respect) and attention.<<

Benilam, quoted above, perfectly summed up my thinking about how good photographers, in my opinion, get their best photos ... "Audacity (with respect)".

It's true, there are rare times when a hip shot is the only way to get a needed image (for a working photographer or someone serious about documentary) if there's absolutely no other way. But the majority of photography in public places doesn't fall into this category. When I was young and learning photography, I practiced a few hip shots, and my actions were indeed cowardly. With practice, I learned to accept and be comfortable with my role as a photographer in public space ... I learned how to perform this as a role, if you will ... once you get good at it, you often get the image a moment before the subject is aware of what you're doing. And I find it very satisfying to then have a polite acknowledgement -- even if it is nonverbal -- that for a brief moment two separate and random lives interacted.

 

[chrisweeks]

I found myself underwhelmed by both the writing and illustrations. In my case this may have to do with having recently read "On Being a Photographer" by David Hurn & Bill Jay (Lenswork Publishing 2001) which is a really great book on the subject by two long term professional photographers. Not free either, but then, many times you do get what you pay for...

William

then again, it's pretty easy to be underwhelmed by YOUR gallery! 😉

 

[wlewisiii]

Shrug. I'm happy with it. Then again I don't claim to have the secret of perfect street photography either 😀

William

 

[ehparis]

With Mac OSX and Safari control-click the link (or right click if you have a two button mouse that control-clicks) to download, view in different window, or the other two options.

 

[chrisweeks]

i love shooting from the hip, very effective at times and hard to do well.
i have printed the entire 160 pages and plan to give it a look see later on.
yes, chris is a member here and i hope he chimes in if he sees this.

a side comment here...in the past 2 days there have been 2 threads that were so heavily weighted in the negative, the new rf-less zi for wa use and now this one.


folks, we, film and rf cameras could easily be seen as a dying breed. anything that helps promote us, film and rf cams should be celebrated not reviled.
agree or not with a camera, a photo or an article, i think we need to rally and be more supportive.
just my opinion.

joe

i usually just chime in on my blog, mate! 😉 which i did.

i'm sure i'll get banned from this forum ...

*waits for ban* 😉

then again, honestly, i prefer artists ... like the ones at deviantART.com.

cheers for the sentiments, though, mate!

cheers,
chris

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I'd actually be on DA, but I hate the content management system.

I did think that this was interesting, though, from an RF user's point of view. I think it taught me something.

And not just that Chris Weeks has tons of APX 25.

😀