Street Photography for the purist. A great read!

[MoTR]

for a guy that's "all about the photograph", he sure is fixated on very expensive gear. 😀

if he weren't so great at marketing himself, nobody would take a second look.

Chris in my experience will use whatever the best tool for the job is and in the real world of RF shooting thats a Leica.
Shooters havent wandered around the most desolate places on earth with Leicas for decades for no reason. Remember Leicas were used by professionslas for a long time before they become FondlerToys 🙂

As for your second statement, well I think that in th world of entertainment photog, anyone that has got as far as chris has done has done it because hes dam good at what he does.
When you get to the stage when the most photogrpahed people on the planet are asking you to take their portrait shots its because your the best and you make good photos, the marketing is entirely secondary man.


As for the aticle, I live Chrises work in many ways.
He doesnt claim to be a literary genuis (To my knowlegde) and his writing is raw and to the point.
Just like his photos.
He can come across as blunt and whatever but the more you read his stuff and *gasp* get to know him, youll see that he speaks his mind nothing more.
And he can back it up with shots 😛

 

[MoTR]

And I think Chris was going on the ban thing because most forums seems to ban anyone who disagrees or moves apart from the masses.
I dont know I get the impression dissent is pretty alright here as long as it doesnt strch to slandering someone.

 

[ehparis]

I saw this thread shortly after it started. I've only now had time to finish reading it. Am very happy it was posted as it's the best thing I've read since joining this forum.

Jerry

 

[oscroft]

Well, I've finally found the time to read all of that, and I like it a lot. His passion for what he does shines through (and after initially being a bit irritated by all the words that bulletin board software likes to blank out, I started not caring about them because I'd begun to listen to what he's saying rather than reading words).

His photos? There are some that don't do it for me, but that's no problem - I can leave those and move on. But there are plenty that excite me and really do give me the "I wish I'd done that" feeling. I'm going to look at those ones again.

Leica snobbery? Owning "the best" just to look better than other folk might be snobbery, but using the best tools for the job isn't. Is not being able to afford it the only valid reason for not using a Leica? I don't know, but it's the only reason I haven't got one.

And the arguments that this piece have spawned both here and on Chris's blog? I found them quite amusing 🙂

So Chris has my thanks for sharing this with us.

 

[40oz]

"Is not being able to afford it the only valid reason for not using a Leica? "

Wow. Just, wow. :/

 

[ghost]

As for your second statement, well I think that in th world of entertainment photog, anyone that has got as far as chris has done has done it because hes dam good at what he does.
When you get to the stage when the most photogrpahed people on the planet are asking you to take their portrait shots its because your the best and you make good photos, the marketing is entirely secondary man.

he's clearly one of the better red carpet and party photogs. big whup. it's basically disposable commercial photography, which i guess is why he's into the whole "tradition" of street photography, and even that don't compare well to the street photos of other photographers who also do commercial work.

 

[Andrew Touchon]

I'm unable to retrieve this article. Anyone else having trouble?

I can't access it!

 

[SDK]

Try this link: http://ic3.deviantart.com/fs11/f/2006/227/e/2/street_photography_for_the_purist.pdf. It's interesting and worth reading, if rough and imperfect. The homeless dog on page 154 photo is terrific., both incredibly sad yet funny because the dog looks to be walking on the wall.

 

[MoTR]

he's clearly one of the better red carpet and party photogs. big whup. it's basically disposable commercial photography, which i guess is why he's into the whole "tradition" of street photography, and even that don't compare well to the street photos of other photographers who also do commercial work.

If you back up your words with examples I will give your opinion more merit.
And again your making opnions while being terribly uninformed, I dont know your own background but I get the impression your either a failed pro photog or an over the top art photogrpaher.
Open your mind to something and attempt, even if your fail, to realise that just because something doesnt conform to the acceptable standards of your mind or of a "group".
Youd do well to read over some of the "Not for me but I can see its usefulness, even if Chris is vulgar I see wheres hes coming from" opinions.

But in the end, Each to his own I suppose.

Out of interest, have you a link to some of your own work for comparison?

 

[MoTR]

"Is not being able to afford it the only valid reason for not using a Leica? "

Wow. Just, wow. :/

Not the only reason,
Bu for many people who understand how reliable and bulletproof their cameras are and the starndard of engineering in them, cost is the only factor.
If you want the best, you pay for it, until then you settle.