Street photography technique

MP Guy

MP Guy

Just another face in the crowd
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So I have been doing more and more street photography lately and establishing a technique of engaging the subjects. Seems to work well and render better results. I wrote a short blurb on my blog http://jorgetorralba.com/2015/04/25/street-photography-portland-style/ and would be interested to hear what your style is.

Engaging I find more productive and yields results such as this

U4I1368815295.SEQ.1.jpg


What say you ????
 
I just don't have what it takes to engage strangers. I also would prefer (cause and effect I suppose) that the subject be unaware of me taking the picture. I'd call this a candid portrait, which is a legitimate street genre from all that I've read. Mostly it is about what comes from within you I suppose. Certainly this fellow is a statement on the human condition (and I'm not real sure what that is supposed to mean).
 
Ko.Fe. said:
Some find heads shots like in the OP post interesting. I'm in the opposite.
Click to expand...

different style for everyone. This was just an example of how engaging makes the subject more likely to accept being photographed.
 
Darthfeeble said:
I just don't have what it takes to engage strangers. I also would prefer (cause and effect I suppose) that the subject be unaware of me taking the picture. I'd call this a candid portrait, which is a legitimate street genre from all that I've read. Mostly it is about what comes from within you I suppose. Certainly this fellow is a statement on the human condition (and I'm not real sure what that is supposed to mean).
Click to expand...

They have street candid's and street portraits. Street portraits are not as highly prized unless you name is Arbus.

Sadly much of Erwitt's work I thought were candid's borders on staged / studio photography.

https://paulturounetblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/elliotterwitt_contact_image.jpg

What do most people think about this shot? Erwitt walking down the street and grabs a great shot?

http://i.imgur.com/34yycl.jpg

Nope!

Really sad when you find out the truth on some of these photos.
 
Yes, I would call those candid portraits. Or candids, maybe portrait is implied. As I understand it, the first photo and related technique is generally called a street portrait.
 
Regardless of technique. I find the typical candid / spontaneous / anything that moves approach is really a hit and miss. I dont like anything staged but do like street portraits.
 
This is an interesting topic that I have been grappling to do better at as well.
I believe its a combination of how the shooter is feeling, and the overall vibe they get from the subject and vice-versa.

In addtion, I feel that the gear used tends to 'open the subject' and make them feel more at eased as well. In the shot below, it was done with a Mamiya RZ67 and a 110mm. This was a hip shot, fired pretty quickly after a brief focus as he initially rejected my request for a portrait. I took this without his knowledge, well at least till the shutter gave me away.



p453679133-4.jpg


Striking a conversation before the shot is key, but the first point of contact is ever so much more important as that sets the tone for interaction. Sometimes you get off on the right foot, sometimes never at all.

This shot below is another shot that was taken after a 3-8minute conversation that included persuasion to be photographed. Yet, I failed to convince her for a shot. This was again, taken against her knowledge, till the shutter of the RZ gave me away.

Old habits die hard, so they say.

p233361121-4.jpg
 
Much as I like the candids, I'm firmly on the side of engaging.
Spontaneity is over-rated.
And I love it when somebody just stares back at me. Makes the picture.

U54266I1429057873.SEQ.2.jpg
 
I don't tend to shoot too many street portraits but subjects can be engaged with or not, confronting or not - for me it just depends on whats happening.


For instance, this old shot had no initial engagement with the subject beyond the fact he was looking at me.



Whereas here we had a brief connection, catching each others eye, sharing a quick piss-take joke and taking a picture.



Always interesting to see how others do their thing though.
 
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