Street photography technique

[OurManInTangier]

Would someone please explain to me how I can include photographs in my messages to this list?

Thanks

I use Photobucket to store images that I embed into threads. Just click on the mountain/scenery symbol and put the link in from there. I think you can embed from Flickr too but I'm not a user so am unsure of the process there.

 

[JohnBeeching]

I have tried from my website and from Flickr and neither seem to work properly. The process ought to be more straightforward!

 

[Richard G]

John, in flickr choose the menu with the curved arrow that goes up to the right. Click on BBCode. Choose the size, say 800 or even 1000 pixels wide, copy from the pane all of the coded contents and paste here. That should do it.

 

[JohnBeeching]

Dear All,

Here we go again, perhaps the photo will come through this time!
My philosophy is:
- Don't exploit your subjects
- Wide angle lens
- Be discreet
- Close
- Quick
- Smile if noticed.
Barcelona by jarbi, on Flickr

John

 

[JohnBeeching]

Some more examples:
Hero by jarbi, on Flickr

Thirsty by jarbi, on Flickr

John

 

[airfrogusmc]

I do some street portraits where I engage but I am also fascinated by the moment. Trying to find a little clarity in confusion. I tend to try and see in terms of leading lines, repeating shapes and other visual tools and try and see some relationship to the other elements in the frame.

Technically I tend to pre focus and pre set my exposure so all I am doing is responding to the visual as it happens.

A link few of mine that have been seen by most here.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147257

There are no absolutes and no one right or wrong way to do any of this. Only whats right for each of us and the way we see and work.

 

[DNG]

I sometimes engage with others I photograph... the situation will determine that, I have no problem with that...
but, my portrait will still be candid - per se-, I don't ask for pose.

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2015 Classic Street Photography by Peter Arbib STREET, on Flickr

These chaps where just relaxing, as I walked by, I raised the camera and just took it.
The guy looking at the camera was entertained that I took his photo with his friend. a short hello, and thank you, and I was off again.
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2014 Classic Street Photography by Peter Arbib STREET, on Flickr


As I was raising the camera, she stuck this pose... even though I caught her with her eyes closed (you never now), It still works for me.
This is still an un-asked pose.. we did have short conversation after the fact.
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2014 Classic Street Photography by Peter Arbib STREET, on Flickr

 

[Sparrow]

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.

.... those are just typical of your photos though, we were discussing this the other day and that's simply your style I think. Do you get choose how how to take them? could you do them differently? ... I suspect it's

I get annoyed sometimes when my photos always look like I've taken them ... I just stand still and take photos as the world passes, no one seems to pay me any attention and they always look like I've taken them

PS ... that second shot is a belter, just you

 

[OurManInTangier]

.... those are just typical of your photos though, we were discussing this the other day and that's simply your style I think. Do you get choose how how to take them? could you do them differently? ... I suspect it's

I get annoyed sometimes when my photos always look like I've taken them ... I just stand still and take photos as the world passes, no one seems to pay me any attention and they always look like I've taken them

PS ... that second shot is a belter, just you

Ahhh, 'style' is always a bit of a concern to me. I always wonder how thin a line it may be between having a recognisable style or even, dare I use the word, vision (which is usually held to be a good thing) and dipping over into viewing, and so photographing, the world in the same myopic way as always and never producing anything new. Sometimes looking at your own pictures can be quite dispiriting. For instance, looking at most of my spare time stuff I see the same 'looking through a window' composition in pretty much every shot.

Having said that, I've looked at the photography of others, some here, and made the effort to try to see and react in the way I imagine they must to get the pictures they do and the result is always the same. In modern terms; Epic Fail. So I understand how you feel, we're stuck with ourselves.

Thanks for the compliment on the second shot, strange numbers on a wall, a fez wearing smoker flicking the V's....if only every street corner offered up oddness with such ease 😀

 

[Sparrow]

Ahhh, 'style' is always a bit of a concern to me. I always wonder how thin a line it may be between having a recognisable style or even, dare I use the word, vision (which is usually held to be a good thing) and dipping over into viewing, and so photographing, the world in the same myopic way as always and never producing anything new. Sometimes looking at your own pictures can be quite dispiriting. For instance, looking at most of my spare time stuff I see the same 'looking through a window' composition in pretty much every shot.

Having said that, I've looked at the photography of others, some here, and made the effort to try to see and react in the way I imagine they must to get the pictures they do and the result is always the same. In modern terms; Epic Fail. So I understand how you feel, we're stuck with ourselves.

Thanks for the compliment on the second shot, strange numbers on a wall, a fez wearing smoker flicking the V's....if only every street corner offered up oddness with such ease 😀

... that's the bugger of it; the things we admire in the work of others we question in our own.

I've noticed some have that attraction to the surreal, and some to the real almost as if they had a choice that I don't seem to get ... I expect it's in the editing but you and Bob France seem to get more of the surreal stuff to edit from than I can find

... but I'll put this one in as a conversation piece


No 39 par Sparrow ... Stewart Mcbride, on ipernity

 

[Tati]

work

work

Interesting views on street work, but in the end, like most things, there doesn't seem to be one way.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/morristaub/17286460582" title="100115_windowwasher2_ by Morris, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8774/17286460582_1391913af0_b.jpg" width="682" height="1024" alt="100115_windowwasher2_"></a>

 

[DNG]

@Tati
I washed glass for over 12 years, And, though there is not "one" correct way, starting in the middle (as he did), or at the bottom (as I did) are the most efficient ways,
though I chose a blade that was a tad more than 1/2 the width of the glass.. makes for one large upside-down "U" sweep, and done.

BTW, This is a great photo... almost a "statue of liberty" pose with the way the bright light spot is placed!

 

[Bingley]

Dear All,

Here we go again, perhaps the photo will come through this time!
My philosophy is:
- Don't exploit your subjects
- Wide angle lens
- Be discreet
- Close
- Quick
- Smile if noticed.
Barcelona by jarbi, on Flickr

John

That's a good working philosophy, and also ^^^ a nice shot.

 

[Tati]

@Tati
I washed glass for over 12 years, And, though there is not "one" correct way, starting in the middle (as he did), or at the bottom (as I did) are the most efficient ways,
though I chose a blade that was a tad more than 1/2 the width of the glass.. makes for one large upside-down "U" sweep, and done.

BTW, This is a great photo... almost a "statue of liberty" pose with the way the bright light spot is placed!

Thanks for the kind words. And years ago in NYC I had family that had a window cleaning business. Something near and dear.

 

[Hsg]

In my view the means, whether its candid or posed (street portraits) are simply an approach, neither approach guarantee 'quality' photographs.

 

[Ricoh]

I'm currently a M4/3's user considering an M Typ 240.
To get the decisive moment, as its termed, attempting to focus on the fly using a RF is going to be too slow - that's my perception, but with experience there would be an improved response. As a consequence, zone focusing seems to be the logical solution, in which case it's just a matter of seeing the shot and pressing the release. But zone focusing comes with a limitation in thit everything within the zone is acceptably focused, subject separation, if that's your wish needs a wider aperture and more precise focusing by which time your subject has moved or changed his or her expression, body language etc. I can't see a solution to limited depth of field and capturing the decisive moment. It's something that bothers me, holding me back from pulling the plug on an M240.
My current technique varies, but I certainly don't make eye contact with my subject, I click and move on. Sometimes I frame the shot with the camera pointing at an individual, then wait until they look at the camera lens, then snap. Again I do not make eye contact or talk, it adds nothing to the shot.

 

[JohnBeeching]

Obviously, some cameras are easier to use than others, but it is probably more important to be so thoroughly familiar with your equipment that you need not think about the technical side. Using the machine must become intuitive, then you can pay attention to what is going on around you. A mechanical camera is in many ways ideal as there are fewer controls to worry about. The photos I showed above were all taken on a film Leica with either a 28 or 35 mm lens zone focused. However, you can equally use a digicam. These two were taken with a X-Pro1, the first with a zone-focused 18 mm and the second with a focused 35 mm wide open.

[/url]Hands by John Beeching, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]London by John Beeching, on Flickr[/IMG]