noisycheese
Normal(ish) Human
There is a lot of talk these days about the legal and/or ethical ramifications involved in street photography. For some reason, street photography has has become a very touchy subject for many people.
Some seem to view street photography with a jaundiced eye, as if it is inherently suspect - if not downright unsavory, unethical or immoral. This outlook persists in spite of the fact that street photography is a 100% lawful activity (in the United States, at least).
I find this outlook puzzling - particularly since laws are written based on the prevailing moral and ethical standards of the communities they affect (at least that's the way it's supposed to work).
I keep coming back to the thought that if street photography were such a reprehensible and nefarious activity, it would have been outlawed long ago.
I am likewise puzzled by the negative emotional reaction that being photographed on the street causes in some subjects.
I am completely lost regarding the fact that some people take umbrage to the endeavors of the street photographer - yet voice no complaint over the fact that they are photographed literally hundreds or thousands of times a day by security cameras which are operated by the local police, federal government, private security firms and/or department stores.
This just does not add up.
When I engage in street photography, I adhere to the approach that Henri Cartier-Besson advocated:
While there's nothing wrong with street portraits, the unguarded moment is where your subject reveals the true essence of themselves - not the facade that they present to the world in an effort to manage other people's perceptions of them.
Capturing this true essence is a formidable, daunting and sometimes intimidating challenge. It is one of the most difficult undertakings in photography. It also happens to produce the the most arresting street photography images - images that have real impact as well as artistic and enduring aesthetic value.
That is my goal in street photography - to produce arresting images and to do it in as unobtrusive a manner as is possible. To capture the true essence of my subject, not merely the facade which they present to the world. My goal is not to "trick," trap, exploit, embarrass or hurt my subject in any manner.
My intent is simply to produce the best street photography images I can - aesthetically pleasing images with visual impact that will be meaningful today and will serve as a record of a bygone era decades from now when my ashes have long been scattered.
That is why I endeavor to create images of my subjects when they are lost in their unguarded moments.
It is also why I subscribe to the candid approach to street photography. Messr. Cartier-Bresson was on target when he said,
I am curious to learn how others who pursue the genre of street photography make their images. Do you -
Always ask permission to photograph your subject before shooting?
Endeavor to adhere to Cartier-Bresson's approach of photographing in an unobserved manner in order to capture the unguarded or decisive moment?
What about asking permission and photographing a crowd scene? Is it okay to photograph a mass of people without prior permission of each person?
Is it not okay to photograph an individual or a small group without asking first?
Do you use flash in your street photography as some do, or do you photograph by available light so as to not be obtrusive to or startle your subject(s)?
It is my hope that by thinking about these issues and discussing them - by breaking them down and examining them, we can learn from the discussion. I hope that as street photographers, we canalso come to a better understanding of the thoughts and reactions of non-photographers to being photographed in the public environment.
Please vote in the poll for whatever statement(s) describes your outlook on street photography. Multiple choices are permitted.
Thank you for your participation!
Some seem to view street photography with a jaundiced eye, as if it is inherently suspect - if not downright unsavory, unethical or immoral. This outlook persists in spite of the fact that street photography is a 100% lawful activity (in the United States, at least).
I find this outlook puzzling - particularly since laws are written based on the prevailing moral and ethical standards of the communities they affect (at least that's the way it's supposed to work).
I keep coming back to the thought that if street photography were such a reprehensible and nefarious activity, it would have been outlawed long ago.
I am likewise puzzled by the negative emotional reaction that being photographed on the street causes in some subjects.
I am completely lost regarding the fact that some people take umbrage to the endeavors of the street photographer - yet voice no complaint over the fact that they are photographed literally hundreds or thousands of times a day by security cameras which are operated by the local police, federal government, private security firms and/or department stores.
This just does not add up.
When I engage in street photography, I adhere to the approach that Henri Cartier-Besson advocated:
HCB sought to capture the unguarded moment, the decisive moment. It seems to me that it is not possible to capture this moment if you approach your subject and ask permission to photograph them beforehand. When you do, you then have a street portrait rather than a decisive moment.
While there's nothing wrong with street portraits, the unguarded moment is where your subject reveals the true essence of themselves - not the facade that they present to the world in an effort to manage other people's perceptions of them.
Capturing this true essence is a formidable, daunting and sometimes intimidating challenge. It is one of the most difficult undertakings in photography. It also happens to produce the the most arresting street photography images - images that have real impact as well as artistic and enduring aesthetic value.
That is my goal in street photography - to produce arresting images and to do it in as unobtrusive a manner as is possible. To capture the true essence of my subject, not merely the facade which they present to the world. My goal is not to "trick," trap, exploit, embarrass or hurt my subject in any manner.
My intent is simply to produce the best street photography images I can - aesthetically pleasing images with visual impact that will be meaningful today and will serve as a record of a bygone era decades from now when my ashes have long been scattered.
That is why I endeavor to create images of my subjects when they are lost in their unguarded moments.
It is also why I subscribe to the candid approach to street photography. Messr. Cartier-Bresson was on target when he said,
I am curious to learn how others who pursue the genre of street photography make their images. Do you -
Always ask permission to photograph your subject before shooting?
Endeavor to adhere to Cartier-Bresson's approach of photographing in an unobserved manner in order to capture the unguarded or decisive moment?
What about asking permission and photographing a crowd scene? Is it okay to photograph a mass of people without prior permission of each person?
Is it not okay to photograph an individual or a small group without asking first?
Do you use flash in your street photography as some do, or do you photograph by available light so as to not be obtrusive to or startle your subject(s)?
It is my hope that by thinking about these issues and discussing them - by breaking them down and examining them, we can learn from the discussion. I hope that as street photographers, we canalso come to a better understanding of the thoughts and reactions of non-photographers to being photographed in the public environment.
Please vote in the poll for whatever statement(s) describes your outlook on street photography. Multiple choices are permitted.
Thank you for your participation!
Sylvester
Well-known
Why didn't you gave an option for shooting with a flash Gilden style?
Anyway, I never ask... If I'm discovered... Well... I'll shoot anyway only to see the reaction. I did a project for school on how people react to being photographed, you can see it on my website in the blog section... Pretty fun project.
Anyway, I never ask... If I'm discovered... Well... I'll shoot anyway only to see the reaction. I did a project for school on how people react to being photographed, you can see it on my website in the blog section... Pretty fun project.
I don't have any set rules, I'm just trying to make good photos. Many people put rules into place before their photography is ready for rules. Rules, before you are ready, just give you an excuse not to make photos. To learn to see, you need to make mistakes and try all types of photography that interest you.
I do candid, I do posed, I do still life, I do "urban" landscape, etc. Whatever I'm in the mood for... the only constant is that I'm roaming the streets looking for things that interest me photographically. There is no one way to do things unless you are great at what you do and are content.
I do candid, I do posed, I do still life, I do "urban" landscape, etc. Whatever I'm in the mood for... the only constant is that I'm roaming the streets looking for things that interest me photographically. There is no one way to do things unless you are great at what you do and are content.
noisycheese
Normal(ish) Human
I suppose that I should have had that as a choice.
It did not occur to me to offer that as a choice because from all the commentary I have ever read, the Gilden method is pretty much universally condemned - I guess I thought only Bruce Gilden would vote for it.
slava
Established
I just try to see the moment and take about 1-3 frames.
williams473
Well-known
I much prefer to be on the street with "implied" permission to work. I used to pat myself on the back for the having the "guts" to confront people with the camera, but I have since reconsidered. I get my best work these days, even from strangers, when they are "ok" with what I'm doing and accept my presence - probably because I am then comfortable enough to allow my brain out of of the very non-creative preoccupation of "should I or shouldn't I?" People can also sense our motives, and if we are "sneaking" around then they are going to naturally be a little (or a lot) more defensive. We stand a better chance of gaining authenticity in our street work if the subject is allowing their "wall" down - better to work with than against your subject.
noisycheese
Normal(ish) Human
Good point.
back alley
IMAGES
no rules
very rarely ask permission
I don't hide my camera or my intentions
very rarely ask permission
I don't hide my camera or my intentions
DougFord
on the good foot
I do me some walk'n,
I brings me a camera,
Sometimes I takes me some pictures.
End of story.
I brings me a camera,
Sometimes I takes me some pictures.
End of story.
Highway 61
Revisited
bohdan
-- Physicist
Interesting
Interesting
Well, two angles for me. First, was the Winogrand article written by a columnist in the SF Chronicle. That really bothered me, because he makes no apologies on who he is and he really does view, from all that I read, everybody as interesting and beautiful. This hack of a columnist decided he was creepy. Not sure many people would agree with her, but whateva!
Second is Eric Kim. I like his site; I like his honestly; I feel uneasy about some of his shots. When I saw his portfolio 'Dark Skies Over Tokyo', I felt that the reactions in the shot were instigated by him. He states this: 'My motto is always to shoot with a smile, and from the heart.' I am not sure he succeeded there. I think the portfolio is more aptly named 'I annoy people with my camera with a full on flash.'
I fall more in the HCB category. I want to observe nature, not instigate it. If I interfere, I am inserting myself in to the story...more like Hunter S than Henri.
Bohdan
Interesting
Well, two angles for me. First, was the Winogrand article written by a columnist in the SF Chronicle. That really bothered me, because he makes no apologies on who he is and he really does view, from all that I read, everybody as interesting and beautiful. This hack of a columnist decided he was creepy. Not sure many people would agree with her, but whateva!
Second is Eric Kim. I like his site; I like his honestly; I feel uneasy about some of his shots. When I saw his portfolio 'Dark Skies Over Tokyo', I felt that the reactions in the shot were instigated by him. He states this: 'My motto is always to shoot with a smile, and from the heart.' I am not sure he succeeded there. I think the portfolio is more aptly named 'I annoy people with my camera with a full on flash.'
I fall more in the HCB category. I want to observe nature, not instigate it. If I interfere, I am inserting myself in to the story...more like Hunter S than Henri.
Bohdan
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noisycheese
Normal(ish) Human
That's my approach in a nutshell.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Another vote for this very succinct summary. ALWAYS asking permission destroys spontaneity. NEVER asking permission destroys humanity.
Cheers,
R.
okto
Established
I don't often ask permission, but I do try to engage my subjects if they are in a position to notice me. A nod, a smile, a howdy, chat about what's happening, etc. Especially if the photo involves a child, since people get so squicked about that, I will make eye contact with the parents and smile and say hi. If they respond positively, I will go ahead and photograph as I see fit; if they seem edgy, I ask if it's okay if I take a photo of their kid, and offer an explanation of who I am, what I'm doing, and I why I want to take their child's photo. This almost always gets them to at least begrudgingly agree, which is all I need.
Eye contact and a smile seem to go a long way no matter the situation. Tough for me, since I tend to get lost in the zone, and my concentration face is a scowl!
Eye contact and a smile seem to go a long way no matter the situation. Tough for me, since I tend to get lost in the zone, and my concentration face is a scowl!
Sejanus.Aelianus
Veteran
Exactly.
:angel:
Sylvester
Well-known
I suppose that I should have had that as a choice.
It did not occur to me to offer that as a choice because from all the commentary I have ever read, the Gilden method is pretty much universally condemned - I guess I thought only Bruce Gilden would vote for it.
You should have... a lot of photographers use this technique... I find it graphically very interesting.
SausalitoDog
Well-known
Good thread idea !
Most shots take care of themselves...others are the fun ones
Most shots take care of themselves...others are the fun ones
Elektrojänis
Established
But is there something wrong in being a part of the story?
I think that more or less we are allways a part of the story no matter how much we try to just be observers, if not because anything else but the fact that we live on the same planet (and usually there is a bit more to it too).
Rodchenko
Olympian
I got into photography partly as a way to avoid being involved. But it doesn't really work. You're never completely an observer.
Sejanus.Aelianus
Veteran
It seems that some people see photography as a form of "performance art". That is their choice, of course. Others wish to observe quietly and capture their observations to share with others.