Unobtrusiveness in street photography

[Pfreddee]

There are many shades of unobtrusiveness in street photography. H-CB was the Grand Master of hiding in plain sight. Others have tried to emulate him with varying degrees of success. There is another, opposite way of street shooting, however, which many people have adopted. I propose to call this the Dead Fly In A Bowl Of Cream school of photography. As in, I stick out like a dead fly in a bowl of cream when I'm out shooting.

Some of us are adept at blending in with our surroundings, becoming one with the scene, invisible, hiding in plain sight. Others, like myself, can't pull this off. I am old and slow and fat, and I have beard like Santy Claws. Top that off with my favorite street rig, a Canon EOS1n with the 40mm pancake lens, a blckthorn walking stick (knee surgery), and you get the idea.

Therefore, I propose that we found a new school of street photography for the indiscreet, the clumsy, the obvious and the clueless among us photographers. I propose to name it, The Dead Fly In A Bowl Of Cream Photography Movement. If it takes off, I think it will solve a great many problems for a large number of us.

With best regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)

PS. Something is wrong with the word processing: missing vowel combinations. Sorry.

 

[lukitas]

Fat? check. Old? check. Beard? ditto.
I'm in!

Dead Fly in a bowl of cream.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Another day, another myth. 🙂 This time about HCB "hiding".
Watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60o8UHyiCS4
He is the tallest and goofiest fly on the street.

I have beard and fat and walking like a duck and drunken sailor by the same time due to extreme flat feet. But where I'm it isn't unusual.
Where I'm fat, old, beard and stick is the norm. Where are also pajama/crocks crowd and else.
And in winter it is one giant clowns parade. All ages involved. Dressed like out into the space but almost bare feets. Shoes, no socks or sandals. Or dressed like they are just came from Havana. And it is -20C.


For local street environment I have three completely legal options to be noticeable in summer time:

№1. Dress exactly like HCB and act like him. Very uncommon to see someone dresses like gentlemen here.
№2. Dress like a cowboy. Most of locals never seen cowboys in real. Most of locals are scared of crane flies.
№3. Dress in socks and shoes only (street legal where I'm). Not so uncommon, due to some regular events.

But what would you recommend for Canadian winter, with chill factor of -40C?

 

[Pfreddee]

Lots of layers! Of clothes! Some of us are well-equipped in the fat department!😀

With best regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)

 

[noisycheese]

The redoubtable Cartier-Bresson did a lot of his street photography with a 50mm lens, which is obvious when you consider his camera to subject distance in the video. If he had been that far away from his subjects and was using a 35mm lens, they would be tiny on his negatives, requiring a huge crop to fill the frame with his subject. As we all know, he was an advocate of no cropping.

That having been said, it is easier to be unobtrusive in street photography with a 50mm lens than with a 35 or a 28. With these focal lengths, you have to be within arm's reach of your subject, give or take a bit depending on framing.

A 28 or 35 makes street photography more challenging, which makes you a better street photographer in the long run if you are willing to accept that challenge and rise to it. That means literally making yourself photograph strangers up close even when it scares you or causes you anxiety and stress to do so. As John Wayne once said, "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

Street photography is not for the faint of heart, but the rewards are worth overcoming the anxiety that all street photographers feel when they are just starting out. The good news is this: The more you do street photography, the faster your anxiety will die and be replaced by a sense of calm.

There will come a day when you no longer fear photographing strangers - and that is a great day.