What do you do when you photograph the streets?

[ellisson]

Nobody is interesting in my family with wife, me and younger kids. But if someone needs our picture, we have nothing to hide.
If one of our older daughters walks on the street and nothing provocative in dress, yet, car would stop or even follow sometimes.
Some people life is different from yours. If person is not ordinary, attention is paid. With photo cameras or not.

Now that is enlightening! Different lives!! Wow!

I suppose their feelings may be different too? I respect those feelings.

 

[Pherdinand]

To go back to the OP's concerns, it would be helpful to put yourself and your family in the place of those you are snapping. You are on the street alone or with your spouse and children, and someone points a camera at you and yours. No introduction, no permission, no nothing. So, tell us, how would you respond? How would you feel?
This would be an interesting poll.

would feel honored

 

[MIkhail]

would feel honored

In my humble experience, most of people (even fellow Americans, not to mention Europeans and Mexicans) actually dont mind this at all. As long as you acting decisively and dont try to hide and snick around with telephoto and such.

 

[bmattock]

My advice is to be polite, smile, and do what you wish. The more you behave as if you have every right in the world to be where you are, doing what you are doing, the more others will leave you alone to do it.

That doesn't mean I don't employ common sense. If my gut tells me things are getting dangerous, I leave.

 

[lukitas]

Whatever you do, dont hide.
Up front, in your face is how to go. Especially when shooting children : of course people want to take pictures of children, they are interesting. It is the suspicion that must be explained; it takes a dirty mind to imagine that anyone could do something perverted with an innocent picture of a child.
I wink at death stares. Or flatter them. If that isn't enough, I flee. Arguing your right to photograph can feel good, but it is mostly futile. Sometimes, I tell them I take pictures for my pornography collection : the shock of getting a worse answer than expected, that it cannot be true, often defuses the situation.

You can try and be less obvious, but take care to never look like you are hiding something.
Sometimes, I have to whip my camera from my pocket like a pistolero in a western movie : those moments are fraught with danger, can be seen as shooting from stealth. I then make sure it is perfectly obvious I am taking pictures, and happy about taking them.

A wider angle has some interesting effects. Even with the 28mm equivalent being standard for cell phone cameras, most people have a hard time guessing how wide your camera can see : On my series of full standing portraits of colleagues, the question I get most often is : 'Why are you shooting my hips?' Subjects at the edge of the frame often have no idea they are in it.

Which brings me to the next trick. I try to get a good understanding of what my lens can see. I can then imagine what the frame will be, with the camera kept at arms length. My face is then open to the subject, who will often look at me rather than the camera. It allows for a relationship of mutual curiosity rather than tension and suspicion.

And looking curious helps. Who could refuse a picture to somebody dressed up as Pikachu? Or a pink stola and outrageous make-up?

Cheers and good luck!

 

[mfogiel]

Here are my rules:
1- behave as if you know what you do, you do it without hesitating, and unless you expressly want to ask for permission, don't make eye contact and move on
2- be prepared and be fast
3- know in advance what you are looking for in terms of distance and coverage to place yourself accordingly
3- unless you are shooting in a shade-less environment ( beach, desert, flatland with no trees) use a camera with AE
4- use the fastest film ( or iso on digital) you can sensibly apply to keep the shutter as high as possible (unless you want to blur on purpose)
5- exercise your options, i.e. make a few films with different lenses and shooting techniques to know what to expect in terms of the technical aspects, then concentrate on the photos without fiddling with the camera

Some examples:

Bessa +Heliar 15/4.5 set to 1 meter on AE - always be prepared to shoot

METROPOLITANA by marek fogiel, on Flickr

Biogon 25 on ZI zone focused at 2m - I got quite close to the guy, as I knew he would not protest a photo...

2008070215 by marek fogiel, on Flickr

Biogon 25 on a Bessa - I drank my coffee, then set the lens to 0.5m, put the camera on the bank 0.5m away from the cup and then told the barista "grazie". I shot as she turned around to grab the cup and she did not notice.

CAFFE' A MILANO # 12 by marek fogiel, on Flickr

ZI, Elmarit 28 zone focused to 2m

I was passing by and caught the movement - I was holding the camera low behind my back, then as I got on top of them, I raised it over my head, shot and moved on - only one guy took notice.

BANCA INTESA by marek fogiel, on Flickr

M7, 35 Summicron

This was easy - they were busy feeding the birds
20134014 by marek fogiel, on Flickr

M7, Summaron 35

The train was pretty full and I was sitting on a foldable stool in the corridor. Never made any eye contact with them and was always pretending I was looking at the landscape through the window - this way I easily took 10 pictures without raising any reaction.

20095513 by marek fogiel, on Flickr

ZI, Nokton 35 zone focused at 1.5m

I saw that there was a very sharp passage from shade to blistering light at this corner of the street, so I placed myself at the right distance, pre focused and waited for interesting reactions. The passers by were so blinded that they did not notice me at all.

PASSANTI # 3 by marek fogiel, on Flickr

M7, Elmar M 50

These are simple cases of very fast focusing with the camera that was already set to AE and a usable f stop. It took me no more than 1 second to frame and shoot, then I was gone.In second case I had a motor drive, so I even took 3 shots.

201211112 by marek fogiel, on Flickr


20143932 by marek fogiel, on Flickr

F100, 85/1.8 G

WIth an 85 you are beyond the reach of the typical range of attention.
20149820 by marek fogiel, on Flickr

FM3A, 135/2 DC

It gets even better with a 135.

SUNGLASSES by marek fogiel, on Flickr

 

[BillBingham2]

Longer lens is for losers. Taking street performers pictures is also in this category......

I know we've had several folks join RFF under different monickers from time to time. I've never felt the need to out any of them..........

But I think we have one of the five candidates for US president contributing to RFF!

But seriously folks, I think there are many subjects and approaches. Just like best cameras, formats, etc., lots of alternatives and choices.

B2 (;->

 

[KM-25]

I guess the most important thing you can do is to KNOW that you are not doing anything wrong and that you are not trying to hurt anyone. If you spend your time thinking "I bet they think I'm weird" or "they think I'm a perv" or something like that then you are doomed.

Yes and no...

We no longer live in the age of Life Magazine and no internet. And because of the sheer amount of Flickr-tastic happy snaps posted of "Human Targets" that people often don't know or worse...have no interest in knowing, people are rightfully putting a hand up to candid "Street" photos.

So in the eyes of the person who may say no, you, the "Street Photographer" could very well be doing something wrong. But the self labeled "Street Photographers" almost never sees it this way and instead keeps pushing and pushing and pushing in hopes that one day, maybe after they are gone, their work will reside in the halls of Moma with the "Greats".

To make matters worse, the online banter between "Street Photographers" often gets them worked up, posting articles about how "Our Rights!!!" are being infringed upon or how a person had no right to tell them to no take their photo in public.

My approach to how I do street with people I don't know and are candid is simple really, if I don't have a letter of assignment, a book being published or frankly just a good excuse for taking a person's photo and I am not willing to so whatever it takes to make that person feel comfortable after the fact.....I don't do it.

Now...getting to know a person or group of people, gaining their trust and waiting it out to the point that the photos are genuinely candid, that is another matter, that is an actual relationship with the photographer and the subject and those are often the best photos to begin with.

 

[Mackinaw]

Using a non-conventional camera helps. I picked up a Busch Pressman 4X5 camera awhile back and have been using it for street photography these past few weeks. People, of all ages, are fascinated by this thing. They come up to me and ask to be photographed. When I tell them I’m shooting B&W and need to develop the film before I get the final image, they voluntarily give me their email address so I can send them the pic. I only have seven film holders so only can take a max of 14 pics on any one outing. I’ve had no problem using all of the film packs whenever I go out.

Jim B.

 

[froyd]

I've been ambushed by a Golden wanna-be who blasted me in the face with his flashgun. It was nighttime on a dark street, and the intensity of the light made me recoil. I won't deny my first instinct was not terribly civilized, but fortunately for both of us, he ran away.

 

[JOCO34]

I try to use my "Old Man" cameras ie Leica M8 or Fuji X100S. Both are black and to most folks look like a tourist camera and not a Pro outfit. I don't carry a photo type bag but a cheap vinyl bag from a tour company. I also use a wide angle and shoot off center not directly at the subject. But i do not shoot people. I tend to look for interesting patterns textures and light. If a person helps to make the shot great if not i move on. Of the two cameras above I really like the Fuji as it is somewhat faster and less obvious in my opinion.

 

[rogue_designer]

1. death stare from your subject

I don't usually have a specific subject. It's very rare that I get someone who seems to notice - that might be location dependent. Different cities have different vibes. I also tend to shoot fast (and with small cameras and small lenses), so the camera isn't up and pointed at any given subject very long.

2. children big no no, the parent usually give a really suspicious look

Situational again. Bunch of kids at a public fountain/festival or something is usually not a problem. A specific kid, in isolation, that's a bit different. I also don't usually find it as interesting, so not something I'd photograph, certainly not without permission.

3. animal, usually OK! some time the owner even ask for another shoot

Yup

4. street performer, these guys are ok, they are friendly about being photograph at.

Yes, though it's polite to donate to their efforts as well.

Currently I mostly on 35mm and 50mm, really makes me wonder if I should go with longer lens to mitigate the invation-of-private-space that people usually felt when being photography by strangers.

Longer lenses feel even more voyeuristic to me. At least if you are in the crowd, you are part of the experience, and not just a creeper.

what do you guys do to harness a thick face to brace the general unhappy of your subject realised they are being photograph?

Smile a lot. Don't follow people. Be willing to offer non-combative explanations of what you are doing. "I'm just taking art pictures of the city, and crowds, and things I find beautiful or interesting."

 

[DanskDynamit]

I dress up like a tourist, it works fine for me.

 

[johnnyrod]

Using a non-conventional camera helps.

Definitely. Point a folder at a scene and the people in it seem to be pretty happy about it. Not done it many times but so far so good.

 

[ernstk]

Have a look at some of the videos of Garry Winogrand doing street photography. He's the true king, Gilden isn't.

Also, be smooth, quick and discreet. Only talk to your subject if you have to. If you talk first, then take a photo, that's not street photography, it's portraiture.

Pre focus, pre expose, use as high a shutter speed as possible. That way, you can shoot while the camera is moving smoothly (potentially to take a skyline shot) without attracting attention.

 

[bmattock]

Couple things, based on the comments of others in this thread.

1) No one has the right not to be photographed if they are in public (in the USA). I understand it makes some folks upset, and I am flexible enough to try to accede to their wishes in most cases, but don't mistake my willingness to be a nice guy with a law forcing me to do it. I will be happy to await the arrival of a law enforcement officer if anyone confronts me and makes unreasonable demands.

2) No one can tell me that I am not a photographer, just because I am not Winogrand. Winogrand wasn't Winogrand before he was Winogrand, dig? There's no license required, no club to join, and I don't need permission to grant me the designation of 'street photographer'. I see complaints like that quite frequently. Who is the person who decides who gets to be a street photographer and who does not?


To the OP. Go forth boldly and take the photos you like. Make eye contact, be friendly, smile, and if someone objects to having their photo taken, use your best judgment; sometimes it is better to agree and just walk away. However, if you decide to stand your ground and take the photo anyway, know that in the USA at least, the law is on your side, presuming you and your subject are in public.

 

[Oscuro]

My husband, a beautifully irritating Frenchman and I, a loud Italian of a certain age, have been taking photos of people in public for almost a half of a century.

Only twice, once in Italy and once in Syria were we seriously threatened by the subject.

We of course discount all the people that we photographed in a pack as journalists. That doesn't count.

Much of something is made of much of nothing in your "street" photographing.

Just go do it everyday. You'll figure it out.

 

[Jockos]

I think it helps to not look like a creep as well!

 

[13Promet]

Couple things, based on the comments of others in this thread.

1) No one has the right not to be photographed if they are in public (in the USA). I understand it makes some folks upset, and I am flexible enough to try to accede to their wishes in most cases, but don't mistake my willingness to be a nice guy with a law forcing me to do it. I will be happy to await the arrival of a law enforcement officer if anyone confronts me and makes unreasonable demands.

2) No one can tell me that I am not a photographer, just because I am not Winogrand. Winogrand wasn't Winogrand before he was Winogrand, dig? There's no license required, no club to join, and I don't need permission to grant me the designation of 'street photographer'. I see complaints like that quite frequently. Who is the person who decides who gets to be a street photographer and who does not?


To the OP. Go forth boldly and take the photos you like. Make eye contact, be friendly, smile, and if someone objects to having their photo taken, use your best judgment; sometimes it is better to agree and just walk away. However, if you decide to stand your ground and take the photo anyway, know that in the USA at least, the law is on your side, presuming you and your subject are in public.

Amen!

tendigits

 

[goamules]

Hm... I notice the following when I am taking picture of the streets in general:

1. death stare from your subject [after] the invation-of-private-space that people usually felt when being photography by strangers.

what do you guys do to harness a thick face to brace the general unhappy of your subject realised they are being photograph?

If you are invading people's privacy and making them generally unhappy, perhaps you should reconsider this type of photography. Doing things in public that people don't like, whether photographing them, or playing really loud music from your car, or protesting their choices (to wear fur, political signs on their car, etc.) are all signs of selfishness. If you care about people....then care about what they care about. If you don't care, then you should not care that some people are going to despise you, and some may even come and talk to you about what you are doing to them. Like hunting the Passenger Pigeons to extinction, some people don't care what it's doing.