Sheesh ... Street Photography is HARD!

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<p>Do I have to mention "Kent State" ?</p>

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<p>Where was the line there ?</p>

 

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<p>sorry, you lost me there. i was referring to john's tales of combat photography and the fact they were o/t in a thread about someone just starting out in street, whose topic has been completely hijacked by certain individuals. mention Kent State all you want, but i dont know how that helps the OP.</p>

<p>To the OP:</p>

<p>If you treat people as human beings instead of objects, the job of street photography may just become easier. That applies in more than just photography. When it comes to the dangerous places, those would be dangerous sans camera too.</p>

<p>this is STILL going on?.......sheesh.......street photography is a walk in the park compared to trying to read this whole thread.</p>

<p>nothing worth doing is easy.. most people think that taking great pics is easy.. it's not!</p>

<p>keep shooting and keep sharing :)</p>

<p>The secret is that unless you're into melodramatic cliches (and unless you're getting paid to wade into shady places, don't), street is basically about photographing people in broad daylight, with a camera, on a public street or in a public place. </p>

<div></div>

<p>The secret is that unless you're into melodramatic cliches (and unless you're getting paid to wade into shady places, don't), street is basically about photographing people in broad daylight, with a camera, on a public street or in a public place. </p>

 

<p>Thanks for all your responses ... now I'm exhausted.</p>

<p>Okay, Josh Root, I think it's time to close this thread. As it is, it's going to take me a week to read through and digest everything. +_+</p>

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<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3670956"><em>Eric Arnold</em></a><em> </em><a href="../member-status-icons"><em><img title="Frequent poster" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/3rolls.gif" alt="" /></em></a><em>, Aug 25, 2009; 08:08 p.m.</em></p>

<p><em></em></p>

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<p><em>Do I have to mention "Kent State" ?</em></p>

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<p><em>Where was the line there ?</em></p>

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<p><em>sorry, you lost me there. i was referring to john's tales of combat photography and the fact they were o/t in a thread about someone just starting out in street, whose topic has been completely hijacked by certain individuals. mention Kent State all you want, but i dont know how that helps the OP.</em></p>

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<p>Hi Eric,<br />Actually, you're answering your own question. Here's what I mean. Sure, this topic started out innocently enough, the presumption being that Laura just wants to go out and photograph street scenes. Then the reality shifted, and the line got blurred, then disappeared. Different people have different experiences, John and I chimed in with some serious warnings, and here we are.<br />I mentioned Kent State for exactly that reason. When you're in the street, whether it's in a city, on a college campus, or at the mall, you're in a very safe looking, but largely uncontrolled, environment.<br />At Kent State, things were a little hectic, sure, but those were the times we lived in. Trust me, I was part of those times, I know.<br />It was common knowledge that the National Guard carried weapons that were NOT loaded.<br />They were there to provide a show of force and keep the peace.<br />Well surprise surprise ! <br />The 'line' evaporated pretty quickly !</p>

<p>Let me put this another way.<br />I live here in the 5 boroughs of NYC. The city is a tremendous tourist attraction, and vacationers come here and gawk at the tall buildings and give the body language of "Look at me, I'm new here!"<br />Sure, we have a great polce force, as do most cities and towns, but still there is crime, potentially violent people, homesless people, drug dealers, and all sorts of people who would rather not be the subject of your next "Facebook" slideshow, and may NOT be so polite about letting you know.<br />Oh yeah, while you're twiddling with those exposure settings and not paying attention to your surroundings, guess what pickpockets are doing,.....</p>

<p>I hope I've cleared this up for you.</p>

<p>Best regards,</p>

<p>Bill P.</p>

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<p ><a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=3887205"><em>Laura Delegal</em></a><em> </em><a href="http://www.photo.net/member-status-icons"><em><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub2.gif" alt="" /><img title="Frequent poster" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/3rolls.gif" alt="" /></em></a><em>, Aug 25, 2009; 10:25 p.m.</em></p>

 

<p><em>Thanks for all your responses ... now I'm exhausted.</em></p>

 

<p><em>Okay, Josh Root, I think it's time to close this thread. As it is, it's going to take me a week to read through and digest everything. +_+</em></p>

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<p>Hi Laura, I LOVE the Japanese emoticon !<br>

Have a ball shooting and be aware of your surroundings. You don't have to look for trouble, it's already looking for those who aren't expecting it.<br>

Be careful,</p>

<p>Bill P. (*_*)/ </p>

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<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2116036"><em>Rebecca Brown</em></a><em> </em><a href="../member-status-icons"><em><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub4.gif" alt="" /></em></a><em>, Aug 25, 2009; 09:34 p.m.</em><br>

<em>The secret is that unless you're into melodramatic cliches (and unless you're getting paid to wade into shady places, don't), street is basically about photographing people in broad daylight, with a camera, on a public street or in a public place.</em></p>

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<p>Rebecca, you're making my point.<br>

The photo you posted is adorable.<br>

I took a photo just like that, in......<br>

<em><strong>"broad daylight, with a camera, on a public street or in a public place"</strong></em><br>

and was approached by a VERY well dressed (mobster looking) guy who "advised" me to stop taking photos and destroy the "film" (sic).<br>

He was "nice" about it. Others aren't so nice.</p>

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<p><em>The secret is that unless you're into melodramatic cliches....</em></p>

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<p>Nothing melodramatic about it. I was lucky. I walked away with all my bodyparts going in the same direction.<br>

Advice like yours and some others' posts paint a very "Alice in Wonderland" picture of Kandyland on a sunny June afternoon.<br>

I wish it were that simple.</p>

<p>Stay safe,</p>

<p>Bill P.<em> </em></p>

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<p>Eric paraphrasing and satirizing JC's posts: " ...i've been to europe three million times, i shot the Crimean war..."</p>

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<p>Seriously dude... thank you... not only was that my best laugh of the morning, but I projectile shot coffee all over the keyboard of my MB pro... which I guess means I have a reason to upgrade!</p>

<p>The unfortunate thing is that John C has shot some pretty swell street pictures, but long ass monologues detract from what he might actually be able to share. </p>

<p>Of course my big take away looking at his portfolio is that apparently if I call it "fine art" I can take pictures of naked girls... I'm totally gonna try that on this waitress I know --I'll get back with you on my results.</p>

<p>----------<br>

© 2009 Leigh McMullen - <em>Some rights reserved, but of course not <strong>'all</strong> <strong>rights' </strong> if I tried to reserve ALL rights that would put me into some sort of legal twilight zone because pressing the 'submit' button tacitly grants this site (for example) perpetual world-wide publication rights... And then there's the question of Google... and does indexing, searching, and republishing excerpts surrounded by their ads, constitute fair use...</em></p>

<p><em>Ahh effit, lets just say "(cc) licensed, some rights reserved."</em></p>

<p><br /> <em>I feel better. <br /> </em></p>

<p> </p>

<p>William Palminteri, I'm a 61 year old woman who kinda knows more about the world than you seem capable of imagining.<br>

Kid's father was photographing with a D40. We'd talked cameras a bit, pointed out critters to each other. I had my 22 lb. dog with me. And I'm female, but I don't have that photo up on either of my photo sites for the usual obvious reasons. I've also had people ask me not to put shots up on line, which I pretty much honor.<br>

I've had some buffoon try to tell me that post 9/11, I couldn't take a picture of a gunsmith shop in Bolivar, West Virginia. I had a Hasselblad on a tripod, dog in the car, and told him he didn't know what he was talking about. He and his woman went on down the street.<br>

People may object to being photographed. How anyone deals with that is going to depend on a number of factors. <br>

In some places, being out on the street alone as a white person/black person/woman is scary enough without a camera.<br>

The child's photo was a parallel female photographic cliches, the other reason I haven't put it on my photo sites.</p>

<p>Hi Laura,<br>

I agree street photo is not easy, it takes some practice. Here's what i learned so far: <br>

- get rid of long lenses, use a 35 or a 50mm it's much better, usually a dslr with an 18-200 and a flash popped up has paparazzi written all over it in the common mindset, i've had people ask me what magazine i work for. now i use a far smaller rangefinder for street shots<br>

- to be a good street photographer, like you said, you have to be a bit agressive to take the risk of shoving your lens in someone's face, somewhat discreet and VERY patient<br>

- Also, you will always have more deletes than keepers, but with practice the ratio improves<br>

- you can try hip shots if you like, they give a nice perspective, but personaly i don't like asking the person for a picture, it takes away the spontaneity of the event, and that's everything<br>

- looking at your pictures, my first advice would be to work on framing/composition. a good rule of thumb is your subject must be clearly visible, avoid distracting elements in the background (try shallower dof), avoid cutting off elements and having weird things pop into the frame. minimalism is good, but it looks like you have the eye for it <br>

<strong>now for some comments on your shots, </strong><br>

<em>first pic:</em> i can see what you're trying to shoot, but your subject is evasive, too much distraction in the background, especially the graffiti and the post on the right<br>

<em>second</em>: good one, nthg is cropped out, nice angle, good composition<br>

<em>third</em>: the framing is not evident, the guy on the left is cut off and i'm not sure what your subject is<br>

<em>fourth:</em> good situation, framing could be better, but i'm guessing it was taken pretty quickly<br>

<em>fifth:</em> interesting situation, but the composition isn't clear, are you shooting the kid? are you shooting the sleeping woman? <br>

<em>sixth:</em> best one of the lot, really good, great composition, well framed, minimal and elegant</p>

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<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2116036"><em>Rebecca Brown</em></a><em> </em><a href="../member-status-icons"><em><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub4.gif" alt="" /></em></a><em>, Aug 26, 2009; 09:19 a.m.</em><br>

<em>William Palminteri, I'm a 61 year old woman who kinda knows more about the world than you seem capable of imagining.</em></p>

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<p>You have no idea of my capabilities. </p>

<p>Let me suggest a more civil tone of voice.....</p>

<p>William L. Palminteri</p>

<p>Oh I forgot, and one more thing, look at what other good street photographers do to get inspired. My favourites include, Cartier bresson, Doisneau, Depardon, Saul leiter</p>

>>> I mentioned Kent State for exactly that reason. When you're in the street, whether it's in a city, on a college campus, or at

the mall, you're in a very safe looking, but largely uncontrolled, environment.

At Kent State, things were a little hectic, sure, but those were the times we lived in. Trust me, I was part of those times, I

know.

 

Still trying to understand the relevancy to helping a beginner getting started in SP. OTOH, you must have some amazing

photographs of those times and conflicts, right?

 

 

>>> You have no idea of my capabilities.

 

Nor do I. But I'm really curious now.

<p>Walk, don't run. I think it was HCB who said that. Which touches on Lao Tzu's advice of anticipating the difficult by managing the easy. Street photography isn't hard, photography is.</p>

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<p ><a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=934135"><em>Phylo Dayrin</em></a><em> </em><a href="http://www.photo.net/member-status-icons"><em><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub6.gif" alt="" /><img title="Frequent poster" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/1roll.gif" alt="" /></em></a><em>, Aug 26, 2009; 10:51 a.m.</em><br>

<em>Walk, don't run. I think it was HCB who said that.</em></p>

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<p>The Ventures recorded and released it in 1960.<br>

Bill P.</p>

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<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=153336"><em>Brad -</em></a><em> </em><a href="../member-status-icons"><em><img title="Subscriber" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub10.gif" alt="" /><img title="Frequent poster" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/3rolls.gif" alt="" /></em></a><em>, Aug 26, 2009; 10:20 a.m.</em></p>

 

<p><em>>>> I mentioned Kent State for exactly that reason. When you're in the street, whether it's in a city, on a college campus, or at the mall, you're in a very safe looking, but largely uncontrolled, environment. At Kent State, things were a little hectic, sure, but those were the times we lived in. Trust me, I was part of those times, I know. </em></p>

 

<p><em>Still trying to understand the relevancy to helping a beginner getting started in SP.</em></p>

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<p>Try re-reading the post a few times.</p>

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<p><em>OTOH, you must have some amazing photographs of those times and conflicts, right?</em></p>

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<p>Sadly enough, I don't. I was busy protesting the war and avoiding 'the man', and generally trying to make a point without the 'hard hats' caving my head in.<br>

A camera would be a liability in those situations, and we had a bigger mission at that time than taking snaps. We left that to the news media. They did their job, we did ours.</p>

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<p><em>>>> You have no idea of my capabilities. </em><br>

<em>Nor do I. But I'm really curious now.</em></p>

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<p>Read my bio.</p>

<p>Bill P.</p>

<p>The OP asked for the thread to be closed. Why don't you guys respect that? </p>

>>> The OP asked for the thread to be closed. Why don't you guys respect that?

 

 

I believe those decisions are handled by the moderator.

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<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=523880"><em>Ray .</em></a><em> </em><a href="../member-status-icons"><em><img title="Frequent poster" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/2rolls.gif" alt="" /><img title="Current POW Recipient" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/trophy.gif" alt="" /></em></a><em>, Aug 26, 2009; 12:04 p.m.</em><br>

<em>The OP asked for the thread to be closed. Why don't you guys respect that?</em></p>

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<p>All that tells me is that she's done reading these posts.<br>

What's to respect?<br>

She's saying that she won't be reading any further, that's all.<br>

She can also disable the alerts to her email account.<br>

How are we disrespecting her?</p>

<p>Bill P. </p>

<p><strong>Sheesh ... Street Photography is ...</strong><br>

"Look at me, I know more than you!"<br>

"But I've traveled all over the world, have more experience than you!"<br>

"But, but I take better pictures than you!"</p>

 

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<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=1800914"><em>S. D.</em></a><em> </em><a href="../member-status-icons"></a><em>, Aug 26, 2009; 12:42 p.m.</em><br>

<em><strong>Sheesh ... Street Photography is ...</strong><br />"Look at me, I know more than you!"<br />"But I've traveled all over the world, have more experience than you!"<br />"But, but I take better pictures than you!"</em></p>

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<p>Let's see, you've been a member of the photo.net community since August 13, 2005.<br>

No name, just initials, 18 posts total and no photos posted, and you come up with this ?<br>

Not constructive on any level.</p>

<p>Bill P.</p>

>>> Read my bio.

 

I did. But saw nothing about shooting on the street that might suggest the advice you're offering is pertinent to someone

starting out. Was nice you were around for Kent State, but still not getting how that connects.

 

And yet you dismiss my advice of going out shooting to have fun as being off-topic to this thread. Why?