shy in street photography

[william l. palminteri]

Ton Mestrom , Oct 08, 2008; 12:34 p.m.....Maybe you find things like this helpfull: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=5dipTqJfiE4

 

Yes, it's a great piece. He doesn't mention that there are legalities involved here. Run a search on " photographers'

rights" and read up. Seriously, I went to court for trespassing doing this kind of photography.

I've done a ton of street shooting, for all the reasons mentioned in the film. Here's what I can add..... Most people, if

they know they're being photographed, will either react with suprise, mild anger, alarm, and a few will 'mug' the

camera. ie:, give a funny face, etc. Street vendors can get extremely upset by this, depending on what they're

selling. Hookers really don't get the joke. In all cases, you're not going to get the cameo shot that you want. Here's a

solution. Hold the camera away from your face and learn to aim by instinct. I've gotten some great panoramas by

holding the camera above my head and aiming down slightly.

 

 

Bill P.

[jerry_schuler]

This photo I took at a local fair. In this photo, the guy in the green shirt and his girl friend hung around me for close to an hour. The girl was trying to pose. I'm pretty sure I would have got assaulted if I took another picture at of them.<div></div>

[tonmestrom]

"A lot of people get really upset and even violent about getting photographed"

 

Jerry, I don't know where you live but in all the years that I've been out there I've never encountered serious trouble. And yes, I've worked in socalled less reputable parts of major cities as well. If for instance I would encounter someone like Gilden I would get angry as well. It's mostly about attitude.

It's not sticking a lense in someone's face no matter what. For me it's mostly observing and anticipating.

Just like Marc I work alone. Yes sometimes you've got to be careful although I would prefer to call that using your common sense. A friend of mine once got mugged but he'll freely admit it was his own fault.

He went into a derelict and high crime area at night against good advice not to alone with a lot of expensive photographic equipment. That's the equivalent of an open invitation. He was mugged by three juveniles and lucky to get away with only a minor knife jab in his hand.

 

Yes it's wise to be careful but it's hardly as dangerous as you suggest.

[w_t1]

two of the pics posted here appear to be at political gatherings, is that street photography?

[jerry_schuler]

Ton,

These are the only two episodes that I've had problems with. If in either of these two times, I keep on photographing and not backed off, something probably would have happened. And I would then admit it was my fault for not observing the situation. Most of the time, it's fun for all. But one does need to stay watchful so an occurrence like your friend had doesn't happen to somebody.<div></div>

[tonmestrom]

Bill,

 

I'm not a specialist in US law but over here in Europe it's not too big a problem with the notable exception of France where using street shots of people has become a lot harder.

 

"In all cases, you're not going to get the cameo shot that you want" Maybe I'm lucky but in a lot of cases I do get what I want. Red light districts are hard. A few months ago I met a huge black guy in Pigalle who was very photogenic and who I wanted to photograph but he saw me coming from far and clearly told me no so I didn't. I respect that. A few years ago the same happened to me and the guy there was actually so surprised that I started to put my camera down that he invited me to take his photo after all. After taking some photo's (for which he posed of course what I didn't want) I hang around and finally got some that I wanted to have in the first place.

 

I never "shoot from the hip" It simply doesn't work for me. I want to compose my photo's rather than work in what I think is a haphazard way.

 

I guess everyone has his own way. Maybe it helps that I'm a big guy with a friendly attidude (or so they tell me).

[tonmestrom]

Jerry,

 

that was my whole point. No use in scaring people off in working on the street.

[Damon DAmato]

<i>two of the pics posted here appear to be at political gatherings, is that street photography?</i>

<br><br>

I don't know. You tell me. I called the first one a street portrait, but it might not be that, either.

<br>Whatever you call them or don't call them, they were posted as examples of shooting directly without negative reactions to the photographer.

<br><br>

To tell the truth, I really don't know what street photography is, just like I don't know what fine art photography is. Furthermore, I really don't care about any rules. I just shoot what I shoot, and leave that stuff to the critical theory crowd.

[william l. palminteri]

Hi Ton,

I shoot from the hip, so to speak, and it works well for me. I use a Nikon D70S six megapixel machine and I shoot wide angle so I have plenty of room to frame and crop in post. I used to use a Nikon E950 2 meg. machine, and I got good with that too.

 

Bill P.

[Brad_]

>>> A lot of people get really upset and even violent about getting photographed.

 

Hasn't been my experience at all, and that's from doing a lot of street photography.

 

Most people don't care. It's the attitude you project that drives reaction, if any.

 

Sneaking around, doing hip shots, etc is what raises suspicions. Be direct and there's no problem. It's really that simple...

[jerry_schuler]

This discussion reminds me of the “Assertiveness Training Seminars” that were popular a number of years ago. They were to help people get over their shyness. I think those seminars were given up because their students ended up getting beaten, fired, screamed at, divorced, ostracized, and know as general ass….

[jpo3136b]

OP, be who you are and proceed with confidence.

 

This may sound paradoxical, but there is no telling how many shots you are getting because you are shy. You never know,

it could very well turn out that others may find you likable and approachable if you interact with them using a little courtesy

and reserve. If you tried to fake being loud, pushy or boisterous, that might also turn people off. Folks can usually tell if

someone's putting on an act. If you don't have any ulterior motive, why worry? Just be yourself, be nice, and proceed with

a little more confidence. I bet thing's'll work out okay.

[tonmestrom]

"Sneaking around, doing hip shots, etc is what raises suspicions. Be direct and there's no problem. It's really that simple..."

 

it's also what I firmly believe. Furthermore I'm convinced that if you want to be succesfull at street photography (succesfull as in getting out of it what you want) it takes a certain amount of social skills.

 

"...I have plenty of room to frame and crop in post" Bill, nothing wrong in that as such but when I was trained it was mandatory to work with a standard lens for two years. It's a great way to teach you some discipline in composing very carefully. I honestly believe it has made me a better photographer. Try it, stick with it and you'll get a lot out of it.

[william l. palminteri]

Ton, I don't sneak around. I also don't like to invade peoples' personal space, like the paparazzi do. I shoot very

discretely, and I get some terrifiic shots. I worked with a 50mm prime lens on a full manual Nikkormat for many years

myself. Believe me, I tried it, stuck with it, and got a lot out of it, just like you say. That's how I can hold my machine

over my head, point it to the right, get a cameo of a shop interior and no-one's the wiser. "Practice, man, practice !"

 

Bill P.

[tonmestrom]

Bill, far be it from me to imply you are. Still, just like Brad I prefer a direct approach because I'm convinced it makes for better end results. I like control about what I do. For me "shooting from the hip" is a bit like Lomo photography, just shoot and look what you've got afterwards. If that works for you, fair enough. For me it simply doesn't.

[william l. palminteri]

Ton, Interestingly enough, I have a very good idea of what I'm going to get when I do this type of photography. I came

from a time when we would calculate 'Cost per shutter drop'. That's when film cost money. LOTS of money. Then it

was the chemicals, tanks, enlarger, drier, etc. etc. And of course the time it took to get one shot developed. That

created a LOT of discipline that stays with me to this day. Yes, I may take two hundred shots in an afternoon these

days, and I LOVE 99 percent of them. I'm not one of those people who just "point 'n' pray". My approach came from

decades of training. It works for me, other folks may not like it at all. Here in NYC, the 'direct' approach can get you

punched out, no kidding.

 

Bill P.

[sprouty]

It's a lot easier to explain to someone why you were pointing a camera at their face than explaining your way out of a lie.

 

Understanding your motivation for wanting to take a picture of a complete stranger is the first step, the second is learning how to interact with those same people. Everything falls into place after that.

[tonmestrom]

"Here in NYC, the 'direct' approach can get you punched out, no kidding"

 

so, move over here then ;-)

[max_calabrese]

i have had some social anxiety problems over the years, it kind a come and go thing. One of the thing which i find helps is street photography. The one time i completely lost my shyness was during a documentation gig i had arranged and then had a full blown psychosis the night before. I just felt totally invisible, like i had become the camera. I got a ton of great shots, but in the end it wasn't worth ending up in a hospital.

 

I noticed lately that one thing that help is carrying a small rig, something like a Ricoh or rangefinder. Unlike a SLR no body gives a damn that your taking pictures, and nobody has ever asked what kind of camera it is.