=Capture a stranger street style=

bobnr32 · Feb 14, 2014

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2013 04 28_1320b by bob8952, on Flickr

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2013 05 10_1762_edited-1 by bob8952, on Flickr

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2013 05 10_1766_edited-1 by bob8952, on Flickr

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2013 05 10_1751_edited-1 by bob8952, on Flickr

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2013 05 10_1754_edited-1 by bob8952, on Flickr

EIngerson · Aug 9, 2014

Re crop-1 by Ingerson Photo, on Flickr

sashbar · Aug 9, 2014

Hi, just wrote about strret shooting in another thread a minute ago, about how I see it. I hope it could give you some food for thought.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-c-my-street-shooting-please.html#post3295672

I LOVE this image, I think it is great. I cropped it, hate to lose the detail in the upper left, but to me the overall balance now is better. But that's how I see, your mileage may vary.

LaFoto · Sep 27, 2014

johngpt · Sep 27, 2014

I need to get around more streets.

bc_steve · Sep 27, 2014

Nuns by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

Street Preformer in Kolkata by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

Firewood by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

Gary A. · Sep 28, 2014

We all see differently and we all shoot differently. I am not casting judgement on how others shoot Street. I shoot Street according to my code and you should shoot Street according to your code. My code was developed over four decades of shooting Street. This is a perspective on Street shooting technique, in particular my perspective. (Which leaves me to immediately wonder … who really cares about my perspective).

This is my perspective, my code and how I arrived at my code. You Street photogs out there without a code … get one …. give it some thought. You can steal mine, steal Arias', steal someone else’s, or parts of mine, et cetera … or just develop one that works for you. (If I was a young Turk photog … I’d just steal one. It’s a lot easier than giving it any real thought.) But codes are good to have.

Remember, I used to be a news photographer, a photojournalist. That job went a long way to define who I am. When you work news, it is one of those 24/7 types of jobs. When I wasn’t working I was always looking at the news, looking at what the competition published, always on-call when something really big breaks. How I shoot today, even though photography is now a hobby, contributes to how I see myself as a person. I believe that everything you do reflects upon who you are. While some actions reflect less significantly than others … all actions are reflective directly upon your person as seen by others and as seen by yourself, all to varying degrees.

Broadway Street – Los Angeles, California, circa 1970’s
Nikon F w/ Nikkor 28mm, Tri-X

Two significant elements that are the bases of my code are:

Broadway Street – Los Angeles, California, circa 1970’s
Nikon FTn w/ Nikkor 180mm, Tri-X, circa 1970’s

Respect

Growing up in America as a minority (Latino), I am hypersensitive to respect. Much of my life centers around respect, respect for self, respect for others deserving of respect and finally earning respect. Respect is a commodity, which cannot be bought. It is a commodity of great value in all society but in particular the minority communities.

Challenge

I am driven by 'The Challenge', regardless of what it may be. If there is a contest, a challenge … I gear-up and focus-in. I am a bad loser. Every new day, photography offers a new challenge to better the image I captured yesterday. Photography also offers endless opportunities for photo opportunities and attempts to capture the exceptional photograph.

Respect and Challenge are the tenants, which I used to develop my Street Code.

Los Angeles, California – 2007
Canon 20D, w/ Canon 70-200 @ 200mm

The Code (finally ... and for what it's worth):

Shoot with Respect

Life is a two-way street. Shoot how you would want to be captured if you were on the other end of the camera. To me shooting from the hip is sneaky. Sneaky is disrespectful. I tried shooting from the hip. When I was finished I wanted to take a shower. Other photogs are fine with shooting from the hip, they call it stealth … and that’s okay, I don’t give a rat’s what others do. Shooting from the hip just isn’t me. Remember that you are on your subject’s street. That is where they work and play. It is their front yard and their backyard … treat it with respect.

Los Angeles, California – 2014
Fujifilm X-T1, w/ Fujinon 10-24 @ 10mm

Shoot in the Open

I prefer shooting everything with two cameras. One camera setup with for long and the other camera setup for wide, I don’t change my preferred shooting methodology for Street. I shoot with the EVF. I shoot with a camera bag hanging off a shoulder. I shoot in plain sight. That is part of the Challenge of Street for me, to capture the exceptional photograph according to my code.

Los Angeles, California – 2014
Fujifilm X-T1 w/ Fujinon 55-200 @ 77.9mm

I do not believe in stealth as a ‘real’ and effective camouflage for Street photography. I just don’t think it works well, if at all. I’ve seen photogs go to great lengths to hide the camera … to hide what they’re doing. They’ll tape the camera; hide the camera in a bag, et al. No matter what you do, it is still a camera. To me the only difference between a 1D with a 70-200 and an X100s is that the subject can see the 1D from a mile away and the X100s from half a mile. I find that ‘blending’ in works best for me. My stealth is to integrate into the Street, to hide in plain sight. I try to be as much a part of the street scene as a mailbox or street lamp. This is a mental thing. Similar to highly trained elite forces willing themselves to be a rock, or bush or tree. Blending in has served me well shooting news and shooting Street.

Long Beach, California – 2010
Canon 5D, w/ Canon 300mm

Appropriate Dress

When I shoot Street I dress as I would when shooting news. I wear closed-toed shoes, (no sandals), long pant (jeans or khakis), short or long sleeved shirt (no T’s or tank tops, no messages whatsoever), … I try to look ‘professional’ … as in I am working … as in I am not here for entertainment … as in this Street is not the Zoo.

Los Angeles, California – 2006
Canon 5D, w/ Canon 70-200 @ 70mm

Shoot and Walk

This is the shooting methodology I suggest for the neophyte. Shoot and walk, shoot and walk, shoot and walk. If someone gives you the evil eye or shouts at you just keep walking. Don’t stalk an interesting subject … if the shot is there grab it … if not don’t linger there will be another shot in another half block. As you develop a Street Sense you’ll get the vibe of the Street of the people around you and you’ll have a better sense of when to linger when to stalk and when to get the hell out. But until then, just shoot and walk. If someone starts a friendly conversation … participate of course. Speaking to a subject prior to releasing the shutter, asking for permission to take their photo, more often than not, will completely alter the image from what you first saw and desired to capture. So usually I don’t converse prior to shutter release. I tend to like some eye contact between subject and camera. I try to release the shutter at the very moment the subject recognizes the camera and before the mood I sought to capture is changed.

Broadway Street – Los Angeles, California – circa 1970’s
Nikon F w/ Nikkor 20mm, Tri-X

Los Angeles, California – 2007
Canon 20D, w/ Canon 18-55 @ 22mm

Be Aware

Always be aware of your surroundings and the people around you. When I’m not snapping away I’m moving … looking here … looking there … looking forward … looking back … looking at everybody. I’ve only been accosted once by non-security personal in all my decades of photography all over the world. That was in Los Angeles, my hometown. It was by this huge guy who I think had a mental problem. After taking his snap, he attempted to grab my camera. So I went back to basic, shoot and walk, and starting walking. He started following … well more like chasing as I weaved in and out of the pedestrians crowding the sidewalk. Finally I said to myself enough is enough and I ducked into a restaurant and the giant didn’t follow. Time for a break and I order a bite. I don’t eat/drink while ‘on-assignment’ shooting Street which is distracting and ties up one’s hands. I think my vigilance has reduced the odds of robbery and maleficence. Thieves, I presume, look for an easy target, a tourist with a coffee in one hand, bumbling around the street without any real direction, unaware of their surroundings, makes a much easier target than an alert professional with street smarts. Awareness may save your neck, your gear and will increase your keeper rate.

Los Angeles, California – 2014
Fujifilm X-T1 w/ Rokinon 8mm (fish)

Identification

I always have a handful of business cards with me for those who are interested. The cards have my name, cell phone and website. Often I will carry a printout of “The Photographer’s Rights”. I’ve never had the need to pass that information out. The cards are a very good tool for lowering of tensions or in some cases complete disarmament and a cessation of hostilities. People respect, (remember that respect thing), if you’re working much more so than if they suspect you’re on holiday out for a stroll at the zoo.

Anaheim, California – circa 2070’s
Nikon F2 w/ Nikkor 20mm, Tri-X

Know Your Rights

Take the time to know what you can and cannot legally shoot. This has nothing to do with Respect or Challenge … just common sense. Do some research on the internet to familiarize yourself with your rights. Print out a few copies of “The Photographer’s Rights” and always take a few with you. The Constitution protects and ensures the Street photographer to work the streets. But there are a few catches like private property and an individual’s expectation of privacy. As an example, say a pedestrian has a wardrobe malfunction and disappears into an alley to correct the malfunction. There is an expectation of privacy created by the person diving into the alley and the Supreme Court states that expectation of privacy supersedes the fact that the person is in a public street. “So don’t go chasing that person into the alley, give them their space and respect.”

Remember that just because you have the legal right to capture an image, does not mean that you should.

Anaheim, California – circa 1970's
Nikon F2 w/ Nikkor 20mm, Tri-X

Street Ethics

I tend to shoot everything … even kids. Yes, children. Children have no greater right to privacy than an adult. A mother bear type has never accosted me, frothing at the mouth, telling me about her children’s civil rights and of laws that don’t exist.

Broadway Street – Los Angeles, California – circa 1970’s
Nikon F w/ Nikkor 20mm, Tri-X

(Then again I’m not sneaky about how I shoot … which may or may not have any bearing.) Just because you legally can do something, does not make it ethically right. I no longer shoot the homeless. As a former journalist, I recognize that there are at least two sides for every story. I also recognized that my homeless photos were only telling my side of the homeless story. I knew what I had to do to shoot homeless with a fair and equitable presentation. So until I sit with them and spend some time with them and learn and capture their story … my images were exploitive at best. So I no longer shoot the homeless. For me, I don’t see a real challenge in shooting homeless. Unfortunately the homeless are plentiful and they usually are sedentary. What challenge is there in shooting something you see everyday that doesn’t move?

Dana Point, California – 2010
Canon 1DsMKII w/ Canon 70-200 @ 200mm

Think about what you are shooting. Think about how you would feel if you were the subject and the subject had the camera. Think about it when you take the shot and think about it later when the shot is processed. Often, shooting with Gestalt, can make an image whose principal value is shock into a meaningful sublime image. Shock can be great … but often shock is so overpowering that it becomes the only message.

Shoot by listening to what drives you … listen to your gut and heart.

Broadway Street – Los Angeles, California, circa 1970’s
Nikon F w/ Nikkor 20mm, Tri-X

Good Luck and Good Shooting,

Gary

chris foxe · Sep 28, 2014

does this count as street photography, :1251:

no disrespect intended to a serious thread, just in the mood for a smile.

Gary A. · Sep 28, 2014

Yes it does! Dunno where that was captured ... but you don't find many people walking their camels out here in LA. I hope she has a big bag.

Gary

limr · Sep 28, 2014

Gary, I enjoyed your post explaining your street photography code. I haven't thought of my own in such detail yet, but I found myself nodding a lot while reading yours.

I also won't shoot the homeless - not unless I've established a connection and gotten permission. And being that I'm quite shy about talking to strangers, it's unlikely that I'd ever have many - if any! - of these interaction. This functionally means that I don't take pictures of the homeless.

I'm not sure that I would consider myself "stealth" because I don't hide what I'm doing, but I do try to make myself unobtrusive when I'm shooting street. If I think my subject is aware of me, I often will not take the shot. I don't want to bother or anger anyone, and as I said - I'm shy about interacting, so even if the person is interested and friendly and just wants to talk, I'm not always ready or willing to do so. So I'll miss a shot.

I'm sure I miss good shots this way, and it's something that I am working on in order to improve the variety of scenes I capture (or at least attempt to capture), but for the moment, I don't have, for example, the kind of eye contact shots that you do.

But it's not all about being shy. It's also about not wanting to influence the shot that I want. The observer effect. It's not like I'm trying to hide myself because I'm doing something shameful, but rather so I don't cause people to suddenly feel self-conscious and change their behavior.

rs 100 years by limrodrigues, on Flickr

Gary A. · Sep 28, 2014

limr said:
Gary, I enjoyed your post explaining your street photography code. I haven't thought of my own in such detail yet, but I found myself nodding a lot while reading yours.

I also won't shoot the homeless - not unless I've established a connection and gotten permission. And being that I'm quite shy about talking to strangers, it's unlikely that I'd ever have many - if any! - of these interaction. This functionally means that I don't take pictures of the homeless.

I'm not sure that I would consider myself "stealth" because I don't hide what I'm doing, but I do try to make myself unobtrusive when I'm shooting street. If I think my subject is aware of me, I often will not take the shot. I don't want to bother or anger anyone, and as I said - I'm shy about interacting, so even if the person is interested and friendly and just wants to talk, I'm not always ready or willing to do so. So I'll miss a shot.

I'm sure I miss good shots this way, and it's something that I am working on in order to improve the variety of scenes I capture (or at least attempt to capture), but for the moment, I don't have, for example, the kind of eye contact shots that you do.

But it's not all about being shy. It's also about not wanting to influence the shot that I want. The observer effect. It's not like I'm trying to hide myself because I'm doing something shameful, but rather so I don't cause people to suddenly feel self-conscious and change their behavior.

rs 100 years by limrodrigues, on Flickr

Half of Street is attaining a comfort level within yourself. You need to develop a thick skin and your sixth Street Sense. All those will only occur by shooting. So shoot and walk, start in a touristy area where cameras are common. Here in LA I'd direct you to Hollywood and Venice, in Manhattan ... Times Square, Coney Island.

Shoot, shoot again and when you think you're done for the day ... shoot some more.

Gary

PS- I had to take a double take on that image. My first take was ..meh ... an ear shot of an old lady. Then I took a closer look and I'm still smiling. I just showed the image to Mary Lou and she's smiling. Hope is eternal. Thanks for sharing.
G

PPS- Most people nod when they read my stuff ... then they start snoring
G.

limr · Sep 28, 2014

I agree - practice builds confidence (and skill) and confidence allows for taking more risks. I have definitely gotten more willing to shoot the longer I've been shooting street. Though I've been interested in photography for more than 20 years, it's only been in the last few years that I've started actively shooting any street photography. I was always noticing things around me anyway so it seemed like the next logical step to start taking pictures of those things.

Manhattan is just a train ride away, so that's basically my street practice area. I usually can't tolerate the hordes of tourists in Times Square for too long, but it's always worth a visit because there is always something to see. Here's something from there on a day I was feeling more courageous:

Day 82 - Tour and Sponge Bob by limrodrigues, on Flickr

And from Hell's Kitchen during a weekend outdoor market (I guess I do have a few with some eye contact!)

Day 119 - Tranny 2 by limrodrigues, on Flickr

Oh, and I'm glad the picture made you guys smile