Help with photography needed: Socially Awkward

[reg]

Which is it?
Out of this ENTIRE thread, THAT is what you choose to quote?

Your problem stems from what,exactly?

Your post was the first one I read. You contradicted yourself. I asked for clarification. You subsequently had a stroke.

 

[TBAM]

Thanks for the comments. I'll definately try, just doing my thing, and not worrying about what people think until they approach me.

That Bruce Gilden guy isn't too bad. It's a lot easier to do that kind of thing when people are walking somewhere on a busy street, as well as in America, flamboyant or "out there" actions don't seem to be that outrageous. Here in Oz, people aren't that hustle and bustle untless they're in the city, and where I would be doing photography like that if I was doing it, some people would come up and go "What the f you doing mate?", or they would just punch me out without even saying anything.

However, perhaps I should be a little more brazen in my approach (maybe not Bruce Gilden brazen, but a little more confident). I often miss good opportunities by waiting for a moment when I feel comfortable.

Taking random photos of children, should, I guess, be the same as taking random photos of adults. Go nuts, but if you're approached, disclose your reasoning and offer to delete the pictures if they like, or they can purchase them.

A solution for shooting children, and it not being weird, would be perhaps to shoot the parents too, or shoot some buildings so the police who arrest you for unlawful use of a weapon can at-least consider you unbiased...wait...I mean photos, that's right. hehe

In group situations i'm not too bad at coordinating people initially, it's when trouble arises and i need to fine-tune compositions that I feel like i'm bothering people, or being annoying.

I guess the uncomfortability comes from people who are a bit impatient when I'm there trying out some different exposure settings. Though perhaps I should forget about that, get a good exposure and do the rest in PP.

 

[Chewbecca]

Your problem stems from what,exactly?

Your post was the first one I read. You contradicted yourself. I asked for clarification. You subsequently had a stroke.

stfu, reg. Seriously. You are a rotten person about 99% of the time here.
I'm so sorry I contradicted myself, reg. I hope that it didn't ruin your day, and I also hope that I explained myself well enough that it meets your standards.

Thanks for the call-out, though. I don't know how I would keep my head straight (or others' heads straight) without people like you.

 

[chrisburke]

I guess the uncomfortability comes from people who are a bit impatient when I'm there trying out some different exposure settings. Though perhaps I should forget about that, get a good exposure and do the rest in PP.

street photography isnt aout positioning people to make the shot look better... street photography is about photographing people in NATURAL settings... when they arent expecting it... you even see it in the Bruce Gilden video.. theres an old man, who stops and smiles, Bruce yells at him to keep going and stop smiling... when you get "posed look" you loose the element of "natural city life" people are in their own world when they are walking down the street, thats what makes it so interesting, people arent paying attention to other people, so they do what they want to do.. i've even been in situations where people were listening to an iPod and dancing down the sidewalk because they just dont pay attention to other people.. this is what makes good street photography.. people who arent expecting their picture to be taken.

 

[nyamy]

I recently caught someone shooting my kids. we were on the boardwalk and I notice two women with nicer cameras than mine, taking aim at my little ones.
I walked over and said hello, they seemed embarrassed and showed me the shots and offered to send me prints. and I'm always a sucker for good shots of my kids.
for some reason, that creeps me out a whole lot less than some guy sitting on a rooftop with a zoom lens taking shots of the kids, but what I don't know can't hurt me, right? (I hope)

anyway, the funny thing is that they actually DID send the prints to us (gave them dh's office address) and they were HORRIBLE. ha! and there I was so impressed by the big cameras when I, a still wet behind the ears newbie, can do so much better.

but back to the original question....I agree with the poster who recommended having some cards made up and offer to send (free or not) the prints to anyone who seems irritated by your shooting them.

 

[chrisburke]

anyway, the funny thing is that they actually DID send the prints to us (gave them dh's office address) and they were HORRIBLE. ha! and there I was so impressed by the big cameras when I, a still wet behind the ears newbie, can do so much better.

just goes to show that you can have a fancy camera, if you dont know how to use it, you get crap

 

[TBAM]

Sorry Chrisburke, perhaps I should have been not so generic in my posts.

My post is more a double-pronged situation in general.

1. I have the problem of feeling as though I'm being annoying, or might be offending people by taking a random shot of someone from close proximity.

2. I can do group photography, and I can do posed portrait photography, however I do get nervous when I'm trying to take a photo, however the settings need a bit of tweaking, or I want to experiment, and then the subject gets irritable because they have to hold the pose, or re-pose every time I look at the picture I just took, adjust my settings and reshoot. It's mostly when I'm trying to work out how much fill flash I want, and if I'm using an external flash if I want it to reflect off the roof or a wall.

From viewing the Bruce Gilden video, it helped in showing me how some people get those random photos of people doing things. They don't ask, they don't warn. They just take.

I don't want to do the same thing as him though. I felt the urge today, at lunch (though admitttedly the nervousness became a bit overbearing), however I didn't really see anyone interesting. Except, however, for a large girl in a red dress too small for her, black bike shorts, and bra in view. Going nuts at herself, and anyone else, whilst she paced backwards and forewards.

I thought I would take a photo of her, but then I had a hairdressers appointment, thought i might be taking advantage of her "problems", even so. I said I would photograph her after I got out of the hairdresser, and, as always, by the time i had left she was gone.

That's a typical me, missing an opportunity. Making excuses for other people for why I shouldn't take their photo.

I guess, it will get easy with practice and with continuously walking around with the camera.

 

[tsaraleksi]

If you're shooting street with a telephoto lens you're doing it wrong.

 

[chrisburke]

I guess, it will get easy with practice and with continuously walking around with the camera.

you've hit the nail on the head here

 

[maulrat]

If you're shooting street with a telephoto lens you're doing it wrong.

So you are saying its better to go around with a nifty fifty, get in someone's face and hope they don't react to the camera before taking the shot? It is kind of hard for me to act natural when someone is in my face with a camera.

 

[chrisburke]

So you are saying its better to go around with a nifty fifty, get in someone's face and hope they don't react to the camera before taking the shot? It is kind of hard for me to act natural when someone is in my face with a camera.

its a fast process.. you see something, BOOM take the picture, dont stand there and wait, you just take it.. watch the bruce gilden video.. when he sees it, he takes it, instantly.. the people dont have time to react...

 

[chrisburke]

heres a radio interview with Bruce Gilden.. he explains why he uses a small lens as opposed to a long.. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWEzm2disjM[/ame]

 

[tsaraleksi]

So you are saying its better to go around with a nifty fifty, get in someone's face and hope they don't react to the camera before taking the shot? It is kind of hard for me to act natural when someone is in my face with a camera.

Nah a 50 is to long.

If you don't believe me, click here.

 

[TBAM]

Those are some great street pics Tsaraleksi

Did any of them say anything after your photos? How did you get all of your settings close to perfect before shooting? Did you just use the same exposure settings?

Was that with any fill flash?

Do you stop and frame and then photo, or do you just take the photo and keep moving and hope for the best?

I would love to do work like that, but the Bruce Gilden approach is so unlike me that it would take me quite a long time to get the confidence to be that free with taking photos.

 

[tsaraleksi]

Those are some great street pics Tsaraleksi

Did any of them say anything after your photos? How did you get all of your settings close to perfect before shooting? Did you just use the same exposure settings?

Was that with any fill flash?

Do you stop and frame and then photo, or do you just take the photo and keep moving and hope for the best?

I would love to do work like that, but the Bruce Gilden approach is so unlike me that it would take me quite a long time to get the confidence to be that free with taking photos.

It just depends. For some of them I sorta just stood somewhere and shot as people walked by, sometimes I shot as I walked. I kept the camera mostly on manual, and on AI-SERVO.