Street photo questions?

ahcigar1

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I was thinking of stepping a lot out of my normal realm and comfort zone in photography, mainly because I've been getting pretty bored with it. And thought would try my hand at some street photo's. I've been doing some crazy scanning of photos of what works and what doesn't. But my question is what is your inspiration in street photography? If I wanted to get some photos of everyday people on the street how would I go about asking them to do this? What is it that you all look for when going out for the shot? Again I've never done this type of photography, so am just looking for some tips.
 
Back in the day, I just used to do it - downtown L.A. Would seldom ask when I first started. One time a lady chased me and hit me with her purse. Sometimes I would ask. I remember asking a cop for a photo and he gave me a ticket for jaywalking. Later on, would go into shops or sometimes into apts of people I meet and shoot them. Would mail them some prints.

Good you are getting into something different. Just blast away and see what works for you. You could also advertise for models and swap photos for bodies.

Here are a few of my shots from the 70's. They are not street photos exactly. I do have lots of street photos, but have not scanned the negs yet and cleaned them up. But they are along these lines. So, here are the few I've done so far. Sorry, don't know how to spot them or dodge and burn, so they are just half-assed images. Still learning the digital way.

Good luck!

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Here is a nsfw one.

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/...-post-your-b-w-film-shots-34.html#post1873063
 
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Thanks for the info slackercruster. I can't view the photos on this computer but I am sure they are very good.
 
There are many different styles of street photography as there are street photographers.
Slackercruster's photos are almost posed in that the people know the photo is being taken and are cooperating to some degree.
I tend to look for shots where the people are oblivious and I look for shots that have more 'meaning' for me than the content.

I have a friend who wrote this:

'Street' - is maybe the hardest niche of all in photography. The photographer stalks his chosen environment where, essentially, nothing is happening - people are quietly going about their business - and yet has to select tiny moments when an image can be snatched which is more than the sum of its parts - fractions of people are going about their business, where some fleeting coincidence of expression, gesture, positioning, and movement come together to create an instant which holds some undefinable meaning.

These are three of mine in a style much different than Slackercruster's.


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there are a bunch of street photographers and they vary in style and ability but one thing is certain; just taking a picture of someone out in the street and thinking it's street photography because it's reasonably well exposed and focused isn't correct.

a street photographer is giving up a lot of the control that a portrait or landscape photographer does in order to catch something special. So your shots need to catch that something special.
. You are picking something out to shoot because it means something and that meaning should come through the picture to the viewer.It doesn't have to be important or earth-shaking but it should show.
 
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there are a bunch of street photographers and they vary in style and ability but one thing is certain; just taking a picture of someone out in the street and thinking it's street photography because it's reasonably well exposed and focused isn't correct.

a street photographer is giving up a lot of teh control that a portrait or landscape photographer does in order to catch something special. So your shots need to catch that something special.
It doesn't have to be important or earth-shaking but it should show in the picture. You are picking something out to shoot because it means something and that meaning should come through the picture to the viewer.

Hey Lew, I asked for a low res copy of your cover shot BW photo. I never got it? [email protected]

Your first image above is A+++. Great work!
 
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Thanks for the info slackercruster. I can't view the photos on this computer but I am sure they are very good.


Here are a few street shots. Nothing planned or posed. The images are scanned from 3 /1/2 x 5 inch snapshots, so the quality is crap. Back then I was not into photography. I got burnt out and quit the pix game 5 years earlier. But just on an whim I took a Pentax K1000 and 1 roll of film on a trip. Glad I did, got some nice shots. Hopefully I can find the color negs someday and scan them.

When you travel there are lots of photo opportunities in far off lands. Get a compact long lens if your shy and blast away.

All these shots were single images. We did not have auto focus and auto exposure back then. You had to manually focus and set the shutter and f stop and get the image with one exposure. You guys are breast fed the easy image making nowadays with digital!

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And if your the super shy type. Get a right angle lens adapter. Don't know if they still make them. But it is like a sideways periscope. Another trick is to strap the camera on your chest and use a remote in your pocket. Helps if the mirror is locked up for quietness. That was a trick I used with the old Nikon F's with a motor drives. But 99.9% of my photos were direct and not 'spy' photos.
 
The forums offer many photo challenges. One challenge was a cemetery shoot. Another member offered some IR cemetery images. Turned me onto to IR photgraphy.

The other day I was selling a 400mm mirror lens that has been sitting since the 80's. I took a sample photo with it to show at ebay. The photo turned out pretty nice. But it was nothing planned. My wife had a small tulip plant she got on mothers day and I shot it with the 400mm on the kitchen table. Made me think about taking more flower photos. Although I never really was into that type of pix.

I only bring this all up since you may be beating a dead horse if street photos is not your nature. So stay flexible and do what you love and are good at. It is a big world of photo ops ready and waiting for you!

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^^^^
Shooting tulips as opposed to street photography sounds really boring. IMO people are much more interesting. Just saying.
 
I've also been noticing myself when reviewing photos and doing some more studying I have been a bit intrigued by street photography, so I'm not really just picking something out of a hat. My interests have been leaning that way a bit recently, just never have done it before. Also tulips do seem a bit boring. I never have been into taking photos just to take a photo. I always have gone out with a purpose in capturing something.
 
Don't be surprised if you out for a day, take a huge lot of photos and end up with nothing much.
The % on street photos is low.
 
Don't be surprised if you out for a day, take a huge lot of photos and end up with nothing much.
The % on street photos is low.

This is SOOOOO true.
 
OP, I noticed this guy today.

View The Gallery for Individual Quality Mounted and Canvas Photographic Images and Wall Art by Bend The Light

He is kinda a jack of all trades. Look at his gallery categories for some inspiration if your bored with the same old thing.

As far as not getting much with street shots?

If I ever got one great shot on a 36 exp roll of film I was thrilled! Sometimes would take rolls and rolls and nothing. Nat.Geo photogs take 5,000 - 10,000 images to get a handfull of photos for a article. With dig you can blast away, so no excuse not to cover the spectrum.
 

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