Austin Greene
Been spending a lot of time on here!
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2012
- Messages
- 1,472
- Reaction score
- 855
- Location
- Mountain View, California
- Website
- www.austingreenephotography.com
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos NOT OK to edit
Hey everyone.
I've been debating for a bit on whether or not to post these images. Obviously, you can tell now what my decision was. For those reading, I hope you enjoy it regardless. I'd like to hear your comments on the situation, story, photos, etc.
Anyways, I'll get straight to the story.
After a long day of shooting in San Francisco with a fellow photographer friend, mind you we're both nature photographers and this was an experiment for us, we were walking towards the 7-Eleven near Union Square to get drinks. The day had been slow, and subjects we found interesting were far and few between. Personally, I had seen little of the grittiness I was desiring, despite our visiting some less-traveled areas of town. As we walked towards our holy-grail of slurpies and caffeine, I hear something and looked across the street and utter words before even knowing whats happening.
"Dude, those guys are fighting!"
Next thing I know, the camera is instinctively at my face, and I'm snapping away. In all honesty, I didn't give a damn about composition, this was the most exciting thing to happen all day and damn if I wasn't going to at least scrape off a shot or two before it was over.
One frame later, and before I knew it I'm running across traffic, 6D and 70-200 in hand, literally snapping as I crossed lanes. The photojournalist I so rarely get to let out in our quiet university town (Davis, CA) was out of the cage.
Untitled by TogaLive, on Flickr
Approaching the two, another man had arrived as well, phone at the ready.
"Your calling 911, right?" I asked.
"Yup."
Untitled by TogaLive, on Flickr
Untitled by TogaLive, on Flickr
As it turned out, the man in shorts had ironically been speaking with his insurance company about his car having been stolen after only moving to the city two weeks ago. Mid-conversation, and the man on the left runs past, snatching the cellphone from our victim's ear and attempting to make his getaway. I learned later that a chase ensued leading to a wrestling match as the two slammed against nearby shop walls. One a unrelenting thief, the other an unlucky newcomer to California's misty city.
"Man, I just want my phone back. I'll pay you money for it! I'll let you go!" the man in shorts begged, refusing to release the thief and allow his phone to escape his grasp.
There was no answer from the man in black, only grunts as he struggled to get free of his athletic captor.
"Please, call the cops." begged the virgin San Franciscan as he struggled. Not asking for help as a small crown gathered. Some yelled threats, some recorded the incident on cellphones of their own, and others obliged by phoning the authorities. No one stepped into the fray, no pleas for help came from the victim.
"Dude, just give him his phone. The cops are coming and this is aggravated assault!" called out one onlooker.
I joined in, trying my best to dissuade the man in black.
"I've got your face man. The police will have your face. Just give him his phone man, its over." I state to the thief
Looking up, becoming aware of myself and the crowd, the man instantly changed his demeanor. Still a cornered wolf, possibly in deeper into something than he ever meant to be, he now made a point of not allowing me to catch his whole face. Every new angle I took, he'd turn his head away as best he could, grimacing all the while as the struggle continued.
Untitled by TogaLive, on Flickr
A moment later, and the two slacken. Something changes, and the next thing we all know, the man in black has relinquished the treasured cellphone to its rightful owner. Whether true to his word, or simply exhausted, our victim releases his grip. Tides of release could be felt by everyone as the tension washed away and over the crowd. Some make parting comments, others walk away silently. The thief begins to walk down the street, away from the commotion. Nervously, having revealed myself and my (expensive) equipment to someone who jumped another man for less, I slipped across the street. "Trung, hide. He knows we were shooting him." I mention to my shooting partner for the day. We split up, I crouch beside a public mail drop box. He moves up the block and around the corner. We both watch carefully as our subject slips away into the Saturday crowds.
After it all, we both returned to the victim to make sure he was ok, which he was. I have since surrendered all photos to the authorities and to the victim, and a search ensued as police gathered identifying descriptions from the images. I am unaware of whether or not they caught the man. In the words of the police officer, going to jail for thieves in San Francisco is often more of a blessing than a curse, as it provides them a rare free meal.
Trung and I then headed down the block to our original, syrupy destination. Each nervously slipping our setups into bags, we continued back to Union Square sipping on slushies.
"I'm done shooting for the day, man." I mention.
"Me too." Trung replied.
I've been debating for a bit on whether or not to post these images. Obviously, you can tell now what my decision was. For those reading, I hope you enjoy it regardless. I'd like to hear your comments on the situation, story, photos, etc.
Anyways, I'll get straight to the story.
After a long day of shooting in San Francisco with a fellow photographer friend, mind you we're both nature photographers and this was an experiment for us, we were walking towards the 7-Eleven near Union Square to get drinks. The day had been slow, and subjects we found interesting were far and few between. Personally, I had seen little of the grittiness I was desiring, despite our visiting some less-traveled areas of town. As we walked towards our holy-grail of slurpies and caffeine, I hear something and looked across the street and utter words before even knowing whats happening.
"Dude, those guys are fighting!"
Next thing I know, the camera is instinctively at my face, and I'm snapping away. In all honesty, I didn't give a damn about composition, this was the most exciting thing to happen all day and damn if I wasn't going to at least scrape off a shot or two before it was over.
One frame later, and before I knew it I'm running across traffic, 6D and 70-200 in hand, literally snapping as I crossed lanes. The photojournalist I so rarely get to let out in our quiet university town (Davis, CA) was out of the cage.
Untitled by TogaLive, on FlickrApproaching the two, another man had arrived as well, phone at the ready.
"Your calling 911, right?" I asked.
"Yup."
Untitled by TogaLive, on Flickr
Untitled by TogaLive, on Flickr
As it turned out, the man in shorts had ironically been speaking with his insurance company about his car having been stolen after only moving to the city two weeks ago. Mid-conversation, and the man on the left runs past, snatching the cellphone from our victim's ear and attempting to make his getaway. I learned later that a chase ensued leading to a wrestling match as the two slammed against nearby shop walls. One a unrelenting thief, the other an unlucky newcomer to California's misty city.
"Man, I just want my phone back. I'll pay you money for it! I'll let you go!" the man in shorts begged, refusing to release the thief and allow his phone to escape his grasp.
There was no answer from the man in black, only grunts as he struggled to get free of his athletic captor.
"Please, call the cops." begged the virgin San Franciscan as he struggled. Not asking for help as a small crown gathered. Some yelled threats, some recorded the incident on cellphones of their own, and others obliged by phoning the authorities. No one stepped into the fray, no pleas for help came from the victim.
"Dude, just give him his phone. The cops are coming and this is aggravated assault!" called out one onlooker.
I joined in, trying my best to dissuade the man in black.
"I've got your face man. The police will have your face. Just give him his phone man, its over." I state to the thief
Looking up, becoming aware of myself and the crowd, the man instantly changed his demeanor. Still a cornered wolf, possibly in deeper into something than he ever meant to be, he now made a point of not allowing me to catch his whole face. Every new angle I took, he'd turn his head away as best he could, grimacing all the while as the struggle continued.
Untitled by TogaLive, on Flickr
A moment later, and the two slacken. Something changes, and the next thing we all know, the man in black has relinquished the treasured cellphone to its rightful owner. Whether true to his word, or simply exhausted, our victim releases his grip. Tides of release could be felt by everyone as the tension washed away and over the crowd. Some make parting comments, others walk away silently. The thief begins to walk down the street, away from the commotion. Nervously, having revealed myself and my (expensive) equipment to someone who jumped another man for less, I slipped across the street. "Trung, hide. He knows we were shooting him." I mention to my shooting partner for the day. We split up, I crouch beside a public mail drop box. He moves up the block and around the corner. We both watch carefully as our subject slips away into the Saturday crowds.
After it all, we both returned to the victim to make sure he was ok, which he was. I have since surrendered all photos to the authorities and to the victim, and a search ensued as police gathered identifying descriptions from the images. I am unaware of whether or not they caught the man. In the words of the police officer, going to jail for thieves in San Francisco is often more of a blessing than a curse, as it provides them a rare free meal.
Trung and I then headed down the block to our original, syrupy destination. Each nervously slipping our setups into bags, we continued back to Union Square sipping on slushies.
"I'm done shooting for the day, man." I mention.
"Me too." Trung replied.
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