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Etiquette of Street Photography
spaced:
I like this conversation - and I'm surprised with the direction it has taken.
I actually see both sides of the argument that distant.star and Orangutan present.
I personally would tend believe that the intention behind the photograph is just as important as the photograph itself, hence there is a part to be played by street photography, especially if there is a message behind the photograph.
For example, when you watch the video posted earlier on Bruce Gilden, although his photographs are striking his attitude comes across as somewhat rude and overbearing. Jumping in people's faces and taking photographs is a little over the top. Although his pictures are cool, I'm not sure how much real value there is in this.
On the other hand, I came across another street photographer called John Free - and he presents himself in an entirely different way all together. He speaks from the heart, and you can just tell he has a passion for the message he's trying to convey, rather than just getting a shot that looks cool.
If you're interested, it's well worth watching this video where he gives a brief intro to himself, and then talks through some of the photos he's taken over the years:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if1V0RBj_qs
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(There is the occassional noise of trains passing by which can make it a little hard to hear what he's saying sometimes, but I believe what he's saying has a lot of value, so it's worth sticking to it and listening).
scrappydog:
--- Quote from: Ryusui on January 25, 2012, 05:00:51 PM ---
I don't think anyone here is insinuating that having a Leica will make you better, just that it can be easier and more discreet than an SLR.
--- End quote ---
Agreed. A smaller camera permits you to not stand out. Not to divert the conversation, but has anyone tried a NEX 5n for street photography?
Minnesota Nice:
--- Quote from: scrappydog on January 25, 2012, 08:33:35 PM ---
--- Quote from: Ryusui on January 25, 2012, 05:00:51 PM ---
I don't think anyone here is insinuating that having a Leica will make you better, just that it can be easier and more discreet than an SLR.
--- End quote ---
Agreed. A smaller camera permits you to not stand out. Not to divert the conversation, but has anyone tried a NEX 5n for street photography?
--- End quote ---
Having a Leica might throw off the "Creepy photographer" vibe a bit as well, seeing as it's not a gigantic camera.
distant.star:
Thanks, spaced. That's a great video with John Free, and I'm wholly in his camp. As an aside, I'm a little surprised he doesn't articulate the real power and story of the first image he shows. The vulnerability of the child literally surrounded by the protecting strength of the man/father. That's exactly what I mean by this kind of photography telling stories we relate to.
I also agree that I don't care for Gilden, and I don't see a lot of worth in his "product." They mostly look like startled or surprised people. He injects himself into the scene (which is one way of legit street photography), but all his subjects are merely showing a different reaction to him. So, as his attitude would suggest, it's really all about him. I don't mean to condemn him, it's just not what I see as worthy in street photography.
"It's about love," is the one thing Free said that glued his video together. As I've said in past posts, I talk with people after photographing them. That tends to make the intimacy of the photographic act okay. Free seems to have spent a lot of time with the throwaway people of our world, as have I. And, of course, he talks with them. One thing I can assure you is these folks want someone to tell their story. They yearn to be heard. Generally, they live in a pragmatic world where other people are valued only for what they have or don't have. No one they interact with, either in the street or in bureaucracies, cares for them, and they know it. When they come across someone who just wants to tell their story in a photo, who values the person they really are...their hearts soften. Now that doesn't mean they might not ask you for money, but the caring enough to photograph them AND talk with them is what they really care about.
The higher up the socioeconomic ladder you go, the more resistance you will have to photos. A Wall Street banker will have a negative reaction to ANYONE taking a picture of him as he walks from his glass tower to his limo.
Anyway, as I keep saying, the image is the point. Had Free not taken that picture he starts his video with, one or two people may have seen that event in time -- and probably neither would have seen the power in it. But now, thousands of people have seen that image and recognized it -- and felt the bond between vulnerable children and their adult protectors, the visceral love of a father for a child -- those things are in that image, and I defy anyone to not feel it as they look. Free's image froze that moment. What I'm trying to do is freeze a few moments of time so people can look at what we're really about, hopefully at our best.
So, thanks again, spaced.
--- Quote from: spaced on January 25, 2012, 07:04:41 PM ---I like this conversation - and I'm surprised with the direction it has taken.
I actually see both sides of the argument that distant.star and Orangutan present.
I personally would tend believe that the intention behind the photograph is just as important as the photograph itself, hence there is a part to be played by street photography, especially if there is a message behind the photograph.
For example, when you watch the video posted earlier on Bruce Gilden, although his photographs are striking his attitude comes across as somewhat rude and overbearing. Jumping in people's faces and taking photographs is a little over the top. Although his pictures are cool, I'm not sure how much real value there is in this.
On the other hand, I came across another street photographer called John Free - and he presents himself in an entirely different way all together. He speaks from the heart, and you can just tell he has a passion for the message he's trying to convey, rather than just getting a shot that looks cool.
If you're interested, it's well worth watching this video where he gives a brief intro to himself, and then talks through some of the photos he's taken over the years:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if1V0RBj_qs
(There is the occassional noise of trains passing by which can make it a little hard to hear what he's saying sometimes, but I believe what he's saying has a lot of value, so it's worth sticking to it and listening).
--- End quote ---
AprilForever:
--- Quote from: passserby on January 25, 2012, 04:18:35 PM ---
--- Quote from: ghosh9691 on January 25, 2012, 11:35:01 AM ---A DSLR is not the ideal camera for street photography. Can it be done? Sure! But it is just too big and bulky and does not allow a photographer to be discreet.
--- End quote ---
I'm an example of a person that switched from the T2i to the x100, but I don't think the camera changes things that much here. In fact, my best pictures were taken with the Rebel. There are people doing great street photography with Canon DSLRs. Check this guy out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirtyharrry/
If you think that buying a Leica will turn you into a great street photographer, you are wrong.
--- End quote ---
Indeed!
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