How to not get beat up when photographing public places?

[RS2021]

Cartier Bresson took somewhat the opposite approach, sizing up the situation carefully, figuring out what he wanted to shoot then quickly moving the camera to has eye and getting the shot. He was small and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

Cartier-Bresson, funny you should mention someone I quote in my status line here....was discreet in every aspect of street... including his Leicas which are naturally less threatening than a larger dSLR. Later in his career, being diminutive, with grey hair and balding head, he was even less threatening.

http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/08/10-things-henri-cartier-bresson-can-teach-you-about-street-photography/

 

[gary samples]

I don't do a great deal of street shooting but if I did I would use very long glass out my car window For fast getaway if needed LOL

 

[RS2021]

I don't do a great deal of street shooting but if I did I would use very long glass out my car window For fast getaway if needed LOL

Now that would be stalking! LOL

 

[Hobby Shooter]

I don't do a great deal of street shooting but if I did I would use very long glass out my car window For fast getaway if needed LOL

And keep a gun visible so people won't get to near you.

 

[Don Haines]

So I drive into the darkest corner of a parking lot way out in the middle of nowhere....set up the telescope, mount the camera, and am happily snapping away when I hear a LOUD voice say "SIR... STEP AWAY FROM THAT CANNON". I turn around and see two policemen and say "how can you tell I'm shooting Canon in the dark?" The closer policeman then says "SIR: STEP AWAY FROM THAT WEAPON". After a few tense moments they realize that I am not sitting with a cannon getting ready to lob projectiles at our nation's capitol but instead trying to photograph Saturn's rings.

Moral of the story: You can get into a lot of trouble when people with guns mistake what you are doing.

Second moral: Police can't tell the difference between a dobsinian telescope and a cannon in the dark.

 

[gary samples]

the reason I like to use long glass party's and things you get candid shots with out getting in there face most of the time they never see you shooting !
shooting a cross the street works but like I said I Just shoot friends I don't want beat down !!

 

[jdramirez]

Be bigger and badder than everyone else. hit the gym & be prepared to hit harder than the next guy if it comes down to that.

HAHA! Completely unfair but totally practical.

In fairness, I don't do much street photography of people and especially of kids, but I primarily focus on candids. But I suppose I just lull those who tacitly give me approval by circumstance into a sense of comfort.

I have done some "field photography" of events and most people assume you are "working" and they accept the photographer because it furthers their cause. Here are a few examples.

 

[jdramirez]

Here's one more of a chick who had missed her to chance to stand up for women's rights but isn't going to miss it this go 'round.

 

[RS2021]

135L is the longest I have used on the street...last time sitting on the sidewalk bench with a bagel and coffee. But frankly it is not my favorite way to shoot street...it is too distant and one of the more alluring parts of street photography is the immediacy. And interaction with the subject(s) is frequently part of that equation.

Body language as others said before is important...both your own and reading others. And a smile does go a long way.

 

[gary samples]

better then four years of kung fu

 

[RS2021]

This looks to me like a great technique from HCB...but not as easy with any of the dSLR's I own. As much as I love Leicas, the manual focus is not gonna be practical for me.... RX1 seems more and more attractive.

 

[drmikeinpdx]

I attempted to use this HCB technique with the 40 pancake lens on my T2i and walking around the city streets in a trendy district of Portland, OR on a cloudy day. I switched off the autofocus and used the zone focus method. I got a lot of blurry images from camera motion. I probably should have used a higher ISO and shutter speed.

I also noticed that a few people gave me dirty looks.

My second attempt at street photography was in the busy central courtyard of a local college at noon on a sunny day. I put the 55-250 (stabilized) lens on my T2i. I was able to sit on a decorative boulder and photograph people in the courtyard from a considerable distance without any problem. About 80% of the images looked good. I did not keep the camera on any one person too long, but I noticed when I reviewed the photos at home that some of my subjects were looking right at me.

Street photography is not a simple thing. I imagine it gets easier with experience.

I've never been hassled by anyone when I am photographing buildings, scenery or pretty models outdoors.

 

[J.R.]

Get someone along with you on the photoshoot. Put them in the frame where there are other people involved - trouble goes down dramatically because others realize that you have a "specific human subject". Anyone else who happens to be there becomes largely incidental.

 

[distant.star]

135L is the longest I have used on the street...last time sitting on the sidewalk bench with a bagel and coffee. But frankly it is not my favorite way to shoot street...it is too distant and one of the more alluring parts of street photography is the immediacy. And interaction with the subject(s) is frequently part of that equation.

This goes to the essence of it for me.

I read comments about using long lenses and trying to hide what you're doing and having some means to escape; I wonder why anyone would take pictures of people if they're afraid of people. What's the purpose? Hell, go take pictures of buildings or cars or something you don't have to fear.

Honestly, I don't think you can be good at classic street photography if you don't genuinely like people or at least have some feeling for them. And if you fear people, I don't know why you would be taking pictures of them.

As RS says, there is immediacy and interaction -- that's the intimacy of real street photography. And like all human interactions, some will be great, most will be good and a few will be not so wonderful. That's life. You can use a camera to celebrate that or you can use a camera to aim at it and run away before anything meaningful happens.

 

[DocMo]

If I'm "touring" and want to capture some street shots, I use my LX-7 and keep it slung over my shoulder, lens cap off, AV, and cued up. I have my shoulder strap adjusted so that the camera rests at the perfect angle for me to just press the shutter casually without having to raise it or compose. Of course, many shots will miss and often I will need to straighten and crop after, but I can get some great shots this way and no-one knows I'm even taking pics. For example, I'm in China at the moment and here's a pic I took a few days ago SOOC.

If I'm home based, and I want to shoot a protest or rally or even just some street, I'll use my DSLR gear and throw a name-badge lanyard on. I've got all types of badges from conferences and events at work - none of them have to do with photography. But nobody reads the badge, it just looks "official". People very rarely question what they perceive as "authority", no matter how informal. If I am questioned, I just state that I'm capturing some candid photos of "the event", "the local population", "the citizens of Chicago", and then I follow with "would you like to be in a shot?". I took some candids at a Native American rally a couple months ago and one of the guys actually gave me his facebook name so I could send him a shot. After that, I got about 10 candids of him throughout the rally and was sure to follow up by sending him the pics. He ended up reposting and changed his profile pic to one of my shots. It worked out great.

So, basically, what others have said. If you have to go stealth, use a nice compact. If you bring out your real gear, act like you know what you're doing, smile, talk, invite, and shoot.

 

[jdramirez]

If I'm "touring" and want to capture some street shots, I use my LX-7 and keep it slung over my shoulder, lens cap off, AV, and cued up. I have my shoulder strap adjusted so that the camera rests at the perfect angle for me to just press the shutter casually without having to raise it or compose. Of course, many shots will miss and often I will need to straighten and crop after, but I can get some great shots this way and no-one knows I'm even taking pics. For example, I'm in China at the moment and here's a pic I took a few days ago SOOC.

If I'm home based, and I want to shoot a protest or rally or even just some street, I'll use my DSLR gear and throw a name-badge lanyard on. I've got all types of badges from conferences and events at work - none of them have to do with photography. But nobody reads the badge, it just looks "official". People very rarely question what they perceive as "authority", no matter how informal. If I am questioned, I just state that I'm capturing some candid photos of "the event", "the local population", "the citizens of Chicago", and then I follow with "would you like to be in a shot?". I took some candids at a Native American rally a couple months ago and one of the guys actually gave me his facebook name so I could send him a shot. After that, I got about 10 candids of him throughout the rally and was sure to follow up by sending him the pics. He ended up reposting and changed his profile pic to one of my shots. It worked out great.

So, basically, what others have said. If you have to go stealth, use a nice compact. If you bring out your real gear, act like you know what you're doing, smile, talk, invite, and shoot.

I hate people posng and smiling for me.

 

[RS2021]

I attempted to use this HCB technique with the 40 pancake lens on my T2i and walking around the city streets in a trendy district of Portland, OR on a cloudy day. I switched off the autofocus and used the zone focus method. I got a lot of blurry images from camera motion. I probably should have used a higher ISO and shutter speed.

T2i, even with the shorty forty, would be rather bulky and obvious IMHO. ISO in the ~1600 range and AF helps, at least for me. Much of what I do is with 35L and you have more latitude when the aperture is set higher and the shutter speed is also higher (so high ISO is key)...higher shutter speeds help reduce blur in a bustling street and higher f/stops provide deeper DOF so more of the street context is in focus. Looking for "bokeh" in hardcore street work is silly. I don't always try for the "sharpest" shots...it is a lost cause in street.

I also noticed that a few people gave me dirty looks.

Nothing riles them up more than surreptitiousness that is revealed. Dirty looks is not the worse so be thankful and you just smile and behave appropriately if confronted. As distant.star said, fear is useless and actually could set you up for more trouble than if you were bolder.

 

[J.R.]

Nothing riles them up more than surreptitiousness that is revealed. Dirty looks is not the worse so be thankful and you just smile and behave appropriately if confronted. As distant.star said, fear is useless and actually could set you up for more trouble than if you were bolder.

+1. There is no middle ground in such a situation - shoot without fear and the usually the worst outcome will be that someone will ask you (maybe not nicely) to bugger off.

 

[bluegreenturtle]

Weird - I shoot video constantly on streets and public places, and include people all the time. I'm not inconspicuous - I've got a huge video tripod with a fluid head on it. Nobody, other than drunks and crazy people has ever said a word in all the years I've been working. Occasionally people ask about my project, but they are friendly and interested. I just spent 2 weeks in downtown LA shooting and the only attention I attracted was from another videographer. Who was very friendly.

 

[emag]

After a few tense moments they realize that I am not sitting with a cannon getting ready to lob projectiles at our nation's capitol but instead trying to photograph Saturn's rings.

Moral of the story: You can get into a lot of trouble when people with guns mistake what you are doing.

Second moral: Police can't tell the difference between a dobsinian telescope and a cannon in the dark.

When I was a younger man with a full head of dark hair, Pope John Paul II visited Guam while I was stationed there. Some friends and I were set up on a hill overlooking the podium he was to speak from, I had a Pentax ME on my orange C8 (2000mm f/10) to take photos. Not long before he arrived, a van pulled up and several armed federal agents came over to see what I was up to...I'd been spotted by security folks who were on higher ground. Showed them it was a telescope and camera, the lead agent radioed in that all was okay. We went back to beer and waiting. Who knows how things would go down today.