I've been mentally summoning the courage to do a "street week" of photography at the beginning of February: all street photos and portraits of strangers. Anyone interested? It won't be as hard if we all do it together!
I really enjoy street photography. I find the hardest part getting time by myself where I can go out and take photos. A week would be nigh impossible for me, but I could do one day in a given week.
I loved the article. I never thought of shooting from the hip, and walking around like a wonky tourist sounds hilarious! I live in a very rural area, but it'd be fun to give it a try. I might have to settle for just going to the mall on a Saturday, and even that is an hour away! :)
@photophil I think the streetscape is a great idea. The article was really interesting, oh to be in New York! the sights I saw the few times I was there, but will have to do with the streets of Canberra. Hmmm- men in suits!
@lislee75 Oh, but the mall is such a panoply of humanity - it would be a GREAT place to take pictures. Plus the density of people would be so high that I imagine that people would be less inclined to notice you snapping away.
@edikenkoy Oh my lord. I have seen some of these photos before, but had not realized who had taken them. This is such an inspiration, and I am so thankful that you have posted the link!
@kjarn Maybe you could take your camera out on lunch breaks? Or do a portrait series of everyone who worked in your office? Or the people who work in a cafe near your work? I'm just so fascinated seeing people in their "natural state" - I think the street happens to be a pretty accessible place to find that, but there's other ways as well!
Sounds great but I work in a prison where cameras aren't allowed. It is such a drama to enter or exit we don't go out for lunch. I really would love to get some street shots but......
when I'm out and about I often do this - as per the article - using a 50mm prime but many times the works are oof - that's right last time was at the airport sitting next to and underneath the 'arrivals' and 'departures' board.. interesting people looking up for their plane, others kissing goodbye. I so need to practise more and get the focus and subject matter correctly located in the frame.
@allen I'm with you Sue... what funny street shots we would get.... and if it wasn't men in suits in would be just vacant streets :P
I actually ventured out last Friday night to take some street shots of the viewers of the Summernats street cruising.... I was so scared, so lacking in confidence and felt ridiculously conspicuous! I opted for shots of some cars instead :P
Have a look at this site too. It's all about encouraging people to try it, with a challenge each week for a year. I think the best will be published to a book eventually. http://streetphotographynowproject.wordpress.com/
I like the idea. I don't do much in the way of people shots and am in the suburbs. Which makes it harder to photograph people but I bet I can get something. Sounds like fun and maybe a new series will be born for me.
@dmortega yes! so glad to hear that you're on board! @edikenkoy that's wonderful to hear. he's definitely my inspiration for street week. I hope I can find equally beautiful people!
@wormentude that's a really cool series, though it makes me wish that flicker's user interface was better - seems like so many lost opportunities to make navigating all those pictures a much more pleasurable experience, you know?
@misschuff Yeah! I think airports would be perfect places to capture folks - so much emotion happening all the time, as you say.
@photophil I had a sort of unfortunate idea to say to my boss - we have two ridiculous advertising bikes we bring with us at work, get peoples pictures on the bikes, as a way to advertise on facebook and get people to friend the club
@photophil I like street photography. One challenge of street photography is not the courage to shoot on the street but the object will be affected when s/he finds that someone is shooting him/her.
Once a man came to speak to me when I was shooting on the street, he said that people would be unhappy if they knew that someone was shooting them. I don’t know what to think of that. He was quite right, but then what should I do? I stop doing street photography then?
@bonniebouman Thanks for posting these. She was quite prodigious; it'll be fascinating to see what other great photos come out of her to-be-developed rolls of film.
@daisy I think you and a lot of other folks are in the same boat - we'll definitely revive it come the summer!
@killerjackalope So you're trying to get your boss to provide you with an outlet for taking photos? That's brilliant. Keep at it! I want to see these pics.
@edvardt yeah - I think that's true - it's a risk. But I think that:
a) people are knowingly recorded all the time. I supposed the difference between a camera and a security cam is intentionality
b) I plan to be honest w/ folks if they confront me, and say "yes, i took a picture of you, and here's my card - you can look up your pic online" I also wouldn't be afraid to talk about 365. I think people respond to honesty and straightforwardness.
c) I plan to take portraits, and ask beforehand. If people say no, OK. But I think most will say yes.
@photophil some people may think it is not nice (if ‘unethical’ is too strong a word), but I think most of the interesting things on the street happen outside the camera lens, and when people know someone is shooting them, they act differently, whether or not they like to be shot, this is how I said object are affected. so, generally, I don’t ask, I do get scolded sometime because of that ;)
it seems people in the West are generally much more open and friendly to strangers shooting them. here in Hong Kong, people are generally very sensitive to strangers holding camera and are very concerned about being shot
privacy is something to be respected and I cannot justify the act of shooting: what’s the difference between what we call ‘street photography’ and people using their phone to spy on other people’s daily lives? i can’t really find the difference. but it does not stop me from shooting ordinary people on the street, if we are really so concerned about people privacy pershaps then there would be no modern photojournalism, Henri Cartier-Bresson would have done something else...
@photophil Well I said it as a nice idea for some easy publicity but we've been put off lately by people having a go at us and one girl trying to steal the bike, flashing us and then berating us most of the day.
But it would be cool, since all the photography work I do is gigs and stuff I never really get to do lots of daytime photos...
I want to but I've been snowed in & sick. I took one the other day. I can put it on Flicker if you wat to see it. It was two days before I got snowed in. I turned off the flash so the guy wouldn't notice. There was enough light it worked. My son has no school tomorrow but I think I may go out a bit so we aren't stir crazy anyway. I may do a side project of it on my flicker account when I can really get out.
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I actually ventured out last Friday night to take some street shots of the viewers of the Summernats street cruising.... I was so scared, so lacking in confidence and felt ridiculously conspicuous! I opted for shots of some cars instead :P
He is a great street portrait photographer...
No heavy manipulations too...
@misschuff Yeah! I think airports would be perfect places to capture folks - so much emotion happening all the time, as you say.
@canberrabec I know you can do it!
@kjarn that's understandable, though disappointing. Maybe you could just spend a day out taking street photos?
@stepheesue Thanks for sharing! Yeah, I heard of her through a great NYT slideshow of some of her work: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/new-street-photography-60-years-old/
http://365project.org/discuss/general/2964/vivian-maier-street-photographer-and-nanny
http://365project.org/discuss/articles/3176/vivian-maier
Once a man came to speak to me when I was shooting on the street, he said that people would be unhappy if they knew that someone was shooting them. I don’t know what to think of that. He was quite right, but then what should I do? I stop doing street photography then?
@daisy I think you and a lot of other folks are in the same boat - we'll definitely revive it come the summer!
@datsyukian thx! followed.
@killerjackalope So you're trying to get your boss to provide you with an outlet for taking photos? That's brilliant. Keep at it! I want to see these pics.
@edvardt yeah - I think that's true - it's a risk. But I think that:
a) people are knowingly recorded all the time. I supposed the difference between a camera and a security cam is intentionality
b) I plan to be honest w/ folks if they confront me, and say "yes, i took a picture of you, and here's my card - you can look up your pic online" I also wouldn't be afraid to talk about 365. I think people respond to honesty and straightforwardness.
c) I plan to take portraits, and ask beforehand. If people say no, OK. But I think most will say yes.
it seems people in the West are generally much more open and friendly to strangers shooting them. here in Hong Kong, people are generally very sensitive to strangers holding camera and are very concerned about being shot
privacy is something to be respected and I cannot justify the act of shooting: what’s the difference between what we call ‘street photography’ and people using their phone to spy on other people’s daily lives? i can’t really find the difference. but it does not stop me from shooting ordinary people on the street, if we are really so concerned about people privacy pershaps then there would be no modern photojournalism, Henri Cartier-Bresson would have done something else...
just sharing my thoughts...
But it would be cool, since all the photography work I do is gigs and stuff I never really get to do lots of daytime photos...