Hello all … I am Vijay, a novice photographer, a 'qualification' reinforced looking at the awesome talent creativity and talent on this site. I am week old on 365 …and already loving the learning experience. Suddenly the whole world looks like a non-stop series of images waiting to be captured … addictive.
Talking of which, needed advice from my fellow members – what is the right way to capture “strangers”? People and especially kids are such an interesting subject, be it in churches, parks, malls, and there have been tonnes of times where I have wished I could click to make a wonderful picture.
Is there a right way to do this without intruding? Do you seek permission in every case? If not, when is desirable to do so and when is it ok to not? Sometimes it’s not practical and sometimes you risk the moment being lost. Is there an appropriate way to tackle this – in today’s ultra-sensitive world do not want the intent to be mistaken. Is this a common dilemma or is it just me?
Any advice/tips from folks who have done so successfully?
Also any constructive criticism/feedback on my work through this journey most appreciated … hope to get better over time!!
I photograph strangers all the time. In many cases, I start a conversation first. Give your stranger a reason for allowing their portrait to be taken. You will be able to gauge whether someone is comfortable or not with you, and then you can ask for that photograph.
I tend to go for two approaches, have the camera out in the open so they know you may take their photo or hide it aside, and pull it out as if it is a surprise for you as well as for them. "oh look, I have a camera, can I take your picture, thanks for the chat"
Or you can buy a spy lens from Photojojo.
Or you can try sneaky street photos. Pretend to be talking on your iPhone whilst taking a shot of the person next to you. Shooting from the hip.
Hi Vijay, welcome to 365! You'll see a bunch of street photography in my gallery (at least from this year when I truly started hitting the street), and many of the descriptions describe how I approached it. In short, though, every situation is different. In some cases I ask, and in others I just shoot. A lot will depend on the location, too. For instance, people at fairs, farmers markets, festivals, parades, etc. have a much greater tolerance for being photographed. In fact, they seem to welcome it. I never ask in those situations.
If I'm in a public place where someone is doing something interesting, but where I sense that the have some expectation of privacy, I will approach them first. In 6 months of street photography, I've only had 3 people request that I not photograph the. That's a pretty good ratio! My approach in this case is to walk up smiling, tell them I'm doing a photo-a-day challenge, and tell them what I saw about the scene that I thought would be an interesting photo. I then ask if they would mind if I took that photo. Rarely do they say no, especially when you tell them you'd prefer they go on doing what they were doing and to not pose for the camera. I do offer to send them a copy of the photo if they'd like.
Now, I'm not sure where in the world you are located, but here in the US, I absolutely will NOT photograph any child without their parent's consent. As cute as the scene may be, it's simply not a safe thing for a single male photographer to do.
I haven't looked to see what you're using for your street photography - and to be honest, the equipment really doesn't matter. You can capture fantastic street scenes with an iPhone, and iPod, a POS, or a DSLR. It's the scene that matters, not the gear. So use what you have! The key to good street photography is to place your viewer in the middle of the action. You want the person that is viewing your street scene to feel like they are right there in the middle of it. For that reason, I typically avoid any long lenses. (The longest I use for street photography is 100mm, and my preferred street lens is 50mm on a full frame camera, so about 38mm on an APS-C camera.)
Best advise I can offer is to start out where you expect there to be large crowds - a fair, parade, festival, that sort of thing. Once you're comfortable there, gravitate towards areas in your hometown where people congregate - transportation centers, parks, etc. Most of all, relax and enjoy it! If you look relaxed and appear comfortable, the people you approach will as well.
@padlock@kannafoot@bobfoto Thanks Padlock, Ron, Jason and everybody else for taking the time to reply here or on the pics itself ... much appreciated and helpful to get your insights ... !!
Ron - yes I am Indian resident in USA and I absolutely agree with you on the 'photographing children' . I use a Nikon D90 which isnt exactly invisible ... :-)
I guess my question related more to close-ups as opposed to wider 'street photography' .... in more non-posed natural set-ups . Sometimes more than jsut the 'visibility' its a ethical aspect which I am unsure. For e.g. i had posted this pic a few days back ... http://365project.org/friend2303/365/2013-07-05
I didnt get it exactly how i wanted as I rushed through it as if yeilding to a guilty temptation ... thought of approaching them but would have lost the realism ... debated whether i should let them know after but didnt ... and then wasn't sure if actually sharing it was right (but then did so thinking of it as a image)
BTW - do you offer your subjects the photos itself? does that help? do you obtain any kind of more formal consent in cases of close-ups for shraing/publishing?
Maybe I'll try some of the advice next and practice my "approach" skills ... even if it doesnt work it is still worth a shot!
@friend2303 - you are right, in that shot you posted, by approaching them, the moment would have been lost.
Here in PNG, photography is in its infancy, so I do often print pictures and return to the villages and communities and hand out a few snap shots. This works wonders especially for the kids, but here, the adults love seeing photos of themselves.
And then there is my polaroid which really breaks the ice. But then again, I need some more film.
Well in my case I got my son-in-law to ask for me, then I ended up the following shot as she was happy to oblige! I'd never take photos of strangers kids, and always sneak a shot of anyone I find interesting, I find that if they are unaware of you taking a shot then its more candid. But some people have had problems, so be careful.
@bobfoto wow, Bob... I had never heard of Photojojo... and that is terrific. I just googled it. Have you used it?
@friend2303 Vijay, I take many candid shots, and one of the best ways is with a good zoom. I also, like Bob, establish conversations with the person, and show interest.
@lorrainerb@anazad511@bobfoto thanks again friends ...its always wonderful to hear different experiences and perspectives ....!!!
Lorraine thats a wonderful example ... for now i'll try and work on 'approaching' folks ... unless it is a safe option to sneak and not risk intrusion on privacy:-)
Good photographers (that would be all of you) will always have a better chance of subjects eager to pose vs newbies ... so i'll bide my time and expect a few failures :-)
@anazad511@bobfoto ...bob i echo anazad's message on Photojojo and would like to hear/see your experiences. I have a HTC phone ... and not sure if it is compatible with those ... but maybe a good reason to switch to the iphone :-)
@anazad511@friend2303 - there were taken with my spylens attached to the end of my 42-150mm telephoto.
and
I have found it is best to have a lens that the outer ring doesn't rotate when it focuses, because you are trying to look through a mirror and take a shot at right angles. It confuses the brain when you look down the barrel with the spy lens on. It takes some practise and I hope to get better. Lots of crap shots in the process.
@bobfoto@anazad511 Jason/AnaZad i did go ahead and placed my order for the lens from photojojo ... excited to try it out ... thnks again for the assistance!!!
@anazad511@friend2303 - I get good results from working the crowd. I ask my GF to stand up ahead and pose. I aim at GF whilst getting a shot of those to the left or right. Often everyone is distracted by the GF that they miss the fact I am taking the shot.
That or I put the live screen on and while chatting to friends, I look down at the screen as if I am about to show them a shot and then I focus and shoot whilst pointing at my feet. No one knows the shot has occurred.
I usually just take their photo without asking. Once in awhile I ask when it seems to make sense. I always ask for permission when taking photos of children - I don't want parents to get nervous about my intent so I think it is best to ask for permission. When it comes to adults I just snap away.
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I tend to go for two approaches, have the camera out in the open so they know you may take their photo or hide it aside, and pull it out as if it is a surprise for you as well as for them. "oh look, I have a camera, can I take your picture, thanks for the chat"
Or you can buy a spy lens from Photojojo.
Or you can try sneaky street photos. Pretend to be talking on your iPhone whilst taking a shot of the person next to you. Shooting from the hip.
If I'm in a public place where someone is doing something interesting, but where I sense that the have some expectation of privacy, I will approach them first. In 6 months of street photography, I've only had 3 people request that I not photograph the. That's a pretty good ratio! My approach in this case is to walk up smiling, tell them I'm doing a photo-a-day challenge, and tell them what I saw about the scene that I thought would be an interesting photo. I then ask if they would mind if I took that photo. Rarely do they say no, especially when you tell them you'd prefer they go on doing what they were doing and to not pose for the camera. I do offer to send them a copy of the photo if they'd like.
Now, I'm not sure where in the world you are located, but here in the US, I absolutely will NOT photograph any child without their parent's consent. As cute as the scene may be, it's simply not a safe thing for a single male photographer to do.
I haven't looked to see what you're using for your street photography - and to be honest, the equipment really doesn't matter. You can capture fantastic street scenes with an iPhone, and iPod, a POS, or a DSLR. It's the scene that matters, not the gear. So use what you have! The key to good street photography is to place your viewer in the middle of the action. You want the person that is viewing your street scene to feel like they are right there in the middle of it. For that reason, I typically avoid any long lenses. (The longest I use for street photography is 100mm, and my preferred street lens is 50mm on a full frame camera, so about 38mm on an APS-C camera.)
Best advise I can offer is to start out where you expect there to be large crowds - a fair, parade, festival, that sort of thing. Once you're comfortable there, gravitate towards areas in your hometown where people congregate - transportation centers, parks, etc. Most of all, relax and enjoy it! If you look relaxed and appear comfortable, the people you approach will as well.
Ron - yes I am Indian resident in USA and I absolutely agree with you on the 'photographing children' . I use a Nikon D90 which isnt exactly invisible ... :-)
I guess my question related more to close-ups as opposed to wider 'street photography' .... in more non-posed natural set-ups . Sometimes more than jsut the 'visibility' its a ethical aspect which I am unsure. For e.g. i had posted this pic a few days back ...
http://365project.org/friend2303/365/2013-07-05
I didnt get it exactly how i wanted as I rushed through it as if yeilding to a guilty temptation ... thought of approaching them but would have lost the realism ... debated whether i should let them know after but didnt ... and then wasn't sure if actually sharing it was right (but then did so thinking of it as a image)
BTW - do you offer your subjects the photos itself? does that help? do you obtain any kind of more formal consent in cases of close-ups for shraing/publishing?
Maybe I'll try some of the advice next and practice my "approach" skills ... even if it doesnt work it is still worth a shot!
Please keep your feedback/criticism coming ...!!
Here in PNG, photography is in its infancy, so I do often print pictures and return to the villages and communities and hand out a few snap shots. This works wonders especially for the kids, but here, the adults love seeing photos of themselves.
And then there is my polaroid which really breaks the ice. But then again, I need some more film.
@friend2303 Vijay, I take many candid shots, and one of the best ways is with a good zoom. I also, like Bob, establish conversations with the person, and show interest.
Lorraine thats a wonderful example ... for now i'll try and work on 'approaching' folks ... unless it is a safe option to sneak and not risk intrusion on privacy:-)
Good photographers (that would be all of you) will always have a better chance of subjects eager to pose vs newbies ... so i'll bide my time and expect a few failures :-)
Check this link: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/candid-photography-spy-lens/. Here it costs $50/55,
I also checked out in Amazon and it's only $15. I don't know it's it's the same, or if it's worth paying the difference. http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-Voyeur-Right-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000F49052/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373250356&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=The+Super-Secret+Spy+Lens+for+dslr
It's weird because it's sold by 47th StPhoto.
Then I checked on directly on the webpage of 47th St. Photo and it costs $35. I am completely confused.
and
I have found it is best to have a lens that the outer ring doesn't rotate when it focuses, because you are trying to look through a mirror and take a shot at right angles. It confuses the brain when you look down the barrel with the spy lens on. It takes some practise and I hope to get better. Lots of crap shots in the process.
i'll get $5 also of my next order too - not that I shop there often!!
Either ways ... am excited to see your results as well!!
That or I put the live screen on and while chatting to friends, I look down at the screen as if I am about to show them a shot and then I focus and shoot whilst pointing at my feet. No one knows the shot has occurred.