Help a beginning student overcome his fear...

Madison

Hi everyone. I'm new here. My name is Madison and I live in Rotterdam.

I just started photography school three weeks ago. I have been wanting to try street photography for quite a while, but I have huge hesitations approaching people. Just walking up to them and asking them if it's okay for you to photograph them can spoil the scene or the moment?
I have walked around town all day (several times) with my camera but I still haven't had the guts to do just that. How do people react most of the times?
For example, there's this homeless guy I see all the time. I'd love to know what his story is, his name, what happed. That sort of thing. I am genuinly intetested. But I simply do not have the courage to ask people to take their portraits. Do you have any tips?
And how many pics of one person do you take? Do you sometimes just shoot and hope for the best, no permission asked? I could really use some advice from somebody.

My inspiration is Diane Arbus, who was fearless. But another (bigger) inspiration is Helen Levitt, who's body of work is so inspiring to me. She used a spy lens but times have changed. People will figure out I'm spying on them so that is a no go scenario, right?

Qarik

hmm...my suggestions..get a longer lens. I think 1/2 the time you can just shoot form farther away with out any "permission". Also if you feel you need permission then just kinda hold up the camera and ask "may I?"...no fuss, no smiles, just matter of factly. If they nod yes then shoot away..if no them just move on.

8zil

I think you have two choices here:

get a longer lens.

get a small point and shoot.


Cartier Bresson did it, he used a very small and discrete black camera that wouldn't get people's attention and he would steal the pictures, not ask for them. I honestly think that asking for permision might spoil them, it would kill the moment I think....


the longer lens aproach... although a expensive one, might get you results... a good 2.8 70-200 might cost quite a big buck, but you can shoot from quite a distance (specially if you consider the crop factor that most digital cameras have, since most are not full frame) and with a decent bokeh....


I know this is your topic, but I think these two are my best street captures:

Awais Yaqub

Welcome
here is Excellent thread by Andy about street photography.

Madison

8zil wrote:

I know this is your topic, but I think these two are my best street captures

The bottom one is stunning. Very special. The contrast between the intense emotions of adults on the rights and the naive playing children on the left is a beautiful one. Wow.
I only managed to make one shot I really liked (with a 24-105): I read Andy's thread a while ago and e-mailed him with these additional questions so he said to go here and get more people's help and views on this. I did know Henri Cartier Bresson took candid shots but then I need to trade in my 400D/24-105L and get a compact: I am not willing to do that. And he still had to get really close. Society's different. If you do that these days: you're going to get beat up (at least, over here, you will). (Hooraah for the big city).

Richard

Hi Madison and welcome to Dgrin.

There's no single correct answer here. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages.

Asking permission will help you avoid confrontations. You can get up closer, check your camera settings and try different shooting angles, all of which will improve the quality of your shot. You should get more keepers this way.

Stealth shooting--either with a telephoto zoom lens or shooting from the hip or chest with a wide angle--can get you into difficulty if you are noticed. I do a lot of stealth mode shooting--with a little practice and a busy street, you can easily go unnoticed even with a big white lens. Some people think there is something unsavory about this approach. On the other hand, it is the only way to capture people in their natural, spontaneous state, though you will have to toss out many shots.

You might find that you become less uncomfortable about asking permission if you force yourself to do it a few times. But if it is going to ruin your fun, then try shooting stealth for a while and see if you like the results. Once you are more comfortable shooting on the street it might become easier to start asking permission when that's the best way to get the shot you want.

EarthDog

Madison wrote:

I did know Henri Cartier Bresson took candid shots but then I need to trade in my 400D/24-105L and get a compact: I am not willing to do that. And he still had to get really close. Society's different. If you do that these days: you're going to get beat up (at least, over here, you will)

Are you willing to switch to a different brand, but still stay in the DSLR realm? One option would be to get a DSLR with a tilting live-view screen, put the camera on a waist-high tripod, and shoot using the screen to compose. Most people will assume you're trying to figure out the controls when you're actually taking a shot. And if you use a wireless remote (or a short wired remote), you can keep you hand away from the shutter button, to further enhance the illusion.

This is sort of a modern twist on the old (and still viable) practice of using a waist-level viewfinder on a medium format camera to be less obvious. As long as you aren't holding the camera to your face and pointing it at them, most people will ignore you. If you're bent over the camera and clearly not looking directly at anyone, you're almost invisible (except to people who might want to steal your camera...if you're seriously concerned about getting beat up, this has to be a concern, as well).

Madison

EarthDog wrote:

One option would be to get a DSLR with a tilting live-view screen

Hey I didn't know those existed? Expensive? Who makes them? I am a Canon lover myself (saving for the 5D Mark II) but that type of model you mention sounds very interesting to be honest. It's the kind of camera Arbus used, even when she did ask permission. You shoot from the waist and look on top. I thought nobody made those anymore.

PS: Thanks for the welcomes

Tee Why

I use a relatively wide angle field of view and shoot from the hip.
I try to be relaxed and casual as if you look tense or nervous it shows and affects others.

I never ask for permission as I think that ruins the mood. Tried a long lens at the beginning but I prefer a much wider fov for environmental portraits.

Zarathustra

Madison wrote:

If you are getting pictures like this now, I can't wait to see what you can do when you find your comfort zone! That is an awesome picture, full of emotion!

I've pretty much got the same problem but I've found that (for me at least) just starting a conversation with random people typically has them asking me to take their pictures after a couple of minutes. It does ruin the spontaneity most of the time but there has been less running involved than with stealth photography. Apparently I'm about as stealthy as an elephant carrying a church bell.

Good luck finding your sweet spot!

Madison

Zarathustra wrote:

If you are getting pictures like this now, I can't wait to see what you can do when you find your comfort zone! That is an awesome picture, full of emotion!
I've pretty much got the same problem but I've found that (for me at least) just starting a conversation with random people typically has them asking me to take their pictures after a couple of minutes. It does ruin the spontaneity most of the time but there has been less running involved than with stealth photography. Apparently I'm about as stealthy as an elephant carrying a church bell.
Good luck finding your sweet spot!

Thank you. That's very kind. Well this is the ONE picture I am happy with. But this man wasn't paying attention to me, in the streets of Paris, so I had time to kneel and take that picture because his emotions hit me hard. I felt very nervous and ran like the wind after I took the one shot.

Like you, I am also very 'present'. I never blend in *anywhere* and that is a problem but I'll see what my next approach will be. I think it's about breaking your personal fears and being truly interested. But I find it a hard line to cross for me personally. The fear is pretty powerful.

Trevlan

Stealth is the way to go. If you are going to ask for permission, might as well bring a model to the corner and shoot her there. If they ask any questions, make up a good story. For instance, one time I was at a Saint Patrick's Cathedral taking street shots in New York city. I captured this couple in a good kiss. Snapped the shot and the guy came over to me and said,"Did you just take a picture of me?" I said,"No, I'm a reporter doing a story on the deterioration of the church. You just happend to be in my shot. Get a room." He walked away laughing.

Moral of the story, if I would have asked for the picture, it would have not been natural. If I steal it, I could get a more natural reaction, but a higher percentage of throw aways, beat up, etc. And unfortunately, this picture was a throw away...

This was a true candid moment when I first started my photography. I realize now the value of this picture. If they would have posed, it would have sucked. Candids and stolen photos for life!

EarthDog

Madison wrote:

Hey I didn't know those existed? Expensive? Who makes them? I am a Canon lover myself (saving for the 5D Mark II) but that type of model you mention sounds very interesting to be honest. It's the kind of camera Arbus used, even when she did ask permission. You shoot from the waist and look on top. I thought nobody made those anymore.

Yeah, medium format cameras like Arbus used are still made but, if you want to stay in the digital realm, they're very expensive. Even the film versions are fairly pricey, especially for the lenses.

If you want to stick with a DSLR, Sony and Olympus both make models with tiltable screens. Sony's is the A350, which is one of their less expensive DSLRs. Olympus makes one called the E-3, which is considerably more expensive. Nikon and Canon are both "lagging behind" in this area.

Cuong

I don't know what camera you have, but the newer Canon DSLRs now have the live view feature so you can use your lcd screen to compose the shot instead of relying solely on the viewfinder. As long as you don't bring the camera up to your eye level, people would ignore you. If confronted, just say you were playing back the images on the lcd and had to hold it up to avoid the glare on the screen.

Cuong

Tee Why

Shooting from the hip, generally with a wide angle.
My technique of choice. Just shooting from the hip after getting in close to the scene.
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