Street Vendor

lensmole · December 22, 2011

Shooting buskers,street musicians,homeless people,or vendors is not my idea of good street photography
unless their is a good reason behind it. They are easy subjects and some of them are very much use to being photographed and homeless people should not be exploited because of their misfortune.

torags · December 22, 2011

OR you can capture images outside the windows of your life to capture how others live theirs.

When you look at Reuters best of the year, are the misfortunes of war outside the photogs (imaginary) morality?

Regarding the photo; If achievable, cutting the backlight with the pole to get a star - might have been more dramatic. It's a tough shoot either way.

rainbow · December 22, 2011

Good shot of the vendor and cart given the difficult lighting. But it lacks an interaction with a second person to increase the interest.

TonyCooper · December 22, 2011

lensmole wrote: »

Shooting buskers,street musicians,homeless people,or vendors is not my idea of good street photography
unless their is a good reason behind it. They are easy subjects and some of them are very much use to being photographed and homeless people should not be exploited because of their misfortune.

How is photographing a busker or a street vendor any easier
than photographing a couple seated at a outdoor table at a
cafe, someone emerging from a subway, or any of the other
subjects we see in this forum?

A good photograph of a street vendor is a result of a good
angle, the right exposure, the right composition, and all of
the other factors that make a good photograph of anything.
As you once posted, "a good image is one...that engages the
viewer".

Why is a photograph of a street vendor any more exploitive
than a photograph of shopkeeper or a shopkeeper's customer?
Or a mime or a break dancer or anyone just walking down the
street?

Where do you draw the line? What is the "good reason" for
any photograph of complete strangers - as most photographs
in this forum present - if it's not that you feel
that it's an interesting scene?

lensmole · December 22, 2011

TonyCooper wrote: »

How is photographing a busker or a street vendor any easier
than photographing a couple seated at a outdoor table at a
cafe, someone emerging from a subway, or any of the other
subjects we see in this forum?

A good photograph of a street vendor is a result of a good
angle, the right exposure, the right composition, and all of
the other factors that make a good photograph of anything.
As you once posted, "a good image is one...that engages the
viewer".

Why is a photograph of a street vendor any more exploitive
than a photograph of shopkeeper or a shopkeeper's customer?
Or a mime or a break dancer or anyone just walking down the
street?

Where do you draw the line? What is the "good reason" for
any photograph of complete strangers - as most photographs
in this forum present - if it's not that you feel
that it's an interesting scene?

I am not referring to the technical aspect or difficulty in shooting street scenes,it about the subject matter and how common place a subject is or isn't . Buskers, street musicians,vendors, and homeless people are very common subjects not to mention they are usually used to being photographed.

I would hope their are more candid,artistic opportunities, that one may be inspired to look for as opposed to being content with the ordinary .

I didn't say shooting street vendors is exploitative, I feel that shooting homeless people is, if one does not have a good reason .

RSL · December 23, 2011

lensmole wrote: »

I didn't say shooting street vendors is exploitative, I feel that shooting homeless people is, if one does not have a good reason .

Mole, Back in the early 2000's I used to go downtown in Colorado Springs every evening for street shots. One evening I shot a hobo, made a small print the next day, and gave it to him when I saw him again a couple days later. Next evening when I went down town he was there with two other street people. He said, "Hey, take our picture." So I did and made prints for all three of them. It wasn't long before I'd get requests from every hobo in town for pictures. One day when I was coming back from lunch in the early afternoon a hobo said to me, "Take my picture." It was about a week before I saw him again, but I was carrying his picture, wrapped in a baggie, in my back pocket. I gave it to him and he started to cry. In a minute he said, "That's the first time anybody's taken my picture in twenty years." If Street & PJ didn't have a rule against it, I'd post his picture here. It's pretty touching when you know the story behind it.

TonyCooper · December 23, 2011

RSL wrote: »

Mole, Back in the early 2000's I used to go downtown in Colorado Springs every evening for street shots. One evening I shot a hobo, made a small print the next day, and gave it to him when I saw him again a couple days later. Next evening when I went down town he was there with two other street people. He said, "Hey, take our picture." So I did and made prints for all three of them. It wasn't long before I'd get requests from every hobo in town for pictures. One day when I was coming back from lunch in the early afternoon a hobo said to me, "Take my picture." It was about a week before I saw him again, but I was carrying his picture, wrapped in a baggie, in my back pocket. I gave it to him and he started to cry. In a minute he said, "That's the first time anybody's taken my picture in twenty years." If Street & PJ didn't have a rule against it, I'd post his picture here. It's pretty touching when you know the story behind it.

I took this photo a couple of years ago under an underpass
in the "bad" section of town. A few days later I gave prints
of the photo to the two men (who play there every day).
The other people who gather in that area came over and
looked at the photos and started asking for their picture to
be taken.

I took over a dozen shots of people and groups and returned
with prints several days later. Almost a year later, I returned
hoping for a shot of a dominos game. Several of the same
group was around, recognized me, and started clamoring for
more photos.

I never have come up with a good shot of domino players, but
I made an attempt in "Little Havana" in Miami when I was
down there. To get a good shot of a domino game one
needs to be standing on a bench or something.

lensmole · December 23, 2011

RSL wrote: »

Mole, Back in the early 2000's I used to go downtown in Colorado Springs every evening for street shots. One evening I shot a hobo, made a small print the next day, and gave it to him when I saw him again a couple days later. Next evening when I went down town he was there with two other street people. He said, "Hey, take our picture." So I did and made prints for all three of them. It wasn't long before I'd get requests from every hobo in town for pictures. One day when I was coming back from lunch in the early afternoon a hobo said to me, "Take my picture." It was about a week before I saw him again, but I was carrying his picture, wrapped in a baggie, in my back pocket. I gave it to him and he started to cry. In a minute he said, "That's the first time anybody's taken my picture in twenty years." If Street & PJ didn't have a rule against it, I'd post his picture here. It's pretty touching when you know the story behind it.[/QUOTE

TonyCooper wrote: »

I took this photo a couple of years ago under an underpass
in the "bad" section of town. A few days later I gave prints
of the photo to the two men (who play there every day).
The other people who gather in that area came over and
looked at the photos and started asking for their picture to
be taken.

I took over a dozen shots of people and groups and returned
with prints several days later. Almost a year later, I returned
hoping for a shot of a dominos game. Several of the same
group was around, recognized me, and started clamoring for
more photos.

I never have come up with a good shot of domino players, but
I made an attempt in "Little Havana" in Miami when I was
down there. To get a good shot of a domino game one
needs to be standing on a bench or something.

Like I said if one has a good reason then by all means take photos but don't exploit them.
Their is a program in my community called "Hope In Shadows " portraits of the community taken by amateur street people who were given cameras to take pictures and calenders were made of their images they sell for $20.00 and the street person gets to keep $ 10.00 on every sale if you want to see some real street photography check out this link. http://www.hopeinshadows.com/

TonyCooper · December 23, 2011

Sorry, Synco, for posting an image in your thread. Bad manners
on my part. I was just frustrated at the idea of excluding people
as subjects.

Street Vendor

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