Old school veteran needs help w digital candids

Porkpiehat_602

I used to love to shoot candid people shots back when I used to use FILM, but the techniques I employed with my old Olympus SLR don't work with digital cameras. Especially with kids. How does one get around the "Let me see!" response I get when I take a picture of someone? It drives me crazy, and it goes against all my rules for good people shots:

I try to never show anyone an unflattering picture of an individual. My friends have learned to trust my good taste, and most of my best photos are on other people's walls. But these days nobody understands the concept of shooting 20 pics to get one good one. And no one gets it that I don't want anyone to be embarassed or laughed at because of a picture I took. How do you tell your subjects no, you can't see the pictures I just took of you because I'm still taking pictures, and I haven't had a chance to edit them yet. How do you tell people to keep their grubby hands away from the damn lens; look but don't touch! Rrrrr!

I used to shoot lots of pictures without film in my camera, to get people used to me going click, click. People got tired of posing for my lens after I take about a hundred pictures in 20 minutes. By the time I loaded a roll of film in the camera, everybody would ignore me while I did whatever it was I was doing. I bought film in bulk and printed only the good shots.

I used to work in a color darkroom making custom Cibachrome prints for professional artists. I quit taking pictures after I moved on to other means of employment. Not having access to professional darkroom equipment took all the fun out of my personal photography. But now that digital imaging is (almost) as good as chemically rendered images, I can tweak my pictures to my hearts content.

But the fact that my subjects can see my pictures as soon as I shoot them is seriously cramping my style! Especially with kids. And everyone who looks at my pictures in the camera HAS TO handle my camera, and pass it around. Sometimes kids grab my camera from each other and play keep-away with it, and I don't like having to chase it down. I'm not the babysitter! I don't like saying NO all the time. It totally spoils the mood, no matter what I do.

HELP!!

Angelo

Porkpiehat_602 wrote:

I used to love to shoot candid people shots back when I used to use FILM, but the techniques I employed with my old Olympus SLR don't work with digital cameras. Especially with kids. How does one get around the "Let me see!" response I get when I take a picture of someone? It drives me crazy, and it goes against all my rules for good people shots:

I try to never show anyone an unflattering picture of an individual. My friends have learned to trust my good taste, and most of my best photos are on other people's walls. But these days nobody understands the concept of shooting 20 pics to get one good one. And no one gets it that I don't want anyone to be embarassed or laughed at because of a picture I took. How do you tell your subjects no, you can't see the pictures I just took of you because I'm still taking pictures, and I haven't had a chance to edit them yet. How do you tell people to keep their grubby hands away from the damn lens; look but don't touch! Rrrrr!

I used to shoot lots of pictures without film in my camera, to get people used to me going click, click. People got tired of posing for my lens after I take about a hundred pictures in 20 minutes. By the time I loaded a roll of film in the camera, everybody would ignore me while I did whatever it was I was doing. I bought film in bulk and printed only the good shots.

I used to work in a color darkroom making custom Cibachrome prints for professional artists. I quit taking pictures after I moved on to other means of employment. Not having access to professional darkroom equipment took all the fun out of my personal photography. But now that digital imaging is (almost) as good as chemically rendered images, I can tweak my pictures to my hearts content.

But the fact that my subjects can see my pictures as soon as I shoot them is seriously cramping my style! Especially with kids. And everyone who looks at my pictures in the camera HAS TO handle my camera, and pass it around. Sometimes kids grab my camera from each other and play keep-away with it, and I don't like having to chase it down. I'm not the babysitter! I don't like saying NO all the time. It totally spoils the mood, no matter what I do.

HELP!!

...seems like a perfectly reasonable response.

Bakat

I have found that showing kids pictures of themselves can be a useful tool to get them to loosen up; This works especially well with shy flowergirls at a wedding. HOWEVER, I never let go of my camera! It helps that I have a wrist strap too !

Just my 2 cents worth ... If your not comfortable with it, don't do it....

Kat

photofreak

I laugh because I deal with the same thing...you just have to be firm.
Do not ever....I repeat do not ever let go of your camera....and in case you didnt hear that the first time....DO NOT LET GO OF YOUR CAMERA! I would never allow someone to handle my camera. I just spent 2500.00 for the equipment I now have and, while it may not seem like alot to some....it is an awful lot to me. The thought of someone handling my camera and dropping it makes my head exlpode!!
Good luck!!

photocat

How do they get hold of your camera? Mine is around my neck with the strap, nobody ever tried to take it off, let alone go and play with it and me chasing it...
I have found on occasions that when I do show what I just shot (after having looked at it first myself, and still with the strap around my neck), that it indeed loossens up the atmosphere, they are more willing to have their picture taken...
Remember: shooting people is 90 percent people knowledge and ten percent technical knowledge...

I think you need to take it less seriously... have fun shooting, instead of stressing about people wanting to see before you are ready to show...

You can tell them with a smile that you don't show photographs still in camera, nothing wrong with that...

Nandita

Do exactly what you used to do. Take so many pictures that the novelty of the situation fades.

Earlier you did it with an unloaded camera. Now, you have the luxury of deleting the not-so-candid shots.

This is what I do and it works great.