Street-Photography "no no's"

What are the subjects you would not consider photographing while out doing street-photography? Is there an age group, ethnic group, social/economic class, situation?

For me, since most women (where I live) seem to be very particular about letting people know that they do indeed need to eat, of the few photographs of some woman eating an ice cream (or kebap or whatever) I have taken, I have never posted any online. It seems like it would be taken the wrong way, or at the very least would be considered in bad taste. Yeah, I know, but let's not go there.

Another subject would be in swim wear. I live in an area where there are a ton of swimmers in the summer time, and I don't even consider including any type of swimmer in a photograph. To me it would seem to be an invasion of privacy (am I being a bit too sensitive?).

The third case for me, homeless or indigent people. This is just my opinion, but unless someone else publishing a photo as part of any actual attempt to bring attnetion to a social cause (to assist homeless or poor people in some way), I find this type of photograph to be exploitive and rather inappropriate.

I'm not a big street photography enthusiast, but it seems to me that if you place limitations like those you list above, you have cut off a lot of potential avenues for creativity. Not that you should be a creeper stalking women in swimsuits, but rather if that is the slice of life you encounter, dont be afraid to capture it.

I'm not into "street" photography either... and maybe because i place too many limitations on my subject matter as well. My values ( or sensitivities) are the same as yours, plumgoo.

So no homeless women in swimsuits eating ice cream? Sounds fair. I think a lot has to do with what you are comfortable with. I would likely not walk up to any of your three groups either and shoot, nor would I take a shot of someone's funeral. But that's me. I wouldn't have a problem if someone came up and took a photo of my wife eating an ice cream, nor would she care.

If I can't capture the subjects in a more positive light, I won't. Crackheads and homeless people I try not to bother because...well, is hard to capture them in a more dignifying manner. Some says that these people need a voice too but.......

Here is one example here. He is a can collector. Obviously, not a desirable position one would want to be in. However, he is brazing the cold and riding away with all these cans. There is enough "energy" in the photo I decided to capture it and to post it.

Have you seen street photos where people startle people on purpose? Like suddenly shoving a camera in their face?

Some people dress it up as capturing raw emotion, I call it being a jackass. Not saying that people haven't taken decent photos on the street while being up close. But scaring people to get a shot and calling it art well that's another thing all together.

plumgoo wrote in post #15520142
What are the subjects you would not consider photographing while out doing street-photography? Is there an age group, ethnic group, social/economic class, situation?

Each to their own. I certainly don't think there is anything off limits about your first two groups but I do agree to a certain extend in regard to homeless people. If you are photographing someone who is vulnerable it needs to be with their permission or else there needs to be a strong reason/message for the shot.

The only shot of a homeless person I every tried to take (i messed it up) was of someone sleeping rough outside a luxury (as in Lamborghini) car showroom. You couldn't see the persons face, which was good because that wasn't the point of the photo - it was to show the huge gap between the haves and have nots. It wasn't a photo of that one person, it was a photo of society.

My main dislike in Street Photography is.... bad photography. I accept that it is a challenging medium where spot on composition isn't always possible but I think a lot of people post images that are just really poorly executed. In this way it is no different to sport. You have a split second to get a shot (although good planning and an eye for the subject will let you spot a photo well in advance). However, if you don't get the shot then it goes in the trash. Too many people post stuff that would have been good, if they had nailed it. But they didn't. They seem to forget that as a viewer we don't get to see the killer shot that they almost captured.

Following on from the above "bad composition" issue is a specific one - people's backs. There are very few situations where someone's back is going to make an interesting shot. If you can see something else interesting in the shot, which the subject is reacting to/interacting with then it can work. If their body language is strong so that you can sense what they are feeling, without seeing their face, then it can work. A shot of a persons back in a street is far more often just boring, and a sign that the photographer is uncomfortable with the medium and scared to shoot strangers head on.

the one time i tried street photography was to snap a couple of buskers on the opposite side of the road. one turned his back on me. it made me feel awkward and i havent attempted a street shot again, i got the feeling he had something to hide so let it be.

Meh Buskers I have no problem shooting. They are out there performing, they cant expect not to have their picture taken.

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I've established my own rules, but I don't impose them on anyone else. No children, no one sleeping, no one down & out, no one in a potentially foolish or silly situation (eating shots)---basically, I try not to photograph someone doing something that, if I was doing, I would not liked photographed; the Golden Rule.

As for taking 'back shots,' I recently discussed this on another thread, and I have no problem with them if the figure works well with the overall composition and movement. Sensing what a person is feeling, whether facing the person's front or back, capturing emotions and all, can be a very fraudulent, or at least presumptuous, practice in photography, which generally never tells stories.

To be sure, getting the front, the face, is generally more interesting on face value alone (so to speak), and they will generally work better far more often than back shots, but both can be boring if other visual elements are lacking. In any case, humans are more props for me, at least in the sense of their presence and visual impact within the environment.

I dont put myself any limitations but I admit that I am fed up with all the vagrant pictures on here. It's just too easy.

If your into street photography, avoid beggers pictures. This and overdone HDRI are the lens flares and Comic Sans font of photography.

I shoot a lot of street pictures and I am fairly close to my subjects. I have some general guidelines for myself but I don't judge other people on what/how they shoot, only whether the picture is good.

No homeless / mentally ill people. I have more than enough of these on the streets of San Francisco but I don't like to take pictures of people down on their luck. There are exceptions though (which is why I call them guidelines and not rules) where one example could be an interaction between a homeless and a pedestrian or a homeless pulling two carts with recyclables after him.

I tend to avoid shooting people from the back as I find it makes for a non-interesting picture. I have a few where people were wearing interesting backpacks but that is really the exception.

I also avoid shooting pictures of people far away as it doesn't make for interesting pictures. That's not to say that you couldn't get one or two that way, but I prefer to get up close.

I have only had one person come up and complain and asking me to delete the picture. I did this and moved on, didn't bother asking why he wanted it deleted. That's a guideline that I made back when I started shooting the streets.

I enjoy using the Olympus E-M5 with its touch screen as it allows me to be more incognito on the streets than a 6ft1 (185cm) guy with a camera normally would be.

I like the picture of the guy on the bicycle above; for me the intention of the picture is not to show that he is down on his luck but that he is working hard and there is some ingenuity in the amount of stuff he has on his bike. I think it is important when shooting on the streets to have a certain amount of compassion for who and what you are shooting.

no limits

If they show it public, I will show it

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I love the idea of street photography but just feel too uncomfortable unless it is a parade or something. Candid photos have a great feel to them when done well but I am just not brave enough.

sarahpix wrote in post #15591281
I love the idea of street photography but just feel too uncomfortable unless it is a parade or something. Candid photos have a great feel to them when done well but I am just not brave enough.

Not all is happy

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