China for Three Weeks.

Paul Li wrote in post #8337352
I keep telling myself that...I'll try and get over my fear. Do you know how?

Pretend you are a tourist, all tourists do that.

John_T wrote in post #8337373
Pretend you are a tourist, all tourists do that.

Unfortunately, Chinese police don't "pretend" they are totalitarian communists who like getting their pictures taken!

Paul Li wrote in post #8337352
I keep telling myself that...I'll try and get over my fear. Do you know how?

You can always just ask someone if you can take his or her picture. Or just motion to the camera and then to the person, nodding your head as if asking a question? You'll be surprised how many people will let you photograph them.

Expect a few to say no.

Expect a few to to ask you to send them a print.

LOL at John's comments. I enjoyed reading these! Thanks! tvphotog, I saw some kids playing in the alleyway, and it was very interesting, and I tried the "motion with camera" thing, and the kid gave me a weird look, so I walked away disappointed.

Call me a chicken, but I'd probably have a cheap P&S if I wanted to take photos of the Chinese military and police.

dan

Electrical outlet converter!

Paul, well bring up your camera to your face, then...

If you want to take a portrait and if people look at you, you smile and nod at them as if you ask them silently fi it's ok to take a picture? And if they smile back, you know it's ok, you smile back and take your photo and say thanks or whatever you do for being allowed t take a picture.

For candid stuff, just take the photo... if you do get a reaction from someone, look at them, smile at them, and if they smile back, it was ok for you to take the picture. Usually it is.

Many times having the camera in front of your face is like a shield, you seek the images through the viewfinder, and becomes "the photographer" instead of "Paul". Many photo journalists use the camera as a shield, and many even are very shy in real life, but behind the camera they are very brave and forward.

Good luck!! And I wish i could go too some day, I always wanted to see China!

cover your head and the camera with a cloth (of course make a hole for the lens) and shoot whatever you want.

ematts - We have one! Mom couldn't figure out how to use it...It was quite simple once I took a look at it.

Petra- Thank you very much! Good advice!

lostid - LOL!

lostid wrote in post #8338342
cover your head and the camera with a cloth (of course make a hole for the lens) and shoot whatever you want.

There was a guy who did that in a John LeCarré novel.

Paul, of all the tourists who go to China, I would make a money bet that 97% of them have cameras and are constantly shooting. I did when I was there. I would try to be polite, but I would just smile and shoot to my heart's content. If someone raises their hand, you stop, that's all.

tvphotog wrote in post #8339132
There was a guy who did that in a John LeCarré novel.

Paul, of all the tourists who go to China, I would make a money bet that 97% of them have cameras and are constantly shooting. I did when I was there. I would try to be polite, but I would just smile and shoot to my heart's content. If someone raises their hand, you stop, that's all.

You are right. At the summer palace, I saw many westerners with dSLR's snapping away. I also saw many Chinese tourists, probably from other parts of the country. Canon is very popular here...More so than Nikon ;D Photogs from China also seem to favor Sigma lens...But I may just be stereotyping. At the park, this guy playing a Chinese flute type instrument put his flute down and looked away every time I raised my camera.

working in the morning

big plants

they're on a boat

he sings and plays that...thing at the same time.