Shooting People without being a creep

I have never thought of street as competition. In what world does it make sense to take a picture of a person with lets say 15 fisheye from 20cm if it really really doesn't mean anything to you or to your subject.
I have been shooting street only for 10 months I am fortunate enough to remember how i framed a shot around a year ago and how do i do it now. Before i was afraid of coming close to people, i shot from distance but now i come quite near (actually my conscious limitation of myself with just only 1 lens helped a lot) so i could feel the atmosphere. It is still extremely hard to get a picture that is worth something to you and to the person in it. And i recall missing some amazing shots just because I am too shy to get closer :/
And to answer your question - street is weird, i spent quite a lot of time thinking what is to me and agreed that street is everything that somehow relates to people, their needs, traumas, dramas and so on or in other words - life. I am still debating this myself, but i'm young and this is likely to change

Nicksan, those back shots aren't what I consider keepers, so what's the point?
Cops may get "funny" if they see a bunch of rear end images or someone doing this.
If it doesn't feel right or you know it's not a keeper, pass it by.
Most times if you can't see the eyes, it's not worth shooting.

If you ask permission as some here suggest (yeah, show me a picture or it never happened) , you will not do well. By the time you ask for the shot, you lost it!
The exception are kid pics were the Mom's let their kids pose because they saw you shooting. Almost all my baby shots were gotten like this from 4 feet away. Yes, people really do this, and this is normal to spite what you may have read here... jeeeeese.

Most normal people if they are put off, it's because you surprised them. You have about 1-3 seconds to recover as they evaluate you and your motives to make a good impression. Be sincere, and keep it simple.

blackhawk wrote in post #9555513
Be sincere, and keep it simple.

Thats the first advice that i got (actually from this forum ) - and it helped me A LOT.
Smile, all the bad people wont bother you

blackhawk wrote in post #9555513
Nicksan, those back shots aren't what I consider keepers, so what's the point?

And you are entitled to your opinion obviously. That's quite OK. All this is subjective anyways.

The kid on the skateboard actually gets lots of positive feedback and the girl sitting with her backpack was just an interesting scene to me. The arches, the lines, and the fact that there are stairs beyond her but you can't see it b/c of the perspective.

I don't shoot street to please anyone except myself and was just suggesting different ways of going about shooting for those with street shooting phobia, which I still have to a certain degree.

But I maintain that getting people in the frame "just because" is VERY boring for me. You name it. Homeless, people just walking down the street, people holding hands, kids, etc. Not to say I don't shoot that, but rarely does it leave a lasting impression for me unless it tells a story of some kind. I'll be the first to admit those types of shots are few and far between...

Street photography is a very loose term, and people do not need to be present in the shot; it doesn't need homeless folks or even ironic juxtapositions (nuns standing in front of the adult video store). It can tell a story, if that's possible, since the events before and after the shot are largely inferred, but people do not need to be doing something interesting if the person is the source of interest.

And showing the 'eyes' is not required.

sjones wrote in post #9555588
Street photography is a very loose term, and people do not need to be present in the shot; it doesn't need homeless folks or even ironic juxtapositions (nuns standing in front of the adult video store). It can tell a story, if that's possible, since the events before and after the shot are largely inferred, but people do not need to be doing something interesting if the person is the source of interest.

And showing the 'eyes' is not required.

Completely agree with this...

palaima wrote in post #9555533
Thats the first advice that i got (actually from this forum ) - and it helped me A LOT.
Smile, all the bad people wont bother you

Well if you get the subject to smile or laugh then you're doing good.

It should be fun too. If not walk away and find another corner or group.
Never stay too long, unless invited. Invites again may be verbally or simple body langauge of the peeps.
Watch them outside the viewfinder as you miss visual clues if your eye is glued to the cam 100%. Learn to shoot and use your free eye to look around...

Avoid "crowding" someone in, or following them; be aware who is around you.

Groups are better than solos, and a couple big guys in the group can help. Sounds strange, huh?
Secure peeps are happy ones.

nicksan wrote in post #9555580
And you are entitled to your opinion obviously. That's quite OK. All this is subjective anyways.

The kid on the skateboard actually gets lots of positive feedback and the girl sitting with her backpack was just an interesting scene to me. The arches, the lines, and the fact that there are stairs beyond her but you can't see it b/c of the perspective.

I don't shoot street to please anyone except myself and was just suggesting different ways of going about shooting for those with street shooting phobia, which I still have to a certain degree.

But I maintain that getting people in the frame "just because" is VERY boring for me. You name it. Homeless, people just walking down the street, people holding hands, kids, etc. Not to say I don't shoot that, but rarely does it leave a lasting impression for me unless it tells a story of some kind. I'll be the first to admit those types of shots are few and far between...

The skateboard kid is ok, but I like it better as a group set.
The backpack girl does nothing for me.

Just because a girl has a nice butt doesn't make her worth a shot if that's all it will be.
Take as you want, but this type of ill defined shooting can cause big problems.

If your in a dead zone either find a better spot, or pack it in... some days your hot, some days your not.

blackhawk wrote in post #9553364
The irony of what you're saying isn't lost to me.
The Lao people have far more reasons to distrust people then anyone in the USA.

You do grab good shots... guess having a good self image goes a long way.

No,,it's just that the Lao are incredibly laid back and friendly people.. The most laid back I've ever met..

They aren't influenced by all this paranoia hype that everyone with a camera is a bad guy like in some Western countries..

One has to remember that Laos is 10 years behind the West but is slowly developing due to tourism, investment and foreign aid.. In the remote areas they are decades behind..

yogestee wrote in post #9555891
No,,it's just that the Lao are incredibly laid back and friendly people.. The most laid back I've ever met..

They aren't influenced by all this paranoia hype that everyone with a camera is a bad guy like in some Western countries..

One has to remember that Laos is 10 years behind the West but is slowly developing due to tourism, investment and foreign aid.. In the remote areas they are decades behind..

They really are a nice people.
What do you do there if you don't mind my asking?

I have a photojournalism background from Australia,, 17 years with a newspaper, 28 years in all as a pro-photographer.. My wife was project managing an education project in Laos for AusAid for nearly 5 years.. We were just tired of being separated although I would spend 2 or 3 months with her every year in Laos..

In 2006 and 2007 I went back to school ( I had time on my hands) and got my Diploma of TESOL which qualified me to teach English in developing countries.. We both came back to Laos in November '07 after a stint in China and were offered jobs..

I haven't done street photography in a while. When I do, I'm usually pretty obvious. Most times I walk right up to them, and ask them to smile before I take the shot, which seems to work best for me. If they indicate they don't want their photo taken, I don't take the shot.
This one was taken at the Las Vegas Grand Prix a few years back. Same deal, I asked her to smile for the camera, and she struck this pose.
-Bruce

blackhawk wrote in post #9555774
...Take as you want, but this type of ill defined shooting can cause big problems...

I am fascinated, what do you mean by "ill defined shooting" and exactly what problems might arise?

She looks the type that doesn't mind being photographed..

blackhawk wrote in post #9555774
The skateboard kid is ok, but I like it better as a group set.
The backpack girl does nothing for me.

Just because a girl has a nice butt doesn't make her worth a shot if that's all it will be.
Take as you want, but this type of ill defined shooting can cause big problems.

If your in a dead zone either find a better spot, or pack it in... some days your hot, some days your not.

I am not sure how you go from the shot of the girl sitting down to the cute butt comment.

Clearly that's the last thing I had in mind when I took that photo.

It's almost like you are saying unless we don't take photos that fit into your specific set of street shooting criterias( you mentioned without the eyes, it's a fail) it's not worrhe the time or effort.

You are free to feel that way. Again, it's all subjective.