Shooting People without being a creep

nicksan wrote in post #9556989
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.

I was referring to the first group of photos of the girl who was standing with her back to you.

This girl knows I'm there, it was shot with the 50L.
She didn't try to avoid me, just continued doing her thing.
Again I'm kneeling and making no attempt to hide.

If your this close they are looking at you too... relax and enjoy it.
Turn about is fair play...

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nicksan wrote in post #9557595
This was all I could muster at Shijuku...

Tokyo?!?! Oh dear.
No, no, my friend!
You want stunning ladies, you gotta come to southern Kyushu!
I'm somehow going to shoot the girls who work in the local Gas Station and corner shop, because where I'm from, they'd win beauty contests!
Pretty much every day here, I wake up and thank the heavens I'm male!!!

Ballen Photo wrote in post #9557654
Can't win em all I guess.
-Bruce

Truth is Bruce, I've got one of those faces that never wants to hold a straight expression....which is why there are photos like this of me on most of my friends' mobile 'phones!

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skygod44 wrote in post #9557423
I stop there, without pushing it further as I feel the moment I wanted has gone.

Exactly. Know where the line is.
Frowns are a good sign the shooter crossed the line.

Yes, the bigger the cam, the better, and how you carry yourself. What and how your shooting helps to define your intent.

blackhawk wrote in post #9557943
Exactly. Know where the line is.
Frowns are a good sign the shooter crossed the line.
Yes, the bigger the cam, the better, and how you carry yourself. What and how your shooting helps to define your intent.

Absolutely right!
Even if your target doesn't spot you (which I think often makes for better picture) others around "need" to see that you're clearly acting like a pro, and not a nutter!

Some good advice here. I'm new to photography, but I see great photo ops every day on the street that I'd like to capture. My approach is going to be to take the pictures and then hand the subject a business card and tell them to send me their email address and I'll send them the picture. I have a photo blog I setup, so I have a base level of legitimacy established. Not sure if it will work yet, but I think it will.

Wow, there are some great comments in this thread. Street photography is not my thing, in general I don't agree with taking pictures of strangers and posting them on the internet. Any time that I have done it has been in a festival or activity setting. There are those that obviously want to be noticed on the street and then there are the families that happen to be in the park for what they assume is a nice quiet afternoon. Everybody and their dog has a blog these days so that is the norm and I don't necessarily agree that it gives anyone any level of legitimacy.

The one time that I concentrated on this for a day was at the activities on the street surrounding the Grand Prix races in Montreal.

Someone obviously wanting to get noticed.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.pbase.com …image/44746327/​medium.jpg

ssim wrote in post #9558345
Wow, there are some great comments in this thread. Street photography is not my thing, in general I don't agree with taking pictures of strangers and posting them on the internet.....a couple of people just walking by...

...

Well, you certainly know how to choose a certain type of person "just walking by"!
Yet again I'll have to go down on my knees and thank the stars I was born male!!

Again, shooting the back of a person is fine.

Sometimes, it really isn't even about the person, but how they aesthetically interact within and complement the overall scene; the shapes, lines, shadows, lighting, and as always, the composition. It's a very open pursuit.

Using a large camera is not necessary, and actually, I would advise the opposite, but it depends on the preference of the photographer. Besides, perverts might also use 'pro' gear, although I can't confirm this.

As to what lines need to be drawn, that is up to the photographer as long as it is within the law. I do not take pictures of children, people sleeping, or homeless people. With camera already in hand, I walked past a dying person a week or so back, with paramedics trying to revive him (don't think they succeeded). It could have made for an easy 'dramatic' shot, but I kept walking…I am not a photojournalist or documentarian. If others would have taken the photo, that is absolutely their prerogative, although I would prefer that consideration and respect enter the equation.

In the end, if photography only revealed humanity in a posed state, what an incomplete, if not superficial, view of the world we would present.

For anyone getting into street photography, you might want to check out the works of:

Henri Cartier-Bresson
Daido Moriyama
Robert Frank
Garry Winogrand
Alfred Eisenstaedt
Elliot Erwitt
Trent Park
Bruce Gilden
Helen Levitt
Rene Burri
Joel Meyerowitz
Hin Chua

skygod44 wrote in post #9557536
In Japan, with countless thousands of stunningly beautiful women all around me (Oh the stress of it )

I know exactly how you feel Simon

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skygod44 wrote in post #9557786
Truth is Bruce, I've got one of those faces that never wants to hold a straight expression....which is why there are photos like this of me on most of my friends' mobile 'phones!

That's your story, and you're sticking to it?
-Bruce

blackhawk wrote in post #9557785
I was referring to the first group of photos of the girl who was standing with her back to you.

This girl knows I'm there, it was shot with the 50L.
She didn't try to avoid me, just continued doing her thing.
Again I'm kneeling and making no attempt to hide.

If your this close they are looking at you too... relax and enjoy it.
Turn about is fair play...

But I have to ask, what does this picture do for you, other than the fact that it's a OOF picture of a possibly attractive girl? Because honestly, this does absolutely nothing for me, and again I say this knowing fully that all this is subjective. (As in if you like it, then you like it, and that's all that matters) I'm not trying to stir up anything, but merely ask that to understand where you are coming from.

I agree with sjones. The fact that there is a person in the photo doesn't make it a good photo. A "token hot girl" shot is one thing, but to wrap that up and call it street doesn't really work for me. Perhaps put that in a sub-category called "Street Portrait"?

ssim wrote in post #9558345

The street performers are fair game, imo

And a couple of people just walking by

And those that like to ham it up for the camera
http://www.pbase.com …image/44746327/​medium.jpg

In the end they made for an interesting review but they simply consume disk space with serving no real purpose.

Yeah, I would categorize these as event photography. Hey, I'm not saying I don't like 'em cuz I really do.

ssim wrote in post #9558345

IMAGE LINK: http://www.pbase.com …image/44746327/​medium.jpg

In the end they made for an interesting review but they simply consume disk space with serving no real purpose.

It may be a waste of disk space to you but a pretty girl all dressed in bling bling smiling for the camera with a sign in the background that says "Porn Flakes" has to raise a smile even in your cold Canadian heart.

You will always get the "glares" but you will also get some posers too. Just relax and don't look like a creep. Dress half way decent or wear a shirt with your company name/logo on it. Hand out cards to the people you shoot. Offer them a free shot or ask them if they would be interested in modeling some time. You'll never know until you try it.

Having said that, even at events that I shoot, people will react in strange ways...

You get what you looked for...

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