I open street photography to myself. What next?

Hi There

Don't really know how to start. I am many years in photography. But recently browsing through my photos (and some of them are not to bad) i found them to boring, to sterile, to something. 95% of them are landscape and architectural photos (i am talking about travel photography), but who needs them. And only few, somehow can catch the eye. I didn't do them on purpose as street photographers do, but after rethinking the philosophy of my photography, i realize that the street photography is the only kind of it, that can motivate me to grab the camera. But one thing is to do occasionally and another to dedicate and completely change your shooting stile, i am not talking to learn one.

What happened with me. Is that contagious. And how to enter to such difficult part of photography. By the way, a lot of my fellows friends photographer can't see what i found in SP.

I want to show to you some photos i took around the world through the years, and in some way i can consider as a street photography.
I need your C&C. Really.
Many Photos.

I'm fairly new to serious shooting. However, having viewed and admired photography for decades I can say you have many fine and even wonderful images posted here, but not all of them are what I would call "street".

My two favorites are the boat and the woman leaning out of the window.

Many more inspire me, though.

--
Best,

Jeffrey
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finch585/

What's next you ask? You might try taking pictures at outdoor events where there's lots of activity. People could be marching, running or dancing. My favorite type of pictures are where they are having a lot of fun.

Also you could capture people hiking or climbing off the streets. Those are interesting also.

Here's some examples out of thousands I take each year. I hope that helps.

Photo No. 1 - The kids are playing a game in the street.

Canon T2i (550D), 18-55mm IS lens, ISO1600, F9, 1/320, 23mm FL



Photo No. 2 - This was taken at our annual parade.

Olympus E-500, Zuiko 14-42 lens, ISO400, F6.3, 1/800, 23mm FL



Photo No. 3 - This was taken during one of our cloudy days on a hiking trip.

Canon T2i (550D), 55-250mm IS lens, ISO1600, F7.1, 1/250, 55mm FL



Photo No. 4 - This was captured with morning sun, when I have good lighting.

Canon T2i (550D), 55-250mm IS lens, ISO400, F16, 1/500, 250mm FL

It happened to me as well. I used to photograph places and things when I travelled, and at some point, I grew tired of it. At another point, I began to loath it and the other photographers who I would see taking photos of rubbish.

I realized that that although some places and things are interesting, most have already been photographed hundreds if not millions of times before and that it's very unlikely that I could actually improve on it. I also realized that people and their interactions are much more unique and interesting. There are so many interesting and unique people out in the world and photographing them in their surroundings is infinitely more rewarding and unique than just capturing the surroundings. There are so many countless variations to people that eager street photographers are keen on capturing: unique attire, postures, expressions, reactions, slighted stares, emotions, and etc. Then you throw in to the mixture people reacting to one another or to their surroundings and the combinations become infinite and infinitely interesting.

This is what happened to you; you've realized this subconsciously.



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portfolio :: http://pavelkounine.com
daily blog :: http://pavelkounine.com/blog

I shoot film. I shoot digital. Both are great in their own ways. The nice thing about film is that I can always have the most advanced imaging technology around packed into my 20 year old camera. That's one aspect of digital that I loathe.

Well written mischivo. That is exactly how i feel.

How many times i can take pictures of Eiffel Tower, Alexander Platz or Fujiyama. It has been bitten to death. Even art photography, that i greatly admire, again and again to static, to sterile.
Thank You all for the good words, your input and advice.

The problem is that i don't see myself lurking around with the camera, hunting for interesting frames on the street. I mean, the way i see how other people do it.

For me, always, the most important part in photography was an aesthetic aspect, and i cant define were in SP ends documentary part of it and starts visual aspect (read aesthetic). I feel like that immigrant who forgot his native language and never learned the new one.

I don't want to do what i did before, but how to start what i like and not ready for it.

I prefer quiet and slow style, which is required peace of mind. And on the contrary SP, were you have to be quick, snappy, fast minded, not to shy. But the result is fascinates me.

I have seen your work, i don't think i would be able to achieve the same result if i would do it on purpose.

I was fortunate enough to be able to learn cinematography, photography, art and animation (traditional one, it's now i am in 3d field). But i faced that all my knowledge is not required in SP. Bummer.

My house crammed with photo gears and computers, but simplicity of SP is really bought me. Small camera can do a thing. Near to non post processing. It's amazing. Many years i use to work in preproduction (color correction, scanning, design etc.) and all my photos went though extensive photoshop manipulations.
Yes, but before all that i have to go out and shoot, and it scares me.

I love photography, but not anymore what i did before. Street photos, many of your beautiful works, the masterpieces of the masters of this genre is very inspiring, till i have to go out...
So the question of all questions - How to start?

How to turn your camera on people for voyeuristic purpose that street photography provides, and not only occasionally, while you taking pictures of something else?

I agree with mischivo. That's my style also, although I did not express that way clearly (I was hoping my sample photos would show that). It's often easier for the photographer to capture this at events. That's why I suggested it for you (plus capturing the facial expressions and so forth are interesting).

I also boldly take pictures of people at non-events, but the risk of being harassed is greater (like on my hiking trips or at the beach). People worry too much...and sometimes create an uneasy environment for the photographer by creating problems for him or her even if it's illegal. I noticed that you have taken a lot of pictures of people with their backs to you. It's rare that I'll ever do that; I have to see at least one person's face and I prefer color. As a result, occasionally someone will object to me that I was taking their picture or the pictures of someone else.

Here's one of my polar plunge event pictures. I have been there twice. It's a lot of fun...try finding something like this in your area. The water is gray because it was taken on a cloudy day with a small amount of sun.

MichaelNY1965 said:

I was fortunate enough to be able to learn cinematography, photography, art and animation (traditional one, it's now i am in 3d field). But i faced that all my knowledge is not required in SP. Bummer.

My house crammed with photo gears and computers, but simplicity of SP is really bought me. Small camera can do a thing. Near to non post processing. It's amazing. Many years i use to work in preproduction (color correction, scanning, design etc.) and all my photos went though extensive photoshop manipulations.
Yes, but before all that i have to go out and shoot, and it scares me.

I love photography, but not anymore what i did before. Street photos, many of your beautiful works, the masterpieces of the masters of this genre is very inspiring, till i have to go out...
So the question of all questions - How to start?

How to turn your camera on people for voyeuristic purpose that street photography provides, and not only occasionally, while you taking pictures of something else?

Click to expand...

lol ...there is an endless supply of 'nexts'.

I say to my sweetheart, "Its crazy, you can put anything in front of a lens ....all you have to do it put it there". (grin)









































































I just recently moved to 35mm film and I think what I'm doing now is even better (can't show them yet, am playing with a technique I've not seen anyone do and I'm waiting for a particular pic). These photos are all from stages I went through, I get bored quickly and am always looking for the next.

For now I see film in an opposite way to how I use digital, I'm determined to get the images sooc with digital and now with film I give the illusion that I've applied pp as sort of a juxtaposition to digital. Hard to explain will hopefully will be evident when I post them. But the other point is I found something in film that I've never seen before and keep looking in case someone else has.

My biggest interest in street is illusion, that you can catch illusion as if you were taking a pic of a ghost or a monster ...





Ant.
ɹǝpun uʍop puɐl ǝɥʇ ɯoɹɟ
http://oneant.com.au

...Seriously yum
(A yum is a technical term where 1 unit of Yum is equal to 10 Scrummies).

MichaelNY1965 said:

Click to expand...

Ant.

There have been some good threads in the past regarding suggestions for people who enjoy street photography as a subject matter but feel uncomfortable photographing strangers. I don't have those threads bookmarked, but here are a few suggestions I remember:

The best suggestion is to go out photographing with one or more friends. That will make you feel more comfortable and your subjects will feel less threatened knowing that a group of people is not likely to be doing something unsavory. Another option is to use a long focal length so that you don't have to be near your subjects. Obviously this has disadvantages artistically, but there are still good opportunities for interesting images. If you enjoy post processing, maybe try shooting from the hip. Take a lot of shots knowing you'll delete almost all of them. It could be fun to see if you can create something that is artistically meaningful on the computer starting with randomly taken shots. You also mentioned that you prefer a "quiet, slow style" of shooting. One option on that front is to find a location where all of the elements are in place for a great photograph except that it needs a person or people to make it interesting. Compose the shot and wait for someone to move into the frame. Then all you have to do is press the shutter button.

As others have said, a lot of your shots are great. I hope some of these suggestions help going forward,
jbf

Thank You all.
You are a great support, it is good filling, that you are not alone.

First, I'd like to say I appreciate your kind words, especially regarding my writing. I had a look at my post a few minutes after I had completed the last edit (during which I only added the example photo) and was shocked by how juvenile it sounded, especially with the oft-repeated "interesting" and "unique". But onto more pressing matters...

How to start street photography?

I'd be a big fat liar if I told you I have a wealth of experience in street photography. I only started focusing on it when I started my blog six months ago today. However, my approach to goading myself into doing it was to always have my camera on me whenever I went out... anywhere.

I still do and this involves the unfortunate burden of always carrying my bulky dSLR or film-SLR and a few lenses. I recently bought a nifty general purpose backpack so I could pack my Sekonic light-meter and 50mm prime into it, as well as other non-photography items. (This ensures that my jacket and pant pockets don't stretch out) As for the camera that’s always on my neck, a 35mm prime. It may seem like a cliché because many street photographers use them and love them (although some prefer 28mm or 24mm), but it works. But it works, and it has everything to do with perspective and field of view. A scene shot with a wider focal length but framed to more or less match, say, a 50mm view, will inevitably feel more intimate because you will actually be closer to your subjects. (Have a look at my blog post from about a week ago for an example of this: http://pavelkounine.com/blog/racing-by-a-banker/ )

But preferred gear and always having it beside you aside, the next step is to actually throw yourself into the streets. Unless you live in a very small town, or in the countryside, you can do this without the anxiety of not living in a metropolis. I myself am lucky enough to live in downtown Toronto. This means I’m really in walking distance of anything important in this city, and I take advantage of this. I go for walks often and for hours at a time. During these walks, I always “on”. I observe people, I’m not afraid of staring at them or checking them out. It’s all part of the fun, and it’s not as creepy as some may think, because I do it with a purpose in mind. Whenever I see something interesting, I take a shot. Overtime, you’ll come to intuitively understand what works for your aesthetic. I’m still developing mine! However, for me, it has financial consequences: I’m a wedding photojournalist and use street photography as practice for that as well (portfolio: http://www.pavelkounine.com ).

If you keep up this approach, and if you’re able to afford lighter high-quality camera gear to save yourself the pain of having a brick hang from your neck (which I can’t at the moment), you may come to enjoy street photography. The key is to stay with it and not be discouraged by the occasions when you’ll return without a single photograph (or image worth sharing... or keeping). If this happens, just go out at the next opportunity: try a new neighbourhood, a different time of day, a different season even! And always be ready: have your camera on at all times, and don’t be afraid to a ruffle a few feathers.

That’s pretty much all I can say about this at the moment.

P.S. I’m surprised to find another fellow cinematographer on here. I went to film school for that! Can’t say I much succeeded in the industry with that, not so much because of lack of talent (you can view my reel on my portfolio site), but because of lack of networking skills, and more so, inability to persevere in an industry that loves free labour from new entrants.

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portfolio :: http://pavelkounine.com
daily blog :: http://pavelkounine.com/blog

I shoot film. I shoot digital. Both are great in their own ways. The nice thing about film is that I can always have the most advanced imaging technology around packed into my 20 year old camera. That's one aspect of digital that I loathe.