street photography: how to take photos people without them knowing.

[FinancialWar]

I currently have the Canon S95, I find that it is hard to take good pictures of people and shops without being secretive because I have to hold the camera out in front of me at eye level.

I am thinking about getting the Nikon P7100, since it has a flip out screen behind the camera (and not to the side like the G12), do you think it will help me being more Ninja ish because I will be able to take hip-shots?

 

[Doug Pardee]

Street photography isn't my particular interest, but I'd think that if you were serious about it you'd get over the "not knowing" part. And if you're not that serious about it, wouldn't a cell-phone do?

Another possibility is to practice taking pictures without looking at the camera screen. Zoom out a bit before-hand to leave some room for straightening and cropping. I've occasionally done this with my little compact, whose screen I can't see without having to dig out my reading glasses and sometimes even then I can't see it in bright sunlight.

While low-angle shots of people and street scenes occasionally have their charm, I'm not a big fan of them in general. But again, I'm not a street photographer and maybe I'd think differently if I were.

--

The LightZombie Project: volunteers providing support for LightZone. http://lightzombie.org/

 

[hotdog321]

There is a forum "Documentary & Street photography" that you might like.

 

[Deleted1929]

Trying to avoid people knowing is called stalking, not street photography.0

A lot of the charm of street shots is the interaction between the people and the photographer.

Of course you can use a long telephoto lens, but in my experience it's remarkable how many people spot that too. People are just very good at spotting other people trying to be sneaky. It also makes them suspicious and hostile. Give that whole scene a miss.

--
StephenG

 

[PaulRivers]

I've actually heard good things about being sneaky with the g12's flip-out screen. Remember that the lens has to be extended for the camera to take a pic anyways, you're not going to be able to hide that.

 

[AnandaSim]

Street photography covers a range of styles and subjects with say Meyerowitz maybe in the center.

http://anandasim.blogspot.com/2012/01/importance-of-being-earnest.html

Whatever style you do, you must be comfortable in your skin - even a modest non intrusive style can be psychologically intimidating to the shooter if you cannot reconcile your motives with your actions.

I currently have the Canon S95, I find that it is hard to take good pictures of people and shops without being secretive because I have to hold the camera out in front of me at eye level.

The secretive style needs some backbone if somebody confronts you.

I am thinking about getting the Nikon P7100, since it has a flip out screen behind the camera (and not to the side like the G12), do you think it will help me being more Ninja ish because I will be able to take hip-shots?

Flip out screens allow some stealth but the angle and the sincerity of the shot avoiding people's eyes is a loss.

Whatever camera you choose, the AF must be fast, and the AF must latch onto the subject not the background.

--



Ananda
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6861540877/a-compilation-of-tips-for-beginners
http://anandasim.blogspot.com/
http://gplus.to/anandasim

'Enjoy Diversity - Live a Little or a Lot'

 

[mgd43]

I've been shooting on the street and in the parks of NYC for over 40 years. Sometimes I shoot from a distance with a long lens, but when I'm relatively close, I ask permission or just hold out the camera and if the the person doesn't object I shoot.

It really comes down to what you're comfortable with. If you're comfortable shooting with a folding LCD screen, do it. There is a difference between stalking and shooting candids in a public place. One is legal and one isn't. One has a legal expectation of privacy and one doesn't.

I'm more comfortable getting permission. I find that if I'm friendly and respectful people seldom say no.

 

[FinancialWar]

lol, why would anyone here bring up stalking? I am not shooting anyone I know, just random people on the street, and one of two shots can hardly be classified as stalking.

 

[Chikubi]

Your S95 is better suited to stealth shooting than the P7100. Get one of those add-on grips and learn to shoot single handed without framing a shot. I say this as someone who has a G12 and shoots stealth street. Believe me, using the swivel screen from the hip looks far more suspicious by far. If you absolutely have to frame a shot, much better to learn to frame using the LCD at accute angles than flipped out. Basically, you shoot wide, close, and pay lots of attention to your timing and body postition.

It also helps to develop some techniques that allow you to shoot while looking like you're doing something else. I often walk through crowds with my camera in hand and held tucked into my body like I'm protecting it from being bumped. No one ever realizes that I'm shooting the whole time, they just think I'm holding my camera. Do a search on Youtube for Daido Moriyama if you want to see this type of shooting in action.

As for stealth street shooting, it's very much a legitimate style of shooting and far from being creepy. Personally, asking people to take their picture isn't street shooting in my book because it corrupts the natural flow of the scene and thus the pictures become somewhat of a lie. YMMV, but once the photographer interferes with a scene, then that scene is dead as far as I'm concerned.

With a liitle practice you can get some wonderful shots.











More if you're interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emasterphoto/sets/72157626572625744/with/5959906319/
--
http://www.emasterphoto.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emasterphoto/

 

[pradip kumar paswan]

Don't think about street photography it is not too much difficult to shoot.Because you will shoot in your own mood and it must be legal way.Before taking photo you must adjust your camera's features . I mean to say what you want ? In that case

if you shoot in manual mode it will be better there you can adjusted first your camera's exposures then day light it may be cloudy, sunny day.

 

[Roger99]

Try getting a feel for guesstimating the results of wide angle shots from the hip. I find people only get uncomfortable when they see you looking at the camera screen when the camera is pointing at them. I find that shooting with the cam held while crossed armed, relaxed and glancing around as though hunting rather than shooting is pretty much ignored and I have had some great results. The more practice you get the better the results. Also set up the camera by pointing it at similar conditions away from the prey first so as not to spook the animals too much.

Oh and don't look at your results as soon as you have taken the shot also. Save that till later.

Mind you, if your up to no good, ignore this posting.

I currently have the Canon S95, I find that it is hard to take good pictures of people and shops without being secretive because I have to hold the camera out in front of me at eye level.

I am thinking about getting the Nikon P7100, since it has a flip out screen behind the camera (and not to the side like the G12), do you think it will help me being more Ninja ish because I will be able to take hip-shots?

--

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. -Aristotle

The one serious conviction one should hold is that nothing should be taken too seriously.
...oh, and I see by the lack of responses that I am right yet again.

 

[Roger99]

Trying to avoid people knowing is called stalking, not street photography.0

A lot of the charm of street shots is the interaction between the people and the photographer.

Of course you can use a long telephoto lens, but in my experience it's remarkable how many people spot that too. People are just very good at spotting other people trying to be sneaky. It also makes them suspicious and hostile. Give that whole scene a miss.

--
StephenG

Wow, stunned silence. You sure you didn't stumble in here accidentally from facebook or something?

--

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. -Aristotle

The one serious conviction one should hold is that nothing should be taken too seriously.
...oh, and I see by the lack of responses that I am right yet again.

 

[Roger99]

I've been shooting on the street and in the parks of NYC for over 40 years. Sometimes I shoot from a distance with a long lens, but when I'm relatively close, I ask permission or just hold out the camera and if the the person doesn't object I shoot.

It really comes down to what you're comfortable with. If you're comfortable shooting with a folding LCD screen, do it. There is a difference between stalking and shooting candids in a public place. One is legal and one isn't. One has a legal expectation of privacy and one doesn't.

I'm more comfortable getting permission. I find that if I'm friendly and respectful people seldom say no.

Trouble is that then they are less natural and more posed. It's the unfortunate nature of the pursuit. The best and most meaningful shots in this area come from tasteful discretion I think.

--

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. -Aristotle

The one serious conviction one should hold is that nothing should be taken too seriously.
...oh, and I see by the lack of responses that I am right yet again.

 

[Roger99]

It's a whole new world since digital and the internut. You haven't lived until you have had to calm the occasional policeman or security guard stepping on your legal toes.

Back in the days of film you virtually had to beat off the wanna be street models with a stick. These days they think your trying to steal their souls and put them in that little box. Spout a phrase like "art for arts sake" and they start looking for the explosives under your jacket.

lol, why would anyone here bring up stalking? I am not shooting anyone I know, just random people on the street, and one of two shots can hardly be classified as stalking.

--

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. -Aristotle

The one serious conviction one should hold is that nothing should be taken too seriously.
...oh, and I see by the lack of responses that I am right yet again.

 

[Roger99]

Yeah. Fairly quickly you get really good at framing out of the corner of your eye. Remember though that the bigger the camera the more the flag to a bull.

I use a G10 but am thinking that the S95 would be a better choice. With this stuff you don't want to risk looking too much like business. Bored tourist waiting for a bus fares much better.

Mind you depending on where you are shooting or who is in the scene it is inevitable that you will be approached by authorities at some stage. So long as your legitimacy is accompanied by politeness you shouldn't have any trouble though I find.

Your S95 is better suited to stealth shooting than the P7100. Get one of those add-on grips and learn to shoot single handed without framing a shot. I say this as someone who has a G12 and shoots stealth street. Believe me, using the swivel screen from the hip looks far more suspicious by far. If you absolutely have to frame a shot, much better to learn to frame using the LCD at accute angles than flipped out. Basically, you shoot wide, close, and pay lots of attention to your timing and body postition.

It also helps to develop some techniques that allow you to shoot while looking like you're doing something else. I often walk through crowds with my camera in hand and held tucked into my body like I'm protecting it from being bumped. No one ever realizes that I'm shooting the whole time, they just think I'm holding my camera. Do a search on Youtube for Daido Moriyama if you want to see this type of shooting in action.

As for stealth street shooting, it's very much a legitimate style of shooting and far from being creepy. Personally, asking people to take their picture isn't street shooting in my book because it corrupts the natural flow of the scene and thus the pictures become somewhat of a lie. YMMV, but once the photographer interferes with a scene, then that scene is dead as far as I'm concerned.

With a liitle practice you can get some wonderful shots.











More if you're interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emasterphoto/sets/72157626572625744/with/5959906319/
--
http://www.emasterphoto.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emasterphoto/

--

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. -Aristotle

The one serious conviction one should hold is that nothing should be taken too seriously.
...oh, and I see by the lack of responses that I am right yet again.

 

[Deleted1929]

I'm sure I regularly take a DSLR and lenses ( and backpack et al ) out and about in busy city streets and the first lesson is to stop being afraid of being seen.

Candid photography is a myth, IMO. People are either trying to ignore your intrusion or looking at you. If they don't know you're shooting then you either have a shot of their backs ( boring ) or you're so far away all the shot shows is your fear of connection and involvement. A personal view, I'm sure, but worth thinking about.

I have found the most interesting shots are the ones where you are interacting, even in a small way. The little glance, the half smile, the frown - that's the interesting stuff. And the nicest part is that some of that interaction gets you conversations.

Put yourself on the other end of the camera. How do you feel about people snapping shots of you without your knowledge ? Most people don't like it, regardless of whether it's a public street or not. It's Bad Karma, is my view and I'm not messing with Karma, baby.

In case it interests anyone, as a general rule you can't commercially use street shots with identifiable people in them without a model release from all of them. Hard to do that in secret.

So I gave up the idea of candid and secretive photography a long time ago.

That's where I wandering in from.

For the record I do not have a Facebook account. I'm a programmer by training and I loath the concept. Spammer's heaven, crook's heaven. I encourage everyone to avoid it.

--
StephenG

 

[Roger99]

I'm sure I regularly take a DSLR and lenses ( and backpack et al ) out and about in busy city streets and the first lesson is to stop being afraid of being seen.

Candid photography is a myth, IMO. People are either trying to ignore your intrusion or looking at you. If they don't know you're shooting then you either have a shot of their backs ( boring ) or you're so far away all the shot shows is your fear of connection and involvement. A personal view, I'm sure, but worth thinking about.

Good point but I also think there is a lot of room in the city these days for getting

lost in the mass of tourists with point and shoots and the inherent desensitization.

I have found the most interesting shots are the ones where you are interacting, even in a small way. The little glance, the half smile, the frown - that's the interesting stuff. And the nicest part is that some of that interaction gets you conversations.

My favorite with this one is the shot in the crowd with one single straight faced individual gazing straight down the barrel. Gives the viewer a hook to draw them in. Add to that an interesting composition and the luck of interesting juxtapositions in the rest of the crowd and your set. Works to varying degrees but when it works well it's gold.

Put yourself on the other end of the camera. How do you feel about people snapping shots of you without your knowledge ? Most people don't like it, regardless of whether it's a public street or not. It's Bad Karma, is my view and I'm not messing with Karma, baby.

I have yet to meet a photographer who likes to be the subject in a strangers shot. Me I hate it with a passion. My answer to my Karma is I try not to humiliate in an image. I've been known to trash great shots just because there is someone in there being caught out but I admit double standards. Women picking their noses go but straightening their hoses stay if the shot is worth it and that is not the main context. Hard to explain but I suspect you probably get it. Enough to say I hate the pap style and don't wish to see that drift out of it's back corner of the field.

In case it interests anyone, as a general rule you can't commercially use street shots with identifiable people in them without a model release from all of them. Hard to do that in secret.

Well you can but it's tantamount to Russian roulette.

So I gave up the idea of candid and secretive photography a long time ago.

That's where I wandering in from.

For the record I do not have a Facebook account. I'm a programmer by training and I loath the concept. Spammer's heaven, crook's heaven. I encourage everyone to avoid it.

Absolutely agree.

--
StephenG

--

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. -Aristotle

The one serious conviction one should hold is that nothing should be taken too seriously.
...oh, and I see by the lack of responses that I am right yet again.

 

[Jim_Ryder]

Put yourself on the other end of the camera. How do you feel about people snapping shots of you without your knowledge ? Most people don't like it, regardless of whether it's a public street or not. It's Bad Karma, is my view and I'm not messing with Karma, baby.

I have yet to meet a photographer who likes to be the subject in a strangers shot. Me I hate it with a passion.

I've been asked 'lots' of times by strangers if they could take my picture (no idea why !) and I've always said: "Go ahead" but I try not to pose, I just go about my business - ; it's more difficult when I'm the one BEHIND the camera trying to snap casual shots of people FACING me; I guess it's all in your body language- if you feel "ill-at-ease" then people around you sense that and act accordingly.

I see some people posting pictures entitled "street photography" and then you look and yes, there's a street, there are some people,usually their backs and nothing interesting . I liked the ones posted in this thread. Ray Sachs is another photographer on these forums, whose work I admire (usually NYC)

 

[Roger99]

Put yourself on the other end of the camera. How do you feel about people snapping shots of you without your knowledge ? Most people don't like it, regardless of whether it's a public street or not. It's Bad Karma, is my view and I'm not messing with Karma, baby.

I have yet to meet a photographer who likes to be the subject in a strangers shot. Me I hate it with a passion.

I've been asked 'lots' of times by strangers if they could take my picture (no idea why !) and I've always said: "Go ahead" but I try not to pose, I just go about my business - ; it's more difficult when I'm the one BEHIND the camera trying to snap casual shots of people FACING me; I guess it's all in your body language- if you feel "ill-at-ease" then people around you sense that and act accordingly.

LOL that's a loaded one. Your either really good looking, really bizarre or, worst of all, "interesting". Me I'd best fit into the latter. I have had people look at self portraits though and say "wow, you photograph well" but that is always accompanied by a confused, slightly disturbed expression. I try not to think about it. LOL

I see some people posting pictures entitled "street photography" and then you look and yes, there's a street, there are some people,usually their backs and nothing interesting . I liked the ones posted in this thread. Ray Sachs is another photographer on these forums, whose work I admire (usually NYC)

--

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. -Aristotle

The one serious conviction one should hold is that nothing should be taken too seriously.
...oh, and I see by the lack of responses that I am right yet again.

 

[Jim_Ryder]

LOL that's a loaded one. Your either really good looking, really bizarre or, worst of all, "interesting". Me I'd best fit into the latter. I have had people look at self portraits though and say "wow, you photograph well" but that is always accompanied by a confused, slightly disturbed expression. I try not to think about it. LOL

Hahaha- you're funny ! I definitely do not think I'm good looking, maybe a tad bizarre (LOL) and interesting...well..uhm, that just depends,heheh - I don't mind if people take picture(s) of me;you spoke of karma earlier -the way I see it, I'd like to believe that maybe, if I let myself be photographed, then maybe when I'm out taking pictures, some of my intended subject(s) will allow me to take their picture ! Besides, my experience is, that if people try to avoid the camera, they usually end up looking extra horrible ! (just ask my sister!)