Hi, Saturday, July 12, 2003, 7:48:20 PM, you wrote:
> I am interested in doing more macro, and landscape, and wild life. But there > was a woman in my last photography class who did B&W street photography in San > Francisco that I found pretty interesting (when it included people, that is). > I think if I do it, I'd try it color (well, I got a lot of color film now to > use up) and locally -- smaller city. there's quite a strong tradition of colour street photography, particularly in the USA. Often it's highly saturated, which gives a sense of strangeness and unreality to the photographs. > Anyway, if I try some street photography (probably more buildings than > people, but people too), any suggestions? Shoot from the hip? Get permission of > subjects? Don't worry about permission? Focal length suggestions, etc.? A local photojournalist round here called Linda Sole often shoots from the hip with a Leica M6 and 35mm lens. Her work is very good; it has been quite widely published and has won numerous awards. She tries to keep the camera hidden so that her subjects don't know what she's doing. I do not as a rule get permission from people. The essence of street photography is to catch life being lived. This does not necessarily mean spying on people. I do not try to hide my camera. Occasionally I will catch somebody's eye who I want to photograph, and perhaps smile. Usually people are happy enough. I can think of very few cases when people have objected or been aggressive in stopping me, although it does happen sometime. The secret is to exude confidence; don't let people think you're trying to make them look foolish. If they ask what you're doing, just tell them you're taking snapshots. Another part of the essence of street photography is conveying a feeling of closeness, a sense of being there, and of intimacy. As a result, long lenses don't usually cut it because they feel distanced; they feel as if you're spying on people. So 28, 35 and 50mm lenses are the standard, although some people go wider. It's also very useful to have an 85 or 90mm lens at your disposal for close ups, mugshots etc. You have to have your camera ready all the time. It's no good fishing around in your bag, or changing lenses or anything like that. The camera's got to be in your hand, or round your neck, ready to use. In might be useful psychologically to practice in a strange town or city where you'll maybe feel a little less self-conscious. -- Cheers, Bob mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
