Approaching people out there. How to?

[lct]

Matter of respect folks. Shooting anybody against his/her consent is reducing him/her to an object. All barbarities begin like that.

[bill]

Originally Posted by lct

Matter of respect folks. Shooting anybody against his/her consent is reducing him/her to an object. All barbarities begin like that.

Ok, Ignoring Jeff, who doesn't seem to get the point, let me just address this.

There is a difference, AFAIK, between knowledge and consent.

Shooting someone with or without their knowledge makes them a subject - not an object.

Shooting someone with their knowledge but without their consent may or may not irritate them, but they are still a subject, not an object.

Courtesy is a social construct - again, I direct your attention back to my original post in this thread for my views on that.

Privacy is a "right" that does not - cannot - exist in a public place.

Regards,

Bill

[lct]

Originally Posted by bill

...Shooting someone with their knowledge but without their consent may or may not irritate them, but they are still a subject, not an object...

"Without" their consent may mean "against" Bill. If it is against it is disrespect. Agree?

[delander]

Originally Posted by bill

Ok, Ignoring Jeff, who doesn't seem to get the point, let me just address this.


Bill

Bill,

I don't think that comment was called for

Jeff

[bill]

Originally Posted by lct

"Without" their consent may mean "against" Bill. If it is against it is disrespect. Agree?

LCT, I am afraid I do not. They are not the same thing.

Consider:

A photographer shoots a bagsnatcher in commission of a crime. It would certainly be without their consent. Does respect truly enter into it?

This post is now drifting into ethical and moral waters. I apologise to the OP - I fear it was some of the extreme reactions to my first response on the thread that has precipitated that move.

Once again, just for the record, let me be clear.

We have no right to privacy in a public place.

Regards,

Bill

[lct]

Originally Posted by bill

..A photographer shoots a bagsnatcher in commission of a crime. It would certainly be without their consent..

Just an exception confirming the rule Bill. If you shoot me against my consent you don't respect me. Would you teach this to your son or daughter frankly?

[bill]

Originally Posted by lct

Just an exception confirming the rule Bill. If you shoot me against my consent you don't respect me. Would you teach this to your son or daughter frankly?

No. I am sorry. You are barking up the wrong tree on this one, LCT.

A further example, if I may. You are a doctor, tending to a man in the street who has just fallen over, clutching at his chest. I may shoot you saving the man's life. I may do so without your consent - I am hardly going to interrupt you in what you are doing - but I have the utmost respect for you and for your actions, and I have committed no crime.

Respect and courtesy and consent and knowledge are four different things. It is wrong to blend them together and use the argument justifying one to attempt to justify the other.

Bottom line: If you are in a public place, you have no right to privacy.

Regards,

Bill

[lct]

You still say "without" his consent Bill. "Against" is the key word if "against one's consent" is not a barbarism in English. Well never mind looks like we'll have to agree to differ for once.

[bill]

Originally Posted by lct

You still say "without" his consent Bill. "Against" is the key word if "against one's consent" is not a barbarism in English. Well never mind looks like we'll have to agree to differ for once.

We agree to differ, LCT. I entirely respect your viewpoint.

Regards,

Bill

[stnami]

I doubt if it really matters as Bill , what I have seen of his images doesn't place himself into tricky or dubious situations or environments

[bill]

Originally Posted by stnami

I doubt if it really matters as Bill , what I have seen of his images doesn't place himself into tricky or dubious situations or environments

How true

Regards,

Bill

[rob_x2004]

Shoot them in the back.
Get a wider lens, crop, and bullshit people you were right in there and meant to get the frame.
Get a longer lens and shoot from over the street. Then crop and sharpen and ...
Get a silent camera, a cellphone is even better, pretend you are talking to someone.
Put black tape over all your camera logos, it also makes you look so pro dodging flack.
Never any interaction with your subject, otherwise it isnt art or HCB.
Always go with someone else. Hold their hand or hide behind them.
Never ever find out anything about the people you steal. Remember your time is valuable, your art too gifted to waste your time helping them to understand.
Wear a mac. Take a towel for sticky moments and only take your camera out when you mean to use it.
Ohh yeh...it helps if your subject is....

................................... 10113J.jpg

Oh and....never ever make someones day brighter than it was. They arent paying for the privilege.

[stnami]

Rob you forgot
if someone asks tell them your name is Ben Cousins and are you are Britney's photographer and you just got out of rehab.

Street Photographers essential see image

[rob_x2004]

People always assume I just got out of rehab.....

[pcsmythe]

Maurizio,

I believe a lot of it depends upon what you are attempting to accomplish. In the book, Avedon at Work in the American West, Laura Wilson recounts that Richard Avedon took 17,000 pictures with the project and settled on just 123. I recommend the book because it demonstrates how much work Avedon put into each photograph. Regarding your question, Avedon, a top New York fashion photographer, would approach all kinds of people (snake-handlers and the like) for his portraits. The book shares instances of just how he met some of the people - people that a fashion photographer normally wouldn't give the time of day. The portraits became his most famous work.

Based partly on Avedon's book, we decided to do something out of the box and photograph portraits of a number of homeless people. We went to "that" part of town (frankly, had never been there before) and asked a convenience store owner to let us put up a paper backdrop on the outside side of his store. To our surprise, he agreed to it. We spent the next few hours photographing all kinds of people and finally had to call it a day. It was a hoot. We're working on the photographs now (scanning, etc.) and some of them look to be quite compelling (we'll have some up on our photoblog site within the week).

Like Avedon, take a chance (the book also shows what didn't work) and you'll be surprised.

[stnami]

Yea I know what you mean Rob, they are a bit wary of me......

[stunsworth]

Modern Mechanix Tricks That Enable You to Take Secret Pictures

[andybarton]

Use the "hole in the newspaper trick" these days and you will DEFINITELY get locked up

[stunsworth]

Originally Posted by andybarton

Use the "hole in the newspaper trick" these days and you will DEFINITELY get locked up

Depends what you stick through the hole I guess <grin>.

The whole site's worth a mooch around if you have a little time to kill.

[stnami]

nahh try.......