Street Shooting

[chris_livsey]

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An interesting article with these "roles" to play on the street.

 

The Dumb Tourist

 

Props: Hawaii shirt, Panama hat, sunglasses (in summer), ridiculously big down-stuffed coat, silly wool cap, and ski glasses (in winter).

 

Location: Anywhere on the globe. Might not be the best role to pick e.g. in the Southern Suburbs of Beirut.

 

Camera: Anything.

 

Mannerisms: Point at things, stare at them, take pictures all the time of everything around you.

 

Advantages: People will utterly ignore you, and you can get all the pictures you want.

 

Disadvantages: You might get mugged. People will try to sell you stuff, some of which may be unsavory.

 

The Press Photog On Assignment

 

Props: Scruffy clothes, unkempt appearance, three-day stubble (for men), bleary and bored look. Big camera bag. Keep your lunch in it if you don't have enough equipment.

 

Location: Anywhere on the globe.

 

Camera: Biggest, blackest, most expensive you can get your hands on. You're not supposed to own it.

 

Mannerisms: Look bored, sling around your expensive gear very casually as if it doesn't belong to you, shoot at least five-ten pictures a time.

 

Advantages: People will stay out of their way, if they don't want their face in the press.

 

Disadvantages: People will elbow themselves in front of you, if they want their face in the press.

 

The Hero Photojournalist

 

Props: Outdoorsy, worn but good-quality clothes, healthy tan, sweat. Think Indiana Jones with a camera.

 

Location: Rough areas.

 

Camera: Something pretty small and beat-up looking. Russian or Ukrainian cameras (Zenit, Kiev) for extra credibility. Vintage Leica or Voigtländer is excellent, too. Vintage manual-focus SLR with normal lens in a pinch.

 

Mannerisms: Examine everyone and everything intently. Concentrate on every individual photo. Take notes.

 

The Artist Pursuing Inspiration

 

Props: Black clothes, rings under eyes, long hair, intense look.

 

Camera: Anything black. Medium-format or vintage equipment for extra credit. Big is preferable to small, unless it's a Leica or a Voigtländer.

 

Location: Anywhere s/he won't get thrown out of.

 

Mannerisms: Stare enrapturedly at utterly commonplace things. Photograph things from odd angles (camera held overhead or tilted at a wild angle is good). Crawl under objects, climb on them, glower at people who get in your way, otherwise pretend they don't exist.

 

Advantages: You might make interesting friends.

 

Disadvantages: You might make interesting enemies.

 

Taken from: Street photography

 

Some good stuff on digital BW if you dig around as well.

[earleygallery]

I can't recall now if it was Capa or McCullen, but I read a quote along the lines of needing acceptance from your subjects. With their war photography they both were accepted by the soldiers they worked alongside because they wore the uniform and worked on a level with them apparently.

 

So basically, try to blend in with the surroundings/people you are photographing. If you're in a tourist location, its great to appear like any other tourist. If your at a sporting event look like a fan, etc etc. It works!

[Guest Bernd Banken]

Hero......?

 

My F & me on Flickr - Photo Sharing!