rate your street shooting confidence/aggressiveness

[FrankS]

1 - I'm afraid to even point my camera in the direction of a person whom I worry about offending if they should notice me and my camera, therefore I wait until there is no one in the frame when I take my urban landscape photos.

2 - If I'm sure I won't get caught, I sneak a hipshot or camera-on-table shot of people I don't know.

3 -

4 - I can walk right up to total strangers on the street, stick my camera in their face and take several shots. I am invincable on the street with my camera. If someine is in public, they are fair game and I am not breaking any laws.

Or, provide your own description

[JonShuler]

In fact, I think that's part of why I joined the forum. I've been streetshooting in some of the less safe parts of Orlando with two DSLRs and after my last trip decided that I need to re-think my gear stratagie. Anyone got an Epson that they are looking off load?

[DavidH]

'I am invincible' with a TV camera only...and get so tired of people-orientated filming that my photography tends to concentrate on scenes where there are no people present. Not sure if that makes me a 'wuss' or someone in search of 'silence'...

[Dave Wilkinson]

Perhaps 'how big are you?' should enter into this!

[shadowfox]

3 - Strangely, it depends on the day. Some days I'm confident, taking pictures of people from close range (not close-up yet). But some other days I'm so unispired and shy that I only take pictures of the city doves... the demure ones... with a tele-lens.

[ibrando]

I tend to take "sneak" shots because I like to capture people in natural situations. I find as soon as I raise the camera to my eye the mood changes and they give me looks like "what are you doing, why are you taking my picture". Sometimes I luck out and they don't notice the camera up to my eye or me at all.

Cheers,
Brandon.

[nevin]

Well, I'm not afraid to hold up my camera and take someone's picture. Most of the time I do hold it long enough to let the person knows what I'm doing, or I simply ask for a permission to do so. Sometimes I will get rejected, sometimes I will get a friendly smile and take some pictures. It's nice to be able to "interact" (e.g. a little chat) with the person you want to snap so know some history about her/him beside the image. And it makes the image more meaningful.

[Silva Lining]

Originally Posted by Dave Wilkinson

Perhaps 'how big are you?' should enter into this!

heh, or how fast can you run....

[rogue_designer]

3 - I have no real hesitation when in a park, on the train, or on the sidewalk pulling up the camera for a frame or two, even very close to the subject. But I'm not invincible, or invisible - so if they wave me off, I back off. I'm a nice guy.

[like2fiddle]

I spend most of my time around number 3, but have been known to spend time at #1 and #4, ---- good ole' bell curve.

[agi]

Originally Posted by shadowfox

3 - Strangely, it depends on the day. Some days I'm confident, taking pictures of people from close range (not close-up yet). But some other days I'm so unispired and shy that I only take pictures of the city doves... the demure ones... with a tele-lens.

I agree with Shadow on this one. Some days you got it and some days you just cower at the thought of someone even looking at you while taking a photograph. Also depends on the type of camera you are using as I tend to just snap away without a care in the world with my tiny Oly XA & XA4. With the XA4 you can get really close and not even be noticed.

[the_jim]

5 - Depends on how much I've been drinking.

Size doesn't matter...uhhemm...my girlfriend is 5'2" and 95 pounds and she has the biggest balls of anyone I know (metaphorically speaking, thankfully, not literally).

[icebear]

Same here,

some days are just not made for great shots and you know that after 5 min. walking around. Usually no one takes notice and if they don't want to be photographed I don't take the shot.
I only had one single incident when someone came after me, not even having seen me taking that shot. A girl with trendy sunglasses so big to hide her face almost entirely - at least no one can recognize her. Someone told her that some guy took a picture of her. After the first heat wave she cooled off when I explained no commercial photog and no digital camera so I could not possibly delete that file. And no, she would not have her picture on the front page of people's magazine.

[Morca007]

As has been said, it all depends on the day. Some days I have absolutely no qualms about shooting brazenly, and some days I can barely get in a hip shot.
Location makes a big difference as well. For example, on a recent wait in the airport, I had about an hour to kill and went around taking pictures openly, and it felt great. However, the last time I was in Portland, a city I'm somewhat familiar with, something just didn't feel right, and I barely shot at all.

[FrankS]

I know that for myself, being at an event and acting like a tourist makes it easier for me to take photos of the public.

[gb hill]

I have never taking a hip shot so I can't vote #2. Though I hate to admit it I have missed a few shots because of #1. I haven't yet felt the need to compose a shot by sticking my camera in their face. Sounds interesting though to get a shot of maybe a rapper with gold teeth, I'll have to find somebody, that might be cool. So I classify my self between a 1 & 4. I'm a wuss until I get myself psyched out and then I transform into being bold with my camera. Some days though the transformation doesn't come. Maybe we need more phonebooths.

[FrankS]

Here is my most successful street shot (nudity warning):

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/phot...hp?photo=13389

It was at an event. (Fri.13th, Port Dover, biker meeting) This gal knew I was there, knew I had a camera, and she went ahead and did this.

[Silva Lining]

Originally Posted by FrankS

Here is my most successful street shot (nudity warning):

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/phot...hp?photo=13389

It was at an event. (Fri.13th, Port Dover, biker meeting) This gal knew I was there, knew I had a camera, and she went ahead and did this.

Not the shy retiring type...

[dmr]

I marked between 2 and 4.

I don't consider myself to be shy by any means, but I do try to respect the personal space and the comfort level of others. (Most of the time.)

I recently shot several rolls during the final few hours of the Frontier casino. This was one time where you could shoot away inside a casino with impunity, and most of the people there were cool about it. It was a festive but bittersweet atmosphere.

I didn't try to hide the camera at all. When I was taking them I don't remember any body language -- at the time -- until I got the photos back from the lab the next day and ... the look on the guy's face on the right ... I can just hear him saying "what in the {f-bomb} are you doing taking my picture!"

[sepiareverb]

I'm a 4, but I don't photograph people- only property, and that with a strong in your facade attitude.

[350D_user]

Somewhere between 2 and 3.

[gns]

I've never had a problem photographing people in public. Once in a while I've gotten a dirty look from someone but mostly people don't pay much attention. I think it is mostly a matter of your demeanor. If you look like you are having fun and doing nothing wrong, people are generally fine with that. I am always out in the open and up front about it. I do not shoot from the hip or try in other ways to be sneaky about it. If someone looks like they really don't want their picture taken, I usually give them a nod that says, "Ok, I won't bother you" and move on. As in many things, a sense of humor can be helpful.

Having said all that, I would agree that times/society have changed over the years and people seem a little more suspicious than they were 30 years ago. Sad. Take a look at the picture in my gallery of the swimming pool (taken in the seventies). I imagine it could be a little easier to get into trouble these days shooting pictures through the fence of kids at a public swimming pool.

Cheers,
Gary

[PetarDima]

somewhere betwen 1 & 4
I'm not joking.






BESSA R2M, Rokkor 4o mm

[Bobfrance]

I voted 3. But like most others it varies wildly.
You sometimes you just get a feeling whether you should shoot or not.

Today I missed a really good potential shot because I was hesitant approaching a couple of people (I couldn't be quick or subtle, there was just muself and them in the middle of a field). I felt I had let myself down and this steeled my will - I later got a shot of a couple in a confined space that I think should be pretty good, which I may not have taken otherwise.

And after all that internal turmoil I don't think they even noticed.
It just goes to show!

[back alley]

99% of what i shoot i consider to be 'street' or 'urban black & white'.

99% of the time i just shoot without regard or concern for my subject.
i don't try to hide the camera or my actions. if someone waves me off or indicates they prefer not to be photographed then i back off - this is a hobby and i want all my limbs intact so i can continue to enjoy myself.

i never/rarely shoot kids anymore, not worth the potential hassle for a 'cute' shot.

somedays i go out with the goal of practicing hip shots or just doing buildings/shapes/shadows...non people shots.

and some days i never take the camera out of the bag as it's just not happening for me.

joe