Some candid 'street' photos

Kimmett · 02-02-2006, 20:32

Hello everybody,

I went shopping today, and decided to take the camera with me. It was a little bit on the dark side, so shutter speeds tended to be a tad slow, explaining some of the below photos. I was just trying to quickly capture some fleeting moments with my walk down the high-street. If anyone is interested, all the photos were taken with the camera down at my side, I seem to be a little too shy to point a camera at random strangers

.

If anyone wants to know about specific processing of individual pictures etc., then go ahead!

Hope some of you like them, and that some of you comment on them too:

1.

2.

3.

4.

Kimmett · 02-02-2006, 20:32

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Venomator · 02-02-2006, 21:02

Certainly provides a different angle on the art Kimmett ! Good stuff m8.

jewel · 03-02-2006, 03:17

I'm kind of sitting on the fence with these. Not sure if I like em or not, sorry. I don't do alot of street photography myself, I'm much too shy but I don't get the angle, or what it is your trying to convey here? I find I am constantly leaning my head to my right to see the pic. Am I missing something here? Enlighten me please.

Ahhh, I just read your very shy as well and the camera was at your side. Seeing as the pics all turned out the same the angle was intentional right?

Jewel

Sean_Mcr · 03-02-2006, 03:44

Street shots are pretty tough if you're shy. Some environments are easier to get shots in, carnivals, marches ect. Busier the better

I'm not shy, i'll take a shot of you sat next to you. But even if you are shy it just takes practice and timing, you might want to have a read of the following
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tu...s/street.shtml

Kimmett · 03-02-2006, 10:44

I was just trying to capture daily life as people walked around me. As it happens, it was a very non-busy place, so I really didn't feel like walking up and taking pictures of people. I have given the link a good read, thanks for that. What I think is needed is some balls and another shotting session!

Kimmett

CT · 03-02-2006, 11:18

Can't help you with the balls - it's a problem for everyone to some degree.

I wouldn't discount the covert approach altogether though, you can get some genuine candid shots with people totally unaware of the camera. Another approach is to butcher an old coat by making a hole in the lining through which you can feed a remote release into the pocket. You can then have the camera hanging in front of you, with both hands in your pockets and looking totally inactive and innocent.

A wide angle lens is a big help in capturing the scenes and enabling you to crop afterwards The problem of course is that you have to set the hyperfocal distance setting on the lens for max DOF, so you'll never have the control of DOF that you would with the full balls out approach.

KenCo1964 · 03-02-2006, 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by CT

Another approach is to butcher an old coat by making a hole in the lining through which you can feed a remote release into the pocket. You can then have the camera hanging in front of you, with both hands in your pockets and looking totally inactive and innocent.

Now that's a good Idea.

Matty · 03-02-2006, 16:20

when arkady returns, try and get to one of his days out, i think that will be a good place to a)learn to swear properly b)get some balls c)learn some good camera skills

i like some of these, the blurred ones dont work for me, but the others are pretty good, i know exactly where your coming from, i have some exactly the same!

Sean_Mcr · 03-02-2006, 17:18

You don't need to hide to get a Candid, and street shots should be framed properly and there's not much challenge in taking a shot of someone with out them knowing. The challenge is the context you shoot them in

If you hide, it implies there is something wrong with it, if that person notices that you are hiding, then they'll feel aggrieved. It's all about timing and being part of the scene not just recording it. Let people see that you're taking photographs, be open about it, you're doing a good thing. Just like documentary subjects they forget the camera. I give people a chance to refuse having they're shot taken, they do have that right.

I'd shot this group http://www.pbase.com/sean_mcr/image/52666195 a few times during the time i'd spent there, they knew i'd been taking shots of people including them. I became part of the scene, i was open about it. It was clear to see that i was not interested in one group or just an individual, but i sometimes am, and i'll shoot everything around them and let them see me do that before i get to what i'm actually interested in

Some of the lads i know here, will recall that i got in a fight because i made a mistake with a street shot. If you get it wrong you can get yourself in trouble

Ignore the heading of this article its a little provocative but the advice is soundhttp://www.prime-junta.net/pont/Pont...r_Cowards.html

***Dave*** · 03-02-2006, 19:30

Forgot how good that shot was. Some good avice there Sean & yep we remember the ruff & tumble well

minimeeze · 04-02-2006, 00:04

Hmm.. not quite sure what to think about the angle of the shots. I agree that you definitely need balls to have a go at street photography, and as Matty said, try to get on one of Arkady's organised days as he's great at this kind of stuff (having had a 1-1 session on street photography with Arkady, even I now have balls...

)