[pres589]

I'm sure this has been hashed out before here. And I'm sure there's other things written about this all over the Internet, in books, and so on. But since the whole point of this forum is that we can have discussion and more direct interaction, I wanted to ask the fine folks here at PentaxForums how they handle shooting candid shots in crowds where you're just there to get good pictures.

Background: I'm a hobbyist and I doubt I will sell a photo from this in any way/shape/form. I mostly just want to get out and get more experience shooting street candids. I have a K-5II that I intend to use for this and a few fast primes. If this kind of thing goes well I may try for a more concealed setup but right now I'm either going with a messenger style camera bag or possible a backpack.

Event: A large political march coming up in a couple months here on the east coast. I don't want to say more because I feel like it would ruin the surprise but it's with a generally peaceful bunch. Expecting 20k, minimum, to show up. I am not part of that group and am going to see the march and maybe walk with the folks but I'm not getting terribly involved. It's also a nice chance to see my sister.

Question: I will want to take picture of folks in the march event. I imagine there will be some interesting costumes and signs and such. I don't want to get, you know, punched in the face or have my camera stolen or some other awful thing. So! What are some tips and such for how I can keep the peace, get good shots, and generally have a nice time? I have thought about having business cards printed with my name, email address, and Flickr account all printed so if people start asking questions I can say "hey, this is who I am, you can see your picture at this place, and I'm just trying to show that good people came out today". Thoughts?

Thanks!

[pschlute]

Use a wide angle prime. Less intrusive than say a long zoom. Get in the thick of it to take pictures and many folks wont realise they are your subject. I am sure most of the people going will be snapping away too, mostly on iphones.

[pres589]

I was planning on 50mm prime for a lot of the shots and then my DA15 for some wide stuff. But perhaps you are right; the 15 in a crowd means I don't have to be aimed right at them. Hrm.

EDIT: This seems like the kind of situation the DA21 would excel at. And I don't have one. Nor am I in a position right now to buy one.

[victormeldrew]

A nice smile works wonders. Take your pictures...if you're in a public space you are (usually) well within your rights to do so. If anyone notices, give a smile and say thank you. If anyone dislikes being photographed, offer to delete it straight away, but explain what you're doing and ask if you may keep it.

Having done plenty of street photography, 99% of people either don't notice or are not bothered at all, most of the rest are pacified with assurances that you're neither a government spy or a journalist. The remainder have the idea that they should expect privacy in public and, as wrong as they are, it's rarely worth getting into a fight for.

A final tip if you want true candids is to learn to shoot from the hip. It takes some practice, but some of the best shots can come from it.

[pres589]

Unless I'm really missing something, the K-5's all are single SD card bodies... Understood about the "watch me delete it" thing.

[RoccoStiglitz]

I've noticed that people in large crowds tend to ignore cameras. That being said people are going to react based on how you behave. If you act creepy people are going to be creeped out. If you are calm and act casual you'll get the same in return. Also, if someone does give you any grief just smile and move on. You have every right to photograph people in public spaces.

[pschlute]

I've noticed that people in large crowds tend to ignore cameras. That being said people are going to react based on how you behave. If you act creepy people are going to be creeped out. If you are calm and act casual you'll get the same in return.

Another reason to use a wide lens and get close to people. They will be less worried about you than someone at the fringes pointing a big telephoto at them.

[pathdoc]

Your chances of offending someone with your camera are proportional to the directness with which you are seen to be photographing them. Street performers are easy - they are concentrating on their art. Their spectators are, by and large, also easy as most people will think you are photographing the performer. Their chances of perceiving otherwise would seem to be in proportion to the size of your lens, hence the utility of lenses such as the DA21 and DA40 for this work (especially the black variant on a black DSLR body).

The DA15 of course offers the chance to get a fairly wide spread of people into a quick shot from the hip, but then you are probably more reliant on a bit of crop-and-rotate work to get things nice and square and isolate your chosen subject(s). Here's hoping you have enough pixels!

(Yes, I sometimes do take pictures of the spectators more than the performer - the look of rapt attention on their faces can add something to a series of pictures of what they're watching.)

Anyone in a parade on a public thoroughfare has no right to complain. Unless of course you do something so egregiously stupid as post high-res upskirt pictures of the Christmas fairy on your flickr account. And yes, I have seen people be that stupid. (Their accounts usually vanish shortly after that.)

[robgski]

The nice thing about a wide lens is that generaly at f4 or f5.6, everything will be in focus

Inside the crowd, zone focus for about arms length away, keep the camera no higher than chest level, you won't call attention to yourself by bringing the camera to your face.

Outside the crowd with a longer lens, you can take aimed shots.

As a side not, this is why I love the 40mm XS pancake on my K-5, most people don't even register it as a camera.

[Alliecat]

While there are cameras everywhere these days, and if you are in public where there are tourists with cameras, you can probably expect to be in someone's photo ... personally, I am annoyed by creepers who use huge zooms from far away to take sometimes-unflattering closeups of people without their knowledge or permission, and then post them publicly.
Probably because there is a guy who does it at markets here -- people with their mouths full or making weird faces while they're talking, or whatever, from across the parking lot, then puts them all over facebook. Never asks permission. Not everyone wants to be all over some stranger's slideshow. He does it with kids as well. I don't have any, but if I did, and discovered some stranger taking my kid's picture, I'd have something to say about it.
He knows I don't particularly like it/him, and generally leaves me alone, but I've heard other people make comments that suggest they're not tremendously comfortable with him doing it. But he's a large man with a large lens and they're intimidated, so they don't speak up.
I'm probably in the minority. But I feel you should always at least try to ask permission.
I do freelance newspaper work and even in a crowd or especially someone's kid, I'll always try to catch up to the person and ask. Common courtesy and respect for their space.
My 2 cents.

[mattt]

“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.”- Alfred Eisenstaedt

[DeadJohn]

There will probably be many photographers if it's a big event. Attention will often be focused elsewhere and many people won't notice you. Some people will pose: why protest if you don't want to be seen and heard? Use a wide angle lens, f/8 or f/11 for depth of field, pre-focus a few feet away so everything looks in focus, and you can snap without having to carefully compose. If the camera isn't in front of your face people are less likely to notice it.

Be aware that protests can get very crowded. A backpack will keep bumping into people, be difficult to access, and limit your mobility when you want to walk through crowds. Take the tiniest bag possible. Don't bring multiple lenses.

There's always a risk for peaceful protest to escalate into something else. That's not a reason to skip it, but plan accordingly in case things go wrong. There are always some jerks in any big crowd. Counter-protestors can show up looking for a fight. Police can make crowd control mistakes if more people show up than expected.

Wear clothing that can let you pass as either a protester, professional photographer, or some bystander who got caught up in things. Jeans and a dark shirt. That gives you flexibility to blend with the crowd, or leave the crowd to take photos from outside the protest.

Here's an example. The guy front-right didn't notice me while front-left sees and doesn't care. This was taken with a pocket camera but I've had similar experiences with a DSLR and small lens.

[officiousbystander]

If it's a political march they'll want to be photographed. Any publicity will further the cause. But leave the suit and dark glasses at home.

[K(s)evin]

They are in a public place, you are in a public place. That is ALL that matters.

[pathdoc]

Not everyone wants to be all over some stranger's slideshow. He does it with kids as well. I don't have any, but if I did, and discovered some stranger taking my kid's picture, I'd have something to say about it.

I think it depends very much on the context. If one of my kids appeared as part of a general series of "people watching the parade" (especially if the photos are credited to a town employee or press photographer), or incidentally with other kids who just happen to be playing in the vicinity of the photographer's own spawnling, I wouldn't have the slightest problem. There's a ladder of escalation after that, though, and I think you have to look at the whole situation in context before you confront someone. Compliment them on their nice camera, talk photography for a few minutes and get them to open up and relax... then if it's not already obvious, casually ask which child is theirs. I think most creepers will get the hint and move on, by which point I hope you've already got a surreptitious cellphone picture of THEM to show the police (or at least to form the basis for your witness statement).

On the other hand, if they come to the public park and walk away with nothing but pictures of ducks, dogs and squirrels, they are owed an apology.