[mikeSF]

Don't forget to smile. It disarms those strangers who may otherwise feel threatened by the camera pointed at them.

Practice and have fun

[DeadJohn]

The only place I've done a significant amount of street photography is NYC. Streets are busy with people. Most people are busy getting places, so even if I wanted to ask for permission, most would get annoyed when I stopped them to ask. My approach is to use a fast enough shutter speed to freeze motion while subjects just go about their business:

[aleonx3]

Another suggestion to overcome the paranoid of taking street photos or photos of strangers is to go to automobile trade shows or street parades. You will not have any problems finding someone who is willing to pose for you. Just make sure you are ready to take the shot.

[lytrytyr]

Cartier-Bresson didn't seem to be bothered.

He used the Leica, which was just a toy camera back then.
Pentax created the present-day equivalent with the Q system,
but don't seem to have had the gumption to stick with it.
Part of me wants to say that's just fine,
as people will never see enough of them to know what they can do.

[pakinjapan]

Some already suggest using a telephoto lens. if I do a street photo, I usually go with a 50mm on my K3, or sometimes 100mm for across street shot!
I am not comfortable letting unknown people take a photo of me, therefore, I am not comfortable taking a photo of unknow people on a street too. I think if you do not enjoy doing it, don't force yourself to do it.
Unless it is a job, if it is a job don't feel a thing taking people photo.

[Ronald Oakes]

Some already suggest using a telephoto lens. It is what I am doing if I do a street photo. I usually go with a 50mm on my K3, or sometimes 100mm for across street shot!
I am not comfortable letting unknown people take a photo of me, therefore, I am not comfortable taking a photo of people on street too. I think if you do not enjoy doing it, don't force yourself to do it.

I used a F 50mm 1.7 and that was my thought also about the telephoto. I plan on taking at least a 100mm or maybe even 200mm the next time , and keep my distance !
That's more my comfort zone anyway.
Since it seems there really are "No Rules" , its nice going at my own speed , style , and distance.

[clackers]

I think there's *so much* bad street photography out there!

Here's a shocker of mine:



Shot from a long way away, it's just the back of someone not engaging with anyone or doing anything interesting - mediocre!

Pointing a camera stealthily at someone as they go past doesn't make good art, I'm afraid.

I'm much happier with these ones, but you *do* have to work at getting the shot, including engaging with subjects where necessary. It's what we do as photographers, take risks in order to get a better shot. If you can't raise the camera to your eye when somebody is close by, it's like a landscape photographer who won't get up early enough for sunrise, those shots in the middle of the day will always be lacking. Similarly, we have to be prepared to say 'Hi, I love your look, can I take your picture?' and follow up with "Thanks anyway, have a nice day" when they refuse.

So of course I get knockbacks, but the pictures I do take are so much better than skulking on a park bench snapping with a long lens at strangers looking at their phones.

[Paul the Sunman]

I highly recommend waist-level shooting. It is easily done with the K1 or other camera with a flip screen. Furthermore, the angle of view really suits street photography.

Even with the K5 and K3, which don't have flip screens, I have scored many fine street shots from waist level just relying on AF and hit-or-miss shooting.

[Alex645]

I will attempt this again , but want to know ?
Is this anxiety and stress shooting strangers something that will pass ?
How do you overcome it ?

This is normal. Whether itʻs your first kiss or your first portrait, itʻs going to be anxiety, stress, and a bit of excitement. You never totally overcome it, but habituation and practice turns negative energy into positive energy.

Also I think of a story I was once told of a tourist in the Outback of Australia with an aborigine. While looking into the distance, the tourist notices a snake slithering between the legs of an aborigine standing next to him. He asks, "is that poisonous?" And the aborigine nods, "yeah, lethal." The tourist asks, "arenʻt you afraid?" And the aborigine responds, "Iʻve done nothing wrong, so no harm will come to me. If I had done something bad, the snake will bite and Iʻm dead."

Of course, if you believe this, then seeing a snake as a wrongdoer, youʻll jump out of the way and the snake will probably strike at your movement. Self-fulfilling prophecy. So when Iʻve wandered the streets of Vera Cruz, or Cairo, or Paris, or in my shot below from the tram in Boston, I donʻt think of myself as out of place. I belong there as much as the people with me. I am not TAKING a shot, but rather, Iʻm capturing what is GIVEN to me.

---------- Post added 03-06-18 at 12:26 AM ----------

I used a F 50mm 1.7 and that was my thought also about the telephoto. I plan on taking at least a 100mm or maybe even 200mm the next time , and keep my distance !
That's more my comfort zone anyway.
Since it seems there really are "No Rules" , its nice going at my own speed , style , and distance.

Iʻve seen this approach backfire many times. People donʻt like to be sniped. And the compression removes a sense of intimacy.

I totally understand not wanting to go out of your comfort zone, but youʻll never progress in your comfort zone. I would recommend the opposite! Put on a wide angle lens and get so close, people will think youʻre shooting past them. Putting on a smile and wearing a hat or anything to make other people less serious and to relax is priceless.

Youʻre right; there are no ʻrulesʻ. But when you treat your subjects the same way as a wild animal that needs to be shot at a distance, you will either scare them away or offend them.

[mikeSF]

Sometimes they even smile back.

[aslyfox]

. . . Perhaps problematic to take pictures of people in Muslim countries where they can believe you take their soul . . .

1 the thought about a camera capturing a piece of the soul is not limited to Muslims and how do you tell if someone is worried about that any way

2 my dad taught me to learn how to take a photo with the camera held waist high - experiment and practice

3 a telephoto has good and bad points

-- hard to hide what you are doing

-- it would let you stand off at a distance and not be as noticeable - great for candid photos

4 I take photos at zoos and national parks - I deliberately plan my photos as not to capture children - too many possible problems could arise

5 as with any thing else, especially photography - repetition makes you better ( me, not so much )

[pres589]

Even shooting at chest level seems less attention getting. Hyperfocal focusing to the rescue.

[MikeStnly]

I just received my Amazon order - two books by David Gibson. One is 100 Great Street Photographs, the other is The Street Photographer's Manual. I just flipped through the 100 photos and I would say that only 4 or 5 of them show someone looking at the camera, and they are not the main subject. Many photos don't even show a head, or show someone from side and behind. These are contemporary photos from around the world by many different photographers. It would appear in most cases that the subject had no clue they were being photographed. The same is true of the photos in the Manual - only one sample has a subject looking at the camera.

Six of the photos from the first book are here - http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/latest/photo-news/david-gibson-great-st...ography-105832

[Bophoto]

1 the thought about a camera capturing a piece of the soul is not limited to Muslims and how do you tell if someone is worried about that any way

2 my dad taught me to learn how to take a photo with the camera held waist high - experiment and practice

3 a telephoto has good and bad points

-- hard to hide what you are doing

-- it would let you stand off at a distance and not be as noticeable - great for candid photos

4 I take photos at zoos and national parks - I deliberately plan my photos as not to capture children - too many possible problems could arise

5 as with any thing else, especially photography - repetition makes you better ( me, not so much )

1. If I can capture a soul in a street scene, I've probably taken an outstanding picture.
Perhaps other than Muslims may think I take their soul?
If anyone thinks I'll take their soul with my camera, I'll probably see it before I take the picture.
There is a difference in taking a soul or taking a picture of it.

2 Thats good, my dad did not teach me much.
K1 was my first camera without a fixed screen, it allows more discreet pictures and I can take pictures from a lower position so people are not taken from a high angle.

3 Ricoh GR allows you to shoot with pre-focus, for example, 2 or 3 meters. It allows you to take pictures very quickly, too bad that I do not live in a city.

4 Take the picture first and take the consequences later.

5 Yes, I need to take more pictures ....

[MikeStnly]

David Gibson says you don't need people for street photography, just evidence of people. That would certainly remove some of our anxiety.

I came across this today - the ball was upside down at first, but then obligingly rolled over. Do you think this is street photography?