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Forum: General Photography
10-05-2018, 01:07 PM
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Thank you. I'm always trying to find ways to somehow improve my game. I'll mention it again, but to me the hardest part about street photography is building up the nerve to raise my lens to someone's face; whether that be within 2 feet or 10. Perhaps I'm paranoid from past experiences, but I prefer avoiding confrontations when I can. The only exception being is if I'm tasked to get a picture as part of an assignment, then I really don't care what others say to me. Other photographers seem to have no qualms when it comes to photographing people in public - a trait I'd like to adopt when it comes to taking pictures for my own gain or pleasure.
FWIW, here are few more street shots from years past:
Rest of the street stuff can be found here if you're interested: Street Photography
More recent photos here: https://jamespaulsarte.com/x3/galleries/latest/ |
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Forum: General Photography
10-05-2018, 09:38 AM
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I banged out of work today; wasn't feeling well so I headed to the doctor's office for a checkup. After, decided to take the long way home and just snap a few photos with the Olympus. Here's a couple of shots I came back with.
And this is something shot with a K1-II a while back but just got around to processing it today:
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Forum: General Photography
10-05-2018, 01:56 AM
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Thanks, but I'm not in the military anymore. I'm employed by the UN now, so I still end up in places where body armor is required.
As for HCB's photo of woman on stairs with birds; I'm fairly certain it's his. Even when googling his photos, this is one that always seems to pop up. I'll see if I can find more info about it.
I considered taking a course or joining a group on a few occasions, but as you said, sometimes the focus revolves more around the instrument rather than the photographer. Plus, I find street photography to be a very personal thing that I prefer to do alone. Although perhaps it's a good idea to at least bring one other person if planning to shoot in an iffy environment.
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Forum: General Photography
10-04-2018, 06:40 PM
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@PDL,
I recently acquired an Olympus E-M10 Mark III and a 50mm f1.7 prime which I'll be using mostly for street photography. It's diminutive size should make it the perfect tool for such occasions. The K1 and modern Pentax glass is great for most other photographic genres but not street, especially if trying to remain inconspicuous.
The Harlem incident; I was out with a Canon 5D and a Canon 70-200L so yeah, I can see how that drew unnecessary attention.
Also just to clarify, but the images in post 22 aren't mine, but Cartier-Bresson's. Not sure if I misread your reply, but either way, credit should go to where it's due.
And perhaps you're right. I think any job that requires one to wear body armor most times when working outside the office will eventually rub off in other aspects of life. I've attached a pic of what I have to wear sometimes. As it is, it already weighs about 20 pounds with just the carrier and plates. And when I am wearing it, taking photos for pleasure is the last thing on my mind. [emoji6]
Anyway, I've got fourteen years left on the clock before I reach my 30 and collect my pension. Trying to pass the time when I'm home by improving my photography skills.  |
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Forum: General Photography
10-04-2018, 04:12 AM
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PDL,
Thank you for your insights. I do agree that US protections don't cover me while I'm outside the country, thus I am very mindful of my surroundings when I am taking pictures on foreign soil. That's not what my initial post was about though. However, to call my common sense into question is a bit much, considering you don't know me. I've managed to survive two tours of duty in the military, traveled around the world to some of the most deplorable places, and have probably seen and experienced more than most folks. I like to think I'm a level-headed person that knows when to skedaddle if things start getting iffy. And while Harlem isn't the greatest of neighborhoods, it is certainly no West Garfield Park. People go to Harlem all the time to take pictures - sometimes as a group or alone; just google 'street photography Harlem' to get an idea.
And apologies for conflating the right to privacy with the first amendment; I only did so in an attempt to illustrate a point. I'll give your video a watch later today when I get a chance. Have a great day!
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Forum: General Photography
10-03-2018, 12:27 PM
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I live in New York. However my job requires me to travel to some very nasty parts of the world where even taking a cell phone photo could get you shot at. In those cases, I'm not actually out taking pictures but working to complete whatever tasks I've been assigned.
There have been some instances in Africa where I've tried to take pictures just to be chased away by men with automatic weapons.
Closest I've been to an altercation here at home was probably about 10 years ago in Harlem. I was in the sidewalk around 125th and Lexington when I was surrounded by a group of guys who first asked me if I was a cop. I said no, they then told me to delete whatever pictures I'd taken, then leave immediately "or else."
I can hold my own against 2, but not 6 or 7. So I did the only thing I could which was to comply.
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Forum: General Photography
10-03-2018, 11:12 AM
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If the request was a polite one with a valid reason, then I would certainly consider it. On the other hand, if I'm on public property and the subject is also on public property and approaches me in aggressive or belligerent manner, then I'm less inclined to comply. If the subject starts to get physical, that's a different story.
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Forum: General Photography
10-03-2018, 10:14 AM
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Because I don't feel like getting shot for a photo.
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Forum: General Photography
10-02-2018, 05:01 PM
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Apologies for not having come back to this thread in a few days as I've been slammed with work the past week. I did want to clarify one thing however - specifically my thread's title. The phrase "sticking your lens in someone's face" was meant to be taken figuratively rather than literally. I myself am not one to "literally" jab the end of my lens into someone's face in order to get the shot. To me, that's just plain rude. I like to live by the old adage of "treat others as you would like to be treated" and I certainly woudn't appreciate a stranger with a camera up in my business. There are others however like Bruce Gilden who will push the envelope of what's legally protected under our constitution versus what's morally or ethically acceptable.
The purpose of my question however was to simply gauge how others dealt with uncomfortable situations when taking photos on the street and how he or she overcame or dealt with them. The notion of one's right to photograph anyone and anything while on public property really only applies to those who live within the United States, hence my disclaimer in the first post. I've personally encountered situations where the US Secret Service has asked me to refrain from photography or delete photos already taken "due to national security interests" even while said images where taken on public property. This of course is an exemption to the rules on the books and I do abide with those requests. However, I've also come across irate individuals stemming from shop owners to drug-dealing gang members who've attempted to stop me from photographing them or their surroundings. In those instances, I usually carry a copy of the following: http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf and politely decline deleting already taken images unless I'm physically threatened.
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Forum: General Photography
09-27-2018, 08:04 AM
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Between you and me, I actually hate living in large cities. I also own a home out in rural Pennsylvania and try to escape their with my family on weekends and holidays. I only tolerate Manhattan because both my wife and I work here and it sucks commuting in every day.
I haven't yet had the pleasure of visiting Istanbul. Closest I got was Antalya and even so, didn't have much time to do much except work. My wife on the other hand has been to Istanbul several times and loved it. But yes, planning is certainly paramount. When I'm on vacation, the first day or so I usually focus more on surroundings rather than taking photos. This way I can get the lay of the land, know ahead of time what I want to photography, and when the best time of day to do so.
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Forum: General Photography
09-27-2018, 04:30 AM
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Thanks for the feedback. I'll try to plan ahead the next time the urge to take street photos hits me. Usually however I just end up grabbing a camera and walking out the door... looking for that one moment of inspiration to capture something good. As for your question, I'm trying to focus more on the artistic rather than documentary aspect of street life. It's easy to take something that looks like it belongs in a news article, but to me, there's something special about a photo with artistic quality; something Cartier-Bresson did so well.
Yes, even the Pentax HD *50mm is ginormous compared to most 50mm primes and is around the same size as the 24-70. I do have a legacy Pentax 50mm f2 that I've used on occasion. Perhaps I'll go back to that.
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Forum: General Photography
09-26-2018, 07:10 PM
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Agreed. Anything wider than 35mm is difficult for me to utilize for street photography - even in Manhattan. As such, I generally stick to 50mm or longer lenses. However with my Pentax cameras, even the *50 is a big lens; the 70-200 even more so as the picture shows. Basically, if I want to remain as discrete as possible, I'm left with little options other than to shoot with the Olympus.
But I digress because it's not really about the gear, but about techniques to get over the fear of possibly encroaching on someone's "personal space" in order to get the shot. I know some guys who just DGAF and will do whatever it takes to make the picture but I'm not like them... I want to know how those with similar reservations overcome them and what they use to do so.
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Forum: General Photography
09-26-2018, 06:35 PM
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At 70mm FF, you still need to be within a reasonable distance from your subject, especially wide open.
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Forum: General Photography
09-26-2018, 05:39 PM
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Thanks for the video. Going to give it a thorough watch now.
BTW, what part of OZ are you from? I grew up in Toorak, Melbourne VC but moved to the states eons ago.
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Forum: General Photography
09-26-2018, 04:36 PM
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For the sake of comparisons, here's an example of the two cameras mentioned earlier.
I guess I'd feel uncomfortable as well with the Pentax being pointed at me.
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Forum: General Photography
09-26-2018, 03:20 PM
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Admittedly, the photographic equivalent of a "thorn in my side" is street photography. I've never felt completely comfortable sticking a lens in someones face or invading their personal space while taking a picture. On some occasions I've actually approached a subject on the street, struck up a conversation, and afterwards asked if I could take their picture. Granted, the entire mood of the scene changed in that the subject now aware they're being photographed, acted completely different than what would have been expected. On the other hand, I've taken pictures without a subject's initial knowledge only to be verbally or physically harassed after the fact - sometimes by the subject or by others close by. This is often the norm when shooting in certain New York neighborhoods. Trying to dissuade said photographic subjects from beating me into a pulp by calmly informing them of my first amendment rights can be hit or miss... no pun intended.
When I leave my apartment with the intent of street shooting these days, I usually carry a very small and discrete camera such as an Olympus OMD E-M10 Mark III with an Oly 25mm prime (50mm equivalent). Even then, there are times when I wished I had walked with my K1-II and Pentax 70-200 for those moments when you need to reach out and touch someone without getting in their face - but their lies the crux of the biscuit; the K1-II with a grip is no small camera and the Pentax 70-200 f2.8 is the equivalent of a Howitzer. I don't know if it's just me, but it feels like the moment I raise the viewfinder to my eye with that combination, everyone around me becomes instantly aware that I'm about to take their picture. For what it's worth, this also happened when I was shooting with Canon gear... probably more so since white L lenses are terrible when it comes to urban camouflage.
The irony is that when I'm actually taking pictures for a paid assignment, I don't care. I use the excuse (credentials also help greatly, except when dealing with Secret Service) that I'm just doing my job. But when I take pictures for my own pleasure, that's where the uncertainty and doubt creep in.
So what do you fine ladies and gentlemen do when facing an uncomfortable moment on the street? Do you take the picture anyway or just keep moving? I'm eager to hear your thoughts.
P.S. as this is an international forum with members from around the world, it should be noted that according to the US law, no one has the expectation or imbued right of privacy in public. Photographing subjects on public property such as sidewalks is completely legal in the eyes of the law. US law differs from many countries such as France, Austria, or Switzerland where the right to take someone's photo in a public venue is protected by the Constitution under the First Amendment. Other countries, particularly those in Europe require either written or verbal consent prior to actuating the shutter.
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