My favourite kind of photography is street photography, I just can’t stop looking at it and can easily lose a few hours clicking through photoblogs like Travis Ruse’s famous Express Train blog (someone needs to do a DART or Luas blog like this one). I love landscape photography too, but I think the reason I take more photos of trees and the sea is that I’m a big coward. It takes a lot of courage to walk up to someone on the street, put a big camera up to your face and click a shot and I’m really shy. Buying a long lens isn’t the answer either because the results look like papparrazzi shots, all flat and fuzzy.
I want to get better at it and so I’ve started forcing myself to take my camera out with me on my lunch hour and pretending to be brave. A tip I read is to start by taking pictures of people in situations where they might expect people to photograph them.
10 replies on “Street Photography”
Get a wide angle lens and shoot from the hip! Almost all my street photography is shot from the hip and captures people unawares and with natural expressions.
Sometimes making it dead obvious that you have a camera is good too because people will relax around you once they get used to you.
Yea I had similar thoughts myself in recent days. I went walkabout at lunchtime in Blackrock. I have a thick neck at times and often either just shoot or ask permission if it needs to be a close shot. But then you can often lose the spontaneous shots. One idea I used yesterday with the photo of the person having lunch at the bench and the person in the church – see my Flickr – was to be seen taking general shots of the sea and the buildings. You soon get ignored and then they don’t even notice being photographed. I try to set up the shot very fast or have pre-thought the composition
Actually having a serious looking DSLR camera does make you look as if you might be press or something. But you raise a good question, it would be good to get many views on this.
Your street shots are excellent, street artists are a neat target. I love the B&W mood.
I daren’t click in your link. I’d be hooked for hours.
I love your point about photos on the Luas etc.
Red Mum is a really good photographer. She has a collection she’s taken on the bus going into work in Dublin. Ages ago I looked at some of them and, because I used to be a bus conductor in London (and nineteen other jobs over 18 years on the buses too) I got a rush of nostalgic yearning for more.
She’s the one who already has begun lensing the Dublin transport experience.
Perhaps she’ll read this comment and chip in.
Oh, you’re such a fine blogger.
I especially love the first photo, such shape
Hi Donncha, that’s a good point about people feeling relaxed once they see your camera, I don’t like to try and be sneaky with it because if you get caught out then people wonder what you’re up to. I do use the “from the hip” trick though, I need to get better at aiming it but when it works you can get really cool angles.
John, I was just looking at your pictures from Blackrock and I really like the one of the woman in the church. There’s something very Irish about it. What you said about asking permission reminded me of what Travis Ruse says on his website, that “to seek permission is to seek denial,” so his policy is that if he takes someone’s photograph and they express displeasure then he won’t post the image.
Omani, you’re right, Redmum’s bus photographs are great, and I love her street photography. We did kind of talk about it at the blogger meet-up just before Christmas and she said she just ignores the funny looks and will take her camera everywhere. I guess that’s the key really and there’s no great secret, but Redmum, if you read this I’d love you to chime in 🙂
Oh, and Omani…click the link, you know you want to…it’s worth losing a few hours 😉
If only you knew how few hours there are in my life… Before i was born I was told in no uncertain terms that I better not faff about as I did in the previous life because if I did there would be hell to pay. In those days the prices hell charged were a lot higher than these days…
I couldn’t help overhearing 🙂
I think as Donncha says from the hip is a good one, you can get excellent movement as well in the pic. Having a decent looking camera as well does help.
I find as well that I will set a shot up for someone to walk into, they can see you and the camera and often will oblige.
And carrying your camera about with you as much as you can helps, it becomes second nature to see something and reach for your camera. The more you do it, the less self conscious you feel about about taking it out, taking your shot and then going on about your business.
Though I do try not to intrude on people so it is finding a fine balance.
And I think you have hit the nail on the head with these pics.
Thanks Redmum, I’m really working on always having my camera with me these days and not being so shy about it. Matt got me a very cool camera bag for Christmas and it’s made it a lot easier to just grab it up and head out the door in the morning. I’ve noticed that the less I try to hide my camera the less people will pay it or me any attention.
I find it easy enough to take photos of buskers/street performers, because they’re already putting themselves on display (it helps if you throw a few coins in their hat too). It’s a different story when it comes to regular people though. I’ve been working on shooting form the hip too, but I’m still pretty awful at it.
Hi Neil, I think you and I are at the same point with it although I’m getting braver every time I go out with my camera.