My first attempt at street photography

[JeanPaul]

A majority of my time I've taken seriously as a photographer has been spent setting up shots using models where I can communicate with the subject and direct as I need. However, the next big artistic step I need to take in order to continue/improve in that genre is a big one therefore I wanted to try something new to get myself shooting again before I made this step. About two years ago I was in a situation that had me living within an hour train ride to NYC for a few months so I decided to dedicate a few of those days to exploring NYC with my camera. I already knew a little bit about street photography when it came to the general idea behind the concept as a whole but I had never actually gone out and tried it. So, I went out on the streets of Manhattan and just started shooting whatever I found interesting. I purposely tried all the various ways to capture a street image (candid, ask permission, wait in one spot for a while, etc) and quickly realized how large of an impact the events leading to the creation of a photograph have on the photograph itself. In those few days I managed to capture about 2-3 "good" images but I noticed something a little different about my emotional response when I captured a good street photograph. It had a little more magic - a stronger sense of awe. It was as if I had captured something impossible to both predict and recreate. Being drawn to this feeling, I decided to try a street project.

Before embarking any further into this idea I spent a lot of time researching street photography. It didnt take long to notice the large amount of morality and ethics in this genre but this was something that clicked with me as I consider myself a bit of a photo purist in certain aspects of photography. (Landscape orientation only, 35mm lens only, no cropping ever) I wanted to create a set of rules to follow for this project and since I already developed a little bit of style to my photographs over the years, I wanted to put my own spin on it as well:

Canon 5d Mark III with 35mm f/1.4.

1. Candid only. Ask for forgiveness, not permission. 

2. No homeless or buskers

3. Interact with the subject as little as possible (no interaction highly preferred) prior to the image capture. 

4. Really low aperture (this one gets a lot of hate in the street community). This first project is entirely shot at f/1.8.

Dates and locations for this project:

Entire month of August 2015 - NYC

Two weeks in October 2015 - Los Angeles

Two weeks in November - Seattle

So without further ado, my first attempt at street: (just scroll down to scroll sideways - the site needs work, I know)

Anthelion

While I would prefer you view the work on my website (dark background for better contrast, horizontal alignment, and larger viewable image) I'll also post the images here:

 

I definitely have an interest in continuing street photography but im not sure what to do next. Experimenting with new cameras would be intersting as being candid with a 5d mark 3 and 35mm lens is pretty difficult. 

If there is any interest I can write out my experiences in each city with their similarities and differences to each other.

Edited February 10, 2016 by JeanPaul

[2d-chris]

I know you said candid, but when it comes to people it's always best to ask permission (lets not get into the legal side of this) , the key is to make them feel natural. Ofcourse you can grab a shot with a long lens but it won't feel the same as f8 forget with a 35mm, if you want to ninja buy something like an rx100IV, people won't blink an eyelid or be scared off by it. IMO the best street shots look candid, but are actually a bit scripted in one way or another. I think these days I feel more awkward hiding and shooting people than just asking them, not that I've done much of it.

This vid is awesome,

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6zr3wKRV0

 

your pics are cool btw

Edited February 10, 2016 by 2d-chris

[JeanPaul]

I know you said candid, but when it comes to people it's always best to ask permission

I disagree entirely here. Once you ask permission to take an image it is an entirely different image. The image is also, in my opinion, usually not as interesting.

the key is to make them feel natural.

Thats the problem though. Even the most charming of photographers will still be taking an image of someone posing for a camera once permission is requested. The dynamic has switched from a person going about their day acting as if they normally would to "im posing for a camera now".

 IMO the best street shots look candid

Most definitely

but are actually a bit scripted in one way or another

What makes you say this?

I think these days I feel more awkward hiding and shooting people than just asking them, not that I've done much of it.

Its not really about how I feel about photographing more as it is about the final result. Asking vs finding has a massive difference in the style of the final image.

your pics are cool btw

Thanks!

[2d-chris]

Well I'm not really into street photography, but you can't just go around taking photos and sell them, you have to ask permission soon as money is involved and there is a good chance you'll have to take images down if people find out, I get the idea of being candid, best photos I've taken of friends are candid.

Most professionals I've seen avoid the idea of true candid, and they usually say to not do it because it does give a pretty creepy/bad name to photographers, you know the creepy dude hiding behind a lamp post with a zoom lens shooting people that are unaware ... this is precisely why i shoot landscapes so I don't have to worry about all this stuff. 

Your photos are of people directly and very personally, not a wide shot of them walking by or in a wheelchair from a distance, as art it's fine, but it does raise concerns as a project IMO, if your goal is to be a bit out of there and risky then it's all good.

I guess, what I'm getting at is, this is not street photography in the traditional sense, you know people going about their lives in an environment shot, it's more of, taking portraits of people on the street without them being aware? 

It's an interesting project but I wouldn't have the balls to do it  but I guess art can and is taking bold steps.

 

Edited February 10, 2016 by 2d-chris

[JeanPaul]

Well I'm not really into street photography, but you can't just go around taking photos and sell them, you have to ask permission soon as money is involved and there is a good chance you'll have to take images down if people find out

Actually this is wrong. Money is irrelevant when it comes to permission. Images taken in a public space are free use in pretty much anything thats not a commercial advertisement.

Most professionals I've seen avoid the idea of true candid, and they usually say to not do it because it does give a pretty creepy/bad name to photographers, you know the creepy dude hiding behind a lamp post with a zoom lens shooting people that are unaware

You are only the creepy photographer if you act like a creepy photographer. If the subject notices you, just smile and 99.99% of the time its not an issue at all. Simply shooting candidly doesnt make you creepy by default. 

Your photos are of people directly and very personally, not a wide shot of them walking by or in a wheelchair from a distance, as art it's fine, but it does raise concerns as a project IMO, if your goal is to be a bit out of there and risky then it's all good.

I think you might be a little confused here. All of these images were taken with a 35mm lens which means I have to be pretty damn close to get these images. That first shot of the guy near the orange wall was taken three and a half feet from him. In fact the second after that image was taken he noticed the camera. If he had a problem with me taking his image, he would have told me  

I guess, what I'm getting at is, this is not street photography in the traditional sense, you know people going about their lives in an environment shot, it's more of, taking portraits of people on the street without them being aware? 

Thats exactly what street photography is though. Its a capture of people going about their lives. I think you might be taking this "candid" term a little too literally. When I say candid, I dont mean im creepily hiding places to capture private moments of people from a distance. It means im taking a picture without them noticing. (sometimes right as they notice) This doesnt mean im hiding, it just means their attention is elsewhere. I mean that image of the guy in the red jumpsuit was taken in times square in the middle of the day. I just managed to time it right so the image wasnt filled with 10-15 tourists.

Edited February 10, 2016 by JeanPaul

[FMPONE]

I really like the photos! You have a real eye for colors especially and I think that helps all of the pictures a lot. As for the morals of them, I guess what Chris is saying is that you don't want people to feel exploited by what you're doing artistically. IMO, I would just tell the person you like their shirt and want a photograph, or something beforehand. very easy

Asking permission will make it staged a little bit, but in reality limitations are what makes great art 

[JeanPaul]

limitations are what makes great art 

I agree wholeheartedly, limits are very important. I limit myself in other ways (35mm prime lens, no cropping, landscape orientation only) I have found these limitations, especially, the 35mm prime lens, to vastly improve my photography. However, candid shots vs asking permission isnt about limitations, its just a different style of photography. 

I really like the photos! You have a real eye for colors especially and I think that helps all of the pictures a lot. 

Thanks breh. I spent a lot of time looking for these colors and making sure each image has a strong sense of color so its nice to see someone notice

Edited February 10, 2016 by JeanPaul

[2d-chris]

Well yeah, so long as they acknowledged you that's ok, there are techniques I've heard of to get a shot really close even with a 35mm lens and have people fooled. When it comes to laws, there is no simple rule, for example in Germany the law is completely different. You absolutely can't take a photo of somebody up close unless they give you permission, I suppose not beating your face in is pretty good proof for that. 

Still think it's weird shooting a photo then asking for permission, you could do what most street people do and say, hey, can I shoot you doing while you go about what ever it is your doing, most people will just carry on and be cool with it, just my opinion! That's why I shoot trees, and I'm very good with people when I have to be

 

[JeanPaul]

Still think it's weird shooting a photo then asking for permission,

98% of the people that notice just ignore me and go about their day. People are a lot more apethetic to photographs than you think. 

Reading the situation is a huge help as well. There have been plenty of times where I didnt take a photograph because it didnt feel right.