Shooting in public

NoNose

I'm only starting out with photography and I'm really enjoying it. Making some terrible mistakes, thank God for memory cards or I'd be skint!

I'm comfortable taking landscape and nature scenes but I'm finding shooting in towns a little strange. I just don't feel comfortable taking pictures of people walking about their business. I feel as if I'm intruding but I know from looking at the work you guys on this thread do that I'm missing out on a whole genre.
Does it get easier after a while?

YogiBear

I used to suffer the same awkwardness.
Best thing to do is to dress up as a tourist type to start off. (Thonda's idea)
You'll be sitting in open parks taking snap shots of random folk in no time!

RoryW

Yeah, as a tourist you can blend in when taking photos....

(Apologies as cant sale this to 800 as it is a link to an external website)

sprinkles

Lol! love it.

Am just starting out too and found it difficult when I got back to ireland (first used the camera on holiday in Japan - no problem taking pics over there as I was a tourist). My first outing amongst the earthlings was at the maritime festival last weekend - lots of people with cameras so didn't feel too awkward. I suggest finding something similar where you won't stand out with your camera... taste of dublin of something like that (I'm sure there's free festivals on around town).


Edit - even just head down to temple bar and shoot some of the entertainment in the main square - you def won't look out of place own there..

NoNose

LOL!

I can really imagine myself in that outfit going Leprechaun hunting!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Simple. Pretend to be taking a pic fo something else and get a camera with a good zoom lens.

Stand a few feet on the other side of, for example, a statue; zoom past it and catch your subject, shoot.

A really good idea is with street entertainers: stand behind them, zoom past them, and catch the exressions of people on the far side wacthing the entertainers...

YogiBear

Ah come on now, when foreigners pack for Ireland, it's aran jumper, windsheeter and umbrella!!!!

Yep as Sprinkles said, people don't actually take any notice of you. I stood at the side of Henry Street taking photos and no-one blinked an eye-lid, was almost weird! Try it out!!! (Watch your camera doesn't get nicked though, pick-pockets pick on tourists!!! )

NoNose

YogiBear wrote: »

(Watch your camera doesn't get nicked though, pick-pockets pick on tourists!!! )

I've always wondered about the professional cameramen and photographers that you see about town if they ever get their stuff nicked. You see guys walking about with several grand worth of stuff and they have to put it down sometime....

Ruu_Old

Don't forget the huge bumbag hanging around your front. Ikky's advice is pretty good. I've only started doing similar myself. Best of luck and look forward to seeing a few snaps from you soon, NoNose. Let us know how you get on.

DotOrg

NoNose wrote: »

You see guys walking about with several grand worth of stuff and they have to put it down sometime....

i walk about town with thousnds of euros worth of stuff and no, i never leave it down, it's either around my neck or on my back

ThOnda

Good thing is to go few times with a group of people. Or start taking pictures among people you know.
The most important thing is respect. You should respect people in front of the camera. They will know that, be sure about that.
And don't forget - you are taking pictures, not pictures of people. Do whatever you want. If they tell you (by word or only by their expression) not to take pictures of them, don't do so.

Anouilh

I mostly photograph flowers, landscapes and buildings. With the latter, it's virtually impossible to not have people somewhere in the frame, so I've become a bit more aware of the possibilities that street photography offer.

While on holidays I noticed an interesting change in my attitude. If you sit down on a street bench and just observe, the photos are much more relaxed and some people actually smile for the camera. Walking along purposefully with a zoom lens is one way to record some very startled faces.

Uploading to the Internet is such a big issue nowadays that I don't like to put up photos of people I do not know. Asking for permission to post is important, though in the case of this photo, at a public event, there is no problem.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anouilh/2551249228/

(I attached a link to a discussion on the legal aspects of public photography there, which you might find useful.)