Sometimes I'll find myself watching videos of photographers such as Jeff Mermelstein, or Joel Meyerowitz doing street photography in New York City. Every time I watch these videos and see their shooting conditions, I can't help but think that photographers doing this type of shooting in major metropolitan areas got it easy.
Recently I read a comment elsewhere about the street photographers of New York City. The comment mentioned how some of them will load their camera, walk a block, and by the end of that block have used up all thirty six frames. This is totally believable when all I see in these videos is an endless glut of people flowing past the photographer. Hardly any of these people seem to be paying any attention to anything besides themselves, which make for a steady stream of easy targets to be photographed. This got me thinking about my own shooting conditions here in the Zenith City.
On a typical day between work and home I walk about sixteen city blocks. This converts to just a smidgen under two miles, most of which is in what is considered our downtown area. On a busy day, I might cross paths with ten people. Of those ten, a good seven of them will have me in a stare down from a block away as we draw closer to each other. This makes any form of stealth via blending in with the crowd before or after the shot completely impossible.
As time goes by I do find myself getting more confident about shooting during these situations which can feel more like an old west shootout at high noon than a happenstance passing of strangers. Though I get the feeling that these situations seem to be far more personal moments between myself and the subject than what I see in the New York City videos, and each time I do end up taking the shot during these encounters, I can't help but wonder if cutting my teeth on them will ultimately make me a stronger photographer than I would be if I only had large anonymous crowds to work with. In the rare situations when a crowd does form around here, it feels so easy to use it to get eight feet in front of someone and start shooting, as well as to escape back into after the images have been made.
When the situation is only myself, and one other person in a visible two block radius, taking that same photo from eight feet away just seems to require jumping over a much larger mental hurdle. As a payoff, it always feels like I gain more photography experience when I take photos in these conditions, as opposed to shooting during large crowds where it is easy to go unnoticed.
I'm not sure if time will ever answer this question for me. But in the meantime, here is a typical encounter from my walk to work. This one was easy since the wind was whipping so hard she kept her hood pulled over her eyes.
Blizzard
Cold Street
Zenith City - The Year In Street Photography 2009
Film Based Sports Photography?
The night a cop tried to arrest me for doing photography.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:23 am
On the other side of the coin, if you look at Jeff Mermelstein and Bruce Gilden, they shoot ultra-wide angle lenses and sit right on top of their subjects. Heck, Gilden pops a flash in the face of his subject at a distance of three feet. They don't get close enough to piss off their subjects... they get close enough to get stabbed by their subjects.
Jason
March 9th, 2009 at 1:42 am
I had exactly the same thoughts while watching those videos a few months ago. The malls here suck the life out of the streets where I live, and it feels pretty stupid to take a photo of someone who's been eyeing your camera suspiciously for half a block. But I think you're right that it's a good way to build confidence. The other thing is that it requires some adaptation to technique---specifically, you have to develop some sort of communication skills, since it's far more likely you'll have to explain what you're doing. Once you've given the spiel a few times, or else perfect that Winogrand smile, shooting one-on-one candids gets easier. (Though still not easy!)
March 9th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
For fear of being that guy I hate to say this, but a black camera might actually help. Last summer when I was toting around a chrome camera, I actually had someone I say something to me along the lines of "I can see that thing two blocks away."
I just happen to be really lousy at talking to people as well, so if the Winogrand smile don't work, I keep a stack of nice business cards on me. Being confident and offering a way to contact me seems to take those who do say something off edge. I think more people end up just saying "Thats alright" and deny the card then actually take it.
March 9th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
One thing about a black camera is that it doesn't look "old fashioned". Cameras are always black or space-age future silver now days. Never chrome. Also, a black Leica makes you turn invisible. Especially if you have an f/1.0 Noctilux on it.
In my limited street shoot experience, I just give a big old Winogrand smile and walk really fast. I try to look like I know what the heck I'm doing. Usually I'm gone before I have to explain.
A few times someone has caught up with me to dress me down. I don't think my escape route has been the same two times -- I've claimed to be a student, I've sputtered uncontrollably, I've openly lied about whether I would use their image, I've told them that I was just a hobbyist. Usually my objective is to say ANYTHING so they don't kill and eat me.
Jason
March 9th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I sometimes wonder how well it would work to get some cards made up with some nice Martha Stewart looking design on it that just says "Randall J. Poppenfuss, Professional Pervert".
Think it would take people back just enough to get away?
March 9th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
One thing I've never tried:
Saying "Twenty-three skidoo!", running in place for 1/2 second kicking up a cloud of dust all around me and then running off with a wacky "P-Schooo!" sound effect.
I've have to try that sometime.
Jason
March 9th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Or perhaps a maniacal laugh followed by the use of some of that exploding flash powder that ninjas use.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Another thing I wrestle with on depopulated streets, apart from the discomfort, is how to render people. In NY you can take 100 photos in an hour all from different angles in different styles and walk away with a few good photos, even if most are throwaways. But on empty streets, there's so little to work with. I want to keep moving, keep absorbed in what I'm doing, but often it just doesn't work. I'm wondering if I need to change to doing more street portaits, where I stop people and ask them.... I took a street photography course where the instructor kept saying "get some juxtaposition, get some parallel action" but I kept thinking "there's no action, period---now what?"
March 12th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
...cards sound like a good idea to me. Most people don't know what to make of having their picture taken by a stranger, at least here in Canada. If you can give them the impression that you're somehow supposed to be there, and you give some legitimate reason for doing it (e.g art, or whatever) they usually go away happy with that. I think business cards would help---In fact I might try that!
March 17th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I live in New York City, in the Village, so I guess I should have it easy. But, ... I don't. It's really hard for the opposite reason I think: 25 different people are walking by, and you feel like they ALL see you taking the picture, and I feel like at least one of them is going to alert the subject to my invasion of their privacy...
Sometimes I just take someone's pic and then look past them, as if I wasn't looking at them anyways. In NYC, there's always something better around the next corner. Is that cold!?
All of that said, however, I've never been berated or even questioned. So what am I worried about? I think it depends on the person, i.e. I would be freaked out anywhere.
by the way, nice blog! I found you on flickr hand-held large format group...
March 18th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Ha ha. I suppose the prospect of a one-on-one fight, instead of a gang attack by twentyfive people is a plus side I hadn't considered.
I've been working on one handed shooting. I figure if my other hand is on my pocket, I'll look more casual and be taken less seriously.
January 4th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Hi !
i was living in Paris two years ago and done a lot of street and protest photography...and it's true it's easy you're among crowd / tourist ...everybody have got a camera so you're in total cover.
(during this time i shoot near 30 000 frames by year spending my afternoons to shoot and my night to work them on CS2)
now i live from two years in a small french city...i make maybe 1000 a year, and i'm like a frozen sheep when i have to shoot someone in the street
(in fact it's so difficult than now i only shoot posed portrait
by the way here a very interesting link to a street photograph living in somewhere totally unknown:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/polaroidsky/
a little "bordel" and anarchic organisation of the photos in this website but very nice jewells to find here !!
January 17th, 2010 at 11:07 am
@Glucozze: Thats for the supporting evidence too my post.