Street corner at night
- Thread starter Jim Kuo
- Start date
Ahmad Bhai
Well-Known Member
These chaps are tooo coool. Shop sign lighting them & smoke up blue is a bit Blade Runner.
Pete Askew
Admin
Now that is a bit special Jim. Great sense of something going on. Any chance of squeezing a tiny bit more exposure on the face of the guy on the left though? Just to bring out the fact that he is looking at you out more.
Pete Askew
Admin
Yes, I think so. You can now make out both of his eyes but now I realise that he isn't actually looking at the camera. Even so, I think this does help.
Paul Lange
Moderator
Pete is just paranoid, he thinks all people in photos are looking at him 
.
Fantastic image, I find it interesting as it says a lot about common values and the mannerisms that smokers seem to adopt, especially when they are together in groups.
.Fantastic image, I find it interesting as it says a lot about common values and the mannerisms that smokers seem to adopt, especially when they are together in groups.
Rob MacKillop
Edinburgh Correspondent
You have to be brave to take shots like that, Jim. Kudos to you. Great shot.
Darren Turner
XProPhotographer
wow awesome...........love how close you got here, also loving the scene that looks somewhat seedy. As already said.....very brave LOL
Pete Askew
Admin
He doesn't just have a hat you know, he's got some bloody good running shoes too!
Jim Kuo
The man in the hat
He doesn't just have a hat you know, he's got some bloody good running shoes too!
Haha, that's quite true, I do wear comfortable shoes when I go shooting
But seriously, I think it was too dark for them to see what I was doing anyway.
Ahmad Bhai
Well-Known Member
It helps Jim (i think) cultures as yourselves is seen as courteous, polite. And you are comfortable photographing people.
Diwali festival last sunday Trafalgar Square i had my Pentazx 750z i felt so uneasy photographing people, and people could sense that and that made them uncomfortable. I felt awful. So that was that ... no more close up strangers for me.
P.s that chap with the glove is mimicking your Kungfu, they look concerned & promptly offered you a cigarette
Diwali festival last sunday Trafalgar Square i had my Pentazx 750z i felt so uneasy photographing people, and people could sense that and that made them uncomfortable. I felt awful. So that was that ... no more close up strangers for me.
P.s that chap with the glove is mimicking your Kungfu, they look concerned & promptly offered you a cigarette
Pete Askew
Admin
What you don't see here is the lighting-fast blow the guy on the right delivered to the guy in the centre's chest. Five steps later it was curtains for him!
Jim Kuo
The man in the hat
Cheers Ahmad, I am not quite sure how much my ethnicity helps, but I didn't feel at ease (and still don't somewhat) at shooting people when I started.
What I found useful, was to shoot in heavily populated areas (especially touristy areas, so you naturally blend in wearing a camera), and pick easy targets (the young, the old, the slow, the weak...etc).
I find it helps to compose using the LCD, it allows me to look one way but my camera points at another. It also gives me a better "preview" of the picture I am likely going to get.
Also I think having the right attitude really helps in reducing the awkwardness. As mentioned in one of other posts before, I don't feel like I am spying on people, I look for interesting scenes on the street where people happens to be part of composition. I don't do Eric Kim style of up and close portrait, as I don't have his people skill and guts. If I really want a candid portrait, I do my "ninja" move (smoothly move across the path of my subjects and take a shot without stopping, using LCD helps) or shoot from the hip (I find it a very effective way to get over the fear of shooting strangers when you get started).
Try to avoid eye contacts and look beyond your people subjects. If you are caught, smile and wave. Most of time people smile and wave back. I guess in the worst case, you just say "I am doing a project taking pictures on the streets" and "sorry", and run/move away (wearing comfortable shoes helps).
Like with many things, a lot of practice helps. I often go out to shoot people for the sake of shooting, not for making good photos. Just so that I can make sure I have the guts and skills to execute the shot when a good scene presents itself.
Good luck and have fun!
What I found useful, was to shoot in heavily populated areas (especially touristy areas, so you naturally blend in wearing a camera), and pick easy targets (the young, the old, the slow, the weak...etc
). I find it helps to compose using the LCD, it allows me to look one way but my camera points at another. It also gives me a better "preview" of the picture I am likely going to get.
Also I think having the right attitude really helps in reducing the awkwardness. As mentioned in one of other posts before, I don't feel like I am spying on people, I look for interesting scenes on the street where people happens to be part of composition. I don't do Eric Kim style of up and close portrait, as I don't have his people skill and guts. If I really want a candid portrait, I do my "ninja" move (smoothly move across the path of my subjects and take a shot without stopping, using LCD helps) or shoot from the hip (I find it a very effective way to get over the fear of shooting strangers when you get started).
Try to avoid eye contacts and look beyond your people subjects. If you are caught, smile and wave. Most of time people smile and wave back. I guess in the worst case, you just say "I am doing a project taking pictures on the streets" and "sorry", and run/move away (wearing comfortable shoes helps).
Like with many things, a lot of practice helps. I often go out to shoot people for the sake of shooting, not for making good photos. Just so that I can make sure I have the guts and skills to execute the shot when a good scene presents itself.
Good luck and have fun!
Last edited:
Ahmad Bhai
Well-Known Member
Jim these are really useful tips. Thank you for taking the time.
I will continue taking people photos from afar as i feel that's me,
either that or wear a pooh bear costume with one of Brian's toy cameras
I will continue taking people photos from afar as i feel that's me,
either that or wear a pooh bear costume with one of Brian's toy cameras
Pete Askew
Admin
You could disguise it as a honey pot. They wouldn't have a clue!
Jim Kuo
The man in the hat
Jim these are really useful tips. Thank you for taking the time.
I will continue taking people photos from afar as i feel that's me,
either that or wear a pooh bear costume with one of Brian's toy cameras
Cool, perseverance is the key IMHO.
Try starting with 50mm (on full frame) or 35mm (on APS-C). That allows you to be 2-5 meters away from your subjects while they are still sizeable in your frame.
Also, I think you are more likely to get beaten up in disguise, you shouldn't be seen as "sneaky". Quoting a street photographer friend of mine (Paul Fox),
"Confidence is massively important - I found that looking like I knew what I was doing really helped."
Good tips in his blog post (Paul Fox Photography: Street Photography Workshop)
One last point, by UK law, it is legal to photograph people in a public space, no one has the right to take your camera away or ask you to delete photos, not even police, unless they have a court order. Of course, this doesn't grant you the right to be an A-hole, but at least it's good to know where we stand legally.
Last edited:
