Hardcore Street Photography Thread

[idi0tekue]

Since I can't find any threads dedicated to discussions on street photography, I shall start one.

As the title implies, this thread is for people who concentrate in shooting good street photographs. And please bear mind that street photography usually refers to natural shots of people, or scenes in built-up environments (i.e. picture of your kids, your pets, your girlfriends etc don't count!)

This thread can be on discussions on techniques, gears, issues and emotions of street shooting, places to shoot, experiences etc.

As there's already a Candid / Street Photography gallery forum, please refrain from posting pictures here or if you have to, please post a link to your thread in the gallery forum.

Occasionally, this thread can be used to organize group shootings (although I think it's not practical) or to meet up for chit chats.

I hope there are like-minded people out there who wants to talk about street shooting as much as me. Please support!

 

[idi0tekue]

To get the ball rolling, I shall start a topic - Why do you like street photography?

To me, it's because it's natural to me. I see the streets, people, buildings everyday and hope to capture these beautiful or interesting scenes. I will be lucky if I can snap a picture which speaks for itself but most often street pictures are of ordinary scenes and extra effort needs to be put in to make the picture attractive. Hence it's challenging.

 

[heshanj]

im pretty new to photography, and well.. im not a hardcore photographer of any kind, really but street photography really interests me, along with landscape, more than any other type of photography. i guess its coz its all natural, and 'in the moment', and like u mention, its stuff u see in day to day life that u probably wont notice until u start looking for it. no offense to studio photographers, but personally i find no interest in having a perfectly set up studio with a model and the exact lighting u want, and then start taking ur photos. street photography (and my other interest, landscape/night landscape) is bout waiting for the right time and capturing the perfect moment. the result, if u get it (and ive been browsing some great street shots) is magical.

 

[Shen siung]

I'm not a 'street photographer' either. Usually I like to take photograph during holiday, so somehow it slightly 'cross over' with street photography.

A 'street' is very dynamic. Most of the time if we approach in a candid way, using a tele lens, we seems to have 'almost full control' on our photograph. However, if we try to 'communicate' with the subject and shoot at closer distance, we might get different results.

From my limited experience, people tend to use pp to boost the dramatic effect of the street photography. I totally agree on the ability of pp. However, would be nice to have a 'street photo' that straight out from camera that no need pp. This would be superb.

 

[albertsy2]

I love street photography. I like going around taking pics of things the catch my eye.

 

[CrossOver]

to me, street photography always tells a story.. thats why i like em..

 

[idi0tekue]

Great responses.

I'm sure most of us aren't specialized street photographers, neither am I myself. But to me street photography complements my urban lifestyle. I can do it while shopping, while hanging out with friends, during lunch time, any time as long as I'm in Singapore and have a camera with me.

As for post-processing I think it shouldn't be overly done. Tweak contrast, highlights, shadows and saturation should be ok but not to the extent of HDR, as HDR makes the picture looks fake.

 

[idi0tekue]

I personally prefer candid shots of people in scenes, juxtaposed shots, ambiguous shots, people forming shapes (i.e. not people's expressions).

http://www.felixlupa.com/gallery.aspx?ID=129
Check out the above gallery to get what I mean.

 

[king2penn]

I wont call myself 'hardcore' but i enjoy taking street shots with my 35mm prime

 

[zac08]

To some, I'd be considered a street "voyeur"...

I snap pics as and when I can, even from my vehicle (which incidentally is most of the time for now... :sweat: )

 

[idi0tekue]

To some, I'd be considered a street "voyeur"...

I snap pics as and when I can, even from my vehicle (which incidentally is most of the time for now... :sweat: )

Does anybody like the thrill of sneaking up on people, or shooting them upclose and run, or even getting scolded? I wonder what will happen if I shoot them right in the face and run?

Check out Bruce Gilden. This guy got no ethics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBARi09je8

 

[giantcanopy]

Does anybody like the thrill of sneaking up on people, or shooting them upclose and run, or even getting scolded? I wonder what will happen if I shoot them right in the face and run?

Used to try locally. Why run? makes u look even more guilty.

I get more inhibited when going overseas though, mainly because i dun want to get scolded and having my wife involved in a situation.

ryan

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I shoot street with an RF because it is compact & discrete.

I use mainly 35mm & 50mm for street, I shoot up close to my subjects, not really a big fan of using a tele lens & camping around to wait for something to happen.

I move around with my camera & shoot what is within reach.

I mainly shoot B&W film & processing it at home myself but lately I did touch quite a bit on color negative. B&W film is still love for me.

Here are some shots on my shooting style:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/4026289212/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/4318167074/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/4239723203/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/4431819574/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/4221047288/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/4202115668/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary/4202112592/

The joy of shooting full manual & analogue on a RF just adds to the joy of it as a hobby.

 

[Clown]

Thread moved to KPT.

 

[idi0tekue]

when you move up close to your subject, and they realize you just shot them, does smiling and walk away solve the situation? or expect to get a scolding?

and let say they reject you, would you persuade them or just say thank you and get lost?

 

[Royale With Cheese]

when you move up close to your subject, and they realize you just shot them, does smiling and walk away solve the situation? or expect to get a scolding?

and let say they reject you, would you persuade them or just say thank you and get lost?

Hmmm..

Most of the time for myself, even if they do realise that I have taken their pictures, I just walk away & move on to other things.

If they shun away from the camera, I just walk away too as well without persuading them for a picture.

 

[alexblessed]

Usually I walk around the streets looking for people who are engrossed with what they are doing, the challenge is always to get a frontal shot of the face, but anywhere from side is ok.

If you move around fast enough you can be pretty stealthy. I prefer to be discreet and not get ppl noticing me intentionally because catching the moment in its element has more meaning for me. But if ppl do notice I either smile at them, pretend to check my camera or shoot something else heh heh, so far I've never had any conflicts with ppl on the street.

I shoot on a 50mm lens on a crop dslr, which gives me some reach to focus in on faces yet is not so much that you can't see the surroundings. Wide angles up close shot do have alot of impact, but I think you also need to be respectful of people... even though some photographers claim anything in the public is fair game, even for myself I don't like a random stranger sticking a wide angle in my face you know?

Another thing is to catch the moment. If you see something funny happening or a child, don't be afraid to ask the parents for a quick snap!

 

[naresh666]

i am not hardcore but more of a wannabe really. Really loved looking at street shots on flickr and was keen to try em out. Started on my trip to Bangkok about 2 years back. I personally only want to take pics that tell a tale. No just shocked expressions of people looking at me ( insert deer and headlight scenario here.)

After my time in Bangkok, i found there really isn't much to shoot in Singapore. Maybe it's just me. But recently i have made a "promise" to rediscover Singapore. To really really look. I hope to post a set on Singapore worth calling "Street" soon.

Some shots from Bangkok which i humbly think are "street".

Full Set

 

[idi0tekue]

I used to think I can only take street shots in overseas and will be strange to do it at home. But now I think Singapore is a great place for street photography, and very diverse. We have our ethnic enclaves, shopping belt, residential heartland.. and it has led me to discover new places. Last weekend, I ventured into Jalan Besar. Yes it was my first time there on foot.

 

[naresh666]

I used to think I can only take street shots in overseas and will be strange to do it at home. But now I think Singapore is a great place for street photography, and very diverse. We have our ethnic enclaves, shopping belt, residential heartland.. and it has led me to discover new places. Last weekend, I ventured into Jalan Besar. Yes it was my first time there on foot.

Very true. I am gonna start with my hometown.