A dabble in street photography…
January 30, 2008
So for those of you who’ve been following along, I just bought a used 80-200mm f2.8 lens. As one of the most popular photojournalism lenses it naturally makes a great lens for taking candid shots. The following gallery is my first attempt at street photography.
Street photography provides another element that can tangle up a photographer. The element is that getting caught taking the picture. I have no doubt that over half of the people I took pictures of knew I was taking their picture. After all I’m shooting with a GIANT lens. Up until the other day I never understood why people would feel shy about street photography. It took me a solid hour before I became comfortable with taking other people’s shots. I guess I was most worried about confrontation, what if someone doesn’t want their picture taken? Well, ironically one of my favorite shots came when two young men turned around and asked me why I was taking their pictures. Honesty is the best policy, so naturally I lied. I told them it was for a school project and that I attended Yale. They laughed and asked if they could pose for a shot. After this confrontation I felt relaxed, I mean the worst was over. The scariest two people were surprisingly cool about having their picture taken. When I snapped a picture of an woman applying lipstick she caught me out of the corner of her eye. Instead of turning away, or turning towards me and smiling, she just flashed a small grin. Had I not fudged the exposure it would have been a great shot. The point is, being scared of “being caught” is ridiculous. Most people have no idea you are taking a picture of them, even fewer care if you are. So if you think street candids look fun, go out and try it. I promise you that you will become more comfortable with practice. Almost all of the following shots were taken towards the end of my two hour walk.
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the one with the elderly lady has to be my favorite so far!! i cant get past it! i think its definately one of the most artistic ones