[Kevin Raber]

New Article Announcements & Discussions

on: February 3, 2022 at 1:27 pm

Russ Lewis is back with his second article, Learning Street Photography.  You can read it here.  Many of you are familiar with Russ from his previous article as well as his daily posting in the PXL forum.

• This topic was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by Kevin Raber.

[Erik Brammer Participant Posts: 288]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #1 on: February 4, 2022 at 2:19 am

Russ makes an important comment:

“ You can do street photography with a cell phone, but a camera has features cell phones, at least at the moment, don’t have and that can make street photography easier and quicker. Find a camera that’s small, black, and quiet. There are many out there that satisfy these requirements.“

Fully manual exposure and manual zone focus come to mind. Phones, in my view, cannot compete with a proper camera in these disciplines.
And no matter what night modes are being implemented in phones, in very low light those images may look ok on that phone’s screen, but on a larger screen – typically not so much.
In Europe, we have the General Data Protection Regulation. It is a highly debated topic as to whether you can photograph people in public. Lots of people in a large square? Probably not an issue. Shoving a camera close-up into someone’s face? No.
People take pictures with phones all the time and all over the place. The public is used to it. A huge DSLR is a bit too obvious and frightening. A compact mirrorless with or without interchangeable lenses is preferable. Or go shooting film with that compact Leica and a Summicron. Super compact. My next endeavor.

[Erik Brammer Participant Posts: 288]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #2 on: February 4, 2022 at 2:34 am

The headline image of this article with that couple of the bench – over the top with regards to the European GDPR. It limits our opportunities to shoot street with people here in Europe. On the other hand, I am not sure I would want to be exposed on the web by someone else. Personally, in a forum like this, I find it more acceptable than on Facebook or Instragram (both of which I avoid as much as anything else that carries the labels Zuckerberg or Meta), but it should be the individuals in the image that decide where close-up shots of them are displayed.

It’s not an easy topic.

[Kevin Raber Silver Member Posts: 1251]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #3 on: February 4, 2022 at 8:46 am

No it is not an easy topic and I understand in the EU it has become a lot harder.  In the US there are tons of people shooting streets.  It is a genre with many books on it, magazines, and workshops.  In the 70’s and 80’s I learned from guys like Metzger, Winograd, Evans and there was a lot of street photography.  I still love finding the moments with a subject and light that makes moments work.  I provided links in Russ’s article to books.  Check out these artists and how they made their images.

Jay Maisel is a great photographer.  Check his work out.  You learned a lot on a walk with Jay.  Always so much to see.  I learn a lot every time I go out shooting.

 

Here is a link to a cool street photography magazine.  Inspired Eye

[Dave Chew Silver Member Posts: 64]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #4 on: February 4, 2022 at 11:59 am

I love reading Russ’ articles. Practical and to the point. I need to get out more and do this. I keep remembering Michael’s walks in Mexico and other places. Thank you, Russ and thank you, Kevin. I’m inspired, which is a big part of the whole point of this place.

For some reason, I’ve always connected more with the b&w “street” images, and that holds true even for this article. Maybe it has something to do with Russ’ point about ambiguity.

Ciao,

Dave

How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! - John Muir
https://www.davechewphotography.com
Find legacy Schneider-Kreuznach Apo-Digitar lens data here: https://www.davechewphotography.com/skdata/

[Robert Johnston Participant Posts: 4]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #5 on: February 20, 2022 at 7:08 pm

In the UK you do not have to have a persons permission to take their photograph as long as they are in a public place. If you want to take a portrait then, of course, you would engage with that person and ask permission.

 

[Russ Lewis]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #6 on: May 16, 2022 at 7:52 am

To me it’s unbelievably ironic that in France, where Cartier-Bresson defined the street photography genre, it’s now impossible to make Henri’s kind of street photographs.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Russ Lewis.

[Erik Brammer Participant Posts: 288]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #7 on: May 16, 2022 at 12:35 pm

If we could only get rid of all the Facebooks of this world, it would still be possible. Social media killed it in Europe.

[Russ Lewis]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #8 on: July 13, 2022 at 5:25 pm

Russ Lewis wrote:

To me it’s unbelievably ironic that in France, where Cartier-Bresson defined the street photography genre, it’s now impossible to make Henri’s kind of street photographs.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Russ Lewis.

I did not have any issue doing proper street portraits and candids in Paris/Amsterdam/Brussels and Trier lately. The only thing I learned is to ASK and explain what you are doing, more than several years back. I even had a guy walking back through an alley just to help me. We shared emails and he was happy.

Sometimes a big camera actually helps. one thing I miss though is the old school rolleiflex that you could hide under your coat (we had a few of those at high school and it was fun to walk through my hometown back then)

 

 

[Russ Lewis]

Re: Learning Street Photography

Reply #9 on: July 13, 2022 at 7:53 pm

Street portraiture (informal portraiture) is very different from street photography, Vid.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by Russ Lewis.

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