Street Photography

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JayD

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Bit of advice please. I'm planning on going to the German market in Brummagen this week, and was planning on taking photos of everything and anything, including people.
What kind of reaction do you usually get?
Do you ask permission?
Do you take a sneaky shot from afar with a zoom or get in right close?
Cheers people.
 
Its going to be a debate here i'm sure. You could ask but then its not going to be a candid or natural shot. You can shoot in stealth or just shoot close up avoiding eye contact and move on quickly which is the why purists will say to do. You need to be thick skinned to be a street photographer, there will always be people who take a dislike to what you're doing just move on quick and avoid confrontations.
 
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I usually use around 35mm, just get in there and shoot. Smile, and walk off.
Ive only ever had one "incident", and just be polite and diffuse the situation.
Of course being in a foreign country will make things a bit more complicated, but just act like a tourist.
 
TCR4x4 said:
I usually use around 35mm, just get in there and shoot. Smile, and walk off.
Ive only ever had one "incident", and just be polite and diffuse the situation.
Of course being in a foreign country will make things a bit more complicated, but just act like a tourist.
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I've tried photographing people in different parts of Europe, but never here in the UK. The nicest (in my experience) are the Germans, especially if you catch them at a wine festival (most of the time then).
I know damn well that the UK is much more uptight and people can make objections to the smallest thing. I'm a little nervous because I'm not a tourist, when you are, it's easier. I'll start with stallholders I think.
Thanks for the advice so far, much appreciated.
 
Jamie,

If anyone starts complaining just put on a French/German/whatever accent and say you don't speak English ... then walk away :)
 
Bristolian said:
Jamie,

If anyone starts complaining just put on a French/German/whatever accent and say you don't speak English ... then walk away :)
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Lol, Excellent idea. I can say that big long place name in Welsh, over and over again, that'll confuse 'em! :D
 
Bristolian said:
Jamie,

If anyone starts complaining just put on a French/German/whatever accent and say you don't speak English ... then walk away :)
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be careful where you try that, being foreign is going to be fuel to the fire for the sort of people who get violent at any excuse. They won't be the most intelligent of people :)
 
JayD said:
I've tried photographing people in different parts of Europe, but never here in the UK. The nicest (in my experience) are the Germans.....
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This is ironic considering that the Germans have far more "rules" governing street photography than most other countries.
 
No one understands irony like us Brits! Lol. I found that German people are not so hung up on laws, or health and safety. They have stricter laws, but they're not so forcibly enforced.
 
JayD said:
No one understands irony like us Brits! Lol. I found that German people are not so hung up on laws, or health and safety. They have stricter laws, but they're not so forcibly enforced.
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They seem quite hung up on privacy issues - check out google street view in berlin and note how many residents have demanded google blur out their home.
 
That's very true! Individuals seem to have a different outlook though. Especially when you get into the small towns and villages. Last year I was in a village called Bruttig Fankel in the Mosel valley and people were very obliging. I think the wine festival helped, and the beer house, and the bratwurst hut, and the schnapps van, lol.
 
I've just done the same thing with the German market in Manchester I managed to get some candid shots. It does feel a bit stalker ish but if any one did complain. Just say your doing a project and offer to delete the image. No harm done
 
In my experience you won't have any problems, I have done street photography at Paderborn and Nuremburg without any problems. It seems to be only the UK where we get problems.
 
What problems are these in the UK? I have never had a single problem.
 
Hardly well documented, a couple of examples!

Problems are what you make of them are largely down to false expectations and a sense of rights combined with people being on the dramatic side.
What you don't see are all the posts from people who don't have problems (as is always the case with using this sort of 'evidence')
 
Last twice I have been out, I have had problems with security staff, not with people or police. In contrast, I spent four weeks in good old USA and must have taken > 2000 pics, including in theme parks in Orlando, not one problem.
 
BIGEYE said:
Problems facing togs in the UK are well documented on TP, also have a read of this thread.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=390705
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That's got nothing to do with street photography, but everything to do with the terms of entry to a gated event (even if the security guards acted stupidly).

Very few 'issues' regarding photography in this country have anything to do with street photography per-se, rather more to do with where you are taking the photos and what your attitude is. The latter is far more important!
 
BIGEYE said:
Last twice I have been out, I have had problems with security staff, not with people or police. In contrast, I spent four weeks in good old USA and must have taken > 2000 pics, including in theme parks in Orlando, not one problem.
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Well I have been taking photos on the street for 12+ months and never, not once, had a sniff of a problem. So clearly my anecdotal evidence differs from yours and those likely to mention it on a forum are those in your position rather than mine are they not?
 
Reading through this thread, I thought that this might be helpful to some :D:

Brummagem (and historically also Bromichan, Bremicham and many similar variants, all essentially Bromwich-ham) is the local name for the city of Birmingham, England, and the dialect associated with it (see, for example, Carl Chinn). It gave rise to the terms Brum (a shortened version of Brummagem) and Brummie (applied to inhabitants of the city, their accent and dialect, and frequently West Midlanders and their accents in general). (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brummagem)
 
I've found, ironically that the only people who have noticed me taking photos in the UK were actually foreign. You just need some balls and a smile.
 
I tried some in the potteries, trying to find some Xmas cheer, which was in very short supply. I put the photos on here yesterday hoping for some feedback. Only one comment so far. So I suppose they can't have been a disaster.
 
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