Street portraiture how-to

B

belay

Suspended / Banned
Messages
49
Name
James
Edit My Images
Yes
I just stumbled on this over on the Wired site, an interesting little video on street portraiture

Street Portraiture How-to

*Note to self: Must stop getting distracted and get on with work*
 
I think the media-aware culture prevalent in the USA is a great help to doing this kind of work - did you notice how the UPS delivery guy instantly adopted a 'perfect' pose and expression...? No...? Watch it again...

I've found that when shooting US servicemen and women, they almost instictively adopt 'the look' - you know...? The one that looks good on film...it's almost like they spend their entire adolescences rehearsing for that day when they are 'discovered'...

It also helps having a camera-crew filming the event, as it adds another layer of legitimacy to the procedings...
 
Yeah I know what you mean about 'the look', the UPS guy pulls it off perfectly. Very true about having the film crew... it's amazing what people will do if they think they are going to be on TV
 
I've noticed the same thing here though, randomly shooting around London, I'll go for a wide (and not particularly good) shot of an alley, tube entrance or door way and if people notice the camera you quite often get a cheesy grin or otherwise unnatural look that ruins the street effect.

I'd love a hidden 50mm somewhere (be creative?!) with a live feed into a Heads up Display to get that perfect unsuspecting shot

But then I'd probably be arrested with spying/perving, so for the time being, camera it is!
 
belay said:
I just stumbled on this over on the Wired site, an interesting little video on street portraiture

Street Portraiture How-to

*Note to self: Must stop getting distracted and get on with work*
Click to expand...

candids are more in keeping..those are so statically posed...
its probably fun to do to get some experience in meeting the public

 
I rarely like candids from the street, unless there is really something about the image which tells a story, otherwise they just appear to me as snaps.

However, I love this idea of just getting someone to pose and take a picture, you get a snapshot of their personality, I like that.
 
ScarySquirrel said:
I rarely like candids from the street, unless there is really something about the image which tells a story, otherwise they just appear to me as snaps.

However, I love this idea of just getting someone to pose and take a picture, you get a snapshot of their personality, I like that.
Click to expand...

I fully agree...too many people taking long-lens shots of passers-by and calling them candid street-photos...technically correct...? Yeah...but not big and not clever...where's the skill in that?

Get in close and engage the subject, then if you get a good image you can call yourself a Street Photographer and not just a sniper...
 
Nice video. Reckon you could do it? Just setting up like that for an afternoon? Could be cool.
 
I did a street portraiture module in my last uni project, was good fun once you got your confidence up. What is with this high contrast black and white though these days in street photos, I mean that kind of black and white HDR look you can see in most of that guys earlier shots. I don't mind it but some of them the whites were too bright etc, like the UPS guy.
 
Agree, they were almost too clean to be classed as Street Portraits. Getting in peoples faces and getting some eye contact makes all the difference. All about that connection.
 
Might be worth a TP day out in town - a few of you (I'd say 'us' but I'm off the radar for six months starting next month) set up on a street-corner (with the building-owners' permission, natch) and see what you can come up with in an afternoon...

Plus, it'll be easier engaging strangers if there's more than two of you (but no more than five or six, else it'd get a bit silly)...

Use the same set-up - nifty-50's and natural light only...
 
Liking this plan a lot. Will see if I can round up a couple of people to get involved.
 
nicofell said:
Liking this plan a lot. Will see if I can round up a couple of people to get involved.
Click to expand...

Belfast has got some great faces and some great light at this time of year...

Be nice to go back one day as a tourist...
 
Anyone who uses the phrase "...just internalise it..." deserves to have his camera non-surgically 'internalised' if you ask me! :suspect:
 
One of my favorite shots cost me a sausage roll. I fully intended to do some street work and took my 50mm for a spin. I had my little lad in his pram and set about round Newcastle UK. After getting lots of fairly ordinary shots I got talking to a fella that had fell on hard times, What a character, after a few shots with him I gave him my sons snack as sort of payment, the fella wandered off happy as ever. Not wanting to clog this thread up the shot is here
 
Tisk....spam :geek:



Not intending to derail this thread, so Apologies for my lack of knowledge regarding HTML
 
Arkady said:
I fully agree...too many people taking long-lens shots of passers-by and calling them candid street-photos...technically correct...? Yeah...but not big and not clever...where's the skill in that?

Get in close and engage the subject, then if you get a good image you can call yourself a Street Photographer and not just a sniper...
Click to expand...

ScarySquirrel said:
I rarely like candids from the street, unless there is really something about the image which tells a story, otherwise they just appear to me as snaps.

However, I love this idea of just getting someone to pose and take a picture, you get a snapshot of their personality, I like that.
Click to expand...

well i can bow to that since i did know a chap who just did that
and i agree a story must be told...captions do that sometimes
an event which involves people or their reactions/actions dont really need personal contact..but i defer to experience and good argument

:thumbs:



a snapshot in a foreign land
i did greet her with namaste
 
Its street portraiture, its not street, its not docu and its not photo journ, so it has its own modus operandi.

Whether posed or not, you can't under estimate the impact of eye contact and proximity.

In other news, what's all that Bruce Lee Eye of the Dragon shooting stance all about, I'd have to get my trigger finger sorted, couldn't be doing with all that ninjah posing every time I need to shoot...:)
 
joxby said:
Its street portraiture, its not street, its not docu and its not photo journ, so it has its own modus operandi.

Whether posed or not, you can't under estimate the impact of eye contact and proximity.

In other news, what's all that Bruce Lee Eye of the Dragon shooting stance all about, I'd have to get my trigger finger sorted, couldn't be doing with all that ninjah posing every time I need to shoot...:)
Click to expand...

that is what i took from the earlier remarks and something i missed
and i agree if its street portraits then eye contact is paramount...and some transferrance of emotion

a street portrait in gandruk..she wouldnt smile even after the sweets

 
lukewoodford said:
I really like his style. I might give this a go in my home town at some point. Would be great for promotion aswell.
Click to expand...

good shots!
i like the ones with the colour taken out except one item
the little lad with the jeans leaning on the tree is perfect:thumbs:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top