The part of photography you didn't mention......

Bolt

Bolt

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Stu
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Hey there you all,

OK after your expert advise I finally bit the bullet and brought a Canon 400D. Well impressed, quite a bit to learn and looking forward to some happy days. So thank you all but......

.....the bit you forgot to mention (or it might just be me!) is how selfconsious you feel walking around with your camera out by your self, trying to line up the perfect shot, waiting for someone to move out of the shot, getting the light right, hanging over walls, getting close to the floor to get the angle, you do get some very strange looks! Then someone one walks up with a point and click ands off in a flash! Maybe I should try walking around naked to take the focus of the fact I have a camera.

Ok it is probably just me but I wondered if any body else ever felt the same when they started?

Phade.
 
Yep, it's completely normal, and quite normal to feel like the biggest geek on earth too. Thankfully, it soon passes :)
 
Why is my signature wrong? Doh! OK I see why, thanks.
 
funny I used to feel like that
but after a while it goes away!

my name is Mike and I'm a photographer!
 
I still feel self concious with the camera gear and bag that I lug around with me. Feel really daft when I'm trying out a different angle on a shot and like you say, a gang of point and shoot dudes come by and take all their shots from the usual head height and then go, while I'm still lining up the shot and checking for background issues......
 
i dunno, i still feel a little 'unusual' if i'm out shooting alone, but i turn into a right photo geek when i'm on a meet, i probably overdo it haha.
 
Still a bit unsure by myself, but being on my own at york on saturday, I made bit more of an attempt.

I think I am more worried about my kit being robbed, rather looking like a tit!
 
Regular point and shooters don't want to look inferior to slr/dslr users so won't hang around.

I take my camera just about everywhere and if I like the look of something I get it out and shoot it. You soon get used to it.

Just need to master the shooting bit now:thinking:
 
LadyLens said:
TIP OF THE DAY!! Smile at people, it makes all the difference when it comes to feeling self conscious and waiting for them to move away! ;)
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I too find this works, they often come upto you and ask what your shooting, end up having a bit of banter with them. Its all good fun, no need to feel self conscious :)
 
The only thing I feel self conscious about is lugging the camera around on my neck. Feel like such a nerd, and being a teenager obviously this is the worst thing in the world!
So, stick it in my bag, take it out when I find a shot, put it back in when I'm finished.
But yeah, you do get used to it, but people do simply ignore you when trying to take a shot and they're all ruining the composition. Grr.
 
i too am more worried about it being robbed than looking silly
 
I hate getting mine out in public only because of the idiots that usually shout something :thumbsdown: usually chavs and theres no shortage of them in this town.I hope to get over this soon ive missed out on tons of potential shots because of this.Also my kit is a much bigger consern now (400d) I don't think it'd happen in middle of the day in town no?
 
foodpoison said:
The only thing I feel self conscious about is lugging the camera around on my neck. Feel like such a nerd, and being a teenager obviously this is the worst thing in the world!
So, stick it in my bag, take it out when I find a shot, put it back in when I'm finished.
But yeah, you do get used to it, but people do simply ignore you when trying to take a shot and they're all ruining the composition. Grr.
Click to expand...

Yep. For street photography I have now taken it off my neck. I rigged a strap that wraps around my right hand which has 3 advantages: 1. - I can very quickly get it to my eye. 2. - Now the camera is at my side and not on my chest people tend not to notice it which makes candid images easier to take. 3. - Makes for better security of the camera.
Sometimes I will carry a bag on my right hand side and put my hand and camera into that for extra security/less visibility.
Of course that doesnt work with tripod where extra time and case has to be taken but I have got used to pretending I am invisible. It also helps that I have never has much regard for what total strangers (I will probably never meet again) think of me.
Heck, its my hobby - no doubt some of the gaper's have hobbies I would look askance at :)
 
Don't worry, you'll soon get used to shooting, as for being robbed, 1D with a hand grip on the right hand and a monopod readily to hand as a club covers the threat from most chavs or lowlifes , never had to use either but I know who'd come off worse if they tried ;-)

Alan
 
hehe as Alan says the base of you camera is really sturdy for wacking chavs around the head with if they try anything, they soon get the idea....specially if you have a tripod quick release plate attached!

I still feel self concious sometimes, but I end up just not caring, if they want to stare then let them. I do find that quite often people will always look to see what you are photographing and on a few occasions when lining a shot up I have felt people standing quite close, looked around to see people with point and shoots trying to work out what they should be photographing, which on one occasion was very funny as I was waiting for the sun to appear behind a chimney on an old house, it was a crap photo at the time and they were all clicking away, they had all given up by the time the sun came out and I got the shot I wanted. It made me giggle anyway :p
 
Geordi69 said:
I think I am more worried about my kit being robbed, rather looking like a tit!
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Me too, if I'm out on my own, I feel more worried about being mugged than looking daft. If I have my Hi Tech Equipment Transportation Device with me (AKA The Missus!) then I'm not too bothered.:D
 
yep! same here, although i am getting better at it, get yourself a long lens and people think that your doing it for work.

i faced my fears a while back and decided to do some candid shots, which involved my sitting on a bench in the middle of guildford high street on market day!,

i was actually supprised how many people dont actually notice you, i was shooting for around 2 hours and was walking up and down the street too take shots of the stall holders and customers, i really enjoyed it.

your likely to not ever see those people again and you dont know them either so does it really matter what they think?

( im only just starting to learn that lesson)

getting robbed worries me too.

specially when do night photography
 
fabs said:
If I have my Hi Tech Equipment Transportation Device with me (AKA The Missus!) then I'm not too bothered.:D
Click to expand...

Rofl i like it, i may indeed make up a badge for my missus so she can feel special when we`re out and she`s lugging my bag around :-)
 
I have never felt self concious, even after being knocked off a stage by a polystyrene boulder in front of 3,000 people (who all laughed at me :nuts: )
 
I always feel like this, im glad to read that it will pass.

Always feel self concious - even when I was doing my second night course and we were out and about Glasgow at night!!

Hopefully Ill get used to it!
 
Whenever I go out without my camera I still stop and stare at shadows and shapes, I tilt my head or squat down in the street to see the best angle. I squint into the bright light - adjusting the DoF with my eyes.

Occaisionally is say "click" softly to myself as a perfect image forms in front of me.

I look like I am seriously undermedicated.

So trust me when I say that doing all that with a camera in my hand makes me look way more normal!

(though perhaps I should still up my medication;) )
 
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