Street Photography 101: Carpe Diem - "Pluck the day" >

[The Dude]

A participant on another forum sent me a link a little while back which contains interviews with street photographers: Street Photographer Interviews - I am by no means their equals - I am just running with this to see what I can do with it as well as gaining confidence in approaching strangers. I do take their pictures after all and at times I am not 2 feet away from them.

I will answer the questions as I make this online pictorial...

PPI: How long have you been doing street photography?
A little over three weeks, I always wanted to take pictures of people however with a small point and shoot people may think you are a "prevert"



I really like her style she looks like she is out of a Lenny Kravitz Video...

PPI: What got you interested in Street Photography?
Well - I didn't even know there was a term and style for it, I did live a very sheltered life, I have seen pictures of people taken in the street in the past but was totally unaware there was such a thing as street photography... Okay to answer the question, I love watching people, try to decode their emotions. I want to be able to capture this with my street shooting. The babes are a by product, they just happen to walk into a frame and... As any man would do, I press the shutter, Ha ha ha...




I really like this picture, Dave the Chalkmaster at work, his hands, chalk and shadow. I think it is a nice composition.

PPI: Who are your big photographic influences?
I don't have any but now that I know there are people who have great work in street photography I will certainly look up Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank since I can remember those names... Honestly I don't want to emulate anyone - I just want to go out there as often as I can and do my thing - perhaps I can develop my own style.



The artist being captured by the artist being captured by the street photographer - it is a symbiotic relationship.



Illegal posters going up and he posed for this picture...

PPI: Do you try to be “invisible” when you shoot, or do you approach people and ask to take their pictures? Either way, how do you handle approaching people and taking their pictures?
At first I was just taking the pictures from far away, then I started to ask which I still do from time to time but after talking to "H" a girl who also likes taking pictures of people on the street - she said, "Don't ask, when you do people are self conscious, just take the pictures." Now I rarely ask - but I still do sometimes, common decency dictates you ask in some instances. Handling approaching people is simple, I smile lift the camera point and shoot then keep smiling. Strangely at times when people see me with the camera the wave and smile. When friends come along, three did so far, they are surprised how people react, they don't mind at all. I am far from invisible, I am right in the open with my camera and I don't try to be sneaky about it, I just make sure my fly is not open before I head out and point and shoot... It is difficult being invisible when you are 6'2" and 230 pounds.



I thought I was going to capture a nice stolen moment through an open patio window but they saw me fist, smiled and waived!



I pointed the camera at him, he looked at me, saw me and turned back to look at what he was looking without acknowledging my presence again... "Click"



Looks straight at me and doesn't seem to mind. Look of surprised = priceless

PPI: Have you ever been stopped by someone you've just photographed? How did you handle that situation? Got any good anecdotes?
I haven't taken enough pictures of people yet to have been stopped by a subject I just took a picture of but I have had people asked if I wanted to take their pictures, usually does that ask want something in return... Just beware of the people who ask.



That's a great shot here - he posed for it, that's Victor one of Toronto's foremost sidewalk artist, he just cleaned up the mess at the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto where Dave another fantastic Sidewalk artist was working. He didn't ask for anything in return.

PPI: Has someone ever seen themselves in one of your pictures? Did they demand payment?
Hummm lemme think - NO! He he he I just started 3 or 4 weeks ago, I lost track of time. But there was this strange guy who asked me to take his picture and then asked fro some spare change... Of course I am a suck and gave him a dollar.



One great thing is that being out on the street I see a lot of other people taking pictures of stuff...



But seldom do they take picture of people - I have yet to see one do it...


I thought this one was a great composition with the sunlight hitting the building...



And this well... Mid life crisis toy car... I had to take a picture of it + there is a photographer in the frame - No I don't know him...

PPI: Do you sell your SP work? If so where/how?
Sure - you can get them for free of the Internet and by e-mailing me - I'll send you the electronic file, JPEG format - print away - but if you want to pay for them, e-mail me and I will be glad to take your money as I sure could use some right now - those DSLR are not cheap!!!



Blank Street Canvas before the start of the day...



Work in progress...



Further along - we can see the picture now – That’s where my hand would be as well



Why we do what we do... To get recognition and perhaps make a living with it, plus meeting a babe or two doesn't hurt...



I just liked this picture - a kid who looks in awe at the artist.



Well - you know... I had to focus somewhere...



Another kid with a great smile!

PPI: What's your day job?
I actually don't have a day job, some people have asked me how do I have the time to do this... I have an evening job, call center manager. I work from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. I take the writing and photography as a serious job now and the Call Center gig pays for it - If I keep at it for 2 to 4 years I want to be able to do it full time, earn a living with it and drop all other call center jobs from the equation.



One of those picture you think twice about taking - I saw she saw my camera in my hands and looked worried but I liked her glasses and facial expression - three weeks ago I would just have walked by without taking the shot. I am happy I did as it was yet another confidence builder.

PPI: What are your 5 favorite places to shoot street photos? (Be specific--street corners/intersections/etc., if possible, not just “London” or “New York.”)
At the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto - lots of traffic and always a few street performers busking for a living. Great place to take pictures of people. The stretch of Queen Street West between John and Spadina. And yesterday I discovered a new spot, Euclide and College, west of Euclide - little Portugal, great place. And there is always the Kensington Market in Toronto and Chinatown, the big one on Spadina - on a Sunday it is abuzz with activity.

Euclid and College pics... The light wasn't the best so - I did not take a lot of pictures...









I really like this one the best from the area.

PPI: What photo books do you have on your bookshelf? (choose your favorites)
Well ... Do magazines count? My father has been giving me gift subscription to "Playboy" magazine for the past, oh... about 15 years. I think he does it to try to win in their yearly sweepstakes contest. Every time you give a gift subscription you get a chance to win a Jaguar or a trip to the Playboy Mansion... Funny thing is that since I moved - I haven't received any - forgot to do my change of address for the magazine. And I have only one left, the one with the Owen Wilson interview... Okay, okay I don't just look at the pictures I also read the interviews and the jokes.

PPI: What camera(s), lenses, film, etc. do you use?
No film, I am currently using a Nikon D70s and the 18-70mm lens which came with it. I have a 1 gig card in it and just shoot. I used to have a Konica/Minolta G500 which was a great point and shoot.



This here is the picture which started it all - taken with the Konica/Minolta G500. Justin saw it and asked me if I would do an interview with him, gave me a budget and the rest as they say is history in progress. One of the few pictures of people I took with the Konica. (This is the only picture taken with the Konica in this series.)

PPI: How many pictures do you shoot a week? A month? A year?
300 pictures on a good day - 50 on a bad day, 10 on a terrible day... The beauty of digital is that you can take a chance on a bad frame, if it doesn't turn out later - just delete it. Plus I am always shooting on continuous shutter release. 3 frames a second, if someone blinks in the shot - DELETE!



General Lee, Graham is his name, he is working on the movie "The Dolphin Dome" ...



PPI: What advice would you give someone who is interested in trying street
photography?
Make sure your fly isn't open, don't take pictures of kids. Be nice, smile - people actually like having their picture taken. The only thing you have to fear is your shyness. Doing this will actually improve your confidence. Go for it, the secret is that it is actually a rush at times taking pictures of people as you just did something you were to shy and fearful to do before. It just makes you realize the only thing stopping you achieving whatever you want to do in life is you and your fears.



I really liked the joy and fun these girls had rollerblading - I hope I managed to capture some of their joy!



And well... I don't really know where to focus - left right, left right... Oh for god sake just take a shot! "click"

PPI: What's the most challenging aspect of street shooting?
Overcoming your fears, contrary to popular belief I am an extremely shy person, and going out there each and everyday.



You gotta create something - there is a price to pay for creativity



PPI: What's the best part of it?
Besides getting a great picture no one else took and will ever be able to take again, meeting people then at the end of the day sharing your pictures and getting both positive and negative feedback, I do have to write the captions, come up with a title and then put everything together not to mention resizing and cropping some pictures... .



PPI: Do the skills you've developed as a street photographer help you in other areas of photography?
Well that's the only photography which interests me now - no more buildings, bridges and cars for the moment - give me people! There are a lot of reasons for this, the main one is that I was never the best at reading people's expressions, street photography has helped me a lot with this in the short time I have been doing it and I am way more confident now than 3 weeks ago in all aspects of my life as well.



Smile!

Smile because at the end of the day when all is said and done, if you don't share some of your time with a loved one or friends - you messed up. Some of the people I meet end up becoming friends.



Some where friends before... Some just have a great potential of becoming good friends. In the end life is good.







Have a great day and here is the cameo for the day - me pictured next to MTV "The Real Life" advertising ... My memory card was used in a friends brand new Nikon D70s ... I already made a convert! To street photography...



"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes our deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light." - Albert Schweitzer

[SLRdude]

That's really good Dude!
I give you a high five for having what it takes to take this kind of shots. I simply don't have the guts to do it.
Well done.

[mailman]

Another great post by the dude

[Uncle-AJ]

If I tried that here, I'd be arrested in no time. Maybe it's something I can do in retirement.

[Earl]

don't the guy in picture #4 kinda look like Roger...

other then that you have some great looking pictures there dude

[JJ Irani]

Some pretty faces and a nice bit of cleavage. You're the man, Dude!!