I went up to the city this afternoon to do some shooting in the Market Street area and visit a friend who was under the weather. Had a lot of fun there, and ran into two other street photographers -- Brad and Jennifer. We walked around for a bit and did some shooting. One thing I've noticed is that when you're with other people, some of the social barriers against street photography go down. I dunno if this is from the same mental structure that also lets us form mobs, or just that people subtly relax when you're with a group. Less lone nut with a camera, and more movement (or at least, gang?).
I have a couple of pictures I liked from today, but the one that popped for me was this little snap from the Caltrain station at the end of the evening. I saw the station attendant giving some dude a light, and my camera went up -- I tend to go for shots with flame, and it was kind of a cool moment. By the time the viewfinder made it to my eye, I realized I had a scene going on. Everybody in this picture is connected to someone else in that picture, and they all sort of hang together. It really worked for me, but ask me again in a week when the new has worn off.
Hey Brandon... Great meeting you in the downtown and shooting... And cool pic up above with the collection of people. Agree with the notion that engaging subjects is easier when shooting with others. See you out there again...
ReplyDeleteHey Brandon! Nice to meet you that day!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think I'm actually a little more bold when I'm shooting alone. Not sure why.
That's interesting -- I find that I can be pretty extroverted in groups, so maybe that's it.
ReplyDeleteBy myself, I do find myself thinking how rude it is that I'm photographing total strangers -- and that's enough to make me a bit more shy.