Note to self

[Digital Dude]

Well, I certainly like the personal card idea and it’s been on my list of “to do’s” for quite sometime. It does tend to lower the intimidation factor since you are willing to disclose your identity. I really like my dealer’s card. It has his name, phone and email on a plain white card with embossed black lettering. Nothing fancy but not some homemade inkjet crap either. If I recall, the last time I asked for raised/embossed printing, I was told I didn’t need it so I simply walked out.
Regards,

 

[Terry]

Tim,
I never commented on the original shots....The first three are my favorites especially the first!

 

[cam]

i'm one of those who loves people and loves shooting people. getting the Epson R-D1 with my less than unobtrusive chrome 50 lens and loud shutter click (not to mention the time it takes me to focus :ROTFL has given me a whole new experience.

whilst i've missed several shots i would have gotten on the GRDII (or simply not taken them because there was no way to do so without calling attention to myself), i wouldn't trade the experiences i've had. i have already accumulated about ten business cards and need to email pics of people i've taken. everyone from a clam-shucker to a downtown lawyer at a Playoff game (who got in my way on purpose). i've shown them the image on the screen and they've squealed with delight. my only fear is that the pictures won't live up to their expectations.... (and then there's the dilemma about whether to send the flattering ones or the ones that are good photographically speaking.)

it's been quite rewarding in a way i honestly would not have expected.

if you point a camera at somebody deliberately, they will get out of your way if they do not want their picture taken (this occurs even when i'm using my GRDII). make yourself obvious -- that's all you can do. show them your pics and offer to send it to them if they're interested enough to ask. have a card with your email and give it to them if they don't have one handy.

if you're comfortable with yourself and what you're doing, others will be comfortable with you taking pictures of them. start slowly, ease in to it, and maybe later on you can even "sneak" a couple of shots without feeling like slime.

 

[robertwright]

Thanks folks for your honesty. It's not just me then.

I'm beginning to think that there's another way, a middle ground maybe, where making my own enthusiasm for taking pictures along with my own comfort factor with the process, evident enough to put others at ease. Part of the discovery came today when I went just a bit farther into the crowd than I would have normally. Nobody seemed to really notice that much. Or mind. It was at the point when I realized that fact which sponsored the regret. I could easily have gone to the next step but didn't.

Maybe robertwright has it correct, the end might justify the means. I just have to discern exactly what my means will be.

As for engaging in a dialog with the means to take names and addresses for sending copies to the interested parties later... well, I have some work to do before I get there.

Best,
Tim

p.s. Nice surf shot Jono.

I actually did not intend to say the end justifies the means, what I meant was when your own personal upset becomes greater not getting the shot than getting it, that is when you act. And this is what you say above, you realise there is nothing stopping you but you, you have the means and the sensitivity to negotiate what you want and to get what you want, so it comes down to some excuse like not bothering people, which is the inner critic talking usually. I know, I'm canadian and we have that polite thing down...moving to ny fixed that in a hurry.

The middle ground as you say is that you can get what you need and you can positively affect other people. Being interested in other people is natural, complimentary, and can be compassionate if that is how you are. Good luck!

 

[Daniel]

I am the exact same way Tim. It is a constant struggle for me. I like photographing people, but I still have a great deal of difficulty doing it. Perhaps you are the same way, but I grew up in a family where being considerate was driven into us -- do not bother people, think about the needs/feelings of others and so on. It is great, and it has served me well in life, but it makes it very hard to photograph someone when you think every 2 seconds about how much you might be inconveniencing them or making them uncomfortable. There are many people who excel at portrait photography because these things don't even enter into their minds. It is not that they are inconsiderate (though I suppose some may be), it is just that they don't worry about the person on the other side of the camera -- once they agree to be photographed (or even if they don't), then it is fine to just do what you do. You just have to try to adopt this mentality...at least partially.

I'm of the same feeling as well. It's always a personal battle within myself when I photograph other people who are strangers - I'd feel timid, fearful, or sneaky.

I'm figuring out on my own that people in general do not quite mind being photographed so long as I do not sneak around them, do not purposefully catch them in awkward situations that would embarrass or shame them. I believe most people have a sixth-sense - they'll sense your presence and intentions, and respond accordingly. I'm still learning to carry myself confidently with a camera, to think ahead, anticipate their next move, then compose and photograph so quickly such that they do not feel that thing (the camera) is invading into their personal space.

 

[fotografz]

Personally, I think there is some merit in respecting people's expectation of privacy even when in a public place. So, while I am primarily a people shooter, I don't engage in it as an aggressive pursuit like some self-centered predatory Paparazzi ... Magnum shooter or not, my first instinct would be to bitch slap someone like that to his knees, then claim "I was startled and in fear of my life"

The notion that there is some "higher purpose" like recording "humanity in all it's glory" isn't the same as a duffer wading into the gene pool and taking a self-gratification pee.

However, if people make a spectacle of themselves, or are at a place or event where there is some expectation of being photographed, that's a different story.

I wouldn't consider those shots at a Parade or any similar gathering to be an invasion of privacy. Portrait work isn't the same either ... there's an expected purpose. Same for all my candid wedding work

There is a line there, and I know I can cross it, but tend not to out of respect for that very humanity that others think is their private hunting ground.

I've done okay at street stuff, and I truly think it is the domain of the Leica M ... not to be sneeky, but to go unnoticed so as to not disturb the flow of life around me.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Digital Dude]

...There is a line there, and I know I can cross it, but tend not to out of respect for that very humanity that others think is their private hunting ground....

Marc,
Your comments are presented with the style and elegance of William F. Buckley, Jr. and that’s a compliment. You pretty much nailed the subject and I’m confident that many here may share in your perspective.
Regards,:clap: