Happy Thursday everyone - I wanted to continue with the conversation on street photography and shooting people that I started yesterday. When I first started shooting I had a voracious appetite for information and inspiration in photography. I was incredibly fortunate to be living at the time in one of the world centers of photography, New York. I could go out into the city and see pros working on any given day. The museums, as well, were an incredibly valuable source of inspiration and were particularly formative in the kinds of things that I find myself shooting these days. All that is to say, that many of my most important influences were heavily based in the kinds of photography that we could collectively call "Street Photography." It seemed to be a genre that was the easiest to access. You didn't need expensive light setups or studio space or a long, storied client list. You could simply walk out of your door and then experience the world around you. But my earliest days in trying this proved that I had a lot to learn. My stuff simply didn't look nearly as good as the masters I admired (still nowhere close..haha). They seemed to be able to walk into the streets and capture magic in the mundane that I could see as well, but never got anywhere near capturing with the camera. I had assumed there was a magic to what they did, a prophetic vision that allowed them to see something happening before it did so they could set up and be ready for it. I still think that a lot of that is still true for many of the greats in this space, but the one major "trick" that worked to add to my tookit to improve my "street photo" is a very simple one. A conversation, a chat, a small-talk, a joke. Anything to break the ice with a stranger to let them know I wasn't someone scary with a malicious motive (cameras will do that). This gentleman here was in Herman Park feeding the birds, a fairly common thing to do there. However, in order to get the shot I wanted from this scene, I had to make him comfortable with the idea that I would be watching him for a while. Alone, this could be unnerving; a stranger watching another stranger. However, all of that went away with a quick smart aleck from me and a little chit-chat. I asked if I could shoot some pictures of him feeding the birds and he said "Yes." Bingo - now you have a mandate to sit and work a scene to get better and better shots (I'll never say this one is perfect - but its way better than a "grab and go"). So lesson for today, it is really scary to approach a stranger and start a conversation, but sometimes it can make magic for you and even the appearance of prophecy. Enjoy your Thursday -
