How to overcome apprehension

Thanks for the on-topic replies. I just watched a YouTube video, Walkie Talkie, on Daniel Arnold. It was helpful to hear about his process. I did notice, however, he took several ‘stealth’ pictures that the subjects had no idea what he was doing.
 
Wilderland said:
Well, it WAS from behind him. Thanks!
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In one of her essays in On Photography, Susan Sontag writes of "the poetry of the turned back". Yours is a perfect example; it works so well precisely because you shot the subject from behind.
Of course, I wouldn't want a steady diet of street photography shot this way!
 
Retro-Grouch said:
In one of her essays in On Photography, Susan Sontag writes of "the poetry of the turned back". Yours is a perfect example; it works so well precisely because you shot the subject from behind.
Of course, I wouldn't want a steady diet of street photography shot this way!
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Agreed, but not everybody has to be facing the camera to make the picture work.
 
The "look back" is always a good look​
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Sony A7III camera
Pentax 24mm f3.5 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar (M42 mount) lens
Yokohama, Japan - June 2024​
 
boojum said:
OK, OK. When I lived in Mulege, BCS, Mexico, I made one of my usual carne asada visits to the best carne asada stand in the universe. He opened at dusk. And he had a constant stream of patrons for simply freshly thin sliced beef cooked on the domed device used in Mexico and then chopped and allowed to slowly soak up juices in the rim around the dome. If you have been to Mexico you know what I am talking about. I was there this night when a group of women in a women's chorale were coming back from a rehearsal in Santa Rosalia on their way home to Loreto. It's about a two hour drive. And they knew, everybody knew, the taco stand and stopped for those delicious carne asadas. I had my trusty Sony DSC S70 and asked, "Con permiso?" You can see the result. I showed them the image on the back of the camera, tiny. But they were thrilled and kidded around a lot. That was in 2001 and while still primitive it was also magic. More so in Baja. Mulege is a great little town if you want to live in Mexico not some tourist enclave. Mulegé - Wikipedia

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I live in Texas and am very familiar with this type of cooking. I believe the pan is called a comal. And there are different versions of them- completely round and deep much like a wok, and there are flat ones, and probably the most common is the concave comal which is what it sounds like was being used where you were at. Mexico is a wonderful place with great food and very friendly people.
 
Wilderland said:
I am the definition of a long time lurker, having registered 9 years ago and this is my first post. How do others overcome the apprehension of street photography? I have tried several times, but it just feels so awkward taking pictures of people on the street. Someone like Yokosuka_Mike is so darn prolific with pictures seemingly right in their faces. How do you overcome both your and the subjects' anxiety, or maybe better put, their objections? I try to take pictures in stealth mode, praying no one sees me taking their picture and making a scene.
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Just going out and snapping people rarely nets photos I am all that satisfied with. Occasionally, yes, but only rarely.

The best "street" photos, for me, come from the happenstance of engaging a couple of people and then photographing them, either when the conversation has led to points of common interest or when something notable happens to engage their attention for a moment. Sometimes the engagement is trivial ... "Oh, that suit looks so good on you, would you mind if I snap a photo or two?" ... and other times a bit more involved ... "Your boy is adorable! Let me get a photo of you together..." Et cetera.

The biggest hurdle is to let go of your own shyness and act confidently, directly, professionally.

G
 
It is a matter of accepting there is nothing wrong or negative about street photography. Acknowledged. that is easier said than done in some minds. No one loses their soul as a result of being photographed. An insignificant number of subjects are bothered by being photographed. And, some information becomes known to the general public as a result of the photograph, I believe the biggest problem are those photographers who try to operate in some stealth mode because they believe what they are doing is wrong. Not only is stealth mode incredibly difficult it creates a self fulfilling prophecy and ,and seldom produces worthwhile images.

My advice to newbies is instinctively shoot before the subject has time to think and react to being photographed. Then, a second shot after the subject has the time to realize what is happening. The key is to then look the subject square in the eye and acknowledge you took their photo by a quick verbal thanks or just a smile and nod of your head. You will constantly get feedback from the subject that they have no problem with your photography. Then you will be starting on a path that builds your confidence.
 
Speaking of "looking back"...

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Does anyone recall John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers from the '60s/'70s? They did a song called "Lookin' back" that gets in my head every time the phrase comes up.

I was lookin' back to see
If she was lookin' back to see
If I was lookin' back at her

Of course I didn't remember the chorus's lyrics correctly and had to look it up. Bouncy little tune.


.......................
 
Ko.Fe. said:
I am not too sure about harassing. Kim acted like an idiot and it is signaling to people on the streets. Everyone is well aware. It is not as odd as peeing on the streets and else discharging. I have seen it in Flanders and Nietherlands. White dudes thing. And I haven't seen Octoberfirst gatherings, yet.
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Just as an aside, Eric Kim went off the deep end a few years ago, and he now mainly posts narcissistic bodybuilding videos, and rambling psuedo philosophical rants about the value of eating meat and being strong. He has become a caricature of himself.

His photography never stood out to me as being particularly good, and the reasoning he displayed in his posts about photography was full of misconceptions and holes. So I don't get why he had such popularity back then.
 
Archiver said:
His photography never stood out to me as being particularly good, and the reasoning he displayed in his posts about photography was full of misconceptions and holes. So I don't get why he had such popularity back then.
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I haven't followed his work extensively but my first reaction seeing it some years ago was that he was doing well and was clever enough to use the internet in a way that lifted off his popularity. From a point onwards I lost interest and never revisited his work.
 
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It was easy to be tough on Eric Kim’s photography because he was a self appointed expert … preaching as if he had been doing his photography for decades. However, his photography was not horrible. I’d say it was better than many others of his kind … snake oil salesmen.
 
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