Photographing in public & feeling like an idiot

40oz said:
It's like anything else - feel like an idiot long enough, and you get used to it :)

And most people don't think you are an idiot. They either don't care what you are doing ot find it fascinating. You become an "artist" or "photographer," rather than an idiot.
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Agreed.

You get over it...

Relax. Have fun. Grab a 4x5 press camera and walk into a bar...

I take an awful lot of pictures of trees / tree bark. Do I care what the people looking on think? Not in the slightest.
 
At first there is stage fright, after a couple of shots, you're already in the zone...

DSLR = people will look at you like you are a paparrazzi. and the guards will prohibit you from taking pictures..

RF/FILM CAMERA = people will say, "still using film eh? you a pro?", or they wouldnt mind you at all....

I dont usually stay at one place and shoot one whole roll at that place.. I go for a walk, anywhere my feet takes me, and take pictures of everything that interests me..
 
degruyl said:
Agreed.

You get over it...

Relax. Have fun. Grab a 4x5 press camera and walk into a bar...

I take an awful lot of pictures of trees / tree bark. Do I care what the people looking on think? Not in the slightest.
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I've actually been very tempted to take my Crown Graphic into town one day and use it for some street photography.

Reactions may be extremely curious or people may just give you a wide berth and assume you're completely loco! Either way it could be fun I suspect! :p
 
I’ve always feel a little uncomfortable for the first few minutes, I normally have to fire off a few frames at inanimate stuff before pointing it at people.

Keith

I think you're right about the camera choice ... an expensive rangefinder can look like a toy to a lot of people whereas a DSLR shouts "photographer!"

I watched a video of Daido Noriyaki doing his thing in the streets of Japan with his little Ricoh. I got the impression his approach would be exactly the same with any camera he used ... not at all self conscious!
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Never thought about that, but yep it’s an inverse proportion to the size of the camera,
Minox = Cool, F3 = Geek
 
I was taking a photography of the Masonic Temple in Alexandria, VA one time with a big 4X5 monorail - dark cloth and all and had a security guard come to me to tell me I couldn't take photos for commercial use; had to hard time explaining I was just a amature photographer but my military ID (I was a private at the time) helped :)

I did used to feel really self concious, especially taking photos of people I didn't know but after a few years I got over it. Now I could care less, I think it comes with time. People still look at me wierd if I am laying down on the asphalt getting a low shot. But who cares, as long as I am happy with my shots it is worth it.
 
nathanp said:
I can use that argument when I'm away from home but living in a small-town, almost rural type place makes it a bit harder. If I spend a day shopping in the nearest town, I'll usually bump into a few people I know. The other issue is that I don't get much time to go out specifically to take photos - If I go out in my lunchbreaks from work there are always a lot of other work-people around.

I know really that the answer is to push through it and force myself to take pictures regardless. Eventually I'm sure I'll worry less & less about other people.
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I was going to ask if you lived in a city or a smaller place. People who live in large urban areas are used to seeing all kinds of behavior on the street. A guy with a camera is just one more passing oddity to be ignored.

In a small place, populated with people who know you, you are certain to be more obvious. But "obvious" does not equal "idiot". If anything, your neighbors should quickly become used to your camera. If a few don't, then you'll know to avoid them.

It's human nature to feel a bit odd when we're doing something that singles us out. But, I wouldn't worry about it.

If/when you feel like showing some of your photos to the locals, I suspect they'll become that much more familiar with what you're up to.
 
retnull said:
It's a wonderful thing to feel "in the zone", where you are so engrossed in your own thoughts and perceptions that you are completely unaware of what others are thinking. (But of course, you can't live there.)
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Spot on! Anything short of this will impact the quality of your work. If your attentention is distracted by what someone else is thinking about what you are doing it is taking away from your creativity. With practice and "focus" you will soon learn to block it out.

A friend of mine pointed out that we are all fools at one time or on one level or another....it's a great leveler I think.

Good luck,

Bob
 
I understand that people have this problem. For me, it just isn't a problem. I guess I'm just not built that way. I do whatever I feel like doing, and I presume that people ought to get out of my way and let me do it. As to what they think of what I'm doing, that's their business, but not mine. I just don't care what other people think of me or what I'm doing. But some of you knew that already. It's just that I'm the same online as I am in person. If I cared what people thought, I'd never leave my house. The only person whose opinion matters to me is me. Why would it be any different?
 
Any nervous energy I have I try to put back into my life, to make something positive. I'm not saying that I have a positive attitude towards my photography, rather more that I try to work with how I feel.

There is little, if anything, else after all.
 
Sometimes there is a feeling of discomfort, but that's normal. The one thing going for a rangefinder is the ability to grab a shot very quickly and moving on.
 
I find they don't necessarily look at me but rather what I'm shooting.
It's kind of funny actually.

The people around here walk by the same building, streets, manholes etc every day and have this quizzical look.
If they ask, I just tell them I saw an alien ship land and they missed it all.
 
bmattock said:
I understand that people have this problem. For me, it just isn't a problem. I guess I'm just not built that way. I do whatever I feel like doing, and I presume that people ought to get out of my way and let me do it. As to what they think of what I'm doing, that's their business, but not mine. I just don't care what other people think of me or what I'm doing. But some of you knew that already. It's just that I'm the same online as I am in person. If I cared what people thought, I'd never leave my house. The only person whose opinion matters to me is me. Why would it be any different?
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You are rather in the business of making others feel like idiots though Mr. Mattock.

I suppose it can only work to your advantage that you are bankrupt of the ablility to wind your neck in from the great skies on occassion, and perhaps consider that not everyone cares about what you have to say quite as much as you do.

Don't get me wrong Bill, I have read and appreciated your comments and posts often enough, though the way in which you often bully and belittle the opinions of others is often far harder to appreciate.

Perhaps not everyone is in the business of living the life of subjective FACT with which you seem so taken.
 
Interesting?

Interesting?

Some interesting answers here.

No one touched on the question of "need for approval".

If I were having this continuous thought, I think I would take some time to reflect on what other areas of my life are being negatively influenced by this need for approval and validation.

Is taking photographs in public the only area where you are self conscious in front of people, either strangers or casual acquaintances. Does wearing stripes with plaids, or your pajamas on downtown streets also bother you.

Here..... lie down on my couch and talk to me?

Seriously, you are never truly free in this life until you can do the things you enjoy doing without concern for other peoples approval, so long as your actions are not negatively affecting them.
 
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If I said it once, I'll say it again :) Changing equipment won't change the reaosn you feel embarassed.

I'm sure you'll overcome it but basically; sod what anybody else thinks. You just do your thing and ignore what people may or may not think. Who cares! You don't need to because whatever it is you're interested in you like it for some reason and you got no business in needing to explain that to anyone. I spent enough of my life with my family mocking me for my fascination with things that well, what the hell? But damn it I'm interested in them and I'm not going to take pictures of Robins or Sparrows just cos that's what 'normal' people do.

Martin Parr said take pictures of the things you are interested in, not what you think you should be.

If anyone questions you why, just say because you're interested in it, and if they give you a funny look, just ignore it, who cares, you'll likely never see them again, wanna go through life miffed cos you're not expressing yourself in what you want to do? Then follow the crowd and do the pictures of all the things you're not bothered in :)

You'll get there!

I take pictures of people's houses, flyovers and roads, pylons and all manner of other urban grit (as well as a good boat load of people, and landscapes and nature etc.) and yes I probably have had a lot of funny looks but who cares, here's a good example:



It's not just the picture though (yep it's someone's house) but if you click that picture, you will see someone has told me, without asking (or really being too bothered) what that type of lamp post is! There is truly someone for everything in this world, so explore what your own unique perception of the world is by being and actively photographing what this world means to you, rather than being put off by people who are scared of transgressing outside of their perceived normality.

Vicky
 
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