Photography

I don’t think my approach has changed too much over time, I’ve probably always been this way. But for me, the scene/frame is the most important thing. If there’s a person in it somewhere, that’s cool but that’s not what I’m seeking out. In other words, I’m not specifically looking for people. But I’m not running away from them either. I’m just looking for interesting compositions, whatever that involves.

Not if I can help it - for the most part I think people are far more interesting than static objects or settings.

My journey has been very similar to yours.

I just don’t feel comfortable anymore taking photos where you can clearly identify the person.

IMO it’s more challenging to take a compelling photo this way anyway so I feel like it’s making me a better photographer

I haven't changed, but I have always preferred taking photos where you can't identify people. Like this:

https://preview.redd.it/8ydif2zc5kwb1.jpeg?width=3691&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=be707d211aaaa1c89316821658f2f33349b9b708

IMO it's not good street unless you're up close and personal. Ideally shot with a 24mm to 35mm full frame equivalent.

Yeah, I do that, although one of the reasons I started using the human figure as a graphic element in a composition is that I live in a country where it’s technically illegal to photograph someone without asking prior permission.

There is this photographer whose images have that street photograhpy look, but are so clean and well composed. It turns out they are actually staged. She frequently scouts locations and light (time of day) with her iPhone. Once she knows what she wants, she comes back and shoots it with a real camera and models, often friends or family. I don't recall her name though.

I don't necessarily call myself a street photographer mostly because I pretty much never make people the focus of my images. They are just objects in the scene.

I feel like a psychopath typing that.

Nah, shifted to the opposite. Going from being indirect to way more direct and fighting any anxiety that comes from it.

I have no shame. I almost like the shots where they are making a face at me. People have tried fighting me for doing it. I was in public, I know my rights. Go to your comfort level, but try to work past it.

I basically don’t go out with the sole intention of photographing people, it just so happens that most of the photos I take generally have people in. If I find someone particularly interesting, I will ask them for a portrait. Most spontaneous ‘street’ moments for me tend to have a human element. Example enclosed. Whether the identity of the person is ascertainable doesn’t really concern me. It is more a case of whether I feel I’m exploiting someone (which I never do), so never take photos of the homeless or people in precarious situations.

https://preview.redd.it/arls8i2ufkwb1.jpeg?width=5976&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2023a3698b6c3c8de048b3ea1ebd8745bfe5fe0

Yes. It is about environment telling story about people not the other way around.

Photos with faces in them are almost always more engaging than photos without.

Not a hard and fast rule in all cases, obviously, but in most cases if there's question in a given situation "face or no face?" the face will result in the more arresting image.

I have changed to be honest I tried to do stuff with people in it but I felt really uncomfortable and didn’t enjoy it and I think my photography showed that and I didn’t want to go out as well. I do also have some objections to photographing random people and posting it online when they are identifiable but I won’t get into a privacy debate…

Obviously depends on what style of street photography you shoot it. But IMO true candid photos for me can't involve me working around and trying to respect feelings of others. Now it doesn't mean sticking the cam in their face or stalking them, that's wrong, but the true scope of a candid street photographer isn't just that the subject is going about their business unfettered by the knowledge that they are being filmed but also the photographer going about his or her business of shooting unfettered by trying to be politically correct or nice or respectful. When you start trying to be that it takes away from your artistic vibe and flow by introducing artificial barriers that you now have to navigate. My take.

Overall, I've always enjoyed the cities themselves over the people in them, so unless something really interesting is coming from a human - the street can tell a better story to my eye.

Unless I'm at an event or something, yes.

Especially kids. I try to avoid having them in my shots.

I agree with you here. I enjoy street photography photos that maybe have a couple of people in them but the people aren’t the subject of the photo

i am rather afraid of it. when i get someone in the shot, i try to approach them and ask if they want copies. or whether they are okay with it.

people are usually fine with it, some of them even want to pose for me, going into portraits.

had a handful of negative responses so far.

with time i think i develop a sense for who enjoys being in the shot and who does not. aside from street performers, that is.

Honestly its a fking nightmare to take photos of or with people in the streats of Germany. I would rather walk on glass shards.

i rarly do.. feels disrespectful usually..

Street photography is really people in the street photography isn't it? When we look at people we look at their faces, so anything that doesn't have someones face in it won't hold much interest.

Great street photography should give a glimpse of the time it was taken in. What is life like in your time and place? I don’t think you can really show that by silhouetting or avoiding the people. You don’t have to be on top of people like a Bruce Gilden but even Joel Meyerowitz, who was not aggressive nor extremely close to his subjects, still shows the street and it’s inhabitants clearly. Even posed work like Jamel Shabazz’s manages to give you a view of what life was like in a given era. So no, you don’t need to be aggressively close or even candid to do great work but you do need to show what life is like. That only happens by clearly including people.

If I can avoid including pictures of people/faces, I will. Even if I have to wait a few seconds for people to walk by.

I prefer to shoot at a distance and when I'm traveling where I'm just seen as a tourist taking in the sites. Eg: https://flic.kr/p/2p8NTpb and https://flic.kr/p/2p8V6aC

I call myself a street photographer and I rarely take photos of people and more streetscapes. I just love taking shot of empty places and found the beauty of the objects and compositions in the shots.

My approach changed wildly when I moved from the US to Germany when it became apparent how different the culture is about privacy rights in public spaces. Add that my German is spotty at best, so I can't easily explain/defend what and why I am doing what I am doing. I still take street photos, sure, but I am hyper aware of making sure that the people remain anonymous, if there even are people present. Also, my portrait work got even more intimate and precious - sometimes I wait months before I ever make a photo of the person I want to document.

This is how I've always approached it. I don't like showing faces. I think it takes away from the photo. The mystery of anonymous figures is way more interesting as a composition tool imo. Also a respect thing for me too. Street photographers like Bruce Gilden blow my f***ing mind with how obnoxious and inconsiderate they are.

I’m in the exact same boat. I’ve become more aware of the ways photography exploits people and more hesitant to participate in the exploitation. Taking photos without regards for the subject’s feelings seems a lot less problematic in a world where cameras were rarer and you had to be edited and curated in order for those photos to be seen. Now anyone can use anyone else for a few likes. Feels cheap to me.

In talking to people about this, I’ve learned that as a general rule the people most strongly opposed to being used in this way are also often those most marginalized and powerless in society. Not always, not universally, but it happens. Personally, I want to do my best to not punch down on people who are marginalized.

In addition, the value of street photos in a world where there are half a dozen cameras on every corner seems increasingly dubious to me. Too many moments, not enough composing.

All that said, I’ll defend in-your-face street photographers and their right to do what they do until you pry my overpriced Sony from my cold, dead hands. The few who do it well and use it to comment on the world in a unique way will continue to impress and inspire me. The value of street photography in documenting and commenting on the world over the last century plus is incredible undeniable - so my thoughts on its current power waning may be way out of line. But it’s no longer my goal, and it’s rare I find photos of strangers interesting these days.

yes, same

Yep!

I tried to do up close street photography but 1) I never liked being that up close, and 2) human subjects are boring to me. This eventually led to explore urban photography, which I love more.

Perhaps give urban photography a try. The way I see it, it’s exploring the living legacy of people, where the urban landscape is the subject. Not the people. Shifting to having people becoming a passing element has made me enjoy photography a lot more since I’m no longer concerned about getting in people’s faces and spaces.

You're limiting yourself. For me street photographers are capturing life so everyone can look back in time later. It's not about the person in the photo, it's about how people live today and capturing it.

I haven't had any issues and in my experience most people don't mind or even notice, some ask for a street portrait because photographers take good photos.

seems like there is a distinction between like, scenic street photography (capturing the mood of a city and focused on overall enviroments) and candid street photography (much more focused on the individuals and their life situation). I made up these categories but thats two different ways people tend to choose.