Photography

It gets easier, you become desensitised to it.

When I started I felt like I had a neon flashing sign pointing at me. I now realise that as long as you are not pointing a cameradirectly in someone's face, few people notice you, and very few care.

I feel the same way, so I'm kinda shy to take out my camera at first. Once I get more comfortable just walking around first, I'll take it out of my bag and after a while, I'll get heavily invested into the photography part and I forget to care about people/notice them.

I'm really bad for this too (doesn't help that i always seem to choose massive lenses when shooting out and about) and often get super nervous when shooting on the street. I've found that when I'm taking photos on the street I like to find somewhere to take photos first and then hang around there for a while, keeping my camera either, and wait for someone or something interesting to come into frame.

I've also found keeping my camera up even after taking the photo helps make it look like I'm taking photos of something other than the person in my frame.

Unless if tou are out there harassing people the brutal truth is you're just not that important to other people and the separate lives they are living.

Now while that might sound like I'm having a go I'm not, if you really think about it there is totally freedom in this belief. As long g as you're not infringing on others nobody cares, if they do that's on them not you.

Enjoy photography 📸

You have every right to be in public like everyone else. Decide on something to shoot and focus on that, (The color yellow, people with their mouths open, faces in inanimate objects, etc.). It takes up enough space in your mind that there is little space left to worry about what other people might think of you. I think Ralph Gibson calls it "A point of departure", which is a great way to start on anything, instead of wandering around waiting for inspiration to hit.

Starting out your street photography in a larger city will probably help desensitise you a bit and get you used to stuff. Also, another way to think about it that might help...if people do look at you, they're not really interested in you as a person but what you're taking a photo of. I remember being in the Botanic Gardens taking macro pics of little vines creeping through other leaves. I wad tucked into the corner with my camera close to the wall of plants and was there quite a while. A man and his son came over, not because they were interested in me but because they thought there was something interesting in the wall I was picturing. They were standing close to me which would have been more uncomfortable if I'd not known they just wanted to see what I was photographing. So even though they looked at me, it was because I drew their attention to something potentially interesting they also wanted to see. I hope that little ramble makes some kind of sense!

But yeah, keep pushing yourself slowly slowly and it does get easier :)

Try and condition yourself to caring more about getting the photo than to what people might be thinking about you. Unless someone actually comes up to you and starts talking about what you're doing, no-one really cares. The only thing I think about now when I'm out shooting in a public place is getting the best shot possible. I've started using an old TLR film camera for a street project. I'm literally there in one location for minutes, setting the exposure, framing up the shot etc all while people are walking around me and in front of what I'm shooting. I couldn't give a ***k. It's very liberating, as I'm not the most confident of individuals. As other people and you yourself have said, the more you do it the less of a ***k you'll give. We've all been there - get out and enjoy it. It also really helps if you are very familiar with your equipment, so you can get set up, get the shot and get out quickly.

My latest purchase just removed this problem for me. Completely unplanned!

I bought "classic worker style pants" couple of weeks ago. They have huge pockets. Like I can literally just pocket my ZV-E10 with Sony 18-105 into them.

I just yank the camera out of my pocket, take a couple of pictures and videos and put it back into the pocket. For some reason this feels way less intrusive to everyone around me rather than lugging the thing on a neckstrap all the time.

i totally get it, i used to feel the same way. it's all about pushing through and getting more comfortable. just keep at it, and you'll start feeling more at ease.

You will get used to it, but it takes time. My advice is go to a local tourist attraction or some other place that has a crowd and a ton of people taking photos. You won't feel so out of place and it'll help you feel more comfortable shooting in public.

I struggled with this too, in the beginning. But it really gets easier the more you do it. And you're right, the more people, the less you get noticed. Try going out during a city festival or something, the busier the better. No one will glance at you twice.

A thought that might help too is that everyone is taking photos & videos these days with their mobile phones, so making photos is just a normal thing to do these days. Some even film themselves doing silly dances, so how special is one person with a camera anyway, right? :)

People do notice you and don’t want a camera pointed at them. Their reaction to a camera being pointed at them and your reaction to pointing a camera at them are totally normal. Legally you can do what you want of course.

Hero!

If you can find a friend who is interested in photography to go out with you that might help you feel more at ease.

I'm actually glad I looked at this because you raise a good point.

I feel a little weird with cameras in my own neighborhood because I don't want my neighbors to think I'm spying on them. If you visit a place where you are literally a tourist or are you are participating in an event where people expect to be photographed, it's different.

One piece of interesting advice I came across a while back (don’t remember the source) for street photography was don’t just lift camera, shoot, then put the camera down. Pan the camera like you’re taking a video, and don’t put the camera down as soon as you’re done with your shot. It can come across as taking photos of the environment rather than photos of a single subject.

It’s even harder to ask for permission but in my experience it usually gets better results. There are no hard and fast rules and we can’t all be Joel Meyerowitz. Go to any big city and you’ll see street photographers who are comfortable and open about what they are doing and more power to their elbow. You’ll also see more furtive photographers sneaking photos or shooting from the hip, the kind who place great value on owning “stealth” cameras (whatever they are). I know what type of photographer I’d prefer to be and would be mortified if someone accused me of sneaking a photograph of them without permission. I live somewhere where it’s perfectly permissible to take photographs of strangers in a public place without having to ask for permission.

Honestly, I feel really cool walking around with my camera. Especially when people stop me to talk about it. I would try to look at it like that instead of feeling self-conscious.