Taking candid shots of people I know when I see them being natural and expressive and interesting looking, trying to get that moment in a shot, and then they immediately see me and do this face straight into the camera...
SeriouslySuspect
joined 11 months ago
Have you read On Photography by Susan Sontag?
If not, it's a great analysis of how photography came to dominate our visual culture in a very short space of time, and fundamentally changed the way we see. Even though it was written in 1977, her observations feel absolutely applicable to the feeling of Instagram overload. She names a lot of great photographers, and talks pretty insightfully about the reasons people take photographs, the unique things they can do, and their relationship to the truth. That extra context really helped me appreciate their work.
A monopod would be a great help - you can get a basic Amazon one for like €20 that telescopes down to about 2ft long, has a grippy foam handle and extends to about 6ft. I use it when I need some extra stability, but don't want to carry around a bulky tripod or I need more mobility. It only takes a second to set up so it won't interfere too much with his workflow.
One of the best cheap upgrades you can make... The difference between my nice lens that doesn't have stabilisation and an equivalent that does is a lot more than €20!
Try some nice closeups of someone's hand holding the fruit! Hands are warm and expressive. It'll give it context and make it more tactile.
If you want to see great photos of ugly produce, look at Edward Weston's photos. He took a lot of portraits and artistic nudes, and one of his most famous photos is a closeup of a green pepper. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper_No._30
It's so sharp, detailed, and artfully lit that you just want to pick it up. You can nearly feel it by looking at it.
This sounds like an interesting and important project, and I wish you luck! I'd suggest a few things before you set out: Know the laws around photography in Argentina, keep your gear light, and respect the dignity of the people you're photographing.
Photography laws In most places it's perfectly legal to photograph anyone who's in a public place, and the photographer is automatically the author and copyright holder of any photo that they take. However there's different laws about what exactly counts as "public" (eg. A shopping mall might be open to the public, but it's privately owned), whether you can sell an image of a person without their consent, whether you can take photos of cops, et cetera. It's worth looking into local guidelines for paparazzi and photojournalists.
Knowing the law isn't a magic bullet for avoiding issues with cops or anyone else who gets confrontational, but it certainly helps.
Gear Minimal gear is good for several reasons: You're less noticeable, you won't get overwhelmed by setting up equipment in the moment, and if you need to get the fuck out of somewhere, you can.
Respect your subjects Your work is potentially going to show people in vulnerable or unflattering situations. You have a responsibility not to be exploitative, condescending or overly invasive in your role as a photographer. Take the responsibility seriously.
Seriously? I really had to search to find the person! That's ludicrous.
It makes me think of this clip from Brass Eye about a photo of a normal-looking hillside that would send a paedophile into a frenzy because there was a child in it somewhere...
One of my sneaky moves is to call someone over and tell them to pretend I'm showing them a picture while I take a photo, because I need to get a pic of their friend looking cool without spooking them! It usually works and it's kind of fun because you can show your "accomplice" the result.