Street Photography

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This Tuesday we went into NYC so the girls could get dolls and take them to lunch at The American Girl on 5th Avenue. As the thought of spening 2 hours in a room full of 200 little girls taking their dolls to lunch didnt fill me with the Christmas spirit I thought the humbug could be better skipped if I took to the streets.

The pavements were packed with a selection of the expected selection of Christmas shoppers, business people, tourists and more than a few cold homeless people.

Other shots from the day can be seen here. Which would you have blipped?

The shots on Flickr include the first I have ever taken by asking a member of the public if I could take their picture! Its a shame that it was the first shot I took after I had taken a panoramic at the Rockefeller Center... I forgot to switch the autofocus on the lens back on!

Asking strangers if I can take their picture is just not something I am comfortable doing... I went for the "soft target" of the uniformed man leaning against the wall. I just dont have the confidence in my charm to approach people cold and ask to take their picture. I cant help the feeling that I would come across as a serial killer/pervert/maniac... perhaps its just one of things that I should just do anyways, even though I feel as comfortable as priest in porn expo.

But those kind of shots are Street Portraits, no what I would call Street Photography. Taking shots that by necessity are taken without permission was my main aim for the day. Permission produces all sort of moral/ethical dilemas for the photographer and it makes you feel somewhat sneaky but the reason for the subterfuge is not because I am afraid to ask it is because of the type of shot I was looking for. I wanted natural street scenes. Life in motion. Real expressions. Mystery. Purpose. True life.

The mission of the day was the sort of shots that you really cant ask people about. Choosing moments and jumping on them before they hurtle past. Seeing the shot you want to capture appear from the pseudorandomeness of the complexities of the crowd and taking the shot before the moment passes. You cant ask any more than you can ask the baseballs permission before you catch it.

As for getting permission afterwards... well the fact that multiple people are involved, it was scenes I wanted not portraits, would mean turning around trying to tackle 14 different people who are striding away from you and asking them one by one for permission.

The ground on this shot may look oddly smooth but it is naturally as it came off camera (expet for being turned to B&W obviously). The shot had to be was over exposed as the sun was shining directly up the avenue behind everybody. It resulted in some great long shadows in some of the shots.