[leica] photographing the homeless - yo yo yo, hold up!

[rmcclure2 at woh.rr.com (Rob McClure)]

Alastair,

I share your sentiments about intruding -- one of the reasons I have 
avoided street photography.  Instead, I violate several of Kyle's Rules 
and take lots of buildings, etc.

Recently, I again visited the makeshift Flight 93 crash site memorial 
in Shanksville, Pa.  Many people were quietly wandering around the 
site, examining the many mementos and viewing off into the distance 
toward the barely-visible crater where the victims of the flight are 
entombed.  A number of people were carrying cameras so I felt rather 
brave with my  unobtrusive M4-2 and was able to capture a number of 
moving moments (a mother bending over trying to explain it all to her 
young daughter, a veteran looking off toward the crater, etc.)  Most 
people looking probably thought I was just photographing the scene and 
not people.  After viewing the technically-great (if I do say so 
myself) pictures, I felt guilty -- wondering whether this was like 
"shooting fish in a barrel" or more important -- was I taking advantage 
of peoples personal grief?  The memorial is always very moving to me 
personally, so I also feltl guilty that I didn't focus enough on its 
meaning, but instead concentrated more on taking picutures.  I just 
don't know...

Rob McClure


On Jan 19, 2007, at 11:44 PM, Alastair Firkin wrote:

> I have to admit to some problems with street photography. I would hate 
> NOT to have the documents such as the Lange picture, BUT I also feel 
> we do sometimes intrude. Strangely, if you are at an event where there 
> are cameras everywhere, no one seems to mind being paraded in front of 
> millions: very rarely will someone look away if the camera turns on 
> them in the cricket crowd. They usually smile and wave to the screen, 
> and yet that same person would be horrified to be "documented" in 
> their cricket gear.
>
> I was delighted when I visited Japan. When I took images of people, 
> they would thank me. Seems they like to aim their cameras at anything 
> and everything and are happy for others to do the same. I am horrified 
> by HCB, who made his living capturing others at work and play, and was 
> offended if anyone did the same to him. I can understand that he 
> wished to remain somewhat "unknown" in order to continue his work, but 
> there can't be too many "star" photographers who would be mobbed, even 
> HCB at his height.
>
> I now have the personal doctrine that if I want to take images, I 
> should allow others to take images of me: why they might want to do 
> that I don't know, but when I had a bright red beard, I was a very 
> popular subject in SE Asia ;-) I also "try" not to take images and 
> distribute them ifffff I feel they show the subject in a way that I or 
> Helen would not like to be seen. If someone "pulls" a face for the 
> camera, its game on, but "ugly" images of people I try to ignore, and 
> if I do take one, I keep it for my own use/memories, not for general 
> consumption.
>
> Is it OK to take a person if they cannot be recognized? Perhaps its 
> better. I would really rather an image (amusing or not) of me picking 
> my nose did not show up before people I know. I have learnt to ask (OK 
> I don't want every image I take of people to be posed, so I try in 
> those circumstances to make it obvious that I am taking pictures and 
> give them time to "disappear". So for example at a market, I make it 
> clear that I am there taking images and lots of them, so the people 
> can feel perhaps more like on of the crowd, or turn away if they are 
> not interested or tell me to bugger off if they are more uptight than 
> that.
>
> I would now ask or indicate that I would like to take an image for 
> most of my street shots which involved concentrating on an individual. 
> Crowds are different.
>
> There is no right or wrong here. Being friendly and sensitive is the 
> only way I can justify doing it, but it is much easier at the cricket, 
> the races, a footy match or other celebration, where people don't seem 
> to mind how ugly they look ;-)
>
> Cheers
>
> Alastair
> On 20/01/2007, at 13:34, jon.stanton@comcast.net wrote:
>