Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/12/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Simon wrote: <<<Any hints by email on street photography would be welcome.>>>>> Simon, Congratulations of deciding on the mega camera in life. :) You may find a few things in your photography approach like others, myself included, once you have a Leica in hand. 1: There can be a physcological thing as in, "Wow I now have a Leica and can shoot great pictures like Henri Cartier Bresson and others." This in turn creates a desire to shoot better pictures as you are always aiming at a higher quality of content target. 2: The Leica M6 despite the camera being expensive, looks like a point & shoot to non-photo folks. Lots of times people do not pay any attention to you particulaly if you look like a "happy snapper" than some Pro with a big mother of an SLR and flash hanging around your neck. 3: Look as inconspicuos as possible and try to observe your subject with periferal vision rather than looking right at them. When you have to, always make it look like you are looking at something beyond them and not right at them. This may mean a slight movement of the body and head to appear you are looking at something else, but still inline with them. If they challenge you, have a target in the background and explain with great enthusiasm what you were shooting, and that the lens you had went right by them even though it looked like you were taking their picture. If you're caught shooting someone, as in they look at you with the camera at your eye, "DON'T DUCK OR TURN AWAY AS THOUGH YOU HAVE BEEN DOING SOMETHING WRONG!!!" If you do that, it can set up a confrontational situation with the subject who comes after your butt and camera. Better to make a quick judgement call, smile and immediately indicate you would like to do another. The other thing is to quickly go to them with a smile and if you can speak the language or indicate through sign language you would like to shoot something else if they wouldn't mind. But always be prepared to run as fast as you can, therefore always have good foot wear allowing for a quick retreat if necessary. And whatever you do, "never carry more gear than you can run with!" A big bag flopping all over the place will get you robbed and or killed under some circumstances! Besides they make you stick out like a wart! If you wait for people to be mentally and physically involved in doing something, even an heated discussion between two or three folks, it is very easy to take their pictures from even a few feet away. Others will probably give you many ideas! Certainly the one about hanging the camera around your neck and taking pictures without even looking through the viewfinder. It has good, bad and ugly merits, but many of us prefer to see and shoot with camera to eye all in one quick unobtrusive move. The black tape on the logos only means something to other photographers, as the bulk of human beings of all races have no idea what the hell a Leica M6 is! Like I said, the M6 particularly the black body looks like a Pointie Shootie and that you are an amateur taking "happy snaps!" :) hope this helps. ted grant