RE: [Leica] PAW week 28 up

["Griffith, Lucian" <griffil1@anz.com>]

 John Bohner wrote:

>Well it took me a while to do what you all have given me 
>the confidence to try.... To encounter people on the street
>and photograph them with their permission. Getting over a 
>fear of people is stangely difficult for some of us.
>In this case I was at a local fair and I noticed this young
>woman with fairy wings!  I decided to confront my fears so
>I stepped up and said," Excuse me, but may I take your picture?"
>Then in a flash of, gee wiz you want to take my photograph?
>her face flushed, she nodded yes and turned her body to better 
>reveal her wings.  I shot, thanked her and then floated on air
>for a day having overcome my own fears.  

Thanks John - I really like that story.  I'm very much the same with
photographing strangers.  I always want to ask permission, and it can be
very difficult.  I also remember the strange feeling of satisfaction and
achievement when I first specifically asked a stranger on the street if I
could take their photograph.

What I do find is that these waves of confidence come and go - I'll happily
ask a whole lot of people if I can take their photograph then won't be able
to for a couple of weeks.  It's like a momentum of confidence - something
like what someone wrote here on the LUG about a week ago (sorry, I can't
remember who it was) - getting in that 'zone' of taking photos (or, whatever
you want to call it).

Although I do think you should always have a reason for wanting to
photograph someone, because a lot of people want to know why, which is fair
enough.  For the girl with the fairy wings for example, "I'm a photographer
and I'm doing a project on people who wear costumes in public" or something
like that would suffice - if she were to ask.

Anyway - thanks.
Lucian G.