Street Photography

The other day we were told to go out with our cameras and take street images. Before we started this, we watch a documentary on a guy called Bruce Gilden. I was amazed at his technique of just jumping out at people on the street then carrying on like it was normal.

So with this in mind I started walking around Hartlepool with my camera, i thought i get out of my comfort zone and start taking some pictures of members of the public. I must say i did feel really strange and that i was being weird but at the same time i couldn't help thinking i can't wait to see what these are going to look like!

I didn't act quite in the same way as Gilden because i can imagine there is much more husel and bustle in Brooklyn so you could get away with putting a camera in someones face more without confrontation. Not that thats a problem for Gilden because he just gives them comments back saying "its a free country"
But in Hartlepool it was so obvious to the people on the street if i was taking a photo of them and one guy even said "why are you taking a photo of my mate" and i felt a little embarrassed and did an awkward laugh and said "why not" he also laughed and i felt so relived. After that i tried a more subtle approach and held my camera down by my side and just guessed and pointed at my subject and hoped for the best. But i don't think that way is very reliable and i will have to just get used to looking a bit odd and dealing with a few comments from the public.  

Street Photography

These are a few images from Markus Hartel from the internet and quotes also from Hartel from a book called STREET PHOTOGRAPHY NOW by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren.


'My Pictures are not necessarily pretty, but they do show beautiful moments of the urban jungle.'
          - I liked this quote because most streets in towns and city's can appear pretty grim but when i have been looking through a street photography book there are moments where the photographers have been in the right place in the right time and they have managed to capture rather rare moments.



'Street photography is like gambling you get lucky or you get nothing...'

          - I think this is so true because i can walk around for ages and think what have i even been taking photos off, but then when it comes to looking through the images and you stumble across one that you hadn't even realised you had taken and when it ends up being the one you like the most, it's quite satisfying.