Anyone into PHOTOGRAPHY? Oh...and a question.

[Dominikos]

I remember posting this type of thread the last time I was on the Poly forums (which was last year ) I can't find the thread, so here's another one.


ANYONE into photography??

Here's my flickr link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23945877@N05/

Here's the main problem I have: How the hell do some photographers take those amazing spontaneous shots of people and not get their heads bashed in?? The types of photos that appear in Time or National Geographic.

Just HOW do they do it spontaneously?? There's a kid on my flickr page that I took a photo of but I had mom's permission and the kid just wanted photos to be taken of him - he was a natural! See here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23945877@N05/2617550822/

But there are so many shots that are just not choreographed. Like these two old women sitting on a bench:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/perssil...te_4_beginners

If I tried to do that, I would feel stupid, like I'm invading their privacy. Or attract some unwanted attention from overprotective moms. Or some guy who has a chip on his shoulder on the street.

Any suggestions??

~Dominikos~

[FrostyBoy]

I imagine the photographer does talk to them and tell them to just ignore the camera.

[DarkCloud]

If you have a long enough SLR you can snap shots from fairly far away. People won't even know you're shooting them.

And, by the way, welcome back.

[Dominikos]

~

I imagine the photographer does talk to them and tell them to just ignore the camera.

Sure, and I've done this, but it's not going to be natural. I'm referring to the spontaneous shots.

Last year, I was passing through a park and saw a baseball game. I decided it would be nice to take a few shots. Little did I know, I inadvertently attracted the attention of some angry moms who didn't want their little Johnnies to be photographed.

If you have a long enough SLR you can snap shots from fairly far away. People won't even know you're shooting them.

I have a 45-150 mm so I use that. Yeah, I guess using the spy method has its uses. Anything bigger is too cumbersome to carry. My friend took his 400mm on vacation and had to leave it in a safe. The thing weighs a ton.

But still, imagine taking a photograph of a dying child.

~Dominikos~

[SlowwHand]

The best shots are generally accidental.

[RobWorham]

Have you tried positioning yourself in an out of the way spot and waiting around for 30 mins or so (maybe reading or some such activity) ? Sooner or later you slip from the foreground to the background of peoples consciousnesses and can generally get off a great shot or two. Return to reading and repeat as desired........

I find the patient approach also increases your perception of your surroundings and you pick out details you might otherwise have missed.

[DarkCloud]

*edit.

[Tattila the Hun]

I dable in photography, unfortunately, I don't really have the eye for it.