http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2012/09/from-military-photographer-to-street-photographer-interview-with-gary-tyson-from-hong-kong/
I read an online interview with the street photographer Gary Tyson in preparation for my shoot tomorrow. In my last shoot, I did not intentionally go out to capture images of the public, but rather took photographs of moments which interested me. This time I will be outwardly approaching people and asking to taking their photo, as well as shooting them whilst they are unaware. The part of the interview which really stood out to me was with relation to how to cooperate with participants, and how to come across or behave when photographing. Here is an extract from the interview:
(referring to the fast-changing conditions of military photography, in which he began his photographic career) This ethos works well for photography as well as many other aspects of life, and helps me adapt quickly to changing situations. I think this is a critical skillset whilst shooting on the street also, being able to ‘observe and react’ quickly before the moment passes. Being ‘streetwise’ I think is almost as important as being able to see a good image, they go hand in hand when shooting the streets, whether you choose to blend in and shoot silently and discreetly as is the preferred method of many, or whether you choose the ‘Bruce Gilden’ approach of flashing your subjects in the face.
Of course there is a lot of debate about this method….I personally find that I shoot whichever mode suits my mood…..I worry about the image first, then the consequences, some may not favour that approach, my view is that if you worry too much about any possible confrontation (usually a self imposed fear), then you will never get the intense, close up images you desire), overcome your fears, and you shall succeed, people don’t bite…well at least not always.
As I will be trying to attain shots of people unaware, matched with conscious ones, I will have to adopt two different styles. I will try to be discreet by shooting from a distance or perhaps by pretending to photograph an object or building in the foreground/background. I researched further into the "Bruce Gilden" approach that Tyson refers to in this section of the interview and found that he "routinely uses a flash, alerting his subjects to his presence, unlike most street photographers." (Wikipedia) and has photographed the homeless, prostitutes and bike gang members. I feel that this approach may incite anger as the participant has not consented to being photographed. In saying this, however, it is perhaps morally better than photographing them completely unaware, but the whole idea behind my project is the comparison between the natural and the performed, and if people are aware of my presence and photographing then they may well act differently. I have learned from this section to be confident and approachable, and more importantly to be quick to capture a naturalistic moment in time.
I found this part of the interview very interesting also:
4. What are some of the challenges you find shooting street photography in Hong Kong? As a foreigner, are people open to being photographed or are quite against it?
Shooting in Hong Kong is generally quite easy I find. For me its all about projection…If you project yourself in a positive, friendly manner, you won’t get much problem, if you over react to somebody who doesn’t want to be photographed, things will quickly deteriorate, this applies anywhere in the world as far as I’m concerned.
Some Hong Kongers aren’t keen on being photographed, particularly the elderely can be grumpy sometimes, there are some traditions I’ve heard of beliefs that their soul is being stolen if photographed by a ‘Gweilo’ (westerner), but I’m not sure how true these myths are, as others have told me there is no such thing. I guess you just need to try and respect peoples wishes, or shoot from the hip so they don’t know or need to care what you are doing.
From this I know I must be sensitive towards peoples feelings and to be sure about what I want from my photograph. I am not sure whether I will be able to shoot from hip level as it will be complicated to focus on a subject (even with autofocus) and thus the photo may come out to a lower quality.
Gary Tyson also speaks about the camera's he uses and states that: "For my street photography I started off with the DSLRs, but found them too big and noisy..." I will be using a DSLR (Nikon D7000) and thus will have to be very subtle when photographing people unaware, in order to get the most realistic depiction.
I also was intrigued by this part of the interview:
9. Who are some photographers (classic and contemporary) who have influenced your photography.
I must admit I’m not the kind of photographer who dives into books and studies other photographers work. I see images every day from people who I’ve never heard of that blow me away on places like 500px, etc. I am not from the school of having to emulate the classics or anyones styles. If I see an image I love, I may try to emulate it in some form and apply my own twist on it, but honestly I have too many visions going around in my own head to try and memorise everyone elses.
I don’t study photography in the classic form, I have some friends who are the complete opposite to me, I personally don’t think it matters where or how you learned your craft, when I look at a photo, I don’t ask if the photographer has a degree, went to a certain school, or has read the life and times of HCB–its completely irrelevant to me. I want the image to talk to me–thats more interesting.
Matt Stuart - Street Photographer
I really like the comedic aspects of these photographs and the fact that Stuart was so dedicated to street photography and patient in order to attain these humorous and ironic snapshots of London life. He undercuts the seriousness of city business men by placating them walking next to a lowly pigeon, as well as showing how a business man gains pleasure from voyeuristic acts, in the form of the FHM magazine which surreptitiously pokes out of his bag. I hope to bring this type of humorous energy and vibrancy to my photographs when shooting tomorrow.
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