I'm just not convinced by what appears to be the conventional wisdom on
candid/street shooting. Sure, when HC-B started it all and for a long
time after that, a small RF camera with wide angle lens was one way to
do it. The "aim without looking through the viewfinder" approach started
before that and has lasted as long. The TLR approach was pretty good
with a short neck strap.
My question is whether these were techniques of choice or necessity. No
matter what anybody says, I don't see how popping a Leica up in front of
my face is any less obvious to the subject(s) than popping an SLR or a
digi P&S in front of my face.
I also don't see myself getting any great success with the "aim without
looking through the viewfinder" approach. Sure, your shots are initial
trials, but look at what you got, a fruit stand and some peoples' backs,
a nice shot of a family business, but fuzzy, a poorly framed street
scene with the people small in the image and not very engaging, and a
potentially mice capture of a wedding couple seriously mis-framed. I
think I'd be lucky to do that well, even with practice.
To me, it seems that contemporary technology offers good alternatives to
sticking to the techniques of the past.
First, long lenses and good IQ at high ISOs offer the ability to
photograph people from outside their vigilant zone, at least in many
parts of the world.
Second, twist and tilt LCDs offer the ability to frame and focus
properly without raising people's suspicions.
I'll admit that much common street shooting does little for me. I look
at many, probably most, of them and say in my head something on the
order of "So there's some people walking on the street, looking in a
window, waiting for a bus, whatever, who cares?" That's not to deny that
there are some fabulous ones that capture emotionally engaging, to me,
human situations.
I'm more interested in candid portraits, where people are captured at
somewhat larger scale and the image is more about them as subject than
action on the street.
As counterpoint to the idea of "street" shooting from close in with WA
lenses, I offer some images taken using the two ideas outlined above,
with three different cameras and at 35mm eq. focal lengths from
33-480mm.
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=Candids>
OK, the last one isn't candid ...
I've posted these before, but they are on point and may be new to some.
- <http://galleries.moosemystic.net/Brooklyn/People/All%20People/index.html>
- <http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=MCafe>
The Canon A650 IS is a really terrific camera for candids in good light.
One reason I'm excited about the G1 is the potential for candid shooting
with better IQ than the A650. If I get one, it won't be red. :-)
C.H.Ling wrote:
> Yes, I also tried that but I worry about dust issue and the power consumption
> also high in live view.
>
> It is true that snap shot does not have high successful rate but here the
> people don't like to be shot so it is better not to let them know.
>
> Here are some snaps with OM-5D II, lens focus preset:
>
> 24/2 with camera hanging on the neck without looking at the viewfinder:
>
> http://www.accura.com.hk/temp/DPP_0001.jpg
>
> http://www.accura.com.hk/temp/DPP_0002.jpg
>
> http://www.accura.com.hk/temp/DPP_0003.jpg
>
> 40/2 handheld without looking at the viewfinder.
>
> http://www.accura.com.hk/temp/IMG_1195s.jpg
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