Ethics in the street

I'm really enjoying the specific examples, and the discussions there of. To that end...

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The ONE time I've tried to intentionally walk around and "shoot street" (whatever that specifically means), I took the X100 to Harvard Square on my lunch break. I decided through some quick trial and error that the only way for me to not be noticed was to not hold the camera up to my face, and indeed to not be looking at the camera when I took the picture. So I had it around my neck, in manual focus mode, at f8, and auto iso. To focus it, I would pull it away from my chest enough to see the back screen, then hit the AEL/AEL button to focus it on something about the right distance away. Then I would frame mentally without looking down at the camera at all. It gets easier, but I screwed some of them up.

But when you do it right, people don't see you and they don't react to the camera. And even if they did look over at me, once they saw I didn't have a camera up to my eye, they quickly forgot about me and kept doing whatever they were doing.

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Overall it was a nerve-wracking thing to do, and I was pretty intimidated. But it was also fun, which ... is one of the reasons to have this hobby.
 
I'm really enjoying the specific examples, and the discussions there of. To that end...

The ONE time I've tried to intentionally walk around and "shoot street" (whatever that specifically means), I took the X100 to Harvard Square on my lunch break. I decided through some quick trial and error that the only way for me to not be noticed was to not hold the camera up to my face, and indeed to not be looking at the camera when I took the picture. So I had it around my neck, in manual focus mode, at f8, and auto iso. To focus it, I would pull it away from my chest enough to see the back screen, then hit the AEL/AEL button to focus it on something about the right distance away. Then I would frame mentally without looking down at the camera at all. It gets easier, but I screwed some of them up.

But when you do it right, people don't see you and they don't react to the camera. And even if they did look over at me, once they saw I didn't have a camera up to my eye, they quickly forgot about me and kept doing whatever they were doing.

Overall it was a nerve-wracking thing to do, and I was pretty intimidated. But it was also fun, which ... is one of the reasons to have this hobby.

It gets easier... I know, its very difficult and nerve wracking at first, with so many things racing through your head at once, and trying to react at the same time. I just started a bit over three years ago, I guess the street part almost exactly three years ago. And it really takes some time and practice to hone your technique to where the technical parts of it don't require much time or effort and all of your energy can go into the improvisational dance of watching, moving, anticipating, etc, and trying to put yourself in the right place at the right moment to get the shot. I've gotten to the point where the technical part is pretty well defined so I get way more keepers from a technical perspective, but street photography always feels like baseball on steroids - its a game of failure, but you live for the occasional successes, but a batting average of .300 is exceptionally good and .200 isn't bad at all. And yeah, its REALLY fun. For some of us. If it's fun for you, you might just be heading into an addiction - that's what happened with me. For the first year or so I'd literally have withdrawal symptoms if I didn't get out there reasonably often.

I agree that for me using a viewfinder is an impediment rather than an aid most of the time, particularly for closer, more intimate shots. For more "environmental" shooting where the people add life but you don't get particularly close to them, the composition is the primary point over the content or moment and then a finder can help. A few of my favorite street shots were done with the X100 or X-Pro with the OVF, but the vast majority have been shot without the finder.

One suggestion. Rather than using AF to pre-focus on what seems like the right distance, use your distance scale to pre-focus for a "zone" of focus. Which in good light can be more or less everything. What you're doing is a necessary workaround for cameras that DON'T have a distance scale, but the X100 has a good one. Just spend a small amount of time on DOF Master understanding what your depth of field is at a few different apertures at about 5-6 foot focus distance or 2 meters. Then you set up for the lighting conditions and you really don't even have to think about focus until the light changes quite a bit and you have to open or close the aperture and change your zone of focus. If you like how you're doing it, no problem, but my goal with street shooting is always to make the technical issues as un-involving as possible while I'm shooting so I can put all of my energy into catching the right moment and angle and stuff. If I'm having to think about focus or exposure (beyond whether I need to tweak the exposure comp dial for back lighting or shooting in a shadow or something), I'm missing more shots...

-Ray
 
Yeah, I was real real close for that one, and really on all but the second, which I was a few feet farther back on. I never hold the camera at my face, sometimes down at waist level, sometimes belly/chest level. Occasionally using a flip up screen if I have one (a couple of these are OMD shots) but usually just framing on instinct, not through the LCD or viewfinder. But finders are pretty useless to me for street photography about 95% of the time.

-Ray

Well that makes a lot of sense and explains why you love shooting with the Nikon A. I have to assume the wider angle (28 vs 35) gives you that extra cushion to get the key elements inside the shot when you're not looking through the VF (though I'm sure your instinct must be pretty good at this point). I just couldn't see anyone spending $400 for the add-on OVF for that camera, but knowing you don't need it, it now makes perfect sense. Pocketable, totally unassuming, and a nice wide FOV...yeah, I see why it's (one of) your weapon(s) of choice.

As you know, 35 is s wide as I am comfortable shooting people and street shots, thus the strong interest in the Fuji X100s (as opposed to a 28). Update to my quest to find one...A DPR thread this morning led me to Kenmore Camera outside of Seattle. They had it in stock and should be shipping it today. Looking forward to playing with it Labor Day weekend! BTW, I agree with you about how odd it is that Fuji gives you physical shutter speed and aperture controls (which I love) but only in full stop increments. It will take some practice to get used to fine tuning with the dial or arrows on the back.

Steve
 
Well that makes a lot of sense and explains why you love shooting with the Nikon A. I have to assume the wider angle (28 vs 35) gives you that extra cushion to get the key elements inside the shot when you're not looking through the VF (though I'm sure your instinct must be pretty good at this point). I just couldn't see anyone spending $400 for the add-on OVF for that camera, but knowing you don't need it, it now makes perfect sense. Pocketable, totally unassuming, and a nice wide FOV...yeah, I see why it's (one of) your weapon(s) of choice.

As you know, 35 is s wide as I am comfortable shooting people and street shots, thus the strong interest in the Fuji X100s (as opposed to a 28). Update to my quest to find one...A DPR thread this morning led me to Kenmore Camera outside of Seattle. They had it in stock and should be shipping it today. Looking forward to playing with it Labor Day weekend! BTW, I agree with you about how odd it is that Fuji gives you physical shutter speed and aperture controls (which I love) but only in full stop increments. It will take some practice to get used to fine tuning with the dial or arrows on the back.
Steve, yeah, my framing instincts are pretty good. When I was learning this I missed a lot, then I missed some, then I missed a few, now I only occasionally miss. I do crop, but not radically, but often enough down to a square from 3:2 or 4:3. The OVF is a non-issue to me, but if it was, the expensive Nikon finder wouldn't be an impediment - I actually have a little Sigma OVF for the DP1/DP1M that works perfectly on the Nikon. They're just dumb finders, so as long as its the right FOV and framelines, that's all that matters...

Glad you found a camera - Kenmore often seems to have stock when others don't. I've never dealt with them but I've heard only good things. In terms of the full stops, I'd guess you'll probably just end up using the camera in full stops most of the time - that's what I did. It was just more hassle to fine tune than it was generally worth. But when I have 'em on other cameras, I tend to use them.

Have fun with it!

-Ray
 
In terms of the full stops, I'd guess you'll probably just end up using the camera in full stops most of the time - that's what I did. It was just more hassle to fine tune than it was generally worth. But when I have 'em on other cameras, I tend to use them.

-Ray

I assume the same as well. Back in the day, I don't think I ever had a problem with my Minolta SR-T 101 (or was it 201?), which of course only had full stop increments. I'm sure it won't be an issue...and if I really need it, the 1/3 stop adjustments are only a step away.

Now, can this camera possibly live up to the hype?!?! :)

Steve
 
I assume the same as well. Back in the day, I don't think I ever had a problem with my Minolta SR-T 101 (or was it 201?), which of course only had full stop increments. I'm sure it won't be an issue...and if I really need it, the 1/3 stop adjustments are only a step away.

Now, can this camera possibly live up to the hype?!?! :)
Of course not! So just forget the hype and enjoy the camera!

-Ray
 
Of course not! So just forget the hype and enjoy the camera!

-Ray

Wait a minute, I was told it's not about the photographer. In fact, the receipt says that my soon to arrive X100s is guaranteed to take nothing but award-winning shots! Something about one of the back buttons being programmable so the camera only captures definitive moments. :)

Steve
 
Wait a minute, I was told it's not about the photographer. In fact, the receipt says that my soon to arrive X100s is guaranteed to take nothing but award-winning shots! Something about one of the back buttons being programmable so the camera only captures definitive moments. :)

Steve
Oh yeah, its there. But you have to FIND it! :D

-Ray
 
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