POST 11 : No To street photography

we all disagree on multiple things like how we travel and what we put on our sandwiches. Although most people have common disagreement that binds them together, there are still people who thinks otherwise. It is sort of a give and take disagreement, they both learn from each other, thus setting the disagreement bar higher as they learn.


Some people have been saying that they dislike the practice of street photography. That does not only mean that they can't shoot or they don't have a camera, but they are actually on the other side of the camera. Some friends and strangers dislike street photography because it sometimes invades their problem and they feel like they are being followed.

"Notice how the photos remind you of paparazzi shots: how, close-cropped, they exclude everything but their central subject; how the long lens flattens perspective and blurs surroundings, excluding context altogether; how you can feel the distance, the women as specimens. To me, this can never be street photography." [ www.allengeorge.com ]

Yes, Voyeurism is once again mentioned. Some people just does not really know the difference of street photography and voyeursim, but that is totally understandable. 

Sad to say, probably some or most of perverted photographers pretend that they are street photographers and sometimes use what amateur street photographers use as an excuse to take pictures. here are some examples from http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu :

1. "Oh, hi, I'm a photography student working on a project"
2. "Don't worry, sir, I was taking a shot of ________; you weren't in the photo"
3. I'm a photographer with The New York Times doing a story on [insert quickly-generated idea here].

Now, this is not the only problem why people dislike street photographers . Some may be as simple as "bad" photographers. Eric kim has written a blog about How to be a bad street photographer. 

According to Eric Kim , these are some ways on how to be a bad street photographer:

1. Always follow tourists when looking for photo opportunities
2. Be suspicious in public
3. Run away from your subjects after taking photos of them

To learn more of these ways to be a bad street photographer, click here


When Eric Kim says it, it sounds like ways to be a bad street photographer. But when a different person says it, it sounds like he's describing a pervert or a criminal.

To summarize all of this information, One may say that a street photographer is after the hidden beauty of a subject or an area. This chase may be misinterpreted as a perverted act, a crime. It is understandable that no one wants to be exposed or spyed on. This is just one of the problems of the society that people needs to accept and understand.





sources:
http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2010/10/25-ways-how-to-be-a-bad-street-photographer/ 
http://www.allengeorge.com/2008/06/09/street-photography-is-not-voyeurism/
http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/sgrais/street_photography.htm
http://www.allengeorge.com/2008/06/09/street-photography-is-not-voyeurism/