HOW TO: Photowalks and More!

[randymarsh]

I love my job. The first reason is the OT pay. The second coolest reason is I get 4 days off after four work days. I always make it a habit to do a whole day photo walk during my off. Eight hours of just walking and taking photos.

This is not a street photography tutorial. Share ko lang sa inyo kung anong ginagawa ko during my photo walks.  At sana may makuha kayo kahit konti dito.

What camera to bring : GEAR! GEAR! GEAR! During my photo walks, I often encounter other photographers carrying big DSLRs (minsan dalawa pa) with high end lenses and a back pack full of camera gear. Imagine kung gano kabigat yun!

I used to bring most of my gear during photo walks and go home with few (majority crappy) photos. Tons of gear will slow you down. Mas mabilis ka rin mapapagod. Unless you're a photojournalist, suggestion ko, iwan nyo na yang DSLR nyo sa bahay. No one cares if you are shooting with a full frame and a big 70-200mm lens. Agaw attensyon lang yan kasama na ang mga snatchers at muggers.

Accidents can happen too. Do not be an idiot like this guy

Instead, bring a cheap camera, a point and shoot perhaps. I recommend something with a viewfinder but that's just my preference. I use a Vivitar EZ motor, a cheap Nikon film, Fuji s100s and a Ricoh GR1s. I only bring one camera with me, a couple rolls of film and extra batteries. I've dropped the Vivitar a couple of times and not worry much kasi mumurahin lang naman siya. And if I get mugged, I do not mind handing over my camera.

Selfie. Dropped the camera while crossing the street


I shoot film. Just my preference. I love imperfections and muted color tones. I'll use my x100s for night photography because I do not like using the flash but other than that I'll use film. I also want to take my time before I depress the shutter. Kung nagdadalawang isip ako, I'd rather not take the shot.

My supply of film 


Less than 50mm. Again, just my preference. Lots of benefits shooting with a fixed wide angle lens. Robert Capa once said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”

What to wear : Blend with the crowd. If you are visiting the slums then dress down. Kung sa city naman, look presentable. You do not want to get the attention of the public. You do not want to be mistaken as a pervert or a terrorist spy. Do not wear sunglasses, let the people see who you are and you are not hiding something from them. Wear a hat kung mainit. Do not wear any article that screams LOOK! I'M A PHOTOGRAPHER!. Leave your Canon/Nikon shirts, straps, etc at home.

Wear comfortable walking shoes so you can walk all day. Bring a bottle of water. Bring a small bag and an mp3 player (ingat lang sa pagtawid ng kalsada).

Pause muna tayo dito. Soon to follow 

- Photo buddies
- Where to go
- When is the best time to do a photo walk
- What to look for / What to shoot

[Gunslinger]

- Photo buddies
- Where to go
- When is the best time to do a photo walk
- What to look for / What to shoot

Subscribed. Abangan ko to. Sana may tips din for night photog.

[IncX]

awesome! i am loving the tips

[randymarsh]

Here's Part 2

Photo Buddies (Why Work Alone)

Shooting with a group is fun. There are advantages and disadvantages shooting with a group. For a newbie photographer I think is ok but if you are taking photos as a hobby for many years, I do not see any benefits with it. I'd rather have a lunch date with my wife than a bromance affair (joke) 

Date with the wife during her lunch break. A short brake from a sweaty city photo walk


I'll list the advantages and disadvantages below

Advantages

Gain more confidence in a group - Mas safe kapag mas marami lalo na when shooting in dodgy areas. While thugs and thief nowadays work with numbers, kung mas marami kayo mas safe kahit pa sa lugar ng mga durugista kayo pumunta. But you can be safe working alone too, just follow my tips on my first post.

Learn something new - This is an advantage for newbies. Shooting with a group lets you ask questions especially technical questions such as camera settings, composition, etc... Information already available in countless books and online resources.

Make new friends (and possibly connections) Plus points here, self explanatory.

Grow with the group. Constantly shooting with a group allows you to grow with them in terms of skills and creativity. This could be good or bad for you as a photographer.


Disadvantages

Bromance - LOL  I'm always bothered by this. I used to think that there's something girly about photography. It's not as manly as head banging, trading licks or playing heavily distorted guitar solos on stage. This is the reason why it took a couple of years before I took photography as a serious hobby. If your group wants to shoot flowers and muscular sweaty men all day, ditch the group bro! 



An excuse for porn - well not in photo walks but in photo sessions. There's nothing wrong with nude photography as long as it's art. Many older men share cost of a nude model and a place to do a photoshoot. Mahirap basahin ang intentions ng isang tao. Does he want to shoot art or mamboso lang? I have a friend whose family has been broken because of this. I almost joined Matt Granger's photo session here in Sydney but was having second thoughts. I asked my wife about this and she did not mind except for the hefty fee I'm about to blow away. My philosophy with nude photography is,kung hindi mo kayang maghubad sa harap ng iba, don't do it! And consult the wife first if you really have to do it.

Learn bad techniques - this is my main concern. When I joined a group a few years back, I was told to set my exposure compensation to -1 and to shoot at aperture priority. While the person who taught me this took great photos, it took me years before I was able to undo what he taught me.

A group can also influence you as a photographer and this can be a good thing as well as a bad disadvantage. I have another friend who is into fantasy photography and whenever he posts a photo of his work on Facebook, I can't help myself but cringe. When I peeked at his group's photos, it all looked the same. Kaya pala. I suggested to him to read a book of Annie Leibovitz but fell on deaf ears.

Annie Leibovitz Disney Series


Buddies will slow you down. Get into the Zone!!! - If you value your time and want to grow your skill as a photographer, you should be taking photos and not socialising with other photogs. You do not want to miss "The Zone" and more often you will miss an opportunity of a great shot when you're with a group.



What is The Zone?

Mahirap paliwanag. I think it's the adrenaline rush similar to playing guitar solo onstage and hitting the right notes every time. It's the feeling of natural high and every photo you take is worth keeping. It is a moment when you love what you are doing and the inspiration is all around. This is why I go out every week and think of photography every day.

And then there's the Decisive Moment.

What is the Decisive Moment? This was coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson which he explained as a "split second of genius". This is the "Kodak moment", a shot that you will not be able to reproduce again (unless you hire models and stage it, but again that's cheating!). This is more connected to street photography. You can check more about this here - http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2010/07/01/%E2%80%9Chow-to-masterthe-decisive-moment%E2%80%9D/

Jack Simon - http://jacksimonphotography.com


The following photos were taken during the Sydney Vivid Festival 2014. There's lot of photographer during the event (with their fancy DSLRs and lenses of course) and while they are shooting the obvious subjects (see https://www.flickr.com/groups/vividsydney2014/) like the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, etc...., i turned my camera the other way around and shoot the people enjoying the festival. I think I cannot retake the same photos again which makes them valuable to me. They might not be the greatest photo in the world but at least its different from the thousands of photos taken that night making my photos unique IMO.







My wife and daughter was with me during the festival but got separated with them in the crowd. By then I was free and able to get into The Zone and took the photos above. I was happy, inspired and free. Later we got reunited and headed home, me having a big grin on my face 

And to close this post, remember that photography is a one man show so better train yourself to do the craft alone. Gain confidence by working alone and conquer your fears of the street. Learn from your own mistakes and do not catch bad habits from other photographers.

[randymarsh]

Moving on ... What to Shoot (Part 1)

This is rather a short post. I mentioned in my post above to turn the camera the other way around. So basically when in a concert for example, rather than taking photos of the band, document the fans or the events unfolding off the stage.

This is a photo book I bought a couple months back titled "Metalheads : The Global Brotherhood". Instead of photos of heavy metal bands, the book concentrates on the fans. It's so amazing to see that through music, people from different backgrounds, religion, race, financial status, age, and gender can be united into this genre.



This is one great example on how to shoot the not so obvious. To take interesting photos.

You can check out the book presentation here ->

[/u]

[fretboard]

great tips!

[kurtcobainer]

Awesome tips. Really helpful. Too bad here in the Philippines it's getting harder and harder to find spots where to shoot freely. Mostly out of town lang.

[sonicassault]

Awesome tips. Really helpful. Too bad here in the Philippines it's getting harder and harder to find spots where to shoot freely. Mostly out of town lang.

Since there is a risk that some people may ask you to delete street photos because our country sucks that way, I always bring a film camera with me so I am always sure I get to keep at least up to 72 photos from a walk. No freaking way they'd confiscate your film, and they probably have no idea how.

[pallas]

In the old days they would just take out your film from your camera.
I don't see why they can't do it today.

[sonicassault]

In the old days they would just take out your film from your camera.
I don't see why they can't do it today.

Majority of the security personnel now (at least the ones employed to guard big spaces) are young enough to not know how to use a film camera. And of course since the photography paradigm has changed from film, which is taken a roll at a time, to a filesystem, which can be selective, you can guilt-trip them saying that taking the film out would also make you lose the shots you didn't take in the vicinity which they don't have any jurisdiction in, and therefore call an intrusion (or if you're a total a-hole, destruction) of your private property. This is of course assuming you're shooting in a public space.

[pallas]

Majority of the security personnel now (at least the ones employed to guard big spaces) are young enough to not know how to use a film camera. And of course since the photography paradigm has changed from film, which is taken a roll at a time, to a filesystem, which can be selective, you can guilt-trip them saying that taking the film out would also make you lose the shots you didn't take in the vicinity which they don't have any jurisdiction in, and therefore call an intrusion (or if you're a total a-hole, destruction) of your private property. This is of course assuming you're shooting in a public space.

I just dont want to risk it. What if you took a really great shot with that roll and then you end up in that situation that you have to duke it out with the man and the system.

Too much headache for me i guess.

[sonicassault]

I just dont want to risk it. What if you took a really great shot with that roll and then you end up in that situation that you have to duke it out with the man and the system.

Too much headache for me i guess.

Well there's that. It's just that for me, the odds of keeping shots are higher when using film because the paradigm has already shifted, especially now that the resurgence of film was driven by toy cameras of all things. People just don't think that film is a professional medium anymore, and hence there's less incentive to apprehend a film photographer.

I still would feel bad losing a whole roll though, but since nasanay na rin sa digital, mas madali ako makaka move on sa mga shots na hindi ko pa nakikita.