Can you use a SLR for street photography?

Xmas · Dec 14, 2008

Hi

If you have am OM1 (or other SLR with a mirror lock) it is simpler to lock the mirror up and use a 35mm lens instinctive point, try setting 8 foot, to start with.

This is not sneaky, if you have a mirror, winder or are quick -with the lever -you can get a second or third shot, or even 36. Carry two bodies with 35mm lenses.

Ja tourists are the least interest in being aware of what you are doing.

Noel

Russ - SVP · Dec 15, 2008

Chaplain Jeff said:
Is the Pope Catholic?

Does 1 + 1 = 2

Does a bear... (you get the point)

I have been shooting and working with film since the early 80's when I got a job as a student in the local photography studio - no such thing as digital OR 1 hour processing back then - everything was done by hand. Shot throughout college and grad school to cover beer and then rent money.

Approximately 1/3 of all my negatives and slides - personal or professtional - are street photography.

I purchased my first rangefinder - a Minolta 7sII - 7 years ago.

Since then I have acquired and use (much more often than my SLRs) multiple Leica and Minolta M / LTM bodies and lenses.

While I might suggest for many situations RF's are MORE appropriate, an SLR is VERY appropriate for street photography.

One of the best street photographers on this forum - the Kiron Kid - shoots primarily with Nikon SLRs - F100 and FE2, I think. His street photos rival any I've seen.

I would recommend you go with a smaller one - NOT a Nikon F4e or F5 with grip flashes, etc.

Less obtrusive is better no matter which system you use.

When doing street photography with an SLR these days I find myself gravitating towards a small Minolta body (usually the XG-se). I attach the small and rather quiet Minolta Auto Winder G to it and slap a Rokkor 28mm on the body. The whole thing weighs the same or less than a Nikon F series body alone (lots of plastic on the XG's, but the meter is very accurate). It's a small setup and is not intimidating or obtrusive.

As Jeff mentioned, I do a lot of street shooting. I use rangefinders and SLR's. The attached snap was made with an SLR and a Viv S-1 28-90 zoom. She was never aware that I made the snap. Use whatever camera you have. Ane there's no need to be "sneeky" about it.

Kiron Kid

GraemeMitchell · Dec 15, 2008

I say use whatever you're comfortable carrying around, as in what camera you don't mind always having on you, doesn't cramp your style or make you walk lopsided.

I'm not a street photographer, but I've been working on a project in my free time (here and here). Nearly all of it is done with an SLR.

I've shot with rangefinders, and found it interchangeable with an slr for this sort of work, doesn't really matter.

budrichard · Dec 15, 2008

From this question and other questions on other Forums, I was beginning to wonder if someone had not written a treatise entitled 'Rules for Street Photography'.
Rule #1. Must not be posed.
Rule #2. Must use rangefinder, preferably Leica.
Rule #3. No flash.
Rule #4. Must be B&W.
and the list goes on.

I don't know where these promulgate from but let me tell you many of the famous 'Street' pictures were in fact posed and most news photography except for the rare spot photo is posed.
What people don't like is surreptitiously trying to take thier picture.
If your aboveboard and explain to the person(s) what you want to do. most of the time they will acquiesce.-Dick

mjk · Dec 15, 2008

It depends on the SLR. With a nice small body like my Nikon FG and a nice smallish 35 or 50 lens, sure. A monster like a EOS-1 or F5 couples to a telezoom, not so much...

MitchDeYoung · Dec 15, 2008

the thread (even though ment for SLRs) has got me craving some long exposure street shots with LF. No need to be sneaky with that.

viridari · Dec 15, 2008

budrichard said:
Rule #2. Must use rangefinder, preferably Leica.

Or a TLR. They are great for this, too, in that it doesn't actually look like you're taking a photograph when you look through the WLF. In fact, if you wear a baseball cap while shooting a TLR, most people won't even see your face. And a TLR doesn't have the distinctive "camera shape" that people expect to see. Looks more like you're a surveyor or something.

Larry Bullis · Dec 16, 2008

Kiron Kid said:
there's no need to be "sneeky" about it.
Kiron Kid

Sneekers deserve what they get. Street shooting is risky enough without bringing dying or being beat up into the equation. If you are out front about it, don't hide, you are giving the subject the courtesy of asking you not to shoot (which I would NEVER violate!). If you hide, why wouldn't they get mad? I sure would.

K.K. that is a really fine image. You are going on my list. Thanks.

Larry Bullis

Larry Bullis · Dec 16, 2008

GraemeMitchell said:
I'm not a street photographer

C'mon. What do you expect us to believe? Pretty neat stuff. If it ain't the street, where is it?

archphoto · Dec 16, 2008

The only thing I can add to this: think about your safety.
Nowadays I live and work in Goiânia, Central Brazil and there are parts of town where I like my Samsung D830 better than the
Olympus E410 or E520. Sorry, it's all digital here.
Put a zoom on the camera for wide and for close-ups.
The more relaxed you behave the better and if people ask questions for who you work, you can allways say : for my friends abroad.
Good luck !

GraemeMitchell · Dec 16, 2008

bowzart said:
C'mon. What do you expect us to believe? Pretty neat stuff. If it ain't the street, where is it?

Yes, the street indeed, I just meant that it's not my area of expertise focus etc - so a warning that my opinions on the matter are best served with a grain of salt.

mamiya_madman · Dec 27, 2008

I always use mine for everything. SLR's are so versatile. Remeber its no illegal to take photo's of kids in a public place

Katier · Dec 27, 2008

mamiya_madman said:
Remeber its no illegal to take photo's of kids in a public place

I don't believe it is.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3559975/There-is-no-law-against-photographing-children.html

Now the origonal article was written 6 months ago so things might have changed but I've certainly not heard anything to that effect and we've covered a fair bit of photography and legal stuff in my University Course.

It's prudent to be carefull but whilst there is some paranoia around it I don't believe it is illegal.

John_Nikon_F · Dec 27, 2008

You can put a lens, like a 24f2.8 AI or AIS (I'd use a MF lens - more DOF marks than the AF version), onto your F5, set the F5 on A mode, set the aperture ring to f/8, then set the focusing ring using the DOF marks on the lens. Shoot while the camera is hanging from your shoulder.

-J

c-mo · Dec 31, 2008

Street photography is only valid if you wear a black cap, name-drop "HCB" and "Garry", and tote enough Leica gear to pay my rent for a year.

(Kidding!)

Nobody argues that you must copycat Ansel to be a "real" landscape photographer (hell, Galen Rowell used an amateur 35mm SLR for many photographs). A few very vocal people have a chip on their shoulder about the "proper" gear for street photography and think that SLRs are for the huddled masses and their f/1.8 flower bokeh shots. Their artificially rarified definition of street photography is more about keeping the hoi polloi out than creating art.

Joe Brugger · Dec 31, 2008

c-mo should also have mentioned that street photos taken on film stock other than Tri-X will not appear leaving the hapless HP5 shooter with a blank roll of film.

the FE2 and a 35/2.5E are a nice lightweight carry-around combination.

mudman · Jan 2, 2009

Dang it, I new I shouldn't have shot with My FM2 last night, explains why I couldn't take any good photos... right? At least the trix will expose

c-mo · Jan 2, 2009

That's right! It's why Capa's D-Day pictures never turned out -- he went in with toy cameras like Contax and Rollei!

removed-user-1 · Jan 2, 2009

Regarding the lens size - if you are willing to go manual focus, pick up an old Nikon Series E 50/1.8, or the last variant of the AI-s Nikkor 50/1.8 that replaced it. Both of these lenses were very tiny, with pretty much the same glass that's in the AF lens. I used to use this exact lens on a Nikon FG (my first 35mm camera, almost 20 years ago). The FG was one of the tiniest cameras Nikon ever made with full exposure controls, and I used it on the street all the time, set for hyperfocal distance.

Prest_400 · Jan 4, 2009

Sure, I've seen this evening a woman that was everything but discrete.
She was using a canon 5D, a 70-200 (one of the white teles of canon), and a big Manfrotto tripod.
She was standing a bit off the street, but pretty visible; there were more or less 30 people walking and talking around, I was the only one that put attention on her. If with this people don't even look at you...
I believe something like an OM1, which I have, wouldn't even catch attention on you if you're rather discrete. I have to recognise that I'm too shy for street photogs.

Excalibur2 · Jan 6, 2009

Prest_400 said:
Sure, I've seen this evening a woman that was everything but discrete.
She was using a canon 5D, a 70-200 (one of the white teles of canon), and a big Manfrotto tripod.
She was standing a bit off the street, but pretty visible; there were more or less 30 people walking and talking around, I was the only one that put attention on her. If with this people don't even look at you...
I believe something like an OM1, which I have, wouldn't even catch attention on you if you're rather discrete. I have to recognise that I'm too shy for street photogs.

Maybe there is less paranoia with a woman taking photographs, esp of children...........

furcafe · Jan 7, 2009

Women definitely get more benefit of the doubt in those sorts of situations as they're perceived as less threatening/not fitting the profile for pedophiles, etc. Not being sexist or anything, just stating the reality.

Excalibur2 said:
Maybe there is less paranoia with a woman taking photographs, esp of children...........

cooltouch · Jan 7, 2009

A great tip for taking candids I picked up probably 25 years ago was this: if you have an SLR that takes interchangeable viewfinders (like a Nikon F or F2) for which waist level finders were made -- try to snag one of the WL finders. You can hold the camera down by your waist and act like your just fiddling with your camera, while you're actually setting exposure and focusing, and fire away. You can get up close with a fairly wide angle lens, like a 35mm, and won't disturb your subjects. This will also work if you just remove the finder and use the bare focusing screen, provided you're not getting glare from the sun or other light sources.

Best,

Michael

Katier · Jan 8, 2009

cooltouch said:
You can hold the camera down by your waist and act like your just fiddling with your camera, while you're actually setting exposure and focusing, and fire away. You can get up close with a fairly wide angle lens, like a 35mm, and won't disturb your subjects. This will also work if you just remove the finder and use the bare focusing screen, provided you're not getting glare from the sun or other light sources.

One of the reasons I'm trying to get a TLR is for this reason. Bonus of a TLR (which admitadly would be MF or 4x4 ) being it's also quieter than a SLR.

That said no reason at all why a SLR can't be used and I've used a Me Super successfully.

Can you use a SLR for street photography?

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