I would agree with the old man, the objective is to make a good picture you and others can appreciate. The lens has more relevance than the camera, but the operator is by far the most important aspect of equation.From the following quote, we can guess that he would not approve of all this thought put into gear:
"Constant new discoveries in chemistry and optics are widening considerably our field of action. It is up to us to apply them to our technique, to improve ourselves, but there is a whole group of fetishes which have developed on the subject of technique. Technique is important only insofar as you must master it in order to communicate what you see... The camera for us is a tool, not a pretty mechanical toy. In the precise functioning of the mechanical object perhaps there is an unconscious compensation for the anxieties and uncertainties of daily endeavor. In any case, people think far too much about techniques and not enough about seeing."— Henri Cartier-Bresson
This little bit is maybe akin to the people shooting brick walls nowadays:
"He started a tradition of testing new camera lenses by taking photographs of ducks in urban parks. He never published the images but referred to them as 'my only superstition' as he considered it a 'baptism' of the lens."
This is totally off-topic but is there any ways we could embrace the "seeing" part? A sub-forum where technique (mentioning of camera models, films etc.) is forbidden? Just for kicks? @Sean here is an idea for the forum!
I bought a book on this topic. It doesn't TOTALLY preclude gear discussion, but it is definitely not the focus. I realized that my gear is as good as it needs to be to make the best images in the world. What's missing is SEEING things differently and looking differently. I'll come back with the ISBN # later for you.
That looks like a good book. (Amazon has a nice chunk of it for preview)A book you might find useful is Street Photography: Creative Vision Behind the Lens by Valerie Jardin.
Not at all. Our photography will improve more from reading these books and practicing than buying more gear we don't need. ;-)
Despite what my wife says, you can never have (and read) too many books, especially photo and art books!
Clearly you have not hung out with "street photographers". Its all about the gear and past photo stars, to reach its full art form you need a M camera or Fuji or both.thanks.... & after 32 years of teaching art nobody is interested in the gear you use when the image is 'right'.
I know, but the title of the thread is about your favorite camera for street photography, so I thought it should be mentioned.thanks.... & after 32 years of teaching art nobody is interested in the gear you use when the image is 'right'.
I know some of you are gonna poo-poo this one, but this is something I picked up on a whim at a trade show a while back.
It's really a "sports" camera, but I've found that it can also work for candid street shots.
In daylight it actually performs quite respectfully, but in available light it's only so-so.
It has an app that can make it incredibly inconspicuous. Compose on the phone and tap to shoot. That part works, mostly, but it's kinda clumsy.
And yes, yes, I know ...
View attachment 241647 View attachment 241647 View attachment 241646 There is no need to be stealthy and secretive. Just know your gear and be quick with it. I prefer rangefinders or an SLR with a wide (35mm) prime. Use whatever you are comfortable with. Long lenses are the exception. They rarely produce decent results (that’s another discussion).
It's uncomfortable being challenged by people who think they're entitled to order you to delete their photo you just took.
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