Blended Paths

I've always had a fascination with street photography. This curiosity has been mostly satisfied by viewing the works of my friends who focus on street photography and the work of photographers like Bill Cunningham, who is known for his work with the NY Times and his "trending" photos. Still, in recent years, my curiosity has grown and I have wanted to try my own hand at the art, but there are many problems to overcome. Thus, I have spent time researching as well as thinking on my own terms about my problems in direct relation to shooting in the "streets" and I'm going to share what I've learned or come up with in this post.

Problem #1: I live in a fairly rural area, more than an hour's driving time away from any true "urban" shooting grounds. How can I compensate and shoot where I live? How can I get "true street" shots in my own environment?

Problem #2: I'm timid and I don't want to invade anyone's privacy. What are the laws or "rules" for shooting street photos? How can I approach someone I really want to get a shot of? How can I deal with rejection?

Problem #3: What kind of equipment is best for street photography? Would a telephoto lens help me capture people with more shadiness or does that defeat the purpose? Would a point-and-shoot work best since there's a wider range to shoot with that type of camera? How about my iPhone? I'm really into iPhone photography, but would I seem less "serious" about what I'm doing if I were using such a tool, or would it actually be helpful since most people in my area aren't used to seeing giant SLRs and long lenses being sported around and that might make them more nervous about the whole situation?

Problem #4: I'm a stay at home Mom. I always have my toddler with me and it's tough to take a two year old on a shoot. There are safety concerns, as shooting requires almost as much attention as my child, and there are obstacles like diaper changes and baby boredom. How can I deal with these issues, from a mom point of view?

As you can see, I have some major questions to answer before I really try to head out and give street shooting a real shot. I have some ducks to get in a row and some marbles to get in a jar. These are serious questions for me - not just off the wall, I don't know what I'm doing, questions. Here are the answers I've come up with for myself. Perhaps they can be of use to you.

Problem #1: Rural vs Urban street photography. Bottom line first:

“As crowding increases, people’s personal space requirement decreases. Also, the space one needs and expects is culturally dependent. In some countries people naturally stand, talk and touch each other in public to a closer degree than in others. But there are general unspoken rules. Get too close, “In your face” — as the saying goes, and people get nervous, even if they don’t know exactly why.”

“At a fair, a midway at a carnival, a sports event, parade, concert or public ceremony, people’s need for personal space and therefore privacy is reduced. The level of sensory stimulation is also usually high at these events, which tends to reduce the need for space. As well, in most of these situations people are having fun so they are more relaxed.” Michael Reichmann

This is the crux of my problem. There's never "crowding" where I spend most of my time, and I avoid crowds as much as possible. I tend to stay in more open spaces, and limit myself to a certain number of people around me or I freak out (so the rural thing kind of works for me in that way). Back to the problem: is it even possible to shoot street photography in such an environment?

As it turns out, "Rural Street Photography" is a fairly new concept and is picking up some major attention in the art world. There are no true tips to be found for this, so I decided to create my own for what I think rural street photography could be:

• Street photography is generally about people, but it doesn't have to be about people. Shoot the landscape as much as the people. Buildings, lights, signs, autos - the big picture and the story you want to tell is, in my opinion, more about the environment than the person in a photo - even when you do have a person in a photo.
  
• If the first bullet made any sense to you, perhaps this one will, too. Even though the standard definition of street photography includes and revolves around people, my thoughts always go back to the story being told - what are the people doing? So, I think, for rural street photography, capturing the man on the tractor doesn't mean the man has to be the primary focus of the shot.
• Capture any and every thing that catches your attention. If it's industrial and of some use, it should count. Screws in a pile by the curb. Hay fields and the designs the bailed hay make as they await their relocation to a barn somewhere. The barn itself. Any of these things can help tell the story in the really rural scene.

As I consider more things of interest in this area, I will update (or perhaps blog about this in it's own right) this section.

Problem #2: The Self-Consciousness Issue. Chris Weeks, a well-known street photographer and artist, has answered my question in short: "You’d be better off studying the art of shadowing and surveillance than photography to be a successful street photographer [...] Not some pussy with a scope up in a tree waiting for some hapless f**king deer with no chance against a 30.06." His number one tip? "Street work has more to do with how you blend in to the scene, and less about how good you are with a telephoto lens waiting for your prey." That kind of takes care of the rest of the questions in Problem #2, as well. Blend in. Become part of the landscape. Become part of the environment. Become invisible to the people you are shooting.

Problem #3: The Equipment Problem. The classic technique for "professional" street photography consists of fitting awide (20mm on a full-frame camera) or moderately wide-angle (35mm)lens to a camera, setting the ISO to a moderate high speed (400 or800), and pre-focusing the lens. Not likely to happen for me. I don't shoot film because I can't afford it. I don't have a wide angle lens for my film or dSLR, and I certainly don't have money to buy one. So, for what I have to work with, this is the best solution:

• Start out with a cell phone or a point-and-shoot. Using low profile equipment forces me to be closer to my subjects, therefore forcing me to face my fears of offending or breaking the "space rule" up front. It also forces me to get more familiar with blending in, thus becoming one with my environment and seeing good shots to take.
  
• Another benefit? Back to Problem #1 - the culture I live in will be less like to freak out or find it out of place to see someone shooting "random" photographs with a cell phone or small point-and-shoot camera vs. a great, big, conspicuous dSLR or film camera with a giant lens (wide angle or not, to them any removable lens is going to seem massive - it's their mindset).
  
• And, finally, this method will work well in helping solve Problem #4 - the kid problem. Easy to manage equipment - no worrying about winding/changing film or the hassle of a large camera to work with, I can stuff my phone or small camera into the bag or my pocket for those random diaper changes or snack stops...or even get some fun shots with ease for those, "I'm bored and want to play/walk," moments.

Problem #4: The Kid Problem.  Taking a toddler anywhere is a pain in the butt. Grocery shopping, out for lunch, yes - EVEN to the park. You have to haul a lot of crap, from the diaper bag with half your kid's room in it to the snack bag to the cooler with a wide variety of juice and milk when you go on a farily long-planned outing. Then there's the issue of boredom. Sometimes, especially in this case, the kid has to stay in the stroller a good bit. I can't let him run around the streets at this age - it's not only an irresponsible plan but a stupid plan, and I can't shoot and keep him safe out of the stroller. Just not happening. So, what is the solution?

• Use the big stroller. It's more comfy for baby and has the basket underneath to haul those never-ending supplies.
• Keep a few of baby's favorite small toys/books in the basket for emergencies.
• BE FLEXIBLE. Be willing to miss a few great shots in order to keep baby happy - stop and play, let baby walk and run when we get to the park...
  
• Use baby as a conversation piece to help with the previous discussion of self-confidence. Keep that in mind to stay positive and less frustrated about baby's needs while I'm trying to "accomplish" something for myself.
• Bottom line? Baby always comes first, so this shouldn't be that hard. It's not hard to keep my eye on my son in public - it's almost a natural reaction when he's "loose" to be ever aware of his location and safety status. So, leave the worry at home and have FUN.
• Plan the outing to include specific, preshceduled breaks for diaper changes. I'm pretty aware of my son's potty behaviors and frequencies, so I'd never plan to go try shooting with him before he's had his morning poop, for example. That would just be silly.

More to come on this topic, including photos once I get the chance (who knows exactly when that will be?) to get out and give it a real shot with my kiddo. I'll be sure to take notes (even if it's just in my head) to let you know how the experience was and what I learned. I'm excited to consider getting out and shooting again - in a different environment than the nature I love and am so used to!

Happy shooting!