Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Street Photography
-- Mikhail Arkhipov, April 30, 2001
FWIW, the reason Henri Cartier-Bresson doesn't want his image widely published is because he wants
to be able to photograph people anonymously. If everyone knew what he looked like it would give new
meaning to the phrase "celebrity photographer." You may think he's being overly sensitive, but imagine
if Henri's face was as familiar as Ansel Adams'. He'd be constantly distracted by people wanting to shoot
the breeze or asking for autographs. Henri just wants to shoot a few frames and continue on his way --
the same opportunity he affords his subjects.
-- Gordon Lewis, May 8, 2001
>>This photo illustrates the advantages of the Canon 35-350L lens (a $2000 photojournalist's toy). I
took it from the passenger seat of a car stopped at a red light. The rain lead to highly saturated colors.
Canon EOS AF
I had to buy my 35-350 lens. Some people get all the luck. What did the driver think?
Very well done article, but I too would have liked B&W.
-- Leslie Koller, May 28, 2001
I live in New York City, and do street photography. I have nothing against colour but it can distract the
viewer from the "decisive moment" that the photographer wanted to capture. Besides for me B&W is an
advantage since I do my own printing and can make disturbing objects in the backgound less obstrusive.
The choice of lens does not signify anything except for the fact that it is only an instrument to capture
the moment, if using a tele lens has better chance of capturing the moment isolated from the background
and if it improves the chance of being unnoticed then so be it...I use a 70-300 and a 17-35 and shoot
from a distance or from close range...but it is true that a street photographer cannot afford to be shy or be
afraid to confront or pacify his subject in situations. In one situation a man in New York city in a fit of
rage asked me for the roll of film...I told him to get lost and so he did while making threats of calling the
police.
I like to capture fleeting moments, candid portraits and this does not give me an option to introduce
myself to my subjects with my visiting card before I take the shot...I believe that empathy for the subject
- if important to the photographer - should show in his/her work...morality is a subjective issue, not an
absolute one...I am not the one who can figure out whats on a person's mind if and as he knows that he is
being photographed...did he like being photographed? Did he dislike but was too polite or shy to tell me
that he didn't want to be photographed? Well...as long as I do not know, I assume implicit permission
from my subject. If I wanted to find out explicitly I would be talking and not capturing the moments that
I wanted to capture. I wonder what would Elliot Erwit do if he was required to obtain permission before
he took the wonderful pictures showing the moods and moments of dogs.[this is not no imply that dogs
http://www.photo.net/photo/street-photography (14 of 31)7/3/2005 2:18:44 AM