...because these are guys are just too much awesome for one blog to handle: See the first part here


5. What would you say are the main difficulties of getting great shots?

~Ockie : Actually "seeing" them in time to focus & compose...
~Jack070 : Lack of confidence. Often the tons of thoughts are stopping me from taking some frame, it's mostly about possible consequences (won't they get angry on me? it may hurt...), sometimes it's just the lack of confidence when I look in someone's eyes, to pick up the camera. The other difficulty is of course the technical skills of photorapher, exposing the shot properly. Because even the well-composed frame can turn out to be crap if it's overexposed with +3EV
=EricForFriends : Anything that makes it hard to get a good picture in any situation, nerves and lack of patience.
~Seiglie : Many factors to be consider here. Sometimes you were too slow, sometimes your camera settings were wrong and you loosed time setting them, loosing the desired moment to capture. Many times other people get in the way of your subjects, totally ruining that shot. Sometimes you miss to see what you really intend to photograph, maybe you were lazy and had your camera on your bag, or just maybe that day you weren't feeling that motivated. Countless of facts can difficult you and make you loose that great shot. The saddest ones are when you weren't prepared, or discover later you had wrongfully set your camera's settings. The good part is that if you learn from your mistakes, you'll never fall into these errors again.
=firedance99 : My worry that my subject is going to come and start yelling at me! Also, speed of getting your camera ready - I've missed some great shots because I didn't have my camera out at the time, and by the time I did the moment had passed.
~xsskorp : You might get really bored with waiting for the right shot. Also trying to see that perfect moment, perfect situation might be really hard. Everything else is just some reflex.
^StamatisGR : The main difficulty of getting a great shot is not to annoy people who are being photographed by you. Some people like it, some don't care and some feel annoyed. You have to be kind with people and not violate their private space. A smile always comes handy, unless you shoot under disguise.
~gazzara : The main problem is being in the right place at the right time. Some photographers will see a shot but will need a subject to be in there. Patience is sometimes key and we could wait a couple of hours to get the right moment. An MP3 player is helpful.
!Eliza-mac : Street clutter, traffic, and people behaving in unexpected ways. I have favorite street backdrops, often on really narrow streets lined with parked cars and a constant stream of traffic. It is frustrating to spot an interesting character on the other side of the street, line up the shot and then take a photograph of a bus going past! Or seeing a once in a lifetime moment when you have a split second to get the shot and no time to consider street clutter.
Example : :thumb109773613: I had just stepped away from a group of protesters when the guy on the unicycle sped across the plaza. There were several other photographers around but I was the only one who got the unicyclist, I was happy with that. What annoys me is the background, the unicyclists jacket is exactly the same color as the shop front behind him and his legs get lost against the black littler bin. I was pleased that I got the shot but annoyed I didn't get him a fraction of a second earlier, without that damned bin behind him! People don't always do what you want or expect them to do. Sometimes it's a bonus but it can often screw up a shot. The classic is people walking in front of you as you click. I've been after a photograph of a particular pub window for a long time. I stop every time I go past but haven't managed to get the picture I want. I was walking past it during the summer, the window was open, a young couple sitting in the window deep in conversation. Yay, I was about to get that shot at last! I took my time getting the composition just right and as I clicked a guy popped up right in front of me, yelling "SPARE CHANGE, MISSUS?" I managed to get rid of him but his out of focus head right in the center of the frame was not was I wanted. The nice young couple sat smiling at me as I tried to regain my composure... better luck next time!
~aR-Ka : That you usually have to go really close and you never know how,what you see,will interact.Great shots require time.I walk around about 5-6 hours at my street walks and i consider myself lucky if i get just one.
!micdt : Behaving like an intruder. Or suffering from social phobia. Not knowing your gear, because usually you have to be quick. The greatest obstacle probably is not to make decisions. I mean, if someone just captures virtually anything happening on the street and hopes to find something when browsing his hundreds of files at home, this is a totally wrong approach and has nothing to do with photography. But I have seen DDs, where the "artist" frankly describes that he did just that. This is ridiculous. Street photography is spontaneous, but not brainless.
*eXcer : Well, perhaps being quick and responsive to the moment is one of the main difficulties (or challenges, to be more precise), because since everything is so spontaneous, we have to react quickly to capture the moment or it will be lost forever. Other thing that adds difficulty to street photography are the people, because if they spot the camera, they react differently that if they wouldn't feel "observed". And because of that, discretion is advised!

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6. Is it morally right or legally permissible to photograph (/and then display) an image of a person on the street who is unaware of being photographed?

~Ockie : Yes. Streets are still PUBLIC areas...
~Jack070 : Morally? I don't find it immoral in any way as long as it's nota humiliating situation for them.
Legal? Depends on the law in the country of course, where I live it is not. Unless the person is part of the 'group' and is not the main theme of photography.
=EricForFriends : Where I live (Netherlands) it's perfectly legal to do that, as long as your picture doesn't cause them considerable harm, or use their face for a advertising campaign or so. I can live with that. Street is about people, and a love of people should be the core of what you do.
~Seiglie : If it's in a public space, yes. The law allows you to do it. But if you are in a private place and it forbids taking photos, then you legally can't. But then again, many private places like shops, theaters, restaurants and cafes are great locations for street photography. It's up to yourself to do it, but remember that if you get caught, you were broking the law. There is no excuse about it. Just remember that you are just a photographer, not a terrorist. If you feel you shouldn't photograph a kid because the parents are near, don't do it. If a cop claims you are taking shots to plan a terrorist attack, remind him that Google Street View is a way more convenient medium to do it.
=firedance99 : For me, it depends how covert you're being. If you're holding a camera to your face and no one pays any attention, then that's ok. Hiding a camera in your shoe to take pictures up ladies skirts is not ok  D:
~xsskorp : Well, the law says that you can publish a photograph, when there are more than 3 people on it. I do it that way - I do my thing, then I talk to the people on a picture, say that it came out great and ask him/her for permission to publish it. If you play it nice and say that it's your life passion and everything, really rare response are the negative ones. Negative ones happen, it's true, but more often they take it with joy, and it becames fully legal to publish.
^StamatisGR : It depends...If the photograph is taken for art reasons and does not insult the subject, I see no harm at all. If someone doesn't want to have his/her picture taken, it's better to stay at home. Especially if one thinks of all the cameras that record our everyday lives, everywhere!
Legally speaking, it depends on the country and an internet search will provide you with "The rights of the Photographer" in your country. For those interested, I've made a search of my own and here are the results: [link] . Have in mind that laws change, so keep an eye on the internet for them.



~gazzara : People get photographed everyday and they are totally unaware. The fact that you are concentrating on one subject shouldn't be discriminated against. After all, with all the CCTV etc, people nowadays really have no privacy but at least Street Photographers are trying to capture daily life and creating art from it.
!Eliza-mac : This is a pertinent question as I have a street exhibition opening at the end of March.
Under Irish law it is legal to take photographs of people in public places once you are not causing an obstruction, stalking someone or hiding up a tree to get the shot. I have managed to track down two people who's images will be part of my exhibition, I can trace a group of children in another shot and seek permission to show it. I am not obliged by law to do it but it will save me answering a lot of annoying questions on opening night and the vague possibility of someone turning up and objecting to their photograph hanging on the gallery wall. Thankfully photographers like, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Garry Winogrand had no moral qualms about capturing strangers on the street. The world would be a poorer place without them.
I question every image I upload, am I being fair to the subject? If I feel a photograph I've taken has overstepped the line I don't upload it, I have deleted images from my gallery because I felt I had been unkind to the subjects. While I often look for humor in a shot I do not set out to make people look foolish... but sometimes they do that all by themselves. I don't use a long lens for shooting street, I try to be unobtrusive, I rarely hide what I do. People often assume I'm shooting something behind them or beside them. If I thought what I was doing was morally questionable then I probably would hide up a tree or use a sniper lens to get the shot.
~aR-Ka : I think that is hard to answer.Street photographers are called to show the streets and its hard to ask everyone's permission.For me the difference is not to hide.Do what you do with sincerity, don't try to ''steal'' a shot.Always be honest about what you are doing
!micdt : There is no general answer to this questions as the legal situation varies from country to country. Nowadays, as taking pictures in public can be regarded a potential terrorist activity, things get even more complicated.
Personally I don't mind photographing people without explicit permission. Nullum ius sine actione. But there is one rule: never ridicule someone! Unfortunately I have seen this more than one time here on dA.
*eXcer : Morally, I believe that if the image doesn't shame the person in it, if it doesn't imply them in some incorrect behavior or even if the person's identity is "protected", I suppose there's no problem with it. About displaying the image, I think it follows the same line of thought, especially taking in consideration that the photo was taken in a public place, people should be aware that they might be being "observed" (if not for a street photographer, at least for video surveillance). But every street photographer should know the country laws where they take the shots, to avoid being in trouble if anything happens.



7. What advice would you give to photographers new to the field, both in techniques and importantly in law regarding the recent security tightening propelled by the war on both 'terror' and child protection?

~Ockie : Can't really comment on the second part, haven't had much trouble with it here in Spain... Besides that I try to not shoot children unless its a very special shot, even then I shoot it with an old film camera, parent's seem to not mind it as much as when you shoot their kids with a huge dslr.
As for the shooting... know your equipment well so you can react fast, and learn to see good light, a good scene is worthless if the light is horrible.
~Jack070 : Use your common sense. Don't aim at the USA embassy with 400mm white Canon L lens. Just use the brain, really.
Now more seriously; don't give up because:
a) your camera is not good enough (for you)
b) you can't take a good shot (admire the photography of the best, and those less good, think of the mistakes they made, compare to your photos, try to avoid the mistakes YOU've made. And read some good book on basics of composition, it really helps)
c) it is blurry (high iso, wide aperture and some pushing in post-processing will help). And the one that is hard to realise: get closer. I know it may sound strange, but old [Robert] Capa's saying works here: 'If your photo is not good enough you are not close enough
=EricForFriends : Techniques - study the tutorials, there are plenty. Law: know yor local law, and take your time to merge into the situation and get accepted by or at least invisible to the people. Children: be reticent, think from the viewpoint of a parent. Even if you don't go out for pictures of children, some will sooner or later jump into your frame, there are just too many of them and it will have the benefit of the unpredictable. I don't have any practical experience with it, but I suspect that anyone who'd go out to be a child-Street photographer would just come home with twee, predictable stuff.
~Seiglie : Know your rights as a photographer, and your local laws regarding photography. Learn to know when taking a shot can be more harmful that beneficiary to you. There are some situations that are forbidding, more morally that by law. Learn to identify such situations and to avoid it. But in the end, learn to respect your subjects. It's the best advice regarding street photography morals.
=firedance99 : Make sure you are well versed in the law where you are, or carry a printout of it with you. If you get stopped, don't panic. Know what they can and cannot ask you to do with the photographs you have taken. Don't be afraid to take pictures of people - so far, no one has ever paid any attention to the fact that I'm taking pictures of them.
~xsskorp : Just get the permission to publish and it should be okay. Prepare yourself to act fast and most important, learn how to observe the crowd with simultaneously being invisible when you're making photos. You don't want to get a punch on your face for making pictures.
^StamatisGR : Get out in the streets, be polite and shoot as much as you can from as close as you can. Mix into the scene you are shooting and if possible talk with people. Take extra care when shooting children. The world has gone crazy and people might think you are pervert or something. Of course you are not, but it's good to take parental consent before shooting.



~gazzara : Know the law. This is very important as the authorities tend to be bending the terrorism laws to stop people from photographing certain things. They seem to be unaware of the law itself and how it applies but they enforce it anyway. Also, learn hip shot techniques and how to communicate effectively with the public. This is essential for not getting yourself into trouble. If you have taken a shot then why not talk to them afterwards for a while. Show them what you have done to put their minds at rest and perhaps offer to e-mail the shot on when it is processed.
!Eliza-mac : For someone starting out, get comfortable on the street. Start off in camera safe locations, areas popular with tourists, festivals and public events, areas where you won't stand out holding a camera. Be friendly and polite, if someone objects to you taking their photograph, smile, say "Oh, I'm terribly sorry" and wait for the next shot. Look friendly and confident, if you look like you know what you're doing most people will assume that you do and pass you by without a second glance. Look uncomfortable and furtive, people will look at you and think you're up to no good. I have had one "New York" moment recently. I was shooting the doorway of a favorite building, the people were incidental... for a change. A large American woman coming out of the doorway yelled at me, "What the hell are you doing? Why are you taking my picture?" I yelled back that I was waiting for her to get the hell out of my shot! That is one of a handful of times I have had a heated exchange whilst shooting street. Avoid gimmicks, selective coloring is my personal bugbear, I don't like it and especially hate it in street photography. Whenever possible try to get the shot in the camera, don't assume you can photoshop it better. Everyone misses the shot at sometime or other, don't beat yourself up over it just try again.
I am extra-careful when there are children in the frame. I don't hide my camera. I look for the parents or a teacher and ask if it's okay or give them a signal as to what I'm doing. I sometimes have my children along when I'm shooting, they can get in the way but I'm less likely to get suspicious looks when they're with me. I never shoot in playgrounds or on school grounds without permission.
Being female is an advantage, perhaps people see me as less of a threat. I've often had parents spot me taking photographs of their children and watch them encourage their offspring to play to the camera. The new "anti-terrorist" laws inflicted on street photographers are bloody ridiculous! We don't have them here yet but I won't be surprised if there is an attempt to introduce them.
Be aware of your rights as a photographer, if necessary download a copy of the photographers rights in your country, print them out and carry a copy in your camera bag. If anti-terrorist laws are getting in the way of you taking street photographs start complaining to local politicians and get involved in the campaign to change those laws.
~aR-Ka : For me the greatest attributes a street photographer should have is patience and honesty.Don't try to make a scene more dramatic than it is by adding a text with melow content,the photo should speak alone.
Now about child protection i agree to one point but not entirely.As long as the photo doesn't show nudity a child could take part in my photos.In most cases its pretty obvious what the photographer is shooting and what are his intentions.Personaly i would shoot anything that i find interesting beyond any rule but if i think the content is not appropriate i would keep the photo for myself.If i shoot a person that finally doesn't want to be photographed i erase the photo infront of him,respect others individuality.
!micdt : Inform yourself about the legal situation in your country and be aware that you might get into trouble eventually as you are moving in a legal grey zone. If in doubt, don't shoot. Or push the button and don't get caught. And of course children deserve the same respect as adults - or more. If you are new to the field I recommend to read this. It is not meant to be a bible, but it contains some good hints.
*eXcer : Well, I think I'm still a "photographer new to the field", I still have a lot to learn (don't we all?) but I believe that one of the most important things is to be alert and try to predict what people might do at that point, so you can be ready to take the shot. Sometimes reacting quick is more important than the technique itself, because capturing the moment is essential. If the composition or the light isn't at it's best, you can try to fix it digitally. Of course, that the main goal is to take the shot the best way possible, to avoid editing!
Regarding to the the "terror" and child protection, there's not too much to do, I guess. I avoid at all costs taking shots that might have children in it or even pointing the camera to spaces where are children playing. About the "terror", it's a consequence of nowadays society and politics. Almost everyone is a suspect if they're shooting something, even if you're just a tourism taking a shot for souvenir! One way to trying to avoid that suspicion, is to act normally and not shooting like you're in a secret mission! But like I've said before, be informed of the country laws you're at so you can avoid be in trouble for pointing the camera.

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Our Interviewees favourite dA Street Photographers Are:

`Obsidian-Fox, `bQw, !Eliza-mac, !damien-c, *PEN-at-Work, ~Seiglie, ~absinthFenix, ~yosata, !kyle28, ^StamatisGR, `cweeks, `coxi, ~Treamus, *JACAC, ~felixlu, *hersley,  ~wallking, `gilad, ~cahilus

And outside dA:

(top favourite - Henri-Cartier-Bresson)
AND...
!Eliza-mac : I keep an eye on this site: [link] I bump into some of the guys from here on a regular basis as we tend to cover the same events. I am most familiar with Richard Whelan, I've even turned up in some of his photographs! I've been watching him in action for several years and like how he works, up close and personal without being in your face... he's smooth.
~aR-Ka : Nikos Economopoulos,  Elliott Erwitt, Josef Koudelka
~Seiglie : the complete series of Vivian Maier's work, a street photographer from the 1950s-1970s. The first time I saw her photos, I almost shed some tears out. She is the vivid personification of the street photographer, and her photography speaks for her. She died with his photographic work unknown, but thanks to the person who acquired Vivian's negatives while at a furniture and antique auction, we can all discover her amazing and altruistic street photographer work.
!micdt : Currently I am enjoying the work of Markus Hartel very much.

(also worth a very thorough look: )

Robert Frank - 'the Americans' [link] / [link]
Frank Meadow Sutcliffe
Robert Doisneau - [link] / [link]
Lewis Hine
Bernice Abott
Alfred Stieglitz
Brassai
Andre Kertesz
Eugene Atget
Bruce Gilden

And many more to be viewed in this fantastic book preview: [link]

And if that's not enough for you...

Introduction to Street Photography
[link] . [link]

History of Street Photography
[link] . [link]

Masters of Photography
[link] . [link]
MAGNUM photographers archive

Thank you so much to our wonderful dA Street Masters. Your answers have been absolutely outstanding and I'm thrilled with how wonderful you have all made this feature. Thank you for sharing your tips and stories. Everyone reading this, go take a look at all their excellent works. Everyone featured here is truly keeping alive the true spirit of the Street; they are our generations Bressons and Brassais. I know this article has been incredibly long but i hope you have found it helpful and inspirational. I sure did



Happy Photolusting!