While we're on the subject of new styles, I've been thinking about street photography. There are few places today for traditional street photography (at least where I live in central Florida). But I've been observing the places where people can be found: malls, fsst food restaurants - even in their cars stuck in traffic. Is anyone doing any photography of people in these venues?

When I get some time, I'm going to start working on some projects in this area. Luckily, one advantage of central Florida is that you can carry a camera anywhere and people just assume you're a tourist.

-- John Kantor (jkantor@mindspring.com), April 25, 2000

Answers

Security guys will get you if you don't...watch...out! (Use a Diana or a Holga and be nonchalant, any pro camera and a deliberate attitude will get you rousted)... t

-- tom meyer (twm@mindspring.com), April 27, 2000.

Yep, malls must be one of the factors that contributes to the "street photography is dying" notion. But it's the amount of street photography done, not the opportunities or potential for it, that leads some to feel that SP is dying. The same opportunities exist now as they have for decades, but I am no living proof of this as I find SP difficult and challenging. There is a good thread going on the SP list server regarding "confrontations."

I take my camera to malls every so often and find that success is more of a challenge than it is on the street. But even though it's more difficult to shoot in malls because reduced ambient lighting forces opening up more which hinders zone focusing, and slower shutter speeds resulting in increased unsharpness, there are so many great opportunities for excellent candid photography that I'm surprised that mall photography (MP) isn't more prevalent. I long for a decent shot of an argument over the difference of $.19 on some sale price, or the suspicious expression of a store clerk stocking a 14 year old suspected shop lifter in action.

Fast food restaurants are perhaps more challenging as you attempt to capture the impatient expression of the lady with six young restless kids behind you in line at a McDonald's. Time, however, seems not to be a factor as it takes forever to get served anymore, except for a McD's in Times Square once where they asked for our order before the door closed, and by the time we reached the counter our food was ready. There were so many people crammed into the place that you would have to raise the camera above your head and shoot downwards -- great wide-angle opportunities. At some fast food chains you might be able to capture the eyes rolling, the fingers tapping, and the impatient *sigh* when you take longer than two seconds to decide what you want from 493 different items (not counting the value meals) illuminated in 12 point text on overhead menus.

I have not been overly successful photographing people in cars stuck in traffic, but I have tried this numerous times. I find that cars, period, are difficult to photograph and make interesting. I find that a lot of my street photography has a car zooming by in the frame which mostly detracts from the picture. This is difficult to avoid during the day in some areas, even in Alaska. By the way, I think Alaska must be sort of the same as Florida in that both seem very touristy, surely a candid photographer's advantage. People often treat me as a tourist when I'm out and about with my camera. The restauant people often ask where I'm from and seem surprised that I'm just a local.

-- Tony R. (rowlett@alaska.net), April 27, 2000.

Fortunately, here in Nashville, we still have several thriving commercial districts and neighborhoods that retain a lot of local character (they're not overrun by franchises). I'm just starting to make some serious progress in one of them; it'll take years before I can begin to adequately explore the possibilities.

It's funny you should mention people stuck in traffic--I had actually planned to stake out a spot at a nearly cafe and shoot people in their cars while they were backed up in traffic. Due to laziness, I was a little late for rush hour, but the cafe itself provided some good opportunites.

I hate malls and fast food restaurants (don't like the smell, don't like the atmosphere, don't like the people), so I usually avoid them.

People's reaction to the camera tends to vary according to the area. The place I've been photographing a lot later is a favorite of students and artists in the area, so I don't stand out too much. I've had a few people ask who I was shooting for (they thought I was reporter). Another good area downtown is a real tourist district, so the camera won't stand out there.

-- Mike Dixon (burmashave@compuserve.com), April 27, 2000.

(I think I detect an undertone of sarcasm in Tony's post.)

I know that there are still places that have a traditional street life - but it seems to me that the purpose of street photography is as an historical and sociological record of what people actually do in public. It's just that the conception of public space changes or evolves over time. (We probably should also talk about taking pictures in offices!)

One picture I wish I had gotten recently was at a Taco Bell. (It's either camera equipment or decent food for me right now!) There was a grandmother and her two granddaughters saying grace over their meal.

But the most interesting restaurants are the small locally owned ones - Chinese, Italian, Greek, etc. Both the customers and employees usually have something much more unique about them. (A while back I used to frequent a Greek owned restaurant in Clearwater that had a 50-year-old male - and extremely unfeminine - crossdresser as a regular customer!)

My traffic projects may be a bit more unusual, but, like Mike talked about, I'm currently trying to borrow a 300-400mm lens to set up near a busy intersection and do some candids of the drivers. I also plan to mount a camera on the hood of my Jeep with a wide angle lens and a remote so that I can get some real "traffic" shots.

And finally, I'm eagerly awaiting the new Casio WristCam (out this coming fall). It should be quite interesting to use for candids at the office!

http://www.casio.com/corporate/index.cfm?act=10&ID=745&CFID=217792&CFT OKEN=57350259

-- John Kantor (jkantor@mindspring.com), April 27, 2000.

Besides poking fun at lousey service in fast food joints, no sarcasm was intended.

-- Tony R. (rowlett@alaska.net), April 27, 2000.

Rereading my original post I see that it does sound sarcastic. Sorry. I didn't mean for it to be. I'm truly interested in these areas where so many types of human interactions occur. In malls and fast food joints (as probably in traffic jams, too) there is an abundance of impatience, restlessness, and vigilance. These can be as photographic as any subject.

-- Tony R. (rowlett@alaska.net), April 27, 2000.

John: are you thinking of Tati's "Traffic". If not, it's worth a look.

I'm not good at melting into the background, and my best people and 'street' stuff is of people who know me, but I have noticed that the stereotypical Boss-Hogg American tourist (or camera-bedecked Japanese) is often percieved as irrelevant and unthreatening. Young couples draped over motor scooters on the back streets of Naples would studiously ignore those in golfing trousers and Bob Hope white caps, but get edgy and suspicious when they saw my jeans and polo shirt. Minimum-wage security guards have similar attitudes and insecurities.

-- Struan Gray (struan.gray@sljus.lu.se), April 28, 2000.