Long Lens on the Street

[RSL]

For a month or so I've been experimenting with a 28-300mm lens on the street -- attached to my D3. It's a pain to carry that monster of a rig, and it's painfully intrusive in many situations. But during summer in a tourist town, which is what I live in, most people on the street carry a camera. Some carry very large cameras. So I can get away with it. What I've found is that there are many situations where the foreshortening imposed by the long lens doesn't change the perspective enough to matter. Of course, you have to be selective.

Here are a couple shots from the past week which, along with the surrealism I posted in another thread, show how much more interesting people are than landscape.

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

I'm mostly into moving images and am intrigued by long lenses, since my favorite director, Akira Kurosawa, used them almost exclusively to create interesting relationships between people and their surroundings. Would love to see some shots with two or more people in them.

[RSL]

Sareesh, Here's one from about three weeks ago. It's not much, but it illustrates why it's better to work on individuals rather than groups when the lens is extended. This is at about 125 mm, and the perspective is obviously compressed. I wanted to move closer and shoot at about 50 mm, but the show was over before I could get there.

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Thanks! I feel there's an interesting dynamic between the two kids that cannot be captured with a wider lens.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Here are a couple shots from the past week which... show how much more interesting people are than landscape.

You know, Russ, the very reason I shoot landscape is to avoid being near those "interesting" people, like the guy in your first photo

[Rob C]

You know, Russ, the very reason I shoot landscape is to avoid being near those "interesting" people, like the guy in your first photo

Dammit, Slobodan, here I go finding common ground between us again! First Petra t. r. and now people.

However, I have huge sympathy with the young guy all in hoops in the other shot: my own pants tend to fall southwards like that nowadays, and it ain't no style-statement but the simple fact of losing any signs of a bum, and gaining more obvious signs of a belly, even thought I hate beer and have put on no weight whatsoever in over thirty years. By simple deduction, that must indicate that my belly has compensated exactly for my bum. Equilibrium in life is all!

I'm still working on the maths of how it's possible for me to lose around three inches in height yet maintain that equilibrium in the other departments.

Rob C

[RSL]

You know, Russ, the very reason I shoot landscape is to avoid being near those "interesting" people, like the guy in your first photo

Slobodan, Obviously I wasn't near him. Why do you think I used a long lens?

[EduPerez]

Something I have noticed lately is that you can become almost invisible by being very visible: instead of a small concealed camera, I have used a long lens (hood included), on a large tripod; I even wear a red vest, very visible from a distance. I guess that people somehow assume that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, whatever that is, and stop noticing you. Obviously, you have to carefully select the background first, and try not to follow people with your camera.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

In a similar vein, I was told to buy one of those day-glo worker type vests with the large word "Photographer" written on the back. No one is ever going to question you if you wear something like that. And you can pick them up easy enough from the main on-line retailers at a very low cost and with what ever words you want written on them.

As well as the vest, I have also thought about buying a cheap second hand megaphone, so I can add a bit more umph to my own personal and regularly used photographic catch phrase - "GET OUT OF THE BLEEDIN WAY!!!!"

Photobloke

[stamper]

>In a similar vein, I was told to buy one of those day-glo worker type vests with the large word "Photographer" >written on the back.

You might have got sued for false pretences?

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

>In a similar vein, I was told to buy one of those day-glo worker type vests with the large word "Photographer" >written on the back.

You might have got sued for false pretences?

I like it - quick wit and repartee, excellent...

On another note, for my day job, I teach people with visual impairment (people who are registered blind) and today I was working with this man who turned to me in all seriousness and said  - you know, I had to go to the opticians again the other day, and you will never guess who I bumped into. No I said, I wouldn't know.

Everybody!!!

Photobloke