a photographers appearance & attitude

I’m not trying to demean the photographer in the photg’s vest carrying 6 cameras (he’s a bonafide Pro who shoots on the PGA Pro Golf Tour, & this is what he chooses to get his images), but it does remind me of a day I was out shooting in my neighborhood in Cebu, and saw a very tall & heavy set foriegn tourist wearing “the photographers vest” that carried everything but the kitchen sink & carrying multiple cameras…like the PGA photographer. A local Filipina “guide” was leading him into a group of children & locals at the corner fish & vegetable market, and it looked like he was “street shooting”, or at least trying to.

Instead of walking in softly or slowly & maybe smiling a bit - he charged into the group of people & kids with this huge lens with all sorts of crap hanging off that rediculous vest - and instead of getting “spontanious” images, I noticed that the people all suddenly just stepped back & froze - they were intimidated and maybe a bit scared of his “approach”….he spent 30 seconds there before his guide pulled him away & they both marched off down the street, smiling & scrolling through the LCD on the camera.

He got nothing that time except images of startled people with blank expressions on their faces - I watched their faces while I heard his 5 frames-per-second camera fire off, and thought to myself “…you need to respect the neighborhood you’re in, and the people who are in it - do you really need to be dressed like that, looking like an alien? Do you see how the people are reacting to your mannerisms & dress code?”

If a Pro on assignment needs his gear, then he needs his gear - I have no issue with that…but with shooting people - trying to capture their emotions & reactions - I’ve always found that a smile, a subtle dress code, only necessary gear, and a friendly tone in your voice & movements will announce you in a much more positive way (resulting in many more “real” images) than rolling in like a bull in a china closet, dressed like a camera store garage sale.

Thanks for listening to me rant - now back to what’s real.

PJAMES