How and why I shoot STREET PHOTOGRAPHY from the hip
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
- It's a street photography technique which is admired and frowned upon at the same time. Unobtrusive, fast, but never random. Shooting from the hip is the main way I shoot on the street, and this video I'm going to show you why and how I shoot this way.
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2024 WORKSHOP INFORMATION
jeffascough.com/street-photo-...
1-2-1 TUITION & MENTORING
jeffascough.com/online-photog...
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:50 Great street photographers
02:09 Why shoot from the hip?
04:06 How I shoot from the hip
05:06 The downside
05:24 Lenses
05:51 Zone focusing
06:13 Autofocus issues
06:33 Shutter speed
07:23 Judging distances
08:09 One lens
08:47 Final thoughts
09:51 Outro - Jak na to + styl
Anyone saying "pros dont do this" most likely is not a pro and never studied pros. I shoot 99% from the hip for the same exact reasons. I want the scene "undisturbed" when I walk into it. thank you very much for the video.
Thank you for watching 🙏
I’m a 45 year pro photographer, and I shoot straight from the hip exclusively and daily on the street.
Same. I’ve taught this style actually as well.
They say you work is the exact same way I work. I’ve been published many times over the years and I do photography for a living for over 30 years.
Those who are saying you are not a pro photographer are probably either jealous of your work or absolute shite at what they do.
DAIDO MORIYAMA shoots from the hip hahahaa
Gosh, imagine being mad at people making creative and artistic choices. Some folks do be WILD. Great vid mate!
Thank you. Yeah they have me scratching my head.
Photography is having a camera and taking a photo, plain and simple. Too many style purists that won't keep their mouth shut, thanks for the great vid!
Absolutely!! Glad you liked the vid.
I had someone yell at me after taking a photo from the hip of someone in NYC saying he was a street photographer and to "gtfo of here with this hip shit". Photo was actually quite nice
Probably one the Bros Paulie B has interviewed on his channel.
Ego and pride do so many goofy things to people's brains, should've gotten a picture of him from the hip 🤣
Don’t pay attention. If the image is what you want - that is what matters !
@@gerry9306can you provide a link to your work please. Thank you.
Pic or it didn’t happen! Funny regardless.
It’s actually a solid proof that the photographer has a very good feel for the framing, perspective, lens, mechanics and settings of the camera and of course for the right moment.
Agreed. But ultimately it’s just another way of taking photos which is no more valid than any other way.
No such thing as a "Proper" photograph.
I've been doing this since 2003. The smaller the camera though the better because it most likely resembles a card or phone. I relate it to smoking a cig around, being one with the scene and keeping it rolling. Literally shooting from the hip with a wide enough focal length lens lets you crop in in post-processing and apply rotation correction if needed, the results when you finally master it, are mysterious with allurement. When you actually bring up a camera eye level, that would turn street photograohy into portrait photography.
I don’t know about that. Watching my wife work (she always shoots with the viewfinder), is a masterclass in unobtrusive shooting. She’s so fast and discreet. It’s just different ways of seeing the world. I agree with you about the camera though.
This is the difference between those focussed on creating, and those who lack vision...who instead focus on being performative gatekeepers.
Great video, your work is beautiful.
Thank you very much.
Henri Cartier Bresson in one of his interviews states that one of his most famous images ,the man jumping over the puddle with jumping dancers on a poster in the background which is always opined as the epitome of capturing the decisive moment was actually shot blind there was a barrier up with a hole in it that he put his camera up to and guessed at the timing of the shot as the rangefinder was covered by the obstruction. It’s also heavily cropped.
Correct. I always find it ironic that his most famous photograph goes against everything he made us believe in.
@@WalkLikeAlice If you know the rules before you break them, you know WHY you are breaking them. And if you act with purpose, you will almost always accomplish more than if you just blaze away.
@@careylymanjones Yes but some of us who blaze away can get in a lucky shot from time to time. Some of my best photographs were just grab shots on the fly at 6 frames a second hoping for the best.
@@jimmason8502 Burst mode IS useful, sometimes, but if you just blaze away, you're gonna have to go through a LOT of images, you're gonna fill your card up quicker, AND your camera may be processing, when the shot of the day happens.
If your composition requires someone to be walking/riding/driving past a specific spot, by all means, blaze away.
Some argue that this photo was staged
Hi Jeff Thanks for the video. I am a street photographer in Sydney and developed your syle of shooting last year, Nikon D780, 35mm, F11, 1/400, 400 ISO, I am not too concerned with framing, there is no time, I am concerned with getting a candid shoot not an informal or formal portrait. If you raise the camera your subject is then aware and its no longer candid. Happy shooting (from the hip).
What comes of it feels very childlike, just observing the world as I would have as a child, taking in an that is good on in awe of all the new experiences.
i love this technique, i use it a lot in weddings, when guest and family are having natural interactions 😊
There is nothing wrong with shooting photography from the hip. I am going to try it
RS Canada
"Shooting from hip" is actually a technique that is very hard to master hence only a very few can manage it, I still have my Dad's Canon F1 that i loved and made so many shoots with it's waist level view finder. Thank you for this video, it brought back so many pleasant memories for me.
Thank you for watching 🙏🙏
Dude! Your photos are amazing! I can't believe people are trying to "disqualify" them simply because you don't shoot them from the eye level!
Thank you. People are strange 🤷♂️
That photo of the two homeless people covered by the shadows of the two other people talking on the wall just great composition Love it This is the kind of photography I want to do again. That's why I'm buying my first kit after 20 plus years.
Thank you. Enjoy!!
Off topic- I'm stoked for how well your channel is doing. Thanks for sticking with it.
Cheers. It’s been tough at times. We will see how this year goes.
Happy to say I've just added my sub, greetings from New Zealand.
This video really boosts my confidence in going out and take pictures. Thanks a lot from a newbie
Thanks for watching
Hello Jeff,
I think other peoples opinion normally tells you more about them than about you... Interesting topic, thanks for sharing.
Take care.
Paul,,
It certainly does. 🙂
I liked a saying "what other people think of me is none of my business"
The only thing that matters is the resultant image, and that you enjoy it. I am just starting out, trying different focal lengths each time I go out is exciting and at 69 it's brilliant to have found something new that is exhilarating!
I was teaching digital capture to Don McCullin when he was 76. That’s the beauty of photography. You are never too old to learn.
And may I say that I appreciate your presentation style: being confident in your own shoes - non-judgemental of other styles, calm - not over-dramatizing, and proving your style with a large number of images that grab the moment, and tell the story. I have liked and subscribed. Thank you.
That’s very kind of you. Thank you 🙏
I came across this video as I was simultaneously starting to shoot more "child's perspective" shots recently, and "shooting from the hip" definitely sounds cooler!
I love the idea of capturing from-the-hip and child-like perspective of the street and different public environments; I think as people we can get really stuck in a single "zone" of perspective to the world, and shifting the camera lower will change that perspective and the way the world appears..
Great contribution,thx!
Thanks... helpful.
I love the risk of shooting from my hip or whilst looking like I’m just faffing with the camera. Some images good, many images odd/bad. It can make the day when you sense the mood of the place wouldn’t accept a more direct approach. A flip back camera is a great aid to improving the strike rate.
I shoot from the hip mostly too cause at 6’3, if I put the camera to my eye (which I do occasionally) the angle makes it seem like I m looking down on people which in turn makes the subject seem “insignificant”.
Yes. That’s a great point. Not that I have any experience of that!!
Saaaaaame. Shoot from the nip 😂
I’d like to see some of your photography if you don’t mind.
I’m around 5’4” and photography is an adventure for me and at time challenging due to my height.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience and talking about your style. All the best for you and Sarah.
Thank you 🙏
You actually reminded me of what I loved about shooting a Holga or even an Argus C3. Either camera does a fine job of getting things in focus (for the Holga you just need to know the actual focal distances), but they’re not SLR so you literally NEVER know what the camera sees. Rather than looking like a beautifully composed image like some masterwork painting…it makes the photos feel like a memory or a dream. They’re incomplete.
Some of my personal favorites, were the bad photos of my dogs. They’re ugly photos but to me it captures the those in-between frames, the interstitial moments. The dog is too close, there’s too much movement, the only thing truly in focus is a bit of jowl. Or the time the dog comes in the dog door just a little too quickly and you got a great portrait of chest fur. They’re not ART but they have a sense of life happening, and to me, a memory of the kind of familial intimacy that comes from living with another animal.
I think my time spent shooting SLR has improved my sense of composition, or maybe sharpened some of my existing tendencies, but I miss the mess. Time to either repair or replace (they all stay in the collection regardless) and get some bad cameras out in the world again.
The Daido Moriyama principle. Capturing fragments of life and dreams.
Awesome advices! I will try apply all this next time street shooting
Thanks for this video!
Thanks for watching. Much appreciated🙏
Thanks! Good stuff!!
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The perspective of your photo reminds me how I used to see the world when I was a child
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thank you
lovely video Jeff !!! thank you very much
Thanks so much for watching
Fascinating video- thank you!
Thanks for watching
AWESOME WORK !
Thank you
incredible photos mate!
Fabulous! Thank you!
🙏🙏
Sound advice, thank you
Thanks for watching
Great tips. Thank you!
🙏
Shooting from the hip can give you pretty nice images, got some myself over the years. But in General I jus do street photography as I would do a wedding or any other job. Concentrate on the buildings, the scenery that is my trick and just completely ignore the people, I will just not pay attention to them and that most of the time works fine for me. I love shooting in the street, just capture everyday life as I go along with my camera. And as you say correctly, there are no rules to photography, no prescribed way to do a job. My motto is to enjoy and if someone complains (which most of the times never happens) there is always the oprion of deleting the images but to this day I never did that. Thx for the video!
Thanks for your comments and for watching. 🙏
Jeff, great words. Great work. Agree with you entirely. Best.
Thank you 🙏
Well said on this particular topic ....
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Very good advices as usual!
Thank you
Very enlightening. Nicely done.
Thank you
I wouldn't dream of advising anyone else how to shoot, but even as a mostly landscape enthusiast photographer, it's pretty remarkable how different my own images look when I occasionally jettison my default tried and trusted viewfinder-only policy and take advantage of an angled LCD screen to adopt a much lower angle of view. I've only just realised that it's precisely this lower than eye-level setting that makes many of your photos appear particularly unique and consistently interesting. I had wondered how you seemed to be unnoticed to so many of your subjects, but the other thing you're often doing as a by-product is showing more of the architecture and other features of the background within the frame, to give extra context and interest. Incidentally, it also makes children especially look considerably taller. But anyway, for a variety of reasons, your approach clearly works!
Thank you 🙂
Great video thanks!
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Well done and well said
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This is brillant !!
Thank you 🙏
Great points. thanks for sharing your world.
Thanks for watching
Really helpful advices. Thank you!
🙏🙏🙏
Your work is amazing!!
You are very kind. Thank you
Great stuff.....
Thank you
Good points - thanks for making the video.
Thank you for watching.
Thanks for this instructional video.
Thanks for watching
Great video. Thank you.
Thanks for watching 🙏
Both useful and intriguing. Well done Jeff!
Thanks for watching 🙏
little pre-visualization tip regarding 'what's in the frame at a certain distance'. Helps to compose without looking through the viewfinder.
The frame in your camera is 24x36mm size. So if you multiply the lens focal length by 100, you will have a life frame that is 100 times the camera frame.
Set a 35mm lens to 3.5 meter distance and the life frame at 3.5 meter distance will be 2.40x3.60 meters.
Same for a 50mm lens set to 5.0 meter distance. Or a 28mm lens set to 2.8 meter distance.
What a great tip, thank you.
This sounds like fun. I love the look of the lower angle so I'm going to give it a go 😃😃
Well done!
🙏
Thanks for the great vid! You keep doing what you're doing - I'm a fan!
Thank you so much.
Can't fault you mate, completely agree with everything you said... I've been shooting 'blind' for years and sometimes get imposter syndrome for this reason but it suits me completely and allows me to get the candid shots that can't happen when someone is in my camera's crosshairs. I've always shot at 500 f8 but will try a lower f stop to test my judgement of distance, so thanks for that. Cheers
Thanks for watching. I’ve never had imposter syndrome though. Sarah has and she shoots with the camera to her eye.
Very nice pictures.thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching 🙏
Thoughtful and well argued case. As you say, shooting from the hips takes practice but, as your photos demonstrate, the results are often much more dynamic that straight on street shots. Keep it up!
Thank you
great advice, great examples. I'm impressed that you brought so much passion without becoming a rant. I'm a new subscriber.
Thank you. Glad to have you along for the ride. 🙏
Thanks for sharing this great video, hope seeing lots more of this kind of content 👍🏻
Thanks for watching
Great video and tips
Thank you for watching 🙏
Very useful video mate, cheers
Thank you for watching
Excellent video. I love Street Photography !!!!
Thank you.
Your photos are brilliant.
You are very kind. Thank you
Great vid, Jeff. Well done, mate.
Thanks, Joe 🙏🙏🙏
Great topic and video. Totally agree. Shooting from the hip is just another creative choice... and a good one at that!
Thank you. Yes. It’s just a way of taking photographs.
I've shot this way for a number of years. I used to belong to a group of photographers in Leeds & found that when we went out a lot of the images shot from the eye were very "samey" so started shooting from the hip. I use a telephoto (travel) lens - 18-200mm at f8 & like the uncertainty of the images. Sometimes the blur or what the camera locked into. I did try to use a 50mm, but found that walking round the city or wherever i was,i found that i wanted to get different types of shots. At the moment i only get a small number of usable shots, but i enjoy the "walk & shoot" - great for positive mental & physical health.
Thanks for your comment. I like the randomness too.
Thank you! I can appreciate that it takes a lot of work to refine this technique, but the rewards are worth it!
Thanks for watching. It’s like anything else in life. You get out what you put in!!
Excellent video
Thank you!!
well said!
Thanks 🙏
Great video and shoot 'from the hip' most of the time too..... great captures
Thank you
Great vid
Thank you
you've always been a big influence, and I couldn't agree more (thumbs up!)
Thank you 🙏🙏
very nice, works for me
Thank you
I love your photos, very inspiring work and a solid case for shooting from the hip.
Thank you
Wow! That’s a very interesting content. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for watching. Glad you liked it 🙏
Totally agree....Whatever way you get your final product, that is up to you.... Go for it!
Exactly!!
Great video!
Thank you
Thanks 🍻
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There are a lot of great eye opening thought in your video!
I'm glad to find your channel. Thank you!!!
And I had subscribed your channel immediately...
You are very kind. Thank you.
Finally................a great teacher! You "focus" (teach) on important facts! Truly helpful! Thanks for sharing& all the Best to you.
Thank you so much. That’s very kind of you 🙏
Yeah, candid snaps are natural & relaxed. Top efforts, mate.
Thank you 🙏
Love your shots wonderful black and white mmmm so good
Thank you
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and suggestions with us. Your videos are very inspiring for me as an beginner.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video.
I enjoyed your video. Everyone developes their own style. I liked yours!
Thank you. Everyone should develop their own style. That’s the beauty of photography.
The images you shared have a dynamicism and energy that I really appreciate. You inspired me to work on shooting from the hip.
Thank you
Well said!
Thank you
@@WalkLikeAlice you’re welcome
Totally agree with you looking back in history a lot of totally excellent photographs were taken looking down into a viewing screen what ever works I say I like to mix it up have fun for me that's what photography is about.......
This is first time I've seen you on CZcams. Very impressive. Thanks.
Thanks for watching.
Thanks for sharing. Everything you mentioned confirms my finding as I started to shoot from the hip last year. I like the surprised-content sometimes, it's like you can go back and explore the scene again. I find it capturing moments I wouldn't have sometimes! Cheers.
Thank you so much for watching.
interesting this comes up at this time, I just spent the afternoon locally downtown doing just this, shoot from the hip. More learning and blurry pix but did get a few keepers.
Exactly how I shoot. Nice images! Just subscribed.
Thank you and thank you 🙏
Some of my favorite photos ever were taken on my Vito II from chest height ! I love having a quiet, zone focusing camera with a low profile.
This was very interesting. The photos are fantastic! 🙌🔥
Thank you very much