Don't be afraid to get close Street Photography tips. John Free
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- www.johnfreepho...
Street Photography Tips, Techniques, and Workshops
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@john_free_photography
John Free is a social documentary/street photographer who lives in Los Angeles. His photographic essays range from railroad tramps in California to automobile abstracts to London and Paris street life. John has been inspiring to photographers of all ages and skill levels for many years through teaching sold-out classes and workshops in street photography in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and London. Part stand-up and part evangelist, he speaks from the heart to inspire new generations of photographers.
How can anyone not like the advise and tips John is telling you.
i would listen to that every time i hit the streets, thanks John
"Spiritual street photography," You have the most amazing voice, you should be a story-teller as well. Good job!
Hi john.
just love your videos I love street photography. I do have another problem I use a wheelchair I do have a different perspective being lower down. And people are not that bothered about having their photographs taken. All the very best from Sarah in Scotland.
Embrace it dude! Shooting from a lower perspective creates a more imaginary world. A kid's perspective that always looks out for things that happen in the moment. Do you have a website or instagram?
Dear John, Thank you for your life changing advice to us photographers. Your positive attitude of making pictures with the intention of bettering the lives of others is truly inspirational. With dedication and hard work, I shall strive to be a better social documentary photographer who contributes back to society. Forever grateful for your wisdom and encouragement. Take care. Love and Respect from Hong Kong.
Dear John, you are a noble soul. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
You're a very wise and inspiring man.
Thanks Jordan, I am happy if my videos have helped you in some way. John
Mr. Free, you are such an inspiring human being... Thank you so much 🙏🏻
Excellent. I only shoot "street " . i am never scared to get in close, but as you mentioned, its all about YOUR body language and how the subject reacts to it.
I always find its nice to show the person afterwards and explain why you chose them .
I have a rule of always knowing who I'm photographing, or introduce myself immediately after, nobody is free game just for me. I won't know who's always looking at my prints, but I'll know who's in them.
absolute joy to listen to this
I have recently found a passion for street filming. I agree it is uncomfortable at times when you sense people that sense you. We are all people watchers be it while we walk to work or on TV. I believe respect is the noble thing to do. Ask nicely for close ups, be discreet if you can and apologise if approached. Thank you for your views. Robby
This is so true, he really got to the root of shame by concluding that we think it's a wrong thing to do and that if we begin to think it's a good thing to do we don't feel uncomfortable doing it anymore :).
Your philosophy on why we enjoy and participate in photography is very inspiring !
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Nice thought, I do get uncomfortable when trying to take a pic, but now i have word to reinforce the process, I MUST.
John awesome perspective man :) I love life and but yeah many get bothered when they are approach by someone they don't know but who actually simply wants to capture a beautiful moment of life and our surroundings ..very deep thoughts :)
I like the idea of a visual poem. I feel like that might be a good way to explain oneself in the event of a photography confrontation.
Maybe explain that you are a new photography student, or that the angry person might qualify for a $1000.00 prize.
Why are you not on the Discovery Channel? Photography has exploded in the last 20 years or so with cams, blogs, hi-def videos ,cell phones newer DSLRs and so forth. Market for HONESTY is HUGE in this field. That is one reality show I would watch.
Thank you John... I stopped taking street photography because I felt I was invading someone working behind a counter. I was on a trip to Split Croatia and I was taking photos of a nice young lady serving a customer at a meat market and once she noticed me taking pictures she just screamed at me. I was terrified! I told her I was sorry and left.
Thank you John. That was very good advice. also a busker is a person who plays a guitar , trumpet or uses an old plastic bucket as a drum to entertain a crowd in exchange for spare change.
A great tip when taking someones photo is to smile and say thankyou afterwards. This will mean that they won't think your creepy. Trust me, you will learn this stuff if you study sociology.
If you're in this for the money then you won't be doing street photography long. Street photography, in my opinion, is to capture the simple everyday moments in time, pure and unobstructed. It's real human emotion and reaction captured on camera. It isn't posed. It's real and it's true. If you want to make money, move on to fashion or commercial photography. If you want to say something that speaks volumes to a myriad of people, capture real human emotion. The street is just one place to do that
Thank you John for sharing so much experience and talent with us.
I really like your work!
Thank you so much John.
Beautiful words John, you are a fantastic teacher. Thank you
You are so encouraging. Just like the nun you talked about in your other video that encouraged you so much. Thanks for what you are doing.
You're a very wise man.
Thank You for sharing this knowledge with us.
Wow saw this again. Was the music added later its beautiful.
Just found your videos yesterday.. I wish I found your videos earlier. I appreciate your way of sharing your knowledge John.. Keep it up
This is such a beatiful explanation and mind-set. Thank you, John!
I shoot with a 23mm lens. I either ask or I just shoot all over a scene openly and include the subject. But I never hide or shoot in secret. That's just me. Yes, I get smiles, but that's fine with me. I am not doing anthropology; I am doing art.
Super inspiring
this was very motivational and inspirational as well
i love this man!
This video really liftet my spirit. Thank you
Great video.
Until recently I've always been a bit ambivalent about street photography, maybe because too many people see street photography as just shooting homeless people. I think street photography should be in mode of Cartier-Bresson or John Free where you see almost the entire range of people. It should consist of happy people, business people, construction workers, disabled people, protesters and homeless people as I think street photography should tell the entire story. I've been watching a series on UK tv called Britain in Focus and last week it was from Corbin to Beaton over the period of two world wars and momentous times in history such as the liberation of Belsen. It showed how people lived in that time, what was expected of them and how they enjoyed themselves. That photography is so important, recording who and where we are as people and peoples in a honest and balanced way goes to the core of our humanness. There are things we must never forget, and we must learn our lessons and honour those memories, but there are also things we should remember and smile. Terrible things are still happening in the world that must be recorded, but so should people's resilience, ability to smile and successes. A great video, and as soon as my FED arrives I'm actually going to give it a go on my mobility scooter, and I wouldn't have said that a month ago!
this is third clip I've watched thanks for tips and your sincerity.
Very good perspective on the doctor analogy sir!
I'm always afraid to publish photos of random people, or my drawings of them... Especially if there is a child in my work.
Great...video, he's right.
Hey John, I'd love for you to do a motivational monologue to throw on my mixtape! This is great, I have to sometimes trick my mind into doing street photography comfortably. Your absolutely right, you do it because you HAVE to fulfill that passion in you. I love this talk, what your doing is a noble thing for the public, empowering many people. Keep it up!
Love you John. Just take it! Thank you
Unless you are in Montreal. If you do street photography and you want to get close, ger ready to figth. People, well french people that live here, are pretty crazy. Quebecer are good about it most of the time. But there is really crazy peoples around here. I don't really care, it just make me want to make more photos, but be warned!
I like your lesson though! That's why i continue :) Thanks!
such an inspiration. thank you Mr. Free
Thank you Andrei, I want all photographers to have the great fun that I have with my camera.
@johnfreephotography very nice, enjoyed listening to this!
Thanks John. Great feelings about photography. I love it.
Powerful words, thank you
I'm so glad I found your channel, love your videos!!! Great tips! great stuff
Thank you very much!!
Ironic thing, though; When I had one of my first attempts at "street photography", I saw this older man with a hat and a coat, and a big white beard, playing a banjo in a busy street. He was sitting against a plain brick wall and I thought it would make a nice picture of this friendly looking musician. - I squatted down like 10 feet away from him and zoomed in to like 55mm so he was fully in the frame. This didn't get me near him at all and even stayed pretty much out of his sight.
But then I shot one or two pictures and he went "Hey! No no!". - I went like "Huh?..." and just put the camera down and kinda smiled at him in confusion. - He stopped playing and I just walked over to ask what the problem was. - He barely responded and didn't even face me while he packed up his stuff, but then went "You take picture but you no pay, huh?!". - I asked again "Well, what's the problem?", very calmly... But no response. He didn't seem to want to communicate so I walked off to leave him alone.
I don't know what his problem was. Maybe he was homeless or what have you. But he had the nerve to demand being paid for someone taking his picture. - I suppose he became a street musician to get money, but then also in that I think he's doing it for the wrong reasons.
I would never have thought this (fellow) musician would react the way he did, and it was just poor and disappointing. - Most street-performers would just either ignore anyone taking pictures (as they're there to draw attention after all) or just smile or nod at most, and keep doing their thing. - But not get upset and just quit altogether. It was really weird.
Yes, this is a demotivational comment and it discouraged me to go and shoot random people. - But that's the way reality is. Harsh and unpredictable. - I will try again, years later now, but I always expect the worst, because that's just life and also my luck.
Wonderful video clip....!! Thank you John...!!
Thanks John!
A response to both of you is if your heart is set on being rich and famous, you've already lost. Even if your doing it for that sole reason, you'll find trouble being monetarily content. But don't act as if your a purple snowflake, you will live and die just like the millions upon millions before you. Do it because it fulfills you, and the prosperity will come. I know it sounds intangible and cliche, but it's absolute truth. The fortunes will come find you if you hustle hard enough.
Great videos ,very informative, and inspirational
I relate, now to act.
thank you so much :)
The 20 degree shift
so did you ever do it?
@EvangelionUnit13 lol, I agree
Dear john.
can you please let me know if you have written a book on street photography. Thanks Sarah in Scotland
+no Sarah Smith not yet
Greetings from Winnipeg, Canada. I am new to street photography . I live in a small city and find it hard to see that kodak moment. most pics I take are of the street buskers( there are six in total). Not to many colourful characters either. Any suggestions would be appreaciated. Thank you in advance John.
I do not know what a busker is, but I wish to help you. Street photography is a misleading term that smells of the gutter and dirt. Actually, it is to me the most sophisticated and difficult forms of photography or art, but I hate to use the "art" word. People are not always needed in the process. Study the photos of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank and W. Eugene Smith. Look up photo quotes.com. Go to your back yard or even a room in your home, or a small plot of land, or a bench, or even the most unlikely spot you can find anywhere. Now slowly start to concentrate on what is around you and play a little game of mine. Imagine, (imagination is very important) you are the best photographer of all and will prove it by making good photos anywhere. I tell friends that I can come to their home and make many nice images totally on their property or in their home. Images they could frame and hang on their walls and brag that they were all made within the confines of their property. A close up of part of a window with the light coming through the curtains and the focus and framing exact. The close up view of the silver ware drawer in the kitchen. So close that the forks become something else. When enlarged and framed and hung on the wall you will see a special abstract of the forks which were made different by enlarging them to a much bigger size than we are used to seeing. Twenty different closeups of their car. Part of a tailite or part of the dashboard. This type of work demands an intense concentration of mind and eye. When framing the shot in the camera, every part of the frame must be constantly checked, move slightly up or down, left or right just a little and everything changes. Move slowly and let the eye and brain concentrate on the smallest of details. I like to include at least three elements, details and factors in each photograph, which are brought together in a pleasing way. This process is very sofisticted in that it is a photograph about nothing, just like Sienfeld. Please excuse my poor spelling, but take this advice and see where your imagination leads you. Maybe you can be of help to others, by sharing my advice with other photographers and be a good help to photography itself. Please let me know how this process works out for you.
Yes, Yes, Yes... Finally someone who concentrates on what happens before the shutter release is what photography is about. I think relying upon post production is a different thing being New Composite Imagery and not Photography.
Busker in the UK is a Street Musician.
thanks
We are taking advice about encountering strangers with a camera, from a guy...with a black eye.
All I can say you Handsome Mr. John hehe
Photography Is Nobility Framed.! ~B.A.Williams
I hear you loud and clear. For someone to invade someone elses privacy, requires intent to invade privacy. I do not invade privacy, I make photographs.
I thought he said "visual porn".. No, "visual poem" 😂
That's your opinion. And I wonder if you voice it so loudy to all the security companies and government agents taking your photo practically every moment you leave the house -- as you do to people creating photo-documentary art?
ill tell the guy after he or she has stabbed me 😂
no one will fucking try to kill you cause of a photo, you're too paranoid relax
Iloveyou I’ll had people actually chase me in a car
Good luck making money from street photography... the biggest stage you will hit is maybe a gallery showing, or even then a coffee table book, or if your one of the greats maybe a retrospective of your life's street work... the most successful photographers today are commercial photographers, with the exception of artist like Andreas Gursky, Annie Leibovitz etc. You had an ignorant post, you should do your own research into making a living from photography....
Bla, bla, bla, bla.........
Fred Noomen ?
Treasure.thank ill find your channel.
Good perspective on this. Very helpful and inspiring. Thank you!