LScottPht@aol.com wrote/replied to: >I agree with a lot of the thoughts that have been said. As to my original >statement, I was merely stating the legalities of the situation. In my own >documentary work, I typically either ask permission or give a nod or something to >make sure it is OK. I feel it is best to get as close to the subject as >possible, and I don't mean with a long lense. I am doing a story right now on domestic >abuse, and the women I am working with know that I won't take their picture >without their permission. I have gone in and spent a lot of time with the >women, and they have now all agreed to let me photograph them even though they did >not at the very beginning. Because of the time I have spent with these women >(and their children I might add), they all feel very comfortable around me and >have opened up. I now can go about doing my own thing and get candid, natural >moments. After time, they forget about your presence. If you want to truly >capture a subject, it is necessary to spend time with the subjects and allow them >to get comfortable with you. I was there for a full week and a half before I >took any pictures. Now I am photographing them and their children. But, I >guess I am what is called a "concerned" photographer, and this type of >photographer needs to get close to the subjects and really get to know them and their >situations. I don't think this advice could hurt the street photographer either. Excellent. I hope your study produces some super photos. This surely is more satisfying in the long run to a photographer to look back on, than the stolen moment in time of an unaware subject. It's obviously documentary photography, a distinct class that comes close to street photography at times of course. Jim Davis Nature Photography http://www.kjsl.com/~jbdavis/
