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Is it rude to take pictures of people in the street?
I don’t think so. If I am taking your picture, you should be flattered that I found you interesting enough. My style isn’t that of Bruce Gilden’s; I don’t shove the lens in your face. Not that I’m criticizing Mr. Gilden; he has his own style, and it works incredibly well for him. I love his quote, “The older I get, the closer I get.” With my myopia, this could well end up the same for me!
Around eight years ago, I went to a photography show at the NEC in Birmingham. For some time, I had been interested in getting into street photography, but I hadn’t quite plucked up the courage.
At the show, I spotted a talk by a member of the SPI Collective. I am kicking myself because I can’t remember his name, but he totally inspired me. Some of his images are still stuck in my head; he was that good.
After the talk and discussing it with my friend, she said, “But how would you feel if someone took a picture of you and you were picking your nose?”
“No one would catch me picking my nose!” I swiftly replied.
As it happened, some years later, sitting in a cafe with another photographer friend, taking sneaky shots through the window of a beer festival queue, another photographer walking past snapped us. We grinned at one another, and I really enjoyed that moment. I have…
