Portraits Of People

Nor is it necessary for a good candid portrait to be taken head on. Here is an image taken from the back but showing how America became and is the Melting Pot of the World.

Robert, I do not mean this meanly at all I am really interested....how many threads do you want open about your street photography? I am sure we can build a tab just for them if it is many more

;)

Robert, it is great that you can capture reality the way do. So many are guarded and prefer to live in a candy coated world. Your ability to expose humanity with it's candid imperfections demonstrates the beautiful in our flaws. Perfect flaws:)

that would be a really big tab...


---Mike Savad

Robert I agree with you. I was in photography for over 30 years and often took portraits of notable people. I think the unposed ones are always more interesting. As an artist I like to paint them in poses that show them in thought or concentration. I always thought that Leonardo shouldn't have put that smile on the Mona Lisa. I think it would have been a more important work without it.Thanks for your interesting discussion. Your truly, Fred Jinkins - Happy Old Artist.

Dear Happy Old Artist....
Thanks. I have a few fans here who appreciate my work and for that I am most grateful. I know FAA is not usually the place for my type of images, but I love the way Sean has set up the Discussions and the way Abbie allows us to show off our images in the discussion.

I also love how FAA lets us see how our work looks once matted and framed just by pushing a few buttons.

Here's another 100 percent candid portrait of a man in the street.

Just curious Robert. Do you get permission to sell someone's image ? Or is it necessary to do so ? I thought it was. You mention in your post, that you don't chat them up before or after. I don't post pics of people for that reason. I ask due to lack of knowledge. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

For stock agencies you would defiantly need a model release or they won't even accept the photos.I don't sell photos of people here on Fine Art. The Model release it's a protection for the photographer in case somebody trying to sue.

I don't know how it works in his case.

AP,
I do not sell my work to any stock agency. I create "art" not ads.

Karl,
No and No. lol...we've had this discussion on FAA many times (quite heated as well).
IN America, you do not need to ask for permission to take pics of people in public. You do not need a model release.

As a general matter, you do not need any permission to take anyones photograph with a normal camera so long as you are in a public place that you have authority and permission to be in. This means in plain english that if you’re on the street, and your subject is on the street, it’s fair game. This information can be found on the internet.

Just type: Is street photography legal

Here is a wonderful example of a candid street portrait....No permission needed. No model release needed...

As i said I didn't know in your case. If this is legal good luck on your sales Robert.

AP,
Thank you, best of luck to you also.

Thanks Robert... very good to know.

Karl,
The hardest type of "art" to sell....candid portraits of people and street photography in general. Very few photographers make a living from being a "street" photographer. We do it because we love doing it, and not for the money. Most of us have "day" jobs and some of us are retired (as I am).

I mean do you want a photograph of a stranger in your house? lol...
Most folks want sunsets, flowers, pets, pretty stuff.

Here, would you like to purchase this image and display it in your dining room?

if the lady were more attractive, and didn't have a "put that camera down cretin or i'll kill you" expression on her face, you might have a sale. but there is no story other than that look. there are plenty of times when you can get a good expression of an image and have it be candid and have it sell.


i don't recall if this ever sold, but its candid.


this sold, this is candid



this is still too new to sell, it's candid.


i sold this one a different site. its candid.

see candid images isn't about getting away with the picture. you can wait until they look better before shooting it. each of mine tells a story of some kind. they aren't just random pictures of people, i took into consideration, what they may think of their own image.

---Mike Savad

Thanks Robert. I wasn't criticising what you do, I was asking because I wanted to do it too, but didn't think I could. You have eased my mind.

Mr. Savad,
I have zero interest in doing HDR cotton candy mushy street fantasy images. If Norman Rockwell (early Rockwell) was a street photographer he would be doing images just like you do.

I do the nitty gritty stuff or nutty stuff like street images recreated into neo expressionism...as seen here...



And please don't tell me I won't make money doing what I do. I don't need the money. I have enough money until I am dead and then I won't need anymore.

there isn't a single image there that is hdr. it's straight. tell me the one above - straight photo that isn't cotton candy mushy?

i don't see the point of this thread other than it being another - look at me i'm robert i shoot random people on the mean streets of chicago, yet i don't care about the money but mention it whenever i humanly can. you just asked - would anyone purchase it. the answer is, probably not. but that's ok since your not in it for the money.

---Mike Savad

I don't have any problem with taking photos of people in public without their permission. I do have a line in my personal ethics that prevents me from showing anything that makes the subject look bad (insert your own definition of bad). I also think that some of the low angle shots of strangers butts that I have seen on faa cross that line for me even if said butts are looking good. Street photography where the photographer engages his subject are a different thing entirely but I like to do a bit of both.

Bob,
Love your image...

About ethics...
I am a law abiding citizen so I do my best not to break the law of the country I am in (america). In america it is against the law to take up skirt photographs. I do my best to obey this law.

Right now because of all the pedophiles harming our children, parents are very protective of their kids and they don't want to see strangers taking pics of their kids. I do my best to obey this current cultural hangup (not without some considerable justification on the parents side).

All else in the public domain is fair game. I recently took an image of a young couple arguing. He had his hand on her throat. Fair game. (He saw me and took his hand down.)

One thing I do my best to avoid is to put an inappropriate title to the image....say I take a pic of an obese woman...I would not label the pic....."Fatty Fatty two by four can't get thru the kitchen door" unless of course I have a pic of her stuck in the kitchen door.....

ON a personal philosophy aside....
I see no ethics that men adhere to except on paper.

Here is an example of the other kind of street portrait where you engage the subject while making their portrait.

Bob,
Yes, some do engage the subject. Just depends on your style, Both types can yield good images.
Here is an image of a young lady I engaged. I blew her a kiss and she waved me to come over. I declined.

This one was a candid shot taken from almost ground level with a wide lens and I followed the subject taking a series of shots as he walked. I must have looked like a hunch back stalker for a while there but he never noticed me. The subject is a Greek orthodox priest shopping in Malta on All Saints Day.

Love it. Good work.

Does candid portrait photography qualify as "street photography" if it is captured on the pool deck of a cruise ship or does an actual street have to be involved? This one would go well with the shopping image...it's the same priest.

One last street portrait and I'll say good night to all...enough screen time for now.