I want great shots, not comfy shooting in public!

Chris Light

Chris Light

Veteran
i guess it's more that i would really like to be a fly on the wall, and not hear "can i walk through?" ever again.

i am not shy, but i rarely want to engage in small talk while i am trying to shoot.

so there i am, with my modest setup (xh-a1/lightweight tripod), walking down streets and setting up for a quick one here and there, and the stares begin. it makes me downright uncomfortable. if i wanyt to get clever shots where people are walking by, i usually resort to the pathetic technique of hitting record and pretending to be on my cell phone hahaha. people never think you're recording when your doing anything with a cell phone.

so i guess, i'm just wondering if i'm over thinking my presence in everyday life, just because i have a camera, or am i just worrying that if i get a great shot and someone walks up to me and wants to pick a fight because i videotaped them? sometimes, i'll drive for 2 hours and never even get out of my car.

again, i'm not shy, but i am a skinny 6'2" and have arms full of tattoos...so are they more intimidated my me? sounds like i'm trying to give myself therapy. or an excuse.

let me know how you guys and gals deal with shooting in public, because so-far, i suck at it.

thanks for reading.


Chris
 
That cell phone trick is pretty good.

As for people coming up to you and wanting to fight you, unless you're in a bad neighborhood I wouldn't worry. Just don't blatantly stick the camera in people's faces.

Most people are two busy to worry about these things anyways. The only thing I could see getting into hot water over is if you're shooting and someone thinks you're taking video of their kids. I'd watch out for that one.

My biggest fears about shooting in public areas are the cops harassing me and taking my camera if I don't have a permit, which if I'm just going out to shoot tests or stock footage then I'm not going to go get a permit.
 
well, visually, bad neighborhoods play out well on tape...in fact, i was testing the theory of my post yesterday, and the only thing that was said to me was by a homeless guy...he politely asked "can i walk through?"...and because i was in smartass defence mode, i said, "yeah...the bridge (which i was shooting) will still be there". maybe i have an ettiquete problem hahahaha
 
Cell phone, I like it. Usually, if I am shooting in a public place, and someone walks up to me during a shot, I usually will hold a finger up and indicate "hold on, give me a sec."
 
Just don't shoot people who don't want to get shot quite so often. I hate being on camera without giving my permission, even if it's a news camera so they can get away with it. The cell phone technique may work, but that's a pretty strong misrepresentation of the situation.

You may be overthinking it. Or maybe not. Around here there are hardly ever people around, but when there are some of them look. I ignore it. In some situations I have to have someone assigned to 'crowd control', because some people get to be a problem when they see a professional looking setup. That's a different situation than you mean, though. I think.
 
If the cops do show up and ask you what you're doing, just don't say that you're shooting people. We videographers / filmmakers get so used to the term shooting in context with cameras.
 
My two cents is to film legally and get over it. Actually having a permit is a great confidence booster when shooting in public.

If you have to go the guerilla route, then do it with confidence. Sneaking around is more suspicious in my opinion than getting in a getting your shots in a professional way.

I sympathize with you. When I started out I hated shooting in public whether I was allowed to be there or not. Even on jobs for clients if it was outside I was uncomfortable. What got me over it was I ruined three or four good shoots because of my fear and anxiety and the work means more to me than my own comfort level, so I buck up and do what I know I'm supposed to do when shooting footage.

Hope that helps.
 
What I hate the most, is the dumbass that obviously sees the camera, yet still walks right in front of it. Then, to put the frosting on the cake, said dumbass will then duck down 2 ", and make an apologetic face right into the camera. On days like that, I wish it was still legal to release rabid Pit Bulls in Public.

Oh, and on a side note... when somebody sees my big shoulder cam, they assume I am either News or Film, and will ask me what I'm shooting. I just love to say Girls Gone Wild. The reactions you get are varied and interesting ;)
 
The cell phone trick is classic.
On my very first assignment I was doing some pickup shots at the riverside here ion Sur. A soldier came up to me and demanded to take a look at what I recorded.
He was drunk and had a few other soldiers with him.
The producer later asked me why I was taking so long I told her I was tryin not to get beat up.
Basicly I just knod my head to whatever they asked .
Hey sir are you from channel 10 ? Yes mam.
Is it going to be on tonight ., I believe so mam
Son I am A sir ,
Yes mam ! Thank you for your cooperation.

If Im shooting for commercials and you don have a permit we just carry some extra cash .
If the person seems nice or trushtworthy I offer a dvd of "some sort"as an extra.

But lately I just put my camera and and just look through everybody.
More like cant you see im filming attidude .

There once was this woman who came up to me and said Im not going to be on tv am I .
I thought she going to rip the camera of the tripod.
And I said , no dont worry the purpose of the video will not allow it and then she immediatley said ....and why not ?
 
Capt Quirk said:
What I hate the most, is the dumbass that obviously sees the camera, yet still walks right in front of it. Then, to put the frosting on the cake, said dumbass will then duck down 2 ", and make an apologetic face right into the camera. On days like that, I wish it was still legal to release rabid Pit Bulls in Public.

Oh, and on a side note... when somebody sees my big shoulder cam, they assume I am either News or Film, and will ask me what I'm shooting. I just love to say Girls Gone Wild. The reactions you get are varied and interesting ;)
Click to expand...


I once had to do a timelapse in front of a kindergarten.
Well lets just say I had to al sorts of crazy stuff to keep the kids away from the camera .
 
If the cops do show up and ask you what you're doing, just don't say that you're shooting people. We videographers / filmmakers get so used to the term shooting in context with cameras.
Click to expand...

Wasn't there a guy that was detained at LAX a year or so ago, who was asked when going through customs "What is your business here?" and he replied with "I'm hear to shoot a pilot"? Pretty sure it was something like that. Poor choice of words.
 
I read a book somewhere about a photographer,

He said he does a few things to disalarm the public,

He would never make eye contact with the people in shooting range, he would just look past them like they didn't exist, like the thing he was photographing was something beyond/above them.

He would also put his ear up to to the camera like he was trying to listen for something wrong with it, good stuff.

Personally, I just bring a gun
 
People react differently to film cameras and still cameras. Grab yourself a 5D Mark 2 and just pretend like you're checking the exposure levels, etc. You can intergrate the footage with Red or Film. People usually leave photgraphers alone, whereas they're always stretching their necks to get in the frame of the moving picture.
 
If Im alone regardless of the level of my lens, I look up a little. I find mostly then people are just looking up to see what Im shooting / looking at. Or else, I just concentrate on what Im doing and ignore everything else.

Had a guy recently when I was shooting a hospital time lapse, stop in front of the cam and say do I look good on camera? I just said Dunno mate, when you make a film let me know.
 
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