Robert Watcher
Well-known member
Well it is clear to me from a perspective of convenience and having a desire to be as unnoticed as possible - that my preference is to have with me as small a camera and lens combo as possible. That is how I normally work.
However I recognized from the last few days of carrying around a big camera/lens combo, that the perception of people is different and that different opportunities are opened up to me. Because this combo is heavy, I have attached it to my Rapid Strap that fortunately I decided to bring with me after pulling it out for some portrait work at home last fall.
THE DIFFERENCE I AM NOTICING:
With my small camera setup, I use a wrist strap and keep the camera tucked in my hand mostly hidden. When I raise the camera to waist height to take a photo, I am generally looking down at the swiveled out LCD screen and snap with my thumb on the shutter release or sometimes tap on the touch screen. People I am shooting hardly notice. When they do notice, I have found that their expressions are initially ones of curiosity - or “What is he doing?” - and then they may just ignore me.
Now what became clear to me recently when walking with a full fledged camera hanging from my side with my hand on it - was that people knew exactly what I was doing and were expecting that I would be taking pictures. So in the market stalls as an example, vendors would be watching me and laughing and talking to others working with them, in anticipation that I would be taking pictures of them. Walking down an aisle, the first person to noticed me would holler down to others something about photo, and all would snicker and straighten themselves up waiting for me to raise my camera.
And with a big normal looking camera hanging at my side, I have had more people not let me pass by them without letting me know they want me to take their picture —- such as this guy on the left last night. When I acknowledged him and pulled my camera to my eye, he pulled his buddy in close to be included.
I have been shooting the streets with a small camera for a long time, and so it was obvious and interesting to see how people reacted differently to a big normal looking camera these last couple of days. I realized that it can be a good thing too. At the end the day though, my arthritic wrists and elbows were in some pain when I put my camera away, and so that will always be a determining factor for my preference to use small cameras.
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However I recognized from the last few days of carrying around a big camera/lens combo, that the perception of people is different and that different opportunities are opened up to me. Because this combo is heavy, I have attached it to my Rapid Strap that fortunately I decided to bring with me after pulling it out for some portrait work at home last fall.
THE DIFFERENCE I AM NOTICING:
With my small camera setup, I use a wrist strap and keep the camera tucked in my hand mostly hidden. When I raise the camera to waist height to take a photo, I am generally looking down at the swiveled out LCD screen and snap with my thumb on the shutter release or sometimes tap on the touch screen. People I am shooting hardly notice. When they do notice, I have found that their expressions are initially ones of curiosity - or “What is he doing?” - and then they may just ignore me.
Now what became clear to me recently when walking with a full fledged camera hanging from my side with my hand on it - was that people knew exactly what I was doing and were expecting that I would be taking pictures. So in the market stalls as an example, vendors would be watching me and laughing and talking to others working with them, in anticipation that I would be taking pictures of them. Walking down an aisle, the first person to noticed me would holler down to others something about photo, and all would snicker and straighten themselves up waiting for me to raise my camera.
And with a big normal looking camera hanging at my side, I have had more people not let me pass by them without letting me know they want me to take their picture —- such as this guy on the left last night. When I acknowledged him and pulled my camera to my eye, he pulled his buddy in close to be included.
I have been shooting the streets with a small camera for a long time, and so it was obvious and interesting to see how people reacted differently to a big normal looking camera these last couple of days. I realized that it can be a good thing too. At the end the day though, my arthritic wrists and elbows were in some pain when I put my camera away, and so that will always be a determining factor for my preference to use small cameras.
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