Washington DC:
... or what street photography can teach us about leadership and life.
Derren Brown is a controversial British performance artist and illusionist. He's a terrific photographer, too. Brown loves street photography, inspired as he is by the legendary Henri Cartier-Bresson. Me too. He's rarely seen without a Leica M10 strapped around his neck, just in case.
I relate to his observations to The Weekend FT (10-11 November) that shooting candids on the street is tricky business. "Some people do street photography in a very confrontational way. I like the rather more Zen approach," he said. The FT added that, "If someone notices him taking their photo, he guides them with a smile - 'not unlike a hypnotic technique: induce confusion and then give people a clear street out of it.'"
Brown's comments underscore the importance of observation, anticipation and participation in street photography and, for that matter, in leadership and life. Whether in a market in Da Nang, Vietnam, outside a mosque in Istanbul or passing by a wedding party in St. Petersburg, Russia, I've often engaged in the delicate dance of photographing somebody without them knowing it. That is, of course, until they do know it.
Yes, occasionally, my subjects do not welcome my attempt at street portraiture, which I completely understand. I show them respect by lowering the camera, smiling and even waving. They almost always smile and wave back. Besides, there's a good chance that I already got my shot at that point anyway. Furthermore, street shots can be terrific even when the subjects smile for the camera.
In his Wall Street Journal (17-18 November) review of Dawoud Bey's new photography book, William Meyers wrote that, "Some (photos) are candid, but in many the subject acknowledges the photographer and is yet at ease. This take considerable skill." Part of the job whether shooting surreptitiously or with tacit permission is to put the subject at ease before, during and, yes, after the fact. Think of it as street psychology.
Shooting on the street trains us to see - really and truly see - what's in front of us. It helps us anticipate what might happen next, especially when we almost literally enter the picture ourselves. Shooting al fresco also encourages us to think about our role as full participant-observers in our actions, which certainly applies to the practice of leading and living, too.
I've found that the best, most effective street photographers, leaders and human beings are intentionally thoughtful and purposeful about exercising their powers of observation, anticipation and participation. Get the picture?
... or what street photography can teach us about leadership and life.
Derren Brown is a controversial British performance artist and illusionist. He's a terrific photographer, too. Brown loves street photography, inspired as he is by the legendary Henri Cartier-Bresson. Me too. He's rarely seen without a Leica M10 strapped around his neck, just in case.
I relate to his observations to The Weekend FT (10-11 November) that shooting candids on the street is tricky business. "Some people do street photography in a very confrontational way. I like the rather more Zen approach," he said. The FT added that, "If someone notices him taking their photo, he guides them with a smile - 'not unlike a hypnotic technique: induce confusion and then give people a clear street out of it.'"
Brown's comments underscore the importance of observation, anticipation and participation in street photography and, for that matter, in leadership and life. Whether in a market in Da Nang, Vietnam, outside a mosque in Istanbul or passing by a wedding party in St. Petersburg, Russia, I've often engaged in the delicate dance of photographing somebody without them knowing it. That is, of course, until they do know it.
Yes, occasionally, my subjects do not welcome my attempt at street portraiture, which I completely understand. I show them respect by lowering the camera, smiling and even waving. They almost always smile and wave back. Besides, there's a good chance that I already got my shot at that point anyway. Furthermore, street shots can be terrific even when the subjects smile for the camera.
In his Wall Street Journal (17-18 November) review of Dawoud Bey's new photography book, William Meyers wrote that, "Some (photos) are candid, but in many the subject acknowledges the photographer and is yet at ease. This take considerable skill." Part of the job whether shooting surreptitiously or with tacit permission is to put the subject at ease before, during and, yes, after the fact. Think of it as street psychology.
Shooting on the street trains us to see - really and truly see - what's in front of us. It helps us anticipate what might happen next, especially when we almost literally enter the picture ourselves. Shooting al fresco also encourages us to think about our role as full participant-observers in our actions, which certainly applies to the practice of leading and living, too.
I've found that the best, most effective street photographers, leaders and human beings are intentionally thoughtful and purposeful about exercising their powers of observation, anticipation and participation. Get the picture?
Images courtesy of Derren Brown.