Two Italian Gentlemen discussing something in a public square in Rome.
I'm always astounded and bit incredulous when I see a video of Bruce Gilden rushing in to attack people with his camera and flash and then turn away after one frame with some smug sense of certainty that he had, in fact, captured a "decisive moment." The one frame. Captured while in motion. With the wide angle lens all stopped down to f11-16, compensated for with a blast of naked flash. I guess I could be like another blogger and just say, "to each their own." or some equivocal pablum, but I think the results of Gilden's work are two fold: To the viewer? Boring. To the subject? Threatening and disrespectful.
Why insist on making a photograph such a desperate undertaking? Why make so many other people uncomfortable? Why not just make one's self invisible and keep taking photographs until you have something you like? Or something interesting? And why not use a lens you like instead of one that compensates for your lack of empathy or idea of collaboration? All questions, I guess, for another day.
When I was scanning older, medium format, Hasselblad and Mamiya 6 negatives earlier in the week I came across this series that basically took up eight frames on my parsimonious twelve frame roll of film. I looked for a "hands down" winner but it turns out that I like each from for one reason or another.
As you can tell from the perspective none of these frames were captured "voyeur style" with a long lens from behind a furtive fern or tree trunk. Nor were they anxiously "shot from the hip" which would imply giving up all control to chance. Nope. It's a standard lens. A 75 or 80mm lens on a big square format. Just like a 50mm on a 35mm sized frame. I'm probably standing about eight to ten feet from the two men I was interested in focusing. I was interesting in photographing them because they used their hands and big gestures as they spoke. Culturally different than people in my home town...
If I had any indication that I was making them uncomfortable I would have stopped and moved on because the thing I found visually interesting would have been lost. I think we are fearful sometimes that people will be confrontational if we photograph them without explicitly asking their permission. In a case like this I try to maintain a boring affect, take my time and calmly photograph with the idea that I'm taking in the whole scene and not just the people in the foreground.
As you can see by the fall off in focus I am not depending on a small aperture to provide a big range of zone focusing. I am actually bringing the camera to my eye to compose and to make sure my focus is good. But I'm not doing it in any way that would indicate that I'm anxious to work quickly or that I fear discovery. Instead I'm photographing at a slow and measured pace and trying to represent that I'm just doing something very routine and normal.
Had I stopped at the first frame I would have lost potentially six or seven following frames that are either different enough to be contenders or, in fact, better than the original action that drew me to photograph. I think this is a valid approach. To become part of the scene and not something that sticks out. But I could be totally misguided. ?
Seen and ......
Ignored.
The frame I was looking for all along. Patience can work in your favor.
Best not to rush.
