Apparently this guy is giving lessons on photography in Dublin. Well as George Bernard Shaw said those that can do, those that can’t, teach. One of the lessons he gives is on street photography, HCB is his favourite as well. If you see a single decent street image here let me know, I got too bored trying to find anything above mediocre after the first 10 pictures.
With him giving photography classes we have much more shit photography, and wanna be pro’s ;) to fill the net with even more shite. It’s not that I hate digital cameras, I just hate 90% of the population that use them. How the fuck can you learn street photography anyway.
I mean I see groups like this, or even worse this, and my heart sinks. I just want to give up, there is too much shit out there. I had met that aforementioned group in January, needless to say I could not hide my contempt for what they consider photography. I randomly met that group at Smithfield Horse Market, I got chatting to a group of kids with zoom lens’s had coffee and a pint afterwards, and then got into arguments.
But seriously my beef was all these kids had either 70-200 or 18-200 lens’s, for documentary or street photography? They thought a wide angle lens is for architecture. Most street shooters version of a telephoto is a 50mm full frame. Sure a 200mm with a cropped digi frame could be a sub genre of street, we could call it chicken shit.
Oh that reminds me, a friend of mine a few years back was at the Smithfield horse market. There was one of these internet camera clubs walking around with their DSLR’s with their big ass zoom lens’s, some guy in the club was laughing at this woman and said oh wow cool camera, real sarcastic, she had a beat up old Leica M4 (I doubt he even knew what a Leica was) that had duct tape holding it together. My friend John then engaged the woman in conversation, it then turned out she was none other than Martine Franck. Someone who has more visual sense for a good photo in her little finger, than 1,000 gear fondlers combined. Don’t know why I told that story, just thought it was funny.
I use whatever camera I have available to me at the time I'm out shooting. At one time I used my Argus C3 but it broke. ( I have a new to me one on the way.) Then I started using my Fed 5, It jammed. So now I'm looking into a Nikon F5. Why an F5? Well I want something I can afford and will last till I can afford another rangefinder that is well made. And I read a lot of great things about the F4 and F5 so I decided it would work for what I want to use it for. I would like to own a Nikon SP someday. BUT right now I am one of those chicken shit digital camera people who uses a 35-85mm lens. Sometimes I use my Yashica-D 80mm with 35mm film in it. I even use a Brownie 2A 127 film camera with 120 film in it. I really have no point all I'm saying is I use what I have on me. I wish I didn't feel like I was about to vomit when I do street photography and I wish I was able to get closer but right now I'm new so I zoom. I feel safer when I zoom. But as I mature that will change and so will my focal distance.
As for the camera people. I find people who have fragile ego need to circle jerk to feel special. So camera clubs pop up and each are led by people who think they are the best or so it seems to be that way to me. The story about the lady, that made me smile... If the kids only knew...But that seems to be what's happening these days. People don't use film as much or darkrooms so they don't know how to appreciate it. Nor do they know how to appreciate manual cameras that don't give instant results. When I was in my history of photography 2 class a lot of people looked at the works of the masters and went WTF why is that so great? I was one of them when it came to some of the masters. Now as I get more experience and learn more, I'm finding out why they're so great. To me it's sad that many people these days that are learning about how to use a camera have never even loaded film into a camera.
I think there is a use for both film and digital... Even when it come to street photography but I think you have to be able to set your f stop and shutter speed in order for you to be able to take true full credit for your photo. No AP mode pure 100% M mode even down to the M mode on the lens. That takes more skill I think then a camera that picks settings and focuses for you. But that might be just me...
I have a lot of respect for you and your photos.. Please keep up the inspiring work and blog posts.
@CMphotography: I've seen great street portraits done with a 135mm lens, but those were face portraits. Trying to capture overall scenes with a telephoto is crazy. Some of my best photos were made with an SLR, but yes you can't beat a rangefinder.
That’s OK mate because sooner or later these kids will get their dose of reality and hopefully some of them will understand how much work and love is involved. Not to mention the level of commitment and that you can learn something every day... without being a smart ass. Great post!
Posted by CMphotogra... on February 16, 2008 4:28 AM
i've seen really good work done with a 75mm 'lux...but that's the widest i'd go for street. 35mm is the ultimate focal lenght. there are very few guys who do really well at street with their dslr's. the groups mentioned definitely don't belong. can't beat a rangefinder.
fuck that photo-wank and his "class." did you read his testi-fucking-monials by other wank-fucks? i laughed.
seriously ... street can be done with a 28, 35 or 50. wider than that ... kinda doesn't work ... longer ... and it looks like long lens sniping. fucking zooms and dslrs doing street photography.
f u c k i n g
b u l l s h i t
i love the story about martine franck. that was seriously amazing.
It's been a while. Just been doing some catching up. Great to see your new stuff (well, what photobucket hasn't fucked up)! Good to see the M6 is treating you well and have a great trip mate!
Hi Seamus Just found your blog via Chris. You've got some really great stuff going on here. I look forward to spending some time catching up. Cheers Mark
Nice page Treamus, Please click on the CASSETTE displayed on my page to listen to the music. Thats me signing and rapping on the first song. I also produced and wrote it. Strange enough, my EX-GIRLFRIEND's brother played the guitar. Things that I mentioned in the song came to pass in real life. Please listen to get the full STORY. I wrote the song but didnt think what I happened to simply create out of exploration of the art would actually happen to me.Please don't forget to VOTE. Over and Out. C.R.I.$.I.$.
overall enjoyed your photos, great eye! I hope I didnt overload you with comments, but when I see something I like I like to let people I know I appreciate...and then I go on to another picture....and i like that one too....
Happy to find you here! By the way don’t listen to that double chined bitch curator. Your photography rocks...you just haven’t met the person who understands it yet. Personally I like your style, I feel like its a window through your eyes. Cheers!
I really enjoy your work. Very casually, circumstantial and comical, it does have meaning! Much to the eye of the interpreter, wonderful. Unfortunately I have crossed over to the dark side of DSLR's and I haven't really gotten the swing of it yet. I think I need to get my ass out of the exhaustingly blah, US and hug my film camera close again.
I really really enjoyed looking at your photos. I don't know what those so-called "curators" were thinking, but your work certainly has depth, humour and grit. Keep at it
I use whatever camera I have available to me at the time I'm out shooting. At one time I used my Argus C3 but it broke. ( I have a new to me one on the way.) Then I started using my Fed 5, It jammed. So now I'm looking into a Nikon F5. Why an F5? Well I want something I can afford and will last till I can afford another rangefinder that is well made. And I read a lot of great things about the F4 and F5 so I decided it would work for what I want to use it for. I would like to own a Nikon SP someday. BUT right now I am one of those chicken shit digital camera people who uses a 35-85mm lens. Sometimes I use my Yashica-D 80mm with 35mm film in it. I even use a Brownie 2A 127 film camera with 120 film in it. I really have no point all I'm saying is I use what I have on me. I wish I didn't feel like I was about to vomit when I do street photography and I wish I was able to get closer but right now I'm new so I zoom. I feel safer when I zoom. But as I mature that will change and so will my focal distance.
As for the camera people. I find people who have fragile ego need to circle jerk to feel special. So camera clubs pop up and each are led by people who think they are the best or so it seems to be that way to me. The story about the lady, that made me smile... If the kids only knew...But that seems to be what's happening these days. People don't use film as much or darkrooms so they don't know how to appreciate it. Nor do they know how to appreciate manual cameras that don't give instant results. When I was in my history of photography 2 class a lot of people looked at the works of the masters and went WTF why is that so great? I was one of them when it came to some of the masters. Now as I get more experience and learn more, I'm finding out why they're so great. To me it's sad that many people these days that are learning about how to use a camera have never even loaded film into a camera.
I think there is a use for both film and digital... Even when it come to street photography but I think you have to be able to set your f stop and shutter speed in order for you to be able to take true full credit for your photo. No AP mode pure 100% M mode even down to the M mode on the lens. That takes more skill I think then a camera that picks settings and focuses for you. But that might be just me...
I have a lot of respect for you and your photos.. Please keep up the inspiring work and blog posts.