By alain verlinde

4 September 2008

Rob me

Walking with your expencive camera is like walking with a sign around your neck yelling"robb me".

This is why a street photographer should not walk around like a tourist, or atleast not wear flashy colours.

what to wear and how to wear it.

I wear dark colours, but not like a gothic!

I never wear my camera around my neck because a person with bad intensions can simply grab the camera and pull it downwards, your head follows, and your pressious slips over your ears, and away the thief goes, while you still look at the floor.

A camera should be worn like a handgun, always in your hand with the cameras belt, strapped around your arm.

In a worst case scenario you can strike with it.

if you should wear it around your neck, wear it like a machinegun with the belt from shoulder to opposite armpit and the camera around your back, always being aware of who you pass, and most importand with the camera's belt logo not shown.

If you are active in taking pictures, you don't realy need the viewfinder.

You need to know your camera and the capability of your focus lens speed, or simply know its range. and most importand..you need to ..

eerhgm..use the force..

You need to feel what is going on around you and capture the moment, even aiming before the moment happens.

Set yourselfs up.

The best place to take lost of shots is during a public event, or a buzy square, in short, a place were many people pass, or stop, watch...

Just think like a sniper.

Beach photographer

I used to work as a beach photographer taking portrait shots shoulders up or on a whole, of young couples walking on the promenade or on the beach.

After i shot them i gave them an adressed ticket of the place were they could buy the picture.

This was in the analogue years so inbetween a buzy moment and place, i had to sit down with my camera's belt around my leg for safety so no one could steal it, and as fast as i could, change film, note the film with the tickets so pictures would match people, change batteries and up and go to shoot the next 36 pictures.

I remember a dog saw me sitting there finding me the perfect pissing post.

So keep your eyes open not only for people.

Ah memories..

While i was doing that job i also took pictures in clubs.

On one of many many visits a drunk man started to shout into the front of my face a sort of words only comprehenable by other drunks.

So i lifted my external flash, the kind that you can see from outerspace when they go off, and i zapped te drunk person into oblivion.

I took all my photographes in that club

and when i was finished half an hour later, just in time for

the drunk man to get his eye sight back.

and i set of into the night.

.

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