Bus Rides And People Watching: Street Photography B&W/Color
San Antonio is such an interesting town.
I ride the bus to and from work everyday, or most days at least. During my route into the downtown area I always have a little wait at the Kel-Lac Park & Ride. All sorts of people get on this bus, varying greatly hour by hour, business people looking to save gas on Monday mornings, Moms picking up their kids on Wednesday afternoons, dudes just trying to get by and all other sorts. I love people watching on the bus and have always wanted to capture their interesting lives, their hardships, their stories through photography but I'm always so scared to take their photos without permission and even more terrified to actually ASK their permission.
Recently I've started to tackle that fear. People were actually super nice to me and were interested in what I was doing. I told them mostly that I was practicing photography and the only place these pictures might go is onto a blog that few people read. Here's a few shots so far.
This old man spoke ZERO english but I'm working on my Spanish so I was able to get across that I was practicing and I would like to take his picture. He was a bit surprised but cooperative, so embarrassed to have his picture taken. The cutest little man.
This guy asked me for 5cents to get on the bus, I gave him 2 bucks instead and said he could have it if he let me take his picture. He happily obliged.
Once I actually got into town I ran into these cats. They run a hot dog cart near Main Plaza downtown. We talked about how his mom owned a cart near the Alamo and was being pushed out due to the redevelopment of the historical site (It's going to be insane), he fears the same fate for his little cart. Little guys always get squished. I'm rootin' for 'em.
I didn't ask anyone else's permission but I got some other decent shots here :)
I'm currently trying to figure out a way to store my files so I can continue to upload everything into Lightroom. I've run out of space on my computer so I'm patiently awaiting the arrival of my new external hard drive. More to come soon! As always any and all feedback is welcome! Thanks for dropping by!
-Chrissy
Hey Chrissy, very interesting to read and some nice shots - my favorite is the 3rd one :) Approaching strangers on the street can be a very rewarding experience, so kudos to you for overcoming the fear and doing it! I myself am not comfortable approaching people with my camera, that’s why I prefer taking candid shots from distance or from my hip using a manual focus lens. Have you tried to find a spot on the street that you like, think about the composition beforehand, and wait for someone interesting to pass by? :)
No I've never really done that, I kinda just bop around all over. I'll try that out. Are there certain characteristics for a spot that make it a "good spot" in your opinion?
Well, it depends :-) I am more of a minimalist style photographer, so to me, a good spot could be a place on the street that is free of clutter. Place where the subject of my photo will stand out. Another good spot could be a wall with graffiti on it - whatever it is that you find interesting.
noted! appreciate you
:-))