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I'm constantly inspired by some powerful street shots, I always want to shoot in the street, people especially. I don't want to get close to the person, or even reveal too much of their identity as possible, leaving it to be less about the person and more about the situation- so it's anonymous. However, I'm always tentative about holding my camera up to take a shot when I'm shooting downtown. Any tips? Thanks!

Jay
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  • http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/610/how-do-i-approach-people-for-a-natural-look-in-street-photography – MikeW Mar 26 '15 at 09:45
  • http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/11929/how-do-i-shoot-from-the-hip-in-street-photography – MikeW Mar 26 '15 at 09:45

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That's a healthy concern, but usually not as big an issue as you might expect. In most counties it's totally legal to photograph people in public places. Know your local laws.

As a technique, use a 100+ mm lens to keep further away from your subject. Also, "hide" in plain sight, it's less suspicious. If you're creeping around a corner you will only call attention to yourself.

JohnDUSA
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  • Unfortunately not all law enforcement agents seem to know the laws regarding photography in public, and this does seem to be an increasingly grey area. There are a number of Youtube videos to illustrate my point. Admittedly some photographers don't help their cause by being belligerent, but others have really done nothing to deserve the harassment... https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=police+photographer – Darkhausen Mar 26 '15 at 09:52
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    IMHO street photography is all about getting close to the subject, since you often looking for capturing life as it is. Using tele lens is for bird-watchers and voyeurists. – aaaaa says reinstate Monica Mar 27 '15 at 00:16