“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.” – Diane Arbus
The tiptoeing part of that quote definitely resonates with me when it comes to photographing people, particularly candid shots. It’s not something I do often, and my general rule of thumb is to make my presence known, but unobtrusive.
And when I’m happy with the results — definitely an Oreo moment.
When I want to take a photograph with people on it, I tend to ask for permission. But it is hard to seek permission if there is a big crowd. Your pictures have an authentic look. Well done, Su!
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Thanks Peter. The people in the art studio all knew I was there to take photos, and mostly with the others I tried to be obvious, so that they could say no. Some people do, and I respect that.
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I wonder what that TTPA has in it that will not be good for us? Great photo Su.
Leslie
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Thanks Leslie. There is nothing good in it that I can see. Our government in opposition said they wouldn’t sign, then guess what … I really despair sometimes.
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We need to do a sit in in their offices….
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I love those Oreo moments – Nice shot
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Thank you
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Su – you captured a bit of humanity heart tug with a couple of the shots today – the child near the cross and the one titled “hosier lane-a” with the lady’s hand on face and the art walls – powerful
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and you know I like talking my candid street shots yet sometimes I HATE it because there is a gray area here – that privacy thing – but when I saw your post – and many others this week – I was reminded that there is value in capturing these photos – we are celebrating and sharing in a culture rich way and maybe we are helping to preserve something for future generations – –
and nice way to use that quote
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Thanks so much for your comments Yvette. 🙏
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🙂
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The intrusion bit is so familiar with me! I do not like oreo’s but if it works out (stepping over my own blocks) it is wonderful to see the result.
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😀
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Well done, Su – and your rule of thumb suits me well too. Oreos? Lovely. Stealing? The Anzac photo stole my heart ♥ the little boy in the beautiful light. A new life.
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Thank you. I struggled a bit with posting g that image, but I figured his face wasn’t wholly visible — and the photos a couple of years old and he will have changed quite a lot.
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True
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I do like the black and white ones the best. I love the thought of ‘oreo moments’. Like others I tend to avoid people or capture from behind!
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I was surprised by how many photos I had of people. The shots in the art studio were the easiest to post, because everyone knew I was there and taking photos.
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Wonderful quote and photos. And who knew that Nabisco had made it all the way to NZ with Oreos! I prefer the yellow ones these days. 🙂
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Hehe. Global brands eh. Even if they weren’t sold here, I am familiar with them from references in popular culture.
I’m not an Oreo fan, though my son loved them for a while, so we had them in the house.
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These are terrific Su – I especially liked your shot of the two colorful women.
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Thanks Tina 🙂
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These are the “Oreo” moments! Your candid photos tell stories, Su. These made a difference. 🙂
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Thanks so much Amy 🙂
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Wonderful candid shots, Su. Great quote, too!
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Thank you. I was really inspired by this challenge.
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You are courageous, Su. I’m still trying to get more comfortable with candids.
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Thank Patti — not sure I feel very courageous. I am still very uncomfortable taking photos of people generally. I know I’d be happier morally if I talk to people first, but am way too shy to do so.
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I love the idea of ‘Oreo moments’ 🙂
I haven’t yet reached a stage where I’m comfortable taking photos of strangers in a crowd. There are so many wonderful candid moments available … as you’ve proven! Nicely done.
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Thanks Joanne. It’s interesting how many of us aren’t really comfortable taking photos of strangers. And kinda good too; I like that we are conscious of, and respect others’ feelings.
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I had a very bad experience once with a reporter from a local TV station.
I was at the scene of a house explosion and stopped to take a few photos. The reporter had exited his vehicle just as I was taking a photo of the street scene. Not only was I not trying to take his photo, he wasn’t even in the frame I actually took … but he immediately started yelling at me anyway for taking his photo without his permission.
He was really making quite a scene and I was mortified. Yeah – I’m very careful about not taking photos of people if I can help it.
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How horrible. Being sensitive to others’ feelings is one thing — having to deal with jerks is quite another!!!
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I don’t take pics of people w/o them knowing… I just can’t do it – it feels too intrusive. But I know I’m alone with this opinion.
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Not alone. It is certainly a subject many people have strong feelings about.
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Love that quote!!! 😄 And it’s a new one for me so it goes straight into my quote journal (I decided to do this when even for me the myriads of loose paper slips on my desks became too many for me to handle!😂). I haven’t done streetphotography lately anymore because privacy rights have taken actually a turn for the worse around here -meaning that you are not allowed to take photos of strangers anymore and especially don’t post or publish them without written permission. 😯 That even prevents many parents from taking pics of their kids’ first day at school. I’ve heard that it’s not as strict in other countries though I can imagine there’s going to be a time when they’ll have the same problem. Takes a lot of art away from people.😯
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A quote journal is a great idea!!
The privacy laws here are still quite relaxed in terms of photographing people — adults — in public. I can kind of understand wanting to make them stricter as more and more images are posted online, and facial recognition software become more common. It is sad though as Street photography can be wonderful.
It will also make taking tourist photos harder — how many family snaps have strangers in them who accidentally got into the shot. 🤔
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Yeah, I realize the potential of misusing photos via facial recognition – strange times we live in, right? I keep thinking I should have been born 40 or 50 years earlier – that way I would also have been able to see The Beatles! LOL! 😀
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I know what you mean: I was definitely born at the wrong time. A couple of decades earlier, and I could have seen Billie Holliday and Edith Piaf perform 😀
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Oh! Those would have been great to see perform live too! 😀
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