One definite challenge of doing street photography is to be discreet. So, I tend to always take one shot and ‘run’ away, fearing that my subject would ‘catch’ me. Hence, if my ‘decisive shot’ is bad, I move on with my life. But I would always feel frustrated.
This habit of ‘shoot and run’ does more ‘harm’ than good for me. For example, in this shot, I knew the subject was asleep. I squatted down and snapped (28mm focal length). Then I ran off. When I looked at the picture afterwards (I used my friend’s Olympus EPL-7), the picture wasn’t what I had envisioned.
Olympus EPL-7, Singapore (2016)
For this shot, I should have:
- switched on my flash as a try
- or shifted the camera to the right, so as to not leave a blank space on the left
- shifting left would also include his belongings/collections which would make the picture complete
- stood further back as a try
If Henri Cartier-Bresson was my teacher, he would be so disappointed with me because he always worked the scenes where I ‘shoot and run’.
Actually what’s there to worry when shooting digital? Why was I so ‘stingy’ in spamming shots?
