How can I be more inconspicuous with a DSLR for Street Photography?

Question

During my holiday in Korea, I did a bit of street photography, and I enjoyed it.

Photography has been my hobby for 6 or 7 years now, I have a DSLR (Canon 60D) and a compact (Samsung EX1).

For street photography, my compact is sneaky but the image quality, response time, ease of use are rather disappointing. Also it's fps is around 1, maybe 1.5, pathetic.

The way I see it is street photography can either be candid or non-candid.

When I was in Korea holding a DSLR, people are noticing me like a tiger has gone loose. I was wearing black, I removed the camera strap and concealed the camera at hip height when walking around.

I did manage to get some candid shots, but of course, I also tried the "in-your-face" method, and tried to smile my way out of trouble. This is actually my first time doing something that may be perceived as rude. However I was surprised that a smile goes a long way. Most people actually smiled right back :)

So, apart from wishing that I can afford a fullframe rangefinder, are there any tips for using a huge DSLR for street photography?

While I was happy to have attempted some non-candid shots, and in all account it was a pleasant experience, when I want to do candid shot with a DSLR, how do I :

• Better conceal my camera so the subject won't be scared off?

• Drive my subject's attention away from me and my camera?

• What is the most effective setup so I can leave the scene before the subject even notice that I have taken a picture?

• What subjects are typically less aware of their surroundings? (I find it extremely easy to shoot people playing on their smartphones, they almost never notice anything but the game on their screen)

I find it rather hard to pretend you are just a casual tourist roaming around if you have a huge DSLR in your hand. (I am from Hong Kong so the Korean couldn't always tell I am a tourist, actually.)

It seems that with my compact I could put up a clueless face and people won't tend to think "omg my face is going to be used for some weird exhibition".

I wonder if there are any well-known street-photographers who shoot with a DSLR? Or even an interview where he/she shares tips with us?

Answer 1

1. Big glass tends to attract a lot of attention, if you can get something smaller that seems less threatening.
2. Remove the battery grip if you are using one, again size probably intimidates.
3. Smile a lot or be cheerful, the sunny disposition might help.
4. You could wear one of those tourist hats to look more like one?

Personally I use a 5D MKII but have a Olympus EP-L1 for reasons that you state. Also it's lighter :D

If you conceal your camera you might be misunderstood for doing something illegal so I'm not sure that's really a great idea. Here's an example of what can happen.

Answer 2

I have had limited success with street photography, but here's what has kinda worked for me so far:

1. Act natural. Unless all the Koreans are wearing all black, I wouldn't bother. It might make you even more conspicuous in a "Why is that guy trying to be inconspicuous?" kind of way. That's the heart of being inconspicuous - not trying to be inconspicuous, which is the most conspicuous thing, once somebody notices it.
2. Have my staging area and camera ready to go in a configuration I want (for a certain lighting, depth of field, range, etc.) and keep it at my side, waiting for someone or something interesting to walk up to the street corner, news stand, or wherever, and snap the picture. Clearly, repetition is the mother of good photography here.
3. Use a telephoto. People are less likely to notice you at a distance. I have a 70-300mm. It's not fast, but in decent light, propping myself against a light pole or something, I can get nice close up pictures across a big intersection. I think this is most key, because, well, I love photographing people, but if somebody randomly photographed me, I'd be concerned or at least curious.
4. Look like you are taking a picture of something else. I have gotten my best results this way, especially combined with #1 above. Focus on an object at the same distance and then, right before shooting, just shift a bit, snap what you're really after while their attention is diverted, and then go back to the original decoy.

True story: my grandma HATES having her picture taken and always has, so there are very few pictures of her as an adult in existence, and they, mostly miserable ones. She is getting on in years her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren have expressed great interest in something more recent than 1977, when she let herself be photographed (with me as a baby). So while visiting her and having breakfast one morning, I cleaned my lenses, tested my camera, played with different adaptors, showed her my homemade pinhole "lens" and more. All the while I was shooting pictures wildly in all directions. I got 200 exposures, about 100 of which even had her in the picture, about 80 of which were disfigured by her sneezing or something, or were irredeemably blurry because I was shooting at f/2.8 and she moved. Of the 20 reasonable ones, 2 were real winners. But she never knew because I never looked through the viewfinder in her presence.

That same weekend, at a wedding, I got a pretty good photo of her from like 40 ft because she thought I was taking a picture of the bride, who was near her. A little cropping, and perfect. If I could have composed more freely, I would change a few things, obviously, but in terms of getting a secret pic of a woman who has done physical violence to avoid being filmed, not too shabby, I think.

Answer 3

You might like the new Canon 40mm F2.8 STM. Its a tiny, high quality lens. And the STM auto-focus is supposed to be really fast. So it is going to be ready to take candids.

Of course, the classic street photography camera is a Leica. But they are something like 10 times the price of your Canon.