SMACK!!! a banana peel slams into the side of my head
SLOOSH!!! a bucket of soap water lands on my feet
YANK!!! a burly hand tries to wrench my camera away

I love shooting on the streets.

Landscape photography puts me to sleep. I cant afford studio equipment. I'd rather cut off my shooting finger than shoot macro.

Why then does street photography exert its pull on me like steel balls to a magnet? Taking pictures of strangers in their vairous daily, redundant, boring social activities while running very real risks of offending the subjects, in danger of getting trash thrown in my face and sometimes having overly sensitive folks threatening confiscation of equiptment or physical bodily harm has never been my idea of fun or thrill seeking....

For my case, photography has become a means rather than an end in itself, simply a tool with which to record different faces of humanity in Asia in my quest to understand my fellow Asians.......social anthropology through flim, so to speak.

There are an infinite number of ways to go about slhooting strangers on the streets and I'll talk about a few key points that are important to me. Its just my way so dont take it as the last word on street shooting.

Doing one's homework before working an area/subject is important to me. Personally, I'm not keen on working on pictures that are superficial to me. I enjoy knowing who/what I'm shooting. This helps me focus on what I want in a body of works and in a way, helps me 'shoot' more with my heart. This has its price...oftentimes, perfectly useable works are mothballed for no other reason than a lack of close personal contact between the subject and myself. Lifeless and therefore of little meaning/personal value.

I like spending some time getting to know my subjects and their environments before even loading a roll of flim. All it normally takes is a few extra minutes spent examining the environmental clues and looking beyond the obvious that might reveal a more down to earth angle or a story that runs that few steps deeper.

Early mornings and late afternoons are my favorite times of day to shoot. The quality of light during these times although an asset is a very secondary consideration. Rather, I find these times of the day, especially just after daybreak, rituals and activities that we take for granted to be so varied amongst different stratas of societies in different countries. The simple act of early morning showers, going to the market, preparing for school and especially those 'behind-the-scene' activities like newspaper deliveries, preparation of breakfasts, washing of pedicabs or the preparations of offerings to the spirits speak so much of basic humanity in different societies.

The best way to get to adult subjects is through kids. Coming into any kind of environment, I'm always on the lookout for kids. I love shooting kids everywhere. They're always so spontaneous. Loading up with as much candy that my pockets can hold, I give them out freely.

My theorem is that the way to any adult's heart is usually through things that are close to them.....kids. If I'm able to get the kids to love me, it does a few things. Once I get the kids to work with me,especially when I'm handing out free candy, the adults soften up to me unconsciously making for subjects that are more acceptable to being photographed and relaxed in front of a lens.

Lastly, great street shooting means great social skills coupled with a humane understanding of people in their different environments. The less important a camera is during street work, the better the pictures seem to turn out. I'd some of my personal favourites done during trips where I didnt even carry a camera bag with me, where all I had was a beat-up $50 camera made in the 70s in a plastic bag and a couple of rolls of flim in my pants pocket.....Where photography was secondary but works turned out stellar (I like to think!)

Weird huh?