Watch as photographer Eric Kim employs extreme ambushing techniques and goes on a spree on Hollywood Blvd with a Canon and a hand-held flash, snapping people left and right. So in your face! So… zzzzz.
Now, we’re 100% committed to photographers’ rights to take photos of people in public, psychotically overzealous cops be damned… but this fella is useless. No, there’s nothing illegal about what he’s doing and the technique isn’t novel. There are actually photogs that are/were good at this.
There’s also nothing illegal about running up to people and hollering “Boo!!!” (provided your genitals are not exposed). Pretty much all he’s doing is just that. Boo. Nothing to be giddy about.
Behold! The wonderful, revelatory range of expressions captured with this technique…
WTF, WTF, WTF, WTF, WTF and of course, the WTF.
Bruce Gilden style, but not half as good results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBARi09je8
Exactly.
My favorite LA street photog is Shawn Nee. He walked that very same block and got killer shots. http://www.discarted.com/
Shawn Nee is so good.
One random night I was shooting in Hollywood and saw another street photographer it was Shawn. We both notice each other and started to talk. I wanted his lens and vise versa…
Yeah his work is great!
Shawn Nee Blog
http://boywithgrenade.org/
legal or not, it can be interpreted and exploitive and disrespectful. if he were to do it to me, he'd leave with a broken camera. seriously, some cats need to get hood checked. a part of me misses the old los angeles gang culture for reasons like these.
Interpret it however you want. Yeah's the guy's a dick. Whatever.
But, unfortunately for sensitive types, taking photos of people in public is legal while assault and property damage aren't.
That guy's an asshole. Too bad none of the subjects punched him in the nose.
Again. THIS: Legal. ASSAULT: Illegal. THIS DUDE: Asshole.
Actually, it's a little more complex than that. Some guy jumps in your face in a menacing manner; you're suddenly blinded by a flash. Someone could reasonably claim they thought they were being assaulted, and were simply defending themselves against a possible threat.
Most likely outcome: nul pros.
If you're going to act like an authority on the law, get a lawyer, because you're obviously not one.
This dude's been watching too much Bruce Gilden –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBARi09je8&fe…
For the most part I find this style to be intrusive and lacking in all facets of art. It is one step worse than the candid portraits being taken so often. Thesse images have no lasting qualtiy because instead of art they and just snapshots taken when people are at the most vulnernable…..might as well just get a canon 100-400
In addition this style is what is giving street photography such a bad name and being scene as exploitive rather than artistic in the public’s mind.
Great post
EK is a douche at its prime. He has no photography knowledge, half of the time he is trying to brand what he does… Streettogs? I mean, WTF?! For the first time in all my years of shooting in the streets I am ashamed to bear the title of street photographer. I hope this douche will crash and burn!
LA has got more talented people shooting on the streets!
Just a few:
Shawn Nee
Jared Iorio
Susan C. Weber
Ludmilla Morais
Bryan Formhals (currently living in NYC)
Raoul Gatepin
and so on…
I'm glad you mentioned good ol' Bruce. Puts this young buck to shame. How vanilla can you get? This dude should give NYC a shot with this tactic. He'd either get laughed at or punched in the face.