Use a full-frame camera. Wide-angle lens. Sturdy tripod.
A torch. Preferably a rechargeable one. Batteries are very expensive.
Water (essential). A change of socks and undies. Take your ID for if the police come. Money for anything and emergencies. Mobile phone.
Wear appropriate clothing for the weather conditions
I wear steel-cap boots when on my night sessions. These create a sense of authority, and also for protection if you are attacked. I can’t run away because of my kit, so I have to face whatever may come.
When being confronted by someone, I always match their tone. You would be surprised just how effective this works. Don’t back down if you are in the right i.e. not on someone else’s property.
Show people what you do. This helps them understand why you are out in the middle of the night pointing a camera at their house.
If you are approached by police/security be very polite and helpful. The more pleasant you are, this will disarm the authorities. If they are not amenable say nothing, just listen.
The ‘ten minute rule’ is very good. Try to get the shot within 10 minutes of arrival, and then get out of there.
Here trespass is a fine $. The more you get caught, the more fines you get. And if you continue to get caught, you will face jail time.
I really think that anyone can take a photo of something…
i.e. a bunny
or a bird…
these are both excellent photos of a bunny and a bird but for me it’s not really photography.
let me explain
I remember watching this amazing nature photographer talk about this issue when he said: “anyone can take a picture of a polar bear, but it’s just a static image, no context”. In order to have a compelling image the bear needs to have some interesting context.
From day one I didn’t want to be just taking photos of ‘things’ I wanted to make ‘art’.
I watched a Netflix show about these people doing scary stuff on the top of very high buildings. skywalkers
When he meets a girl doing similar stuff, they end up meeting and falling in love. He says: “I was just taking photos of myself on the top of buildings, but when I met her, she was making art”.
Since the advent of mobile phones, everyone is now a photographer, and the need for professional photography is no longer needed. I’m not a purist at all, but I used to be when I first started. Now I like Instagram just as much as the next person.
it’s a brilliant film about the connection between the Holocaust and segregation laws in America and the caste system in India. It’s not racism, it’s caste. So much of what we think of as being racism is not racism. It’s groups of people who have been marginalized and placed at the bottom of the society (that they belong to). i.e. the caste system in India. No racism there, but a definite hierarchy.
slavery compared with the Holocaust, “subjugation” versus “extermination”.
Very though provoking, which I love. Will definitely watch this one again.
Noir 