About Venice Beach "Street Photography" As Seen By Me

Maybe I should call it "Venice Beach Ocean Front Walk Photography" because at Venice Beach, I'm not shooting on a street, but much of it is on Ocean Front Walk or just adjacent to it, or on the bike path.

Everyone who does street photography has his or her own way of doing it.  Some will approach the intended subject and ask - but once you interact with the person, that will change the way the person will look.  This isn't right or wrong, just a choice.  Does candid look better than posed?  Or is capturing someone in a fleeting moment of passing time more accurate?  The only ones who can answer that are the eventual viewers of the photo.

I use my best judgment at the time.  If it's a celebrity, I will sometimes shoot first without asking because I want that memory and some celebrities do not want strangers to take their photos.  I guess after all those Paparazzi photos, I can understand that.   Some have been rather rude, and others have been wonderful.  I asked Randy Newman and he was one of the nicest celebrities that I have met.

With Micheal Landon I shot first, then asked - I was on skates, and he said he wasn't going to stop walking, but was good with me shooting if I could keep up.  Both of these were shot with a Nikon FTn film camera with no control over the lighting.

Shot while I was skating backward - which is why he was smiling - in a parking lot by Ocean Front Walk and Rose Avenue. 

This one was shot without him knowing it - on Ocean Front Walk, Venice Beach.

The following photos were shot with Carolina, who I was going to shoot before asking.  I was trying to get into a good position to get her and the background I wanted when she came up to me and asked me where Venice Beach was.  Secretly photographing her was no longer an option, LOL.  After talking with her for a little bit, I told her I was the unofficial Venice Beach photographer and that I had to take her photos.  She agreed.  Here are a couple of those results shot with Nikon D610 digital camera:

I try to capture beauty in my photography - there is enough ugliness in the world already.  I want to add beauty, happiness, fun, etc.

Any time you see a photo of yourself that I shot, and for whatever reason don't want it online, let me know and I will always delete it.  Keep in mind that if you are at Venice Beach, there are probably more people taking more photos than anywhere else in the world and posting them online.  Not to mention news crews from time to time.  So if you're with someone you shouldn't be with, doing something you shouldn't be doing, or are supposed to be home sick from work, beware!  Part of Murphy's Law - your photo will be posted somewhere that someone who shouldn't see it will.   Remember, if you are in the photo, it captures a fleeting moment in time of your life, one that may never come back, so enjoy it and treasure the moment.