Looking for a punch in the face?

One Street: Market Square, Shipley #51

These three young women are perfectly illustrating the three main reactions to the street photographer. Some people are curious, like the girl on the left, while others look away and decline to engage, like the girl on the right. Relatively few are confrontational in any way, like the girl in the middle seems to be. I'm still not sure whether or not she was gesturing her desire here to punch me in the face! She did have a bit of attitude.

All was fine when I went over and explained what street photography was about. When I first spotted them they were thoroughly engaged with each other but I didn't take a picture despite really wanting to. I did a circuit and passed them again, this time deciding to go for it. Because of the way they were sat it was never going to be easy to get a shot without one of them noticing me and that's how it proved. So I didn't get the candid photo that I was after but I still like this. I suppose it's still a candid picture in a way, capturing the moment when the subject becomes aware that they are the object of a photograph. After a brief chat with the girls it was immediately obvious how closely their sense of style is matched to their personalities. I think that's possibly why this shot appeals to me so much and the main reason for posting it today. It all adds to the tension.

I suppose this was an opportunity to try shooting from the hip but I do have a bit of an issue with such tactics. It's important to me that I'm not seen to be taking pictures secretly. After I take a street shot I do try to establish eye contact and get a nod of acceptance from the subjects if I can - although if I'm not noticed then that's fine. If someone isn't comfortable with the situation then I want them to have the chance to say so. That seems fair - although it's only ever happened the once. I think my growing comfort with street photography (and being bold enough to take shots like this) is all about an increasing confidence in my ability to charm myself out of any confrontation that may arise!

The difficulties yesterday at work were actually all about confrontation. It's something around which I have a pathological fear. I will avoid it at almost any cost. And I fully accept it's a serious fault in my character which I'm trying to work on (with which the Street Photography is certainly helping). Following yesterday's negotiations and proposal I was expecting to have to deal with some considerable confrontation today but I've heard nothing back. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad. My carefully crafted email seems to have caused some consternation!