[Leica] Re: [Leica} Doisneau, posed unposed

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

As I see it:
Drawing the line between posed and unposed pictures gets into just how
influenced your subjects are by you as you think you are invisible with
your camera.
In most cases you are not invisible, when  you are in a situation with
your camera your subjects "perform" for you if you know it or not and if
they admit it or not. And if you bring home a model release or give them
a dollar or not or if they acted in their high school play.
Sometimes you try even less hard to disappear because you want your
subjects to keep doing what they are doing and there is an unspoken agreement.
Most of the time it's "Hey buddy! over here" to make sure you get a face
in the picture.
Look at a stack of your contacts at the end of the week and try to
remember which shots were done with nothing said by you.
It's darn hard to draw the line.
Lots of these great photographers were working on a deadline.
 
The difference between a professional and an amateur is the
professionals bring back the shot and the amateur sits there waiting for
the light to change.
Either a shot "works", has "integrity" or it doesn't. this is not based
on how much your subjects were supposedly not aware of you and how much
you supposedly didn't influence them.
Mark Rabiner