There’s one born every minute.

I came across a ridiculous piece of advertising the other day. It claims to teach class participants how to take street photographs. For the best part of two grand you get to meet a self-proclaimed ‘famous photographer’ who then pats you on the ass, sends you out to record your theme of the day in a big city and then graciously spends 30 minutes of his precious time with you ‘critiquing’ your snaps. Well, at $2000+ per hour, which is what his rate for a medium sized class comes to, I would be spending my even more valuable time with you too, and my trashing of your work – guaranteeing that you would have to sign up for a refresher course – would be at no extra charge.

I will never understand the concept of tuition which purports to teach you to see. Seeing is like musical or business talent. It’s a right brain function. You either have it or you do not. Technique, like any left brain function, can be learned, seeing cannot. You may, perhaps, sharpen your visual sense by using it more, but it’s still binary. It’s either there or it’s missing. It cannot be bought.

Thankfully for the world’s gear makers, the total disconnect between gear and vision allows them to sell tons of equipment to people most of whom really should be taking up other hobbies more suited to their skills. Like Morris Dancing or crochet. Just check any of the more popular chat boards to see what I’m talking about. The average participant there changes gear more frequently than a politician changes his mind yet cannot take a picture to save his life.

Anyway, here are a few recent street snaps and, whether you like them or not, this most ephemeral of art forms most certainly did not cost me the big bucks demanded by that ‘famous photographer’. Actually, my cost was a train ticket and a sandwich for lunch, plus some shoe leather.

Click the picture for the PDF download.

All snapped on the Panny G1 with the kit lens, the first in Monterey, the remainder in San Francisco.

Now please excuse me while I rattle up some business at $2,000+ per hour. There truly is one born every minute, and he really needs to have his wallet lightened.