스포츠서울 — 이렇게 올해의 핫팬츠 유행에 대해 취재하는 건가요? 이 건 신문의 신문의 사진작가로써 쓸만한 일인가요? ㅋㅋ 게으른 사진작가들은 피사체 50m 뒤에 떨어져서 망원렌즈로 찍는 건 — 참. 스포츠신문인데 스포츠맨의 정신이 없네요. ㅋㅋㅋ
Sports Seoul — this is how you report on the hot pants trend? This is the best you can do? Lazy photographers standing 50 meters back, shooting women with a telephoto lens? There is no honor in such sport. Tsk, Tsk.
이렇게 핫팬츠의 대해서 사진보도 하는 거죠. 신문사진작가인데 이렇게 사진을 제대로 찍을 자신이 없어요? 자신있게! 화이팅!
This is how you report on hot pants. You go out and find someone wearing a pair. This is, of course, assuming that the photographer also “has a pair.”
최근 서울 압구정동. 강남역. 홍대앞. 명동 등 젊음의 거리는 온통 팬티 라인이 보일까 말까 아슬아슬한 핫팬츠 물결이다. 지나가는 젊은 여성들 10명중 6명은 핫팬츠 차림일 만큼 노출 일색이다. 과감한 노출 패션은 최근 4~5년동안 해마다 여름이면 반복되고 있지만 올 여름은 패션 관계자들이 “극에 달했다”고 할만큼 대담해졌다. 이 때문에 남성들은 반색하면서도 시선을 어디에 둬야할지 모르는 상황이 자주 연출되고 있다.
홍대앞 거리에서 가게를 운영하고 있는 김모(33)씨는 “여름이 되면서 여성들의 옷차림이 짧아졌다. 눈이 저절로 가는데 바라보기가 민망할만큼 짧은 경우가 종종 있다”고 말했다.
올여름 노출패션은 그야말로 아찔할 정도. 핫팬츠도 그냥 핫팬츠가 아니라 ‘마이크로 핫팬츠’다. 미니스커트의 길이가 ‘나노 미니스커트’로 최대한 짧아진 것처럼 핫팬츠 역시 더 이상 짧기 어려울 만큼 짧아졌다. 전체 길이가 20~22㎝에 불과하다. 성인 남성의 손으로 쟀을때 한뼘 길이로 엉덩이의 팬티라인이 겨우 가려지는 정도다.
노출패션의 인기 뒤에 자리한 ‘배후세력’은 섹시코드의 여성스타들. 최근 음반을 내고 활동을 재개한 가수 이효리나 서인영. 엄정화 등이 나란히 섹시한 핫팬츠를 입고 나오면서 핫팬츠의 인기를 부채질하고 있다. 특히 서인영이 입고 나온 진소재 하이웨이스트 핫팬츠는 허리선이 높아 하체가 더 길어보이는 효과때문에 금세 패션리더들에게 번졌다.
핫팬츠. 초미니 스커트를 입는 여성들은 대부분 10~20대들이다. 특히 핫팬츠의 경우 미니스커트에 비해 활동성이 좋고 코디하기도 간편한데다 시원해서 여름철 최고 아이템이라고 이구동성으로 말한다.
핫팬츠 차림으로 다리를 시원하게 드러낸 이상아(18)양은 “입었을때 시원하고 코디하기도 간편해 핫팬츠를 즐겨입는다”고 말했다. 전예솔(18)양도 마찬가지. 여름이면 다른 옷으로는 손길이 가지 않을만큼 핫팬츠가 좋다고 말했다.
정현선(19)양은 “너무 짧다고 엄마가 말씀하시지만 그래도 즐겨입는다”며 “올 여름 내내 입을 것 같다”고 말했다.
신촌에서 / In Shinchon
Recently sighted in Apkujeong. Kangnam Station. The Hongdae front gate. Myeongdong. Or anywhere that young women go these days, you can see hot pants barely cover the panty line that always seems ready to peek out from under, but never do. These days, this kind of exposure has become so common that 6 out of 10 women passing by can be seen in them. This kind of heavy exposure fashion has become quite common in the summer for the last 4-5 years, but this year, fashion experts say, has “reached an extreme.” Because of this, this presents the problem of men enjoying the fad, yet not knowing where to direct their gaze.
A woman named Kim who runs a clothing store says, “Women’s clothes get shorter during the summer. Even though one automatically ends up looking, there are times when it’s so short it’s embarrassing to stare.”
Extreme exposure fashions have indeed become dizzingly short. Hot pants are not mere hots pants, but actually “micro hot pants.” Just like mini-skirt lengths have recently become “nano miniskirts”, it will be difficult for hot pants to get any shorter. The entire length of the pants are nothing more than 20-22cm. That is about the length that an adult man’s hand would cover up if pressed from the hip to the panty line.
The trend has been drawn along with the help of “star power.” The recent music and videos with singer Lee Hyori or Seo In-yeong are good examples. Stars like Uhm Joeng-hwa and others who are uniformly appearing in sexy hot pants are helping to fan the flames of this trend yet higher. Especially with the high-waisted jean hot pants worn by Seo In-yeong, which has the effect of making the hips look higher and the legs look longer, she has become the fashion leader of the day.
Most of those wearing hot pants or micro minis are women in their teens and twenties. This is especially because one is about to be more active in hot pants than a miniskirt, while coordinating is easy, and they are cool, making them the agreed-upon hot fashion item of the summer.
Lee Sang-a, an 18-year-old woman coolly sporting a pair of hot pants, said, “I like to wear hot pants because they’re easy to coordinate and cool.” Another 18-year-old named Jeon Ye-sol said the same. She said that she likes them so much that she doesn’t even think about wearing anything else once the summer comes.
A 19-year-old woman named Jeong Hyeon-seon said, “Even though my mom says it’s too short, I still like to wear them out” and, “This summer, I’m going to wear them non-stop.”
Now, that’s interesting. Leave it to Sports Seoul to do the in-depth reporting on the hot pants! Next time, just take some pictures of the girls you interview!
new trend?
But yeah. Another “Oh, Korea” moment. ><
Oh, we get to play pick your favorite pair of legs~ My fave are the ones on top, of the girl in the baggy jean shorts (sorry, can’t call them hot pants if they are baggy) with the gold heels. It may also be that the shots from behind look more musclar and less flabby. And by flabby I don’t mean fat but like not toned. I have my American bias showing. Shoooowing~ And gold heels are always hot <3
Jae, you’re a woman right? Cause my pick would be the first big picture by FMS. No question!
I was hoping my gender neutral name would confuse people, but I suppose my taste in female physiology betrays me
I was speaking purely from a perspective of legs. I suppose FMS’s first photo is more overtly sexual with her pose, the sleeve falling off one shoulder, but her knees are over extended and the leg shape is just not pleasing to me. A little FHM for my tastes, but I’m also not a straight man or a “lad,” aka FHM’s target audience.
The second FMS pic is okay as well, upon second glance. I have a fondness for v. small ankles and a shapely calf though. As you can tell, most of the young ladies fail to meet that standard pretty miserably
The irony of course is that I’m not terribly fond of my “shapely calves.”
Please standby as we troubleshoot a bug. No one can login, since logging in sends us into an infinite loop, back to the login page. Grrr. WordPress 2.6. I love you!
Not.
I knew it, Jae !
By the way, talking about legs: why korean knees are always pointing inside? Why do they have these not straight legs? Is this anything related to korean anatomy? Don’t see that in caucasians, africans, for instance.
I enjoy wearing hot pants and short skirts but sometimes it’s really annoyin when old ppl especially old men staring at my legs,
especially whenever i get on the bus, i can feel bus driver’s watchin me and expect ma panties to be shown.
But again I still love em XP
I almost agree with Jae Young…..I want to see some health legs out there…like those field hockey girls..
Hey FMS…do some fashion Olympic coverage on these uniforms…the women’s field hockey team are working those skirted uni’s!
Jae Young is always right, everyone should listen to Jae Young
Maximus, I’m not really sure what you mean by knees pointed inside. No one has ever remarked upon my knees being pointed inside, so I doubt it’s a genetic issue as I am 100% ethnically Korean. It may be a particular pose affected by young Korean women that they think is attractive. However, if you are referring to the bit of bone that juts out, that’s prolly because the women are underweight and don’t have enough meat to cover their bones. I’ve seen it on women here in the US, when they’ve lost quite a bit of weight.
Hummm…not sure. Maybe is because they have difficulties on using high heels? Have you noticed how painful for a korean girl is to walk with high heels? They don’t step placing first the heel than the forefoot. They tend to step the hole foot, what makes them have a very not-beautiful walk.
High heels are great, but need to know how to walk with them. Most of them don’t.
Then the question is: are the legs pointing inward because of the high heels or are they having problems on walking with high heels because of the legs poiinting inwards?
Really don’t think this is related to skinny legs. Know a lot of skinny girls and the knees seem to be in the right position.
By the way, I’m trying to understand the anatomy, not a criticism if the legs are like this due to genetics. If it’s because of the high heels, than it’s sad (like using the minis during winter time).
And, yes, since this is about fashion – and fashion is not only clothing and accessories – walking beautifully with high heels is necessary. Otherwise, get back to no high heels.
Well, I’m a Korean ‘lad’ and I know that one thing is taboo: one shouldn’t talk much about the shape/length of a Korean woman’s legs.
You can talk about S-lines, cup sizes, ass shapes, facial mutations, but telling a woman about her legs is off limits.
Maximus, you must be Korean, or at least have spent some considerable time around Asian women. You’re right, Korean women do have a unique ‘Korean’ gait. I wouldn’t call it ungraceful or a clop, but you’re right in that Korean girls don’t strike with with their heels first (but can you really, if you wear stilettos?), and I think it waivers on the side of function, and is modest, if you can call a style of walking that.
I have read theories that link the Korean gait to the hanbok, as a women’s hanbok allows for long strides, but controls the bust very tightly. If you a see a Korean woman walking, the torso to waist stay still, and seemingly only the legs move in a cyclical way almost, with long unbent legs. Compare that to, say, the Chinese or Japanese, who have traditionally had clothing that is tighter much lower, around the waist, with tighter skirt sections, and you can see why their strides are smaller, with more body motion. More waist, more butt, more torso pivoting, with a pigeon toed walk that further accentuates hip movement. This is best demonstrated when you go to a tourist-heavy area, like Myongdong. Korean gait vs. Japanese gait side by side.
It also should be remembered that the current generation of young people have much longer legs than the older generations due to diet, exercise, etc, and so traditional things will fade off as they tend to do, when they are irrelevant to a people.
I do think that as fashions change though (the transition to all-Western garb has been complete, but only within the past 60 years or so), Korean girls will probably adopt the more physical gait, to show off their bodies more, as is always the trend. More heels = more toe-striking gaits, more pigeon toes, more knock knees, and so the physiognomy evolves.
Unrelated to the above, one of my peeves is cheap shoes, and Korean girls wear a lot of them. This leads to 3 seasons of girls all dressed up looking nice, with the backstrap of their shoes hanging loose (this is so common and looks equally as bad), or worse yet, cuts, blisters, band aids hanging on by one side, because their shoes are uncomfortable and they can’t wear them properly. Imagine having to walk up tube station stairwells behind that kind of stuff, ugh. I realize that happens when you break in all kinds of high heel strappy shoes, but the cheap Korean-made shoes (because the limited selection they sell at the wholesale market is actually what they sell throughout Seoul, just at different end prices with different stamps) made from pleather and vinyl are pretty consistent at tearing up feet. I suppose a woman could have great legs, walk really sexily, but as you scan down and notice bandaids hanging off her heels and bleeding blisters, that’s just a no-go for me.
Here here to the girls that walk like cranes…and the ones that drag their heel like they are wearing slippers….
I started noticing how a lot of women seem to walk like middle school girls in their first set of heels they had to wear for 8th grade graduation.
On another point…
I share your beef with the cheap shoes in Korea. However, I am not really sure how it works here. Back home when we’d go shopping at the ghetto shoe stores, 10/20$ a pair…but with the understanding that the shoes were really only for few nights out. And..to be sure…the cheap shoes back home seem to be a lot better (even though they are made in china) then the cheap shoes here. Secondly…..the bows, and ribbons, and buckles, and lord knows what else are on these shoe, it is ok…..but I was out trying to play dress the korean girl like an american girl from the city…and it took like 2 weeks to find a pair of classic solid black pumps. The person I was shopping with kept taking us to these ritzy upscale stores…but they had nothing but the crazy stuff. I figured out where the cheap stores were…bang…they had the right shoes.
Oh god, the shoes. When I went to Korea this spring, I was looking forward to shopping and bought……*tada* nothing. No, that’s not true, I bought a bunch of socks from Namdaemun and Dongdaemun, cos omg cuuute socks with random Korean written on them. Koreans srsly don’t believe in making shoes with leather. I looked and everything was plastic and vinyl. Sometimes I would see the same shoes with a markup of like 50,000-100,000 won.
I don’t recall seeing a ton of stiletto heels in Korea. A few kitten heels, but most of the heels were pretty solid. And if they were stiletto, they were only like 2, maybe 3 inches max. Come on ladies, heel toe, heel toe~
I’m not much of a women’s shoe expert, but I think there is a set ‘Korean’ last and footbed shape, along with heel pitch, etc, that most all Korean women’s shoes are based upon, if they’re spec’d by a Korean designer. ‘trendy’ Korean shoes and clothes in general were a self-taught homegrown industry originally aping American clothes, and now they just outsource the same designs to other countries. You can look back to pictures of Korea from the ’50′s, ’60s and see that the shoes look almost identical to what they make today, especially in last shape/heel pitch, probably had less pink back in the day though. Anyhow, those Korean women’s shoes have always been less shapely, less aggressive than European/American/Japanese heels. More modest, I guess you would say, as with many things related to Korean clothing.
Some years back, I was really digging the super pointy kitten heels, and wanted to buy some for my girlfriend. Everything sold in Korea that season was rounded-toe, teal or pink vinyl, riding that Marc Jacobs’esque cutesy crap. I got fed up with looking at that and went to the Galleria and bought her a pair of Miu Mius. It was a shame the long pointy heels never took off in Seoul as it completely consumed Tokyo and HK at the time; that was a sexy look, back when sexy was relevant.
They really do sell what seems to be one lot of shoes/clothes to all middlemen retailers in Korea; I wasn’t kidding about that. If you have a sharp eye, go to the department stores and look at the ‘premium’ domestic-branded women’s shoes that sell upwards of $200. Take note of the patterns and fabrics, because you will see the exact same shoes being sold elsewhere for maybe $10-20. (There was this brown embossed relief paisley vinyl that seemed to make it to every women’s shoe for like 3 years in a row, you will occasionally still spot it on the streets.)
Anyone who’s lived in Korea for more than 2 years consecutively will realize that there becomes a ‘hot Korean domestic brand’ that everything and everyone will be logoed with, and they come and go like the seasons. I don’t know what N’Gene, GV2, COAX, 1492 Miles, UCLA, etc are, apart from ugly and insanely popular, and that they’re just disposable brands being sold by Samsung, Hyundai, LG, CJ, et al to be replaced next year. Sometimes they just take the old tags off and put the new brand tags back on. Stuff just gets beaten to death, and then some stuff like the basics or alternative choices are ignored entirely.
Jae Young, it’s actually much much harder for men to find good leather dress shoes in Seoul than it is for women. The only reasonably nice looking choices are inevitably imported, and have always been $300-500 to start. You can buy knockoffs of the look sometimes, but they’re scar-corrected/pressed-grain leather, glued welts, and will come apart in a week. Otherwise, men are just back in that same pool of buying those weird black square-toed rubber soled things that get sold at varying prices points depending on their distance from the wholesale market. There is a store called Kumkang that sells those paddle shitkicker things for like $200, and probaby a cart in front of it selling the same thing for $20, and frankly, they are the same item. Koreans love names and haven’t matured to quality just yet. I’m going to Seoul very soon as well, and am bracing myself for all the ugly shoes, mens and womens. I too like the novelty socks, if just for the laughs. I will be the guy in the fake Chanel socks.
You’re right on the last issue, methinks. On all the stands selling the current $20-40 shoe, it’s basically the same exact last and heel, with different colors and baubles. Sort of like Payless, but without thought to ergonomics or comfort. Payless ain’t the cutting edge in style, but the shoes are solid and comfortable for the price.
On the men’s tip, I can’t buy shoes here. They are very low quality for the price, and are pretty much the same story as women’s shoes, re lasts and shapes. In the States, I usually get some designer knockoff for $100-150, which is comfortable and lasts for a long time. Here, I’ve bought Korean shoes in a pinch, and yep — exactly what you said, the glue came off and I had a flipper foot. Within like a month. Ridiculous.
One bad thing about Korea — low-end shoes are really low end, and overpriced! And with the general over-pricing of shoes, low-end shoes from the states, like $50 brands, command $150 prices and are displayed in store windows.
Also, just for people keeping up — our site, while working in terms of the front end, is “down” from the back — no one can login to the backend and do anything like post or approve comments. This happened while upgrading to WordPress 2.6, and sticks the backend into an endless loops that spits you to the login page if you try to go backstage. Then you login again, spits you out to the login page again.
So posts aren’t coming for that reason, nor are approved comments for people who are first-timers. Your comments ARE in the system — I just can’t get in there to hit the “APPROVE” button! So, everything’s working normally overall, except basically, the upgrade scrambled our key to the store. Good thing much of the store’s automated, right?
Thanks for commenting and we are working on the problem (well, a tech guy is)!
And in the meantime, let’s keep this conversation going!
I’ve never tried mens shoe shopping in Korea. My brothers both complained bitterly about shopping in Korea but they are both 6’1″ and their weight over the years has ranged from 170-230 lbs. The smaller brother wears a US 10.5. Shoe shopping and clothing shopping wasn’t really an option for them. And they weren’t ones for getting things tailored because that would require being smrt and together.
Shoes are just a nightmare for me to buy period because I have very wide feet. Lengthwise, they are a US 7 but width wise, they are like a US 8.5/9. My boss has a similar issue and she refers to our feet as hooves, hee. Or should that be neigh? And size wise, I fall out of that tiny window available to Korean women, as I am juuuuust at the edge.
I also admit to being terrible while in Korea and really only wanting to buy imports, i.e. everything I would buy back home at the States, for uh way less. So of course, I didn’t buy anything. I did not acquire the desire to pay scadloads of money so I can brag about the brands.
I suppose I could have tried wading in the Korean fashion brands, but I was so not feeling it. It’s a shame though because coats/jackets and tops are proportioned better for my body as I have the classic aZn~ long torso/short leg combo.
I hope one day that the Korean fashion scene gets less trendy and less obsessed with brands. I know that FMS has mentioned getting things tailor made and Koreans are so scornful without having any real appreciation for quality as it relates to value. When I was in Korea, I would ask a few people that I would meet about this question of brands and money. Some were uber le boueg, well okay legit loaded, and would clearly not conceive of life sans brands. Other, more middle class/normal folk admitted to appreciating a deal and buying things on sale and being less brand obsessed. Frankly, if I had regular access to a decent tailor, I would be getting all sorts of stuff tailor made.
FMS, I think you totally need to do an entry/special on tailors and what Koreans think of using them. Please? ^_^
Also, does anyone not think that some of those hot pants are just baggy shorts, what the heck Sports Seoul?
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ahahahaha…hot pants they may have been intended by the waist measurements, but some girls just can’t fill those things…
On the shoes…well…I wanted to buy a fresh pair of tim’s (Timberland Boots–its a regional thing) but seriously could not swallow the 150% price increase. So I figure I just wait to make a trip back home and stock up (like 4-5 pairs).
And I would like to get some stuff tailored, and told my friend its likely the same price if not less then the +100$ she wants to drop on a pair of department slacks, but keeps talking about some after-service concept…..
In summary, from my side:
- Imp One, I’m not Korean, but have been around for a while (and honestly: korean guys do pay attention to that? I always thought most of them were more worried about their purses than anything else about their girls);
- still not explained why the knees are not straight. I’ll try to ask a doctor;
- walking with high heels: Imp One, I truly like your tentative on trying to make that walk “graceful in their own way”, but…there is absolutely NO charm. It looks ugly! Or is it my not-sensitive cultural perspective based on where I come from women KNOW how to walk with high heels?
I’d say: practice first, then go out. And use your number, not something smaller just to look “cute”;
- men’s shoes: ridiculously expensive OR ugly (and no leather). Damn…
- final one: I truly admire Imp One’s knowledge. You guy came here to really set some stuff straight! Keep coming back!
post more minis!
What I keep trying to figure out is how standing fifty feet back and shooting with a telephoto lens is somehow more cowardly than hiding your camera under your arm and shooting as you quickly walk by?
To make an analogy, one is like shooting with an automatic rifle from a high hide, the other is like walking up and doing it with a knife, fully acknowledging the possibility and eventual inevitablity of tussling with your “prey.” Either way, although the assumption is that the human will win (there isn’t much doubt about that), one is considered more honorable than the other.
Analogies aside, however, in realistic terms, I don’t HIDE my camera, for one thing. If you actually thought about it, trying to hide a huge DSLR under one’s arm would look pretty silly and be a pretty stupid way to not be noticed, actually.
I walk around with my camera in full view, snapping away. Do I ADVERTISE the fact I am shooting by sticking it in people’s face? Of course not, but neither does any street or documentary photographer. We try to blend in, but we don’t hide any equipment.
What is fundamentally different, to answer your question, is that people assume I’m not taking their picture simply because 1) they’re not paying attention, and 2) the way I’m doing it is so relatively OBVIOUS that most people can’t believe I’m taking pictures. When I walk around with people (any friend or acquaintance who walks with me pretty much anywhere), they always smile and shake their heads, saying, “I can’t believe people don’t notice you!” or “I don’t see how you get away with that!” I think it works because it’s relatively BRAZEN — not because I’m standing across the street with a 300mm lens. I generally am shooting at 17mm (the 35mm equivalent of a 28mm lens) and can assure you that shooting this way is nothing for the faint-hearted. I suggest you try it sometime. I’m not being cheeky; I’m dead serious. I think you’ll get an appreciation for at least what I’m saying this way.
And the other crucial difference is the fact that yes, you can get caught — and with the law of averages, you know you will. But most people don’t actually do anything, because yes, it’s broad daylight and what dastardly things could I be really doing with a picture of a person walking around fully clothed, in broad daylight? I think that many people assume I’m doing something akin to what I’m actually doing, umm, actually. And they don’t much care, in the end. But they do notice, and they get the CHANCE to notice.
So, one way of shooting ASSUMES you are going to be caught eventually and on a regular basis, and have to actually “be a man” and explain what you’re doing (hence, I speak Koreas and assume I will have to explain things to people, I carry name cards in my bag everywhere I go, and have have a prepared legal explanation of what I’m doing as a laminated card), while with the other, you’re not accountable to the subject AT ALL.
And when asked, I never lie about whether I took their picture, I explain that I’m fashion trend-tracking, and give my name card. I say that I liked their XYZ, and that’s why I took their picture. If they ask me to erase the card or hand over my camera (the latter of which I might do, the latter of which I’ll never do), I kindly explain why either would prefer not to or won’t, usually by giving them my prepared statement in Korean. I’ve only had to do that only a handful of times, and all people have accepted that explanation at that point.
Point is, I expect to interact with my subjects, and to take a little heat for what I do in the event I get noticed and that person assumed I’m doing something I’m not. If asked, I explain, and that’s usually enough.
That’s a pretty big difference. No street photographer walks around advertising that they’re taking pictures. They try not to be noticed by timing shots, by taking advantage of people’s assumptions, by blending in between the rhythms of how people do things in everyday life. If you ever tried it, you’d know that such shooting is actually a way of being polite, because to be any more obvious about it would entail nearly getting up in a person’s face and yelling, “I’m taking your picture!” In the end, most people don’t care, and it’s pointless to spend hours a day explaining, rather than shooting.
It’s like this: If you want a shot of a two old guys in Central Park playing chess, you could walk up to two old guys playing chess, explain in full detail what shot you want and why you’re taking the picture, and stand there as most people mull over it, because the very act of asking makes it into a much bigger deal than it actually is.
OR, you could just take the picture, and no one would really care.
Same with some fashion item. I could go out and just walk past 10 people wearing that thing and publish the pics in an article about it, no one’s the wiser, and faces are cut out in accordance with custom and possibly law. In the end, if you could take the time and effort it would require to explain to each of those 10 people that you’re just interested in their fashion, would like a natural shot of them in it, the act of asking makes it into a much bigger deal than it is. No one’s going to pose for you natural-style, take the time out, etc. And also in the end, if their face isn’t being published, no one cares, anyway. That’s the #1 concern that most of the women might have, and if I could somehow magically convey that to them in an instant, most people wouldn’t care.
In the end, I just walk around taking the pics I want and need, and if asked, I explain what I’m doing. It’s pretty simple, actually. Not nefarious.
So real street shooters, or documentary photographers, or people shooting street fashion in a street photo style don’t HIDE their cameras. If anything, it’s the opposite, as we’re up close and interacting as human beings with our subjects, big black camera out and up and firing away, knowing full well that we WILL get noticed eventually, each and every day we do it.
And then there’s the person who’s so interesting, or representative of just what I want to capture, that I walk right up to them and ask to take their picture, portrait-style.
The other guy standing across the street with a telephoto lens doesn’t do this, doesn’t think about this, and doesn’t care.
If you think that’s not a big difference, I suggest you get a large, black DSLR out, stick an extreme WIDE-ANGLE lens on it, walk around the city with it in full view, snapping pictures of people as you walk in and among them. You better know full well that some people will notice you, and some will ask what you’re doing.
See if that don’t take a whole heaping helping of moxie in a way that it doesn’t if you’re standing across the street, safe and hidden behind a 300mm lens. And if you know what a 17mm lens looks like through the viewfinder (I usually shoot my street fashion stuff between 17 and 20), you’d know most of the shots I take are literally a single arms-length from the person. I guarantee you that it takes some balls to walk with a camera in full view, in front of your body, and snap a person 3-4 times with the motor drive from that distance.
That, sir, DOES require some brass in one’s sack, and I suggest you try it sometime if you don’t believe me.
The difference comes out in the pics, to anyone who cares to notice. You may not like my explanation, but if you don’t, then tell it to the generations of street shooters who essentially shoot the exact same way I do. You’ll notice that no one calls attention to themselves, yet they don’t use a frickin’ telephoto lens. And you’d have to dismiss all their work on the same basis that you’d potentially would dismiss mine.
Hopefully this explanation helps in your process of figuring out the difference between the two stances to photography. Otherwise, I guess we’ll have to agree to not see eye-to-eye on the subject.