Paul, aka *T-Hip and *KeenPhotography, has a lot to say, so make sure you read over the whole thing, its all a great read!



How long have you been shooting (in total) and when did you start shooting Street

I got my first digital camera in Jan. 05 and immediately started taking a lot of pictures. I always had a camera before that but without the convenience and cheapness of digital photos I only took pics on certain occasions.


What inspired you to shoot street?

I guess I have to answer that in two parts. Firstly, I always loved the Life magazine type photography, I have a coffee table book of that on my coffee table of all things. I was inspired by a lot of the photos, many of which were street, from those photographers.

The second reason I chose to shoot street was out of necessity. I didn’t have access to models or a studio with great lighting so I chose to shoot outdoors. Since I live in the city, Ottawa, I would carry my camera with me as I walked around the city streets. Ottawa is a beautiful city, very European looking, even if the streets were bare there would still be plenty of things to photograph.


What goes through your mind while you explore the streets?

I am constantly looking around for things/people/situations that are worthy of a photograph. In the words of The Tragically Hip, the Canadian rock band that inspired my dA name, I’m “Looking for a place to happen”. I take a lot of shots, that is the beauty of the digital camera. If I take a lot of shots and if none of them are useable, I tell myself at least I tried, it was better than sitting home watching TV, I still got some exercise. Even if they aren’t worth showing to other people they are like a collection of your personal memories. Hopefully you will get one or two shots that others will like, shots that tell an interesting story and/or are visually pleasing.


At first did you feel comfortable shooting people?

At first I was so eager to take photos I didn’t really consider whether or not I was comfortable. I always try to be discreet, that makes a big difference. My first camera had a 10x zoom so I didn’t have to get right into someone’s face to take a pic, I think that is important.

How did you overcome that fear (or) Do you have any advice for people looking to overcome that fear

As for the fear factor I suppose it helps that I am a fairly big guy, 6’2” and 195 lbs. I have never really felt threatened when I was out taking pics on the street. There was one time, however, in Montreal. I was walking along the main street, just taking random pics of buildings and people as I often do. A little later this guy that looked like he might be in a gang came running up to me and asked why I took his picture. I actually hadn’t taken his pic but he may have been in the background of one of my shots. I just remained calm and told him that I hadn’t taken his pic, that I was taking shots of Montreal as it was my first time there. He asked me if I was a policeman and why I pointed the camera at him. Again I just said I was in Montreal and was taking pics of all the buildings and what not. We spoke back and forth for about a minute and eventually he walked away and said I shouldn’t be pointing my camera at people. After he left I turned around and walked back towards from where I came since I figured I might be walking into an area that is not safe for taking street photography.

I don’t think I was ever afraid to take pictures of people, but at one point I did start to become reluctant to take candid shots of people for the fear of them thinking I was some sort of creep or some sort of lowlife like a paparazzi. I stopped taking street shots for awhile mainly because of that, and also because I got tired of my routine.

I still think photographers have a responsibility to protect the interests of their subjects. The first thing I ask myself is “if that was me in the pic would I want it published”. Without going back and looking at the pics I have uploaded I think I have done a good job of following that creed in the choices of pics I chose to upload to my *T-Hip and *KeenPhotography accounts here at dA.


Can you show us your favorite street photograph (from your gallery) and explain why it is your favorite

It is hard to say but I guess I’ll go with one



I categorized as photojournalism because I took it an Earth Day Rally on Parliament Hill. I could just as easily have categorized it as Street because one of the things I like about it is the crowd in the background, there’s a few interesting candid moments. I also like it because of the angle. I went up the stairs of Parliament Hill and stood behind the lady speaker and got a good angle of the man filming her, I guess that is a video camera he has. It is a quirky photo that captured a moment in history and also gives an example of how photogs/filmograhers can improvise. I have another one from that day where her young son went on the stairs and upstaged her, it was a good day Here is the link to that one


Can you show us your favorite street photograph (from ANY dA gallery) and explain why it is your favorite

I figured it would be something from ~DRIVINGYOU So I went into my favs and searched on street. I didn’t find any by him. I looked at his gallery, he doesn’t categorize them as street. Anyway I looked at his gallery again and picked up a few more favs. I still can’t single out a fav but I really like his pics. He has several pics that capture a unique situation, often humorously. He categorizes a lot of his stuff as conceptual and I can see why, there is often a message behind them, or you are at least left to think about what you have seen in his photograph.

I also like his work because it is in color. I enjoyed your (Obsidian-Fox) new article [link] . It explained why street photography needed to be in black and white before. Technology has changed and now there is no reason to automatically convert every street pic to black and white anymore. Since I was inspired by the Life magazine photographers some of my all time favorite photos are in black and white, but that is pretty well because they had to be. Those reasons no longer apply.

Sure I’m sure there are some cases where black and white suits the pic, but I think those situations are rare nowadays. I think street photography more than any other photography should represent what was captured as close to reality as possible. In real life we do not see in black and white so in a way presenting a picture in black and white is lying. It is at least only telling part of the story, the part that does not involve the color that existed in real life.

I also don’t subscribe to the notion that street photographs should not be enhanced. Again I think that if your camera hasn’t quite captured the scene as it looked in real life then steps should be taken to help it in post processing. Let’s face it street photographers are at a disadvantage in that street photography is often rushed and does not occur in the best lighting conditions, and our subjects are often in motion. I see no good reason not to compensate for that after the photo has been taken. Street photography is still photography and people like to look at attractive pictures, why not do what you can to make them attractive.


On the street, what is your favorite subject?

I guess I hope to find humorous situations. I should say as well my favorite subject in photography in general is beautiful women, and not surprisingly that is my favorite subject in the street as well. My eye will always drift towards women whether I have a camera or not


What is the best tip you can give to others?

Be discreet. When I’m walking the streets, much of the time I have my camera hidden in a bag, rather than strapped around my neck. If people see you with a camera they might become wary of you and no longer do whatever they were doing. A camera with a good zoom allows you to get close to your subjects without getting close to your subjects.

I sometimes like to get a seat on an outdoor patio on a busy street. I can sit down have a beer and/or a meal and watch the people go by. They may not even notice me since I am sitting in a crowd. Even if you don’t get a good shot it is still cool to sit on outdoor patios

Here's some advice that I mean to follow but haven't always done so in the past. If you do take someone's pic approach them right away and let them know. You never know something positive may come out of it.