Since I made the switch to digital photography five or six years ago I’ve carried the soulless creation with me everywhere, and all the time.
It’s the only way to roll. If you don’t have a camera there’s no way you can take a photo. You could steal someone’s iPhone, but the quality of the image with those things is lacking and generally you have to run a good twelve blocks before you can use the camera.
That’s my arm, and my blood. I get blood work done fairly regularly, and the nurses at the clinic love it when I take my camera out. They’ll even help out with the setup… like it was her idea to twist the vial so my name was showing. Nurses totally know how to roll.
Vankleek Hill Photo Club 
I especially like all the empty tubes in the background, just waiting to be filled with precious blood!
I have yet to have a client ask if they can photograph their cat having blood drawn, I wish they would though. Only once someone wanted to see an IV catheter placed, put didn’t pull her cameraphone out until I was bandaging the leg. You have a good team of phlebotomists though, since most people I know would get a little tweaked at having a camera pointed at them while trying to poke a hole in a vein.
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It’s a good background, for sure. I have a shot of the blood spurting into the tube, but everything’s just a little too blurry.
I get that people are shy, but if someone is interested in what’s going on, and said someone is worried the subject will go Sean Penn on their ass, there’s no shame in asking.
I always ask before whipping the camera out to take a shot like this. A couple of years ago a dental hygienist give me a hard time, but I promised I wouldn’t shoot her face, and I even let her decide if the photo would be erased. Other than her everyone has been down with it… but the first time I ask there’s always a moment of “well that’s a weird request”.
I do think it’d be harder to whip out the camera and start shooting someone else from such a close distance, even if it was my own cat on the vet’s table. There’s a respect thing… like, I see your pain so I’ll keep the camera away until you say it’s cool.
Out in general population, like people just being people, I almost never take photos of random people. It’s just not worth the potential hassle. My hobby used to be taking shots inside protests, but half the time they’d think I was a cop and start targeting me. So now I stand back a bit.
Anyway… I can go on. Thanks for the comment.
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I’ve considered shooting protests, although I live in the city of apathy where very little ever happens along those lines. I think the G8 Summit will be here next year, so perhaps I’ll have something to do there. Any tips? (I doubt anyone will mistake my fat ass for a… oh wait.)
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If you’re inside the protest you’ll take your best shots while walking backwards. Don’t be afraid to pump your fist in solidarity and smile so you can get a nice reaction shot. Outside the march, stay towards the front for a little while, that’s where the leaders are, but let the protest go by you because if there’s going to be any kind of disruption it’ll generally happen further down where the “anarchists” are hanging out.
The cops used to show up already in aggression mode, but now the cops closest to the protest will be dressed down, maybe riding a bike along with the protest. But the aggression cops are still within striking distance, I have a great shot somewhere of two busloads of riot cops hanging out a couple of blocks from the show.
Just make sure you’re not too aggressive. Most protest organizers want people out there taking photos, they want media coverage, but not every protester gets the memo.
I was in an anti-G8 protest a bunch of years ago, I had no problems shooting from anywhere. But there were a lot of middle fingers waving at me.
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