Whilst walking through the town park the other day I noticed a middle aged man walking toward me with an SLR hanging from his right shoulder. As I got nearer to the man he stopped, turned to his left, raised his camera and took a picture of a squirrel that was scampering towards him in the search for tit bits. As I approached the man I asked “afternoon, got any good shots?” The man turned to me and with a look of disdain he growled “A few” and then walked off on his merry way.

The following day I was walking along the canal during a lovely warm summer’s morning when I came upon an angler. The angler was approx 50 years young, medium build and hunched over a long fishing pole that stretched across the entire width of the canal. As I neared the angler he raised the pole in a fast striking manner, no fish this time. “Morning” I said as he lowered the hook back into the water. “Morning” he replied. “Caught much” I asked. “A few, but there’s not much biting at the moment” the angler replied. Within seconds I could tell that the man was receptive to a more lengthy conversation and the next 20 minutes were taken up talking about fishing and the ones that got away.

Two completely different locations, hobbies and people, the contrast being very clear. As a fisherman for many years I was exposed to one of the most endearing qualities of fellow anglers, the ability to spark up conversation with a complete stranger and natter about our chosen hobby. Sometimes the conversation would only last a few minutes, a brief exchange on the current state of the keep net etc, but normally I would find myself sitting down on the bank and chatting about all things fishy for quite some time. Unfortunately, since hanging up my fishing rods in favour of photography, I have discovered that some fellow photographers lack the amiable personality that so many anglers have in abundance.

When I approach someone with a camera I am genuinely interested in whether or not they are enjoying their hobby and if they have secured some decent images. Unfortunately my interest is quite often met with a quick answer and then their off. To try and prove my point that fellow photographers are not so chatty I conducted a little experiment.

With my SLR slung around my neck I spent a day out at the local zoo. With lots of people carrying cameras of different varieties I was hoping that I would be able to spark up a conversation with at least one person, I was also hoping that I would be approached by a fellow photographer as well. The first couple of hours were spent ambling about taking pictures of some furry animals, and then to my relief, whilst shooting a gorilla; I actually had a five minute chat with a lady wielding a shiny new bridge camera. The short chat centred around the benefits of being able to take lots of pictures at no expense using digital cameras, something that the lady found immensely liberating from her old Nikon film SLR. As the day wore on I tried several times to initiate conversation, choosing people who showed clear signs of being fellow photographers. I thought that if I stuck to those with an SLR or bridge camera then I would stand a good chance of chatting with likeminded people. Unfortunately most folk would only respond to my initial “got any good shots” question with “yes, a few” and then they would stroll off.

As morning rolled into afternoon I took time out and headed for a cafe and a bite to eat. Tucking into a baguette my mind was distracted from my cause momentarily until suddenly a large gentleman with a tray of chips sat down at my table. After setting his large Lowepro bag down on the floor and resting his large lens straddled by a DSLR on the table, he looked at me and asked politely if I minded him sitting at my table. With no objections raised he began to tuck into his chips, his appetite for chips seemed to know no bounds as he finished his plate in record time. After a quick guzzle of fizzy pop and a quiet belch into his fist the man began to eye up my DSLR that was sitting just a few inches away from his own. His outfit outshone mine easily and with the obvious difference in size I began to feel a bit intimidated. My camera and lens combination was of advanced amateur level but his was most definitely pro standard in every way. Slowly I slid my hand across to my camera and with a one swift effort I tucked my embarrassing little camera back into its pouch and into my tardy rucksack.

By now my baguette had been devoured and the last bit of my tea had also been finished. Both of us were now sitting with our heads held up, an awkward moment of unease suddenly transcending around us. This was now the perfect moment to spark up a conversation about photography, throughout the day I had been looking for just this type of moment, but instead I couldn’t help but think that this man was way ahead of me in regards of ability and equipment. There was nothing else for it, with a polite smile on my face I reached down for my bag and as I rose I bid the man goodbye and made my way out of the cafe.

For the rest of the day I didn’t try to talk to anymore camera wielding folk, having realised that perhaps one of the reasons why fellow photographers don’t chat as much as anglers is that they may be self conscious about their own equipment or abilities. Photography has a way of creating certain divides, possibly because manufacturers target their equipment at certain levels e.g. entry level, advanced amateur, pro etc. My amateur gear certainly made me feel inferior to the pro spec stuff and as a result my tongue twisted tighter than line round a hook.

As the day ended I think that my little experiment was inconclusive. To say that photographers aren’t a chatty bunch may be a bit presumptuous, after all, when I was actually taking pictures and not looking for people to talk too, then the last thing I wanted was some chatter box interrupting my thinking. The five minute chat with the lady by the gorilla enclosure and the opportunity to talk to the pro spec wielding man in the cafe proved that there is a time for conversation, as and when it presents itself. With fishing one is occupied looking at the float and waiting for a fish to bite leaving plenty of time for a conversation with the odd passerby. Photography may be different for even if one is not actually taking a picture at the time, one may still be thinking about a past shot or preparing mentally for the next one.

One thing is for sure, I will no longer be attempting to strike ad hoc conversation with fellow photographers, and instead I will go about my business and not disturb anyone. Perhaps the best time to talk shop is when the camera and the shot are in the bag but even then it may not be the best time to be angling for conversation.