One of the most daunting tasks to photographers both brand new to the craft and those that have been shooting for years is taking candid pictures of random people. Maybe its just me. Street photography has terrified me since I started taking pictures. But I’m pretty sure I have the hang of it now. Lets talk about how to get permission to take someones photo, or if you even need it.
ENVIRONMENTS
The difference between if you were hired to shoot a wedding or a city event can change wether you need to ask for permission. Or maybe you weren’t hired at all. Maybe you are just shooting some street photography for fun. Whatever you’re shooting, hired or not keep this chart in mind.
WHEN TO ASK
When’s the best time to ask your potential subject?
Ask them when they’re not busy. You don’t want to interrupt a conversation they’re having with another person. Maybe you just want to capture that conversation. Don’t tell them you’re doing that or let them see you. The best way to document an event is when your photos show the most candid moments.
When should you approach them?
Approach them when it seems like they have a minute, you don’t want to pull them aside from something important just so you can get your photo.
WHO TO ASK
Find people that seem like interesting subjects. You want them to pop off the screen at your audience. Look for big emotions and busy hands. Your goal isn’t to make up their story, your goal is to tell their story. You could leave them in their place to take their photo or pull them aside to get more of a portrait. You want interesting stories, backgrounds, faces, people, hair, activities, etc. Look for people that pull your attention away from the back of your camera. For a good example of this, check out my post on Quartzsite AZ.
HOW TO ASK
One two many times have I seen students capture a photo that captures a moment but lacks the story behind the subject. If you can’t capture the full story then you need to pull the story out of your subject. You’re taking on a different roll. You’re not just a photographer now, you’re a journalist as well. Ask them what they’re doing or ask them to tell you a story. When they’re done, ask if you can take a picture of them to better tell their story. Most of the time they will say yes.
As soon as you capture that photo, take a step back, write some notes down about their story, and find your next subject. You may not be writing a piece on them but their story may influence the style you edit their photos in. Remember, our goal is to tell their story through that photograph, as you’re getting their story, start to formulate the best way to pose and direct them so it pieces the photo together.
WHAT IF THERES A LANGUAGE BARRIER?
Say you’re in a different country and you can’t quite understand them. In a perfect world you would always have a translator with you. Welcome to the perfect world. Unless your phone is dead or you’ve been living under a rock, theres some amazing translator apps out there. Apple has even started pre-loading a Translate app on their iPhones and iPads.
SHOW THEM THE PHOTO
Be excited about the photo you got of them… even if you hate it. Make them feel like they helped you achieve something amazing. But don’t over sell it… that’s annoying. Give them praise and say nothing but good things about your photo. Say thank you and try to communicate in the best way possible that they helped you. Like I said above, its time to move on, you don’t get this one person for an hour in most cases, you might be lucky to get five minutes. So its time to find your next subject, your next story.
FOR THE PHOTO NERDS
At the end of all my posts I like to put a couple of links of my reccomended gear… this is the place for that. So without further ado. Every street photographer runs into the risk of being mugged. You want a backpack thats going to be discrete but hold all your stuff. I recommend the Vanguard VEO FLEX47M backpack, its great and it holds everything I could possibly imagine. It even has a spot for my beautiful Peak Design Travel Tripod. Between that, my Backpack Clip and my Wrist Strap… its easy to see that I love Peak Design products #notsponsored.