Great Street Photos: How To Get Super Portraits Of Strangers
Poigent street photos like this portrait of a young boy in Kolkata.
Street photos don’t always need to feature candid pics of people. Over the years I’ve developed a simple method that allows me to approach strangers and ask permission to create beautiful, collaborative portrait photos.
Great street photos of people, particularly when they're more formal and directed in nature, require a solid understanding of camera technique, lighting, composition and, most important of all, an ability to approach the subject in a confident and non-confrontational manner.
I photographed this young boy, with his father looking on in the background, in front of their shop in Kolkata, India.
I was attracted to the boy’s mournful expression and I wondered if he’d just coped a stern ticking off from his father.
Not wanting his mood to sink any lower, I approached the boy’s father to ask permission to make a portrait of his son.
Fortunately, I was given the all clear to proceed.
I immediately asked the young lad to move forward to make him the primary focal point in the photo. Bu focusing critically on his eyes, and employing a shallow depth of field, I was able to produce visual separation between the boy and his father.
I definitely believe there’s an implied relationship between father and son in this picture. It’s not definitive, but it puts a question in the mind of the viewing audience.
And that kind of unanswered question is a big part of what makes this an interesting street photo.
“The function of art is not, so much, to provide answers, but to ask questions.”
Street Photos and Dealing with Rejection
When approaching strangers, with the intention of making a portrait photo, it’s important to accept a refusal for what it is.
Not a personal rebuttal, insult or negative reaction to you as a person, but an indication of how the stranger in question feels at that particular moment in time.
It may be that business is bad, that they are unwell or that they’ve just had an argument with their partner.
It might be that they’ve never had the good fortune of being photographed in a way that produces a pleasing likeness.
How do you think you would feel and respond, when approached by a photographer, in similar circumstances?
Of course, it’s inevitable that your requests will be turned down, from time to time. To help deal with a refusal, the following tips should help.
Don’t take it personally
Learn from the refusal and adapt your approach
Stay on mission by continuing to interact with other strangers, with the intention of making really great portraits of them
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Street Photos: How to Ask Permission to Photograph Strangers
When approaching strangers it’s important, except in the case of cultural sensitivities, to smile and ask for permission in a clear, straightforward and nonconfrontational manner.
You may find it worthwhile to state your name and the reason for wanting to make the picture. I find it helpful to include a compliment as part of the request.
Here’s a few examples to consider:
“Hi, my name’s Glenn, I’m on holidays and noticed the wonderful hat you’re wearing. We don’t have anything quite like that where I’m from. I’d really appreciate it if you’d allow me to make a photo.”
“Hi, my name’s Jenny, I’m a student studying at Big Ideas Photo College, and this week’s assignment is to make photos of artists and their artwork.”
“I noticed your gallery from across the street and, now that I’ve seen your exhibition, I’d love to photograph you with one of your paintings.”
Actually, the above examples are just starting points for you to adjust according to your own preferences and personality.
In fact, the examples I’ve given are probably too long. To stop yourself from bumbling your way through the conversation, it’s a good idea to make your request in as few words as possible.
And I’d recommend you practice making a request, again and again, while looking directly at yourself in the mirror.
Not only will committing the request to memory allow for a smoother interaction, keeping eye contact helps build trust in the mind of the people you’ll meet.
Just don’t stare at people. It’s confronting and, in some cultures, highly offensive to do so.
Finally, don’t overplay your hand. There’s absolutely no need to misrepresent yourself or your abilities at such times.
Doing so will only make the person you’ve approached self conscious and, more than likely, suspicious.
Suddenly, they might start to wonder if the photo will be widely published and if you’ll be making money from it.
Street photo portrait of an interested soul in his workshop, Kolkata, India.
Portrait Street Photo of a Man in His Workshop
I made this portrait based street photo of a man in his workshop in Kolkata, India.
I walked straight into his place of business and, while gesturing with my camera, asked for permission to make his photo.
He nodded and I asked him to turn towards the light streaming in through an open doorway.
The large, natural light source, provided by the open doorway, brought out lots of detail in the subject, while providing a soft, flattering light which enhanced the already luminous quality of his skin.
I choose a black and white rendering to further quieten the mood and add a sense of nostalgia to the photo.
Interactions with Strangers Need To Be Mutually Beneficial
If you've introduced yourself properly you should have gained the confidence of the person you’re hoping to photograph.
As you’ve already downplayed your importance and the potential usage of the photos you hope to create, they’ll be far less likely to quiz you about what you plan to do with the photos.
The subject should now not be concerned about their image appearing in a magazine or popular online site.
As a consequence, they’ll be less likely to expect any more from you than your company during the process of photographing them.
That is, of course, if there is no chance you will be publishing any of the photos for profit, particularly as a commercial advertising image.
If there is a chance of publication, particularly in a commercial advertising scenario, you would be wise to secure permission to reproduce their likeness through a formal model release.
So, what's in it for them?
There has to be something in it for the person you're wanting to photograph.
Fortunately, you’re able to show them the photos you've made on the back of your digital camera.
You might then arrange to forward a copy of the best of those photos via, for example, email.
Great! Now what else can you offer them?
If you place a high enough value on the photos you produce the only other thing you need to give them is your time, in exchange for their own, and the benefit of your friendly and affable nature.
Given that you should be able to introduce yourself; make the photos; exchange email addresses, when appropriate; and be on your way within a few short minutes.
There's just no reason why you’d need to do more.
Well, that's my view.
Street Photos and Being Careful Not To Under Value Your Own Worth
None of us should exclude our own attractiveness to those we wish to photograph.
I’ve found this belief to be tremendously empowering in my own endeavors making street photos of strangers.
“We are at least as interesting or exotic to those we photograph as they are to us.”
Imagine meeting me, I’m hilarious.
My appearance, particularly in days gone by when I was often loaded down with substantial camera equipment, has provided local folk, whether in a remote Tibetan village or an exclusive Melbourne restaurant, with a fun and interesting diversion.
Street photos, like this elderly man portrait, are everywhere in Chennai, India.
Street Photos: Celebrating Detail in Portraits
This was a fun photo to make. The entire process, from asking for permission to actually making the photo, was completed in about 2 minutes.
It’s another image made with the aid of natural light coming through an open doorway.
This time I asked the subject, a really gentle elderly man, to sit side on to the doorway while I made his photo.
Doing so placed him into side light which, in many circumstance, would have produced an image too high in contrast for my liking.
The last thing I wanted was for all of the delicate detail, on the shaded side of his face, to render black in the final photo.
The reason it didn’t was because the light coming through the open doorway wasn’t direct, but reflected off a wall on the far side of the alleyway.
What made it an easy photo to make in camera, and requiring very little adjustment in post processing, was years of looking at light according to the following criteria:
The brightness of the light and the intensity of the shadows it creates
The quality of the light (hard or soft) and the visual and emotional effect that has on an image
The direction of light and how it effects color ( hue, saturation and luminance), shape and texture in an image
The color of the light, dependent upon the time of year, time of day and weather under which you’re photographing; and the emotional impact the color of light has on the subject or scene depicted
Street Photos: Strangers No Longer
Whether a photographer considers themselves to be attractive, in the traditional sense, or not isn’t as big an issue as you might think.
However, if you can project an aura of confidence and you're able to approach the person you’re hoping to photograph with enthusiasm and genuine interest, you're going to attract their attention.
After all, who wouldn't want to spend time with a positive and engaging person. Beauty is implied through such confidence.
It's that approach that will ensure you achieve a higher rate of acceptance, then you might otherwise imagine, when approaching strangers to create collaborative portraits within the street photo genre.
“It helps to believe in yourself and your ability, not just to produce a good photo, but to bring into the lives of those you photograph something greater than what they might otherwise be experiencing.”
Why wouldn’t these good folk want to spend a few moments with you while you make their photo?
And if this mindset works for me, why would it not work for you?
