Taking a picture of a stranger.

Point, focus, click, disappear, that's how I do it!

gsxr1 wrote: »

Say you where out and about with your camera.

You see a person on your travels that would make for an interesting image. Be it a beautiful girl or interesting chap.

How do you get the photo without scaring the sh1t of of them?

I have often held back because they may take offence to a cam in the face.

I have a million pics of my own child at this stage and would like to explore the portrait world a little further.

As you walk towards your subject let them see you have a camera ready to take a photo, smile and nod at them. 99% of the time they are happy to let you snap them. Always engage with your subject, ask them a question about themselves. A bit of banter is a great groundbreaker I find. When you get a negative vibe just back off.

Well, you could stand well out of sight with a zoom lens and take their picture and they'd never be any the wiser. I'd advise against doing that though. There is zero skill in it. And it's sneaky too.

Otherwise you could walk up and ask them for a photo. I've been doing this recently because I'm practicing taking portraits, and most people are pretty happy to oblige. Since you mentioned portraits in your post, this might be the better way to do it.

A good way to start would be to photograph street-performers. They're well used to people taking their photos and definitely won't take offence! Should help you get used to taking pics of strangers.



On a related note, I recently caught a guy snapping my photo from a distance in Temple Bar and walked over and gave him an ear-full.

It wasn't even that I was annoyed about the photo, it was the fact that when I turned to him he immediately turned away as though he hadn't been taking my photo at all! Not even the courtesy to give a smile or a wave...

Point is - A little respect goes a long way in this type of photography. If you're pleasant and friendly, people will be inclined to trust you and most won't object to you photographing them.

If you skulk around corners with a 200mm, expect bad reactions when you're eventually caught (and you will be!).

I was reading that thread a couple of weeks ago.

There's one photo on there that I think is just disgraceful. It's basically the antithesis of what I was saying at the end of my previous post. No respect for the person in the photo. No thought given to their dignity. And no artistic or thematic justification for it.

I won't name the poster, you'll see the photo yourself, but it's the sort of thing that puts me off candids entirely.

There's a group called 100 strangers... good luck!

@gsxr1 I do a fair bit of this because I like people and it is an interesting way to interact. I generally walk straight up to the person and ask if they mind if I take a photo. 9 times out of 10 they say go ahead and laugh, usually they ask why I would want their photo. I always offer to send them a copy if the shots looks ok.

rdsatapa wrote: »

I have done similar thinks and only once have been asked to delete a picture. Though it might be easier to do if you are female.

Blokes are just as good at deleting photos

Hugh_C wrote: »

I'm not a street photographer but somehow I have the feeling that people who need to take photographs of complete strangers are lacking some component in themselves. It's kinda sneaky and uncool to loiter around taking surreptitious snaps of strangers. It's not documentary, it's not portraiture, it's not art.

Somebody explain to me why I'm wrong.

Well Hugh, it could be documentary, portraiture or art. Really its different for everyone. Your studio shots are superb but not everyones type of shot. When you look back through old books of photography its really nice to see street photography as it gives a sense of feeling for the time that the photo was taken in. The clothes people wear, their hairstyle etc.
As in most hobbies there is room for every style and thats what makes it interesting. Broadens ones horizons too.

djgaillimh wrote: »

On a related note, I recently caught a guy snapping my photo from a distance in Temple Bar and walked over and gave him an ear-full.

I don't know the specifics of the situation or how the scenario played but you might just have destroyed this individual's confidence who may never take a candid again. Ok, I appreciate that you don't particularly have to care and perhaps you feel this is a service which you've done to both people taking photographs and people being photographed but you should remember that its only your view of the world and the chap out taking a few photographs for the day/afternoon/whatever has his/her view.

An awful lot of photographers are incredibly introverted. Sineadw has a wonderful theory on the introverted nature of the photographer which I hope at some stage gets a scientific outing. A small number of the introverted, muster up the courage and some even become keyboard warrior enough to post sh*te online in the comfort of knowing that they'll never have to encounter who they're in dialogue with, but the vast majority (as evidenced by the posts on this thread) speak of the horror of initially getting over the whole 'can i take your picture please sir/madam'. Granted once done, they're over it and some wonderful work can ensue (again as evidenced by many on this thread).

From what you've written, the individual did nothing wrong yet came off the wrong side of an ear bashing from you because you took it upon yourself. He wasn't stalking you (from what you've posted) and maybe even was paying you the greatest compliment that can be bestowed upon an individual - in that he/she felt you were interesting/beautiful/different/cool/worthy enough to want to capture your image. I don't think you had no right to approach it as you did but i do think you were wrong in the approach which you took.

djgaillimh wrote: »

I'd agree with the point about some photographers being introverted, but the general public do not exist as a confidence boosting exercise for shy photographers. They're not animals in a zoo, here for our amusement.

Taking a picture of somebody - even in a public place - can be considered a gross invasion of their privacy. That person doesn't know you, doesn't know what kind of person you are, doesn't know what you're going to do with that photo, doesn't know where it will be posted or for what purpose.

If you're going to do it, then you have to do it respectfully and in a manner that sets people's minds at ease. If you're going to skulk and sneak and treat people like some lesser form of life, then you're going to have to deal with an ear-bashing eventually. And moreover, you'll deserve it.

Better that this guy heard it from somebody who understood where he was coming from and didn't want to punch his lights out.

i sorta kinda in a round about way agree with some of this. i had the chance to see pullandbang in action one day with his 52@50 project and i admire both the way he went about it - approaching the subjects and engaging with them - and the results. same with daftz's stranger stuff. just... i'm not that kind of personality. i envy those who are though, and don't resort to hiding behind a lamp post with a 200m lens.

on the flip side of that, i'm NOT comfortable having my photograph taken. i sat for sineadw's project last year and apart from my wedding day [7 hours of being photographed] it was the hardest thing i've done in years. i just don't like it. one of the reasons i kinda stopped going to photowalks is i don't like being photographed, in fact i f***ing detest it, but you're around people who snap away anyway regardless of what you say, and you don't feel comfortable enough being emphatic about the NO....... and anyway, yeah all this waffle is my way of saying i don't think enough of us who take photos appreciate that some people don't like having their photo taken

djgaillimh wrote: »

And yet you've taken it upon yourself to invent some specifics and write a short essay about it.

Nope, not at all. In fairness:

I don't know the specifics of the situation or how the scenario played but you might just have destroyed this individual's confidence who may never take a candid again.

From what you've written, the individual did nothing wrong yet came off the wrong side of an ear bashing from you because you took it upon yourself

and maybe even was paying you the greatest compliment

(oh, and you should see when i offer a detailed C&C for essay proportions )


hey, i'm only offering perspective. maybe at some stage it will get consideration / have relevance. maybe not. I understand you see it differently.



peace.