Need advice on how to start photographing people

segosego89

So I'm hoping to buy a decent Canon camera in the next while and I'd really like to start photographing people because I'm interested in portrait work but I don't know how to go about actually getting people to allow me to take photos of them?

I'm just wondering how do people usually start photographing people? Do they kind of just contact friends and ask whether they'd pose for them etc? Or do they contact modelling agencies to get people?

bullpost

segosego89 wrote: »

So I'm hoping to buy a decent Canon camera in the next while and I'd really like to start photographing people because I'm interested in portrait work but I don't know how to go about actually getting people to allow me to take photos of them?

I'm just wondering how do people usually start photographing people? Do they kind of just contact friends and ask whether they'd pose for them etc? Or do they contact modelling agencies to get people?

You could also join a camera club as they will have portrait sessions during the year.

Myksyk

segosego89 wrote: »

So I'm hoping to buy a decent Canon camera in the next while and I'd really like to start photographing people because I'm interested in portrait work but I don't know how to go about actually getting people to allow me to take photos of them?

I'm just wondering how do people usually start photographing people? Do they kind of just contact friends and ask whether they'd pose for them etc? Or do they contact modelling agencies to get people?

If you're thinking portraiture, friends or family are undoubtedly your best bet for subjects. Shoot outdoors ... Natural light (low contrast overcast days are good) is generally easier and allows you concentrate on composition .... although your creative options rise considerably with studio lighting as an option.

If you're willing to spend money PurplePort is your best bet for accessing thousands of models, some in Ireland and most in the UK but willing to travel.

segosego89

Myksyk wrote: »

If you're thinking portraiture, friends or family are undoubtedly your best bet for subjects. Shoot outdoors ... Natural light (low contrast overcast days are good) is generally easier and allows you concentrate on composition .... although your creative options rise considerably with studio lighting as an option.

If you're willing to spend money PurplePort is your best bet for accessing thousands of models, some in Ireland and most in the UK but willing to travel.

Thanks very much for the helpful reply. I've never heard of PurplePort before. Would it even be worth spend money on it though? I live a couple of hours away from Dublin and the likelihood of finding people on it in my locality I assume would be quite slim.

Yeah that's the thing. I'm much more attracted to taking portraits of people in a controlled setting but I obviously don't own a studio.

I don't understand why you suggest overcast days to be good? Is it because the sunlight wont get in the way?

segosego89

bullpost wrote: »

You could also join a camera club as they will have portrait sessions during the year.

I've joined a Facebook group that do TFP(time for pics) in my locality so I'm hoping once the pandemic situation improves I can avail of models that are offering their services in that group.

I'm just wondering.... you know the way in nightclubs there are photographers going around with cameras taking photos of people? And then those photos are uploaded onto the nightclub's Facebook page and the people in the photos are tagged etc....are those photographers actually hired by the club or are they just people that are going around photographing?

Myksyk

segosego89 wrote: »

I don't understand why you suggest overcast days to be good? Is it because the sunlight wont get in the way?

Bright overcast days are often better because the light is soft and diffused and less contrasty with less harsh shadows. Depends what you want.

magicbastarder

do you want to take staged portraiture? candid portraits are often much more fun; more revealing and natural.

segosego89

magicbastarder wrote: »

do you want to take staged portraiture? candid portraits are often much more fun; more revealing and natural.

How do you define candid photos though? Just kind of photos that are taken outside outdoors and not in a controlled setting?

CelticRambler

segosego89 wrote: »

How do you define candid photos though?

A photo for which the subject is not posing. Could be an artist at work, one of two people having a conversation (or an argument), someone playing with a child - or the child being played with, a person simply enjoying the sunset or a pint or lost in thought ...

I find it quite difficult to take this kind of picture in public, where the most interesting subjects are often to be found, but I've become a sort of unofficial "candid photo" person for family gatherings because I'm the miserable so-and-so who doesn't join in with the nonsense and also have a good (enough) camera with a variety of suitable lenses, so I get asked/told to take plenty of pictures.

Anouilh

I was quite nervous when I started street photography quite a few years ago.

The reality is that so many people enjoy having their photo taken they will actually pose on the street for you.

Just avoid the gloomy ones...

segosego89

Anouilh wrote: »

I was quite nervous when I started street photography quite a few years ago.

The reality is that so many people enjoy having their photo taken they will actually pose on the street for you.

Just avoid the gloomy ones...

That's good to know.

I was thinking once the pandemic is over and people start going to night clubs again I could possibly start taking photos of people in the street if I asked them first and they were comfortable with it? I'm not sure if that would be weird though. I'm trying to avoid coming off as a creep.

CelticRambler

segosego89 wrote: »

people start going to night clubs again I could possibly start taking photos of people in the street if I asked them first

What do night clubs and "people in the street" have to do with each other?

Also, if you ask someone if you can take their photo, then (by and large) you're going to get a posed/not-candid picture, in which case you'll find yourself taking shots in some of the most challenging conditions of lighting and composition. For someone starting out in "people photography" that's going to give you several different hurdles to jump over, all at the same time, and will make it very difficult to learn from your mistakes.

It's really not clear from your posts exactly what kind of "people" photography you're hoping for. Earlier, you were asking about getting models to pose for you - that's a world away from taking snapshots of some wan dolled up for a night at Coppers!

segosego89

CelticRambler wrote: »

What do night clubs and "people in the street" have to do with each other?

Also, if you ask someone if you can take their photo, then (by and large) you're going to get a posed/not-candid picture, in which case you'll find yourself taking shots in some of the most challenging conditions of lighting and composition. For someone starting out in "people photography" that's going to give you several different hurdles to jump over, all at the same time, and will make it very difficult to learn from your mistakes.

It's really not clear from your posts exactly what kind of "people" photography you're hoping for. Earlier, you were asking about getting models to pose for you - that's a world away from taking snapshots of some wan dolled up for a night at Coppers!

Usually outside nightclubs there would be lots of people gathered around after the nightclub has closed. I thought that might be a good way to take photos of people. That's what I meant by taking photos of people in the street.

Well I'm open to either taking photos of models or people on the street. I don't actually understand what is your issue with me taking either kind of photo?

CelticRambler

segosego89 wrote: »

I don't actually understand what is your issue with me taking either kind of photo?

It makes no odds to me which kind you take!

But you did specifically state that you wanted advice on starting to take pictures of people, and said you were interested in portrait work. That's effectively a completely different discipline to taking candid photos - for a portrait, you will aim to have total control over the light and composition. As I said, that's a whole world away from trying to get good shots in a street outside a nightclub.

If you'll pardon the pun, it doesn't seem like you've really focused on what you want. "Photographing people" encompasses everything from portrait photography to taking pictures of a murder victim. If all you want are pictures of humans in their natural environment, there's no reason why you can't take pictures of people in a street at 8am or 6pm - it'd be a hell of a lot easier than trying to get your exposure right at 2am, surrounded by a crowd of drunken clubbers.

If you want advice, you need to define first of all what kind of pictures you want to take. That'll determine whether you should invest time and money in getting the right camera/lens combo first, or whether you should practice your "getting people to relax" technique as a priority.

magicbastarder

if you're new to photography, i suggest joining a club, as bullpost suggested, or doing a course first before asking anyone to invest their time; you're going to need to learn the basics unless you already have a grasp on those.
do you have nephews or nieces you could take candids of?

or else you could post some examples of the sort of photos you're interested in.

segosego89

magicbastarder wrote: »

if you're new to photography, i suggest joining a club, as bullpost suggested, or doing a course first before asking anyone to invest their time; you're going to need to learn the basics unless you already have a grasp on those.
do you have nephews or nieces you could take candids of?

or else you could post some examples of the sort of photos you're interested in.

Well here are a couple of examples of the photos I'd like to take:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNUbN-MA0dn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPP8li5AB90/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/BypQBB-HPX-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Oscar Madison

If you are purchasing a camera & you are looking to do portraiture

you'll need a flash! Don't think that you'll get by without one because if

you think that, you're only kidding yourself!

segosego89

Oscar Madison wrote: »

If you are purchasing a camera & you are looking to do portraiture

you'll need a flash! Don't think that you'll get by without one because if

you think that, you're only kidding yourself!

Will do thank you.

magicbastarder

that may be the case if you're doing posed portraiture, not so if you were to choose to go with candid.

CelticRambler

Hmm. I reckon one would come in handy all the same for those outside-the-nightclub candid pics.

@OP - can't see those Instagram examples without an Instagram account, so still none the wiser ...

segosego89

CelticRambler wrote: »

Hmm. I reckon one would come in handy all the same for those outside-the-nightclub candid pics.

@OP - can't see those Instagram examples without an Instagram account, so still none the wiser ...

Here are screenshots of the Instagram photos that I uploaded:

https://ibb.co/bFpFz7x

https://ibb.co/T2x8BQk

CelticRambler

I'd call those "relaxed pose" portraits - quite artificial and controlled, so there are loads of details that you'd need to pay attention to. Not sure if it's the fact that it's a screenshot, but those pictures look quite flat and wouldn't be great examples to learn from. Can't see any catches of light in they eyes, for example.

It's hard to see if any additional light has been used in either photo (flash or reflector) but both shots make use of lots of natural light. That's the kind of thing you'd have to get a handle on, because more sun isn't necessarily better for any photos, and especially not portrait work. At the other end of the day, if you're shooting at night, you'll have to understand when and how to use flash - on-camera or off, first or second curtain synch, in conjunction with wider aperture or higher ISO ...

Alongside that, you'll have decisions to make about focal length, camera angle, choice of background, how to pose your subject, etc. There are some rules of thumb that you can start with (e.g. using a lens with a focal length of 50mm or higher) but ultimately, it'll very much depend on what you want out of the photo. You could always use the photo challenge on here, or similar on any other photo platform, as a way to channel your efforts.

Oscar Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117549988#Comment_117549988

Funnily enough they do contrary to all that mis-information put out there!