Taking pictures of people you’ve never met can be difficult when you start out. If you’re reading this either you’ve done it before or it’s going to be your first time. For me, street photography has been one of the most fun things I’ve done in my whole life. These are 8 tips for street portraits I’ve learned after photographing 1000 strangers all over the world
Always be understanding:
a lot of people will reject you it comes with the territory, most of the time it’s not because of you, you never know maybe they had a horrible day or just plainly don’t like images taken of themselves. Taking street portraits is a numbers game. Always believe that the next person you ask could make every single rejection worth it.
Start with a compliment:
People love compliments it feels like you’re giving them something. “hey I love your hair” Your smile is contagious” “I love what you’re wearing” compliments are nice and opens up a stranger to interact with you.
Small asks are best for street portraits:
If you tell someone you want to do a 10-minute shoot chances are they’ll mostly say no, but if you tell them it’s a quick shot and ease them into it you throw a wider net and it’s possible to shoot pics of them even longer. The more small yeses you get the more you can push a little bit more.
Example: Can I take a quick pic?
them: sure!
You: Awesome! *snap* snap* Can you take your sunglasses off
them: sure!
You: great! *Snap* do you mind if we go over there the light is way better and I can send you the pics
them: sure!
Help stranger with posing:
Once you have someone to take pictures keep in mind that they’re not professional models you have to guide them on what to do. Always be courteous in doing so and explain your reasoning for the different poses.
Do it quickly and talk while you’re taking pictures:
a lot of people are busy so get your shots in and guide them as you go.
Find a good location for stranger photography:
Some places do not have enough people for it to be worth it. Other places prohibit photography. Find a place that suits you. some good examples could be beach, mall, skate park. Places that are crowded and people would love to have a picture taken of them. I made the mistake of once going to a super hot beach where people were sweating and hot. Got a lot of rejections that day.
Know who to pick strangers for street portraits:
You can’t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you just know who’ll tell you yes, and here are some tips to scout them out.
-Strangers wearing nice clothes, thus they would probably appreciate a picture of themself looking their best
-They’re already taking pics: offering a stranger that’s already having a shoot with their phone done for another pic is hands down the easiest way to get a stranger to agree.
-Person that’s not in a rush: if you see someone you can tell is sightseeing and just enjoying the place then they’d probably be more willing to listen to you and agree to a quick picture. These people prove to be the best subjects because you can make friends with them and guide them for better poses.
Sometimes you’ll feel like nobody is the right subject and you’ll keep waiting for the right opportunity to strike. When you’re feeling too nervous to ask the best way is to just count to 5 and approach the first stranger you see
Start with a smile:
A smile can go a long way to getting a stranger to agree to take a photograph with or without a mask you can tell when a person is smiling.
Don’t dwell on a rejection:
The more time you dwell on having been rejected the less likely you will go to the next person. Shake it off know it’s not your fault and keep going.
Bonus Tip:
Ask for their Instagram or their email and send them the pics: you never know where your next future client could come from and even if it’s your first time taking images there will be someone that will love having their image so they can cherish it.
Taking photographs of strangers can be really hard or really fun. One of the best ways to do it is with a buddy so you guys can push yourselves through the rejections and have the positivity to keep going. I hope this inspires you to go out and take pictures of somebody you do not know.
Here’s a video of me taking pictures of people on the street to see how it kind of goes it was recorded in Design District in Miami:
