thechrisproject photography

Since being exposed to Frank and Winogrand this year, I’ve been extremely interested in street photography. There’s some really amazing work out there being produced by all sorts of people. Check out this slideshow for some of the better street work on Flickr. That group has taught me a lot, most of all how to be critical of my own work.

So every focused group has their own set of frequently asked questions. For DSLRs, it’s usually, “Which lens should I get?” You see it over and over. For street, it’s usually, “How do I take pictures of strangers on the street?” It’s a good question. There are many excellent resources on it, including Ways of Working by Michael David Murphy. There was a thread in the HCSP discussion area recently about overcoming shooting shyness. Jim O’Connell added this great comment, which sums up a lot and even answered some questions I have.

Here’s what I tell people to help them get over their shyness and avoid confrontation:

Be obvious.

Never try to hide what you are doing, just put yourself right in the middle of the busiest place you can at first and keep your camera up by your face. Make it obvious that you are right out in the open, taking pictures.

At first, spend some time planted in the middle of the sidewalk, between oncoming foot traffic and look right through people. Don’t pan in on any one person, just look at your whole frame and watch how people move. Wait five or ten seconds at least before taking your first shot and a bit of time before changing position.
Snap an occasional photo, but don’t immediately take the camera from your eye, just pause a moment. This adds a bit of doubt as to whether you actually took a photo or not. Make it seem as though you changed your mind at the last moment. After shooting, move the camera slightly aside and look above and beyond and straight through the people, as though you were waiting for them to get out of the way.

Never stare, look through people. Never “whip out your camera” when you see an “interesting” person or situation, “already be taking pictures” when they enter your frame. It helps transform a situation from a stolen snapshot of someone into one of “you happened to be in my frame.”

Concentrate on setting up a good composition first. Pick a background that works for you and start working with it. Keep your camera up and move it to your eye to check the frame. Move slowly and deliberately. Never let your camera get out of sight and people will feel less threatened. Smile and nod to people who see you. Say hello and don’t be afraid to tell them that you are just out having a walk and taking pictures. If someone seems to want their picture taken, take it and get their name and email to get them a copy of the photo.

If you make up some bullshit story about what you’re doing, people aren’t likely to believe you, especially if you are nervous. Pulling out the “photographer’s rights” pamphlet will seem confrontational to a lot of people. You’ll do better by offering to send them a print, rather than telling them that they have no right to stop you from taking their picture. If they still object after seeing the preview, delete the photo and let it stay deleted. That’s just good karma, unless there is some overriding value to the photo, such as a news event or possibly a really good composition where the person is not identifiable.

If confronted, be calm and reasonable. If the cops show up, be the one who appears more sane and you’ll have less trouble. If the cops tell you that you’re wrong and you know that you’re right, *that’s* the time to dig a rumpled copy of the “photographer’s rights” pamphlet from the bottom of your bag. Rights or not, you’re going to get hassled if people think you’re some creep sneaking photos.
The more obvious you are, the more likely it is that some sympathetic stranger will step in to vouch for you and explain that you’ve been out there taking snapshots innocently all day. Having a half-dozen postcard prints of your work will help let people know that you’re not a pervert shooting upskirt pictures of teenaged girls. Give your cards and prints to people who like them. Tell them that it could be worth a lot of money one day, if you become famous. ;-)

Listen to your sixth sense and if you feel like things are getting strange, move on and get out, as fast as necessary. Always wear shoes that you can run in and don’t carry a lot of cumbersome junk with you.

If possible, take some time with a friend and a video camera. Have our friend record how you shoot and watch it. Ask yourself how you would react to having your picture taken by someone like you.

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