Getting Comfortable Approaching Strangers … And Setting Yourself Less-Than-Comfortable Challenges …
I was recently talking with a student in the course, and she expressed that her big hang-up at the moment was in approaching strangers and asking if she could take their photos.
After a short pep talk (reminding her that the worst that could happen is someone might say No), and pointing out that the only way to get comfortable at it is to get out there and DO it … Sure enough, she started getting photos of strangers!
But that’s only the first step.
Personally, I find candid shots the more challenging. But it’s an important skill, I think, to get comfortable walking up to complete strangers and asking if you can take their photo. The world is filled with interesting people, fascinating people. It’s a shame to not acknowledge that and try to capture it.
So now this student is working on the second stage of my challenge to her. It’s this: Where first all she had to do was approach and ask, “Mind if I take your photo?” and smile … now she has to follow that up with a request for a second image, shot much closer. Having gotten the first “yes,” the second one is actually quite easy. Although, you don’t want to ask for a “close-up,” which might put people on guard. Yet there’s no reason you can’t say “Thanks!” after the first photo and then immediately ask: “May I take one more, a little closer?”
Having thanked them and smiled sincerely, you are in a perfect position to have your second request agreed to. So in you go: you step forward a few feet, get in a different position, and take a close-up.
Another way to transition into asking for a close-up photo (or a way of getting in there for the initial photo, for that matter) is to isolate one part of the subject you can immediately compliment, where you are asking for a specific photo of that one part of them. For instance, “I love your shoes! Do you mind if I take a quick photo of them?” Or a little more intimate: “Sorry to interrupt, but the way you’re holding your hands is SO pretty. May I take a quick photo of them?” This gets you in close and breaks the ice, making it easy to then ask for one more: “Thanks! Mind if I grab one more of you?”
The point is, you just start with a simple request. Nothing more. They say “Yes” (and as if by magic, most WILL say yes, as long as you’re friendly), and after that first photo you thank them sincerely … making it very easy to then ask for another (and easy for them to say “Sure”).
Now, how long you stretch this out is up to you. I’ve seen experts at this spend five minutes taking a whole series of photos, even coaching their subjects a bit (“just go on as you were; act natural”) or getting them to move into a better position, all without making the subject feel awkward. But I think we need to have a care and not ask too much. After all, the people around us are not mere photo props for us to move about however we like.
That said, as long as you are friendly, as long as you are sincere in wanting to capture something you find beautiful or fascinating, and as long as you make them feel that you really care about them and feel flattered that they will allow you to have these moments of their time … then by all means, get out there and approach more people. Then start practicing that next question after your first photo: “Perfect! May I take just one more, a little closer?”
Wherever your comfort level is right now, in whatever area of photography in which you wish to branch out, see if you can set yourself the challenge of trying things just a little bit more uncomfortable … then a little bit more … then a little bit more …
It will make you grow.
And with regard to approaching strangers, I think you will find that most of your original fears were entirely unfounded. People are quite often much friendlier than we suppose.
We all want to feel important. Special. Noticed. Which is why it just might be that the friendly smile and absolute attention you bring to someone when you approach them could actually make that person’s day.
– Sebastian
PS: For the image I’m attaching here (of a painter sitting outside a cafe in Asheville), I approached and asked if I might get his photo, and he gave me an easy wave as if to say, “Sure, if you like, go ahead,” and then went back to doing his own thing. Had I not already been late for a lunch meeting, I could easily have stayed around taking a dozen photos. And to this day I regret that I walked away after only one!
PPS: And to clarify a question that came up when I first posted this, regarding whether or not I would get signed releases from anyone I photographed on the street … Answer: Absolutely not, never in a million years. Now, if you are shooting images you plan to sell to a stock agency or use commercially in advertising, then yes, you would need a model release. Same if you are working with an actual profesisonal model. In those contexts, you need a release. But in the context of random photos of random people, I would have no problem whatsoever in using those images in artwork I post online or go on to sell. Unless your city or country has laws against it, street photography is all up for grabs. The idea of asking random strangers to sign a release … that’s just plain crazy. No way.