Dehli, India
Street photography is difficult, maybe the most challenging and intimidating genre of photography. Standing on a busy street and trying to get compelling photos of strangers, without being rude or obtrusive or feeling self-conscious, is an art.
Although I am a naturally shy person, I really enjoy street photography. People are fascinating, and when I see fascinating things, I want to photograph it. Over the years, I have gotten better and more comfortable with taking photos of strangers on the street (although I am by no means an expert). I don’t want to shove my camera in the face of a person who is simply going about their day, but it is hard to get captivating street photos without getting close to the subject.
I use a few strategies for taking street photos that use opposing, contradictory methods. Although I think method A in each example below is the best, sometimes it pays off to adjust your style and be flexible. Read on and you will see.
Contradictory Street Photography Tips
1a. Ask People for Their Photo
The simplest way to get a photo is to ask. I’ve asked hundreds of people for their photo and I can count on one hand the number of rejections I’ve received. In the photo below, I saw these guys playing chess on the streets of Havana and I wanted to capture the moment. I started talking to them and after a minute, I asked if I could snap some pictures. “OF COURSE,” they said. Actually they said “!POR SUPUESTO!,” but, you get it.
Havana, Cuba
Usually, if you ask for a photo, people agree then settle into going about their normal routine. I took the below photo at a funeral ceremony on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Everyone knew I was taking photos, and after a series of posed shots, everyone relaxed and no one paid attention to me. Asking was the key that allowed me to get started.
Tana Toraja, Indonesia
1b. Don’t Ask
Sometimes asking ruins the moment, like in the photo below. These people didn’t seem to care that a gringo was taking their photo and I captured a candid moment that would have been ruined by asking.
Antigua, Guatemala
2a. Get in the Middle of the Action
Have you ever noticed how wedding and sports photographers are usually right in the action? The best way to get great photos is to get right in the middle of it all. In the photo below at the Navratri festival in Jodhpur, the locals saw me taking photos and placed me in this spot. It was a little scary with motorcycles whizzing by, but worth it.
Jodhpur, India
2b. Blend In and be Invisible
On busy streets, festivals, or tourist sites where there is a lot of activity, it can be easy to blend in. I will often find a street corner and wait. People sort of forget you are there, and people passing by take no notice of you. By blending in it is easy to get candid photos. In the photo below taken on the Ganges, I was able to get this shot of the two boys by staying in the same spot and waiting.
Varanasi, India
3a. Engage
Smile. Talk to people. Have welcoming body language. Engaging with locals on the street is a great way to get photos. Smiles are disarming and if you take a candid photo of a person and they catch you in the act, smile at them – 99% of the time they won’t mind. In places like India when people see you smiling and taking photos, often times they will pose for you.
Pushkar, India
Pushkar, India street portrait
Purists of street photography will argue that posed photos are no good, but many times posed photos of locals are fun and a great way to meet people. These kids ran up to me in Africa and posed like this spontaneously and it was one of my favorite photos from Malawi.
Likoma Island, Malawi
3b. Stand back
Sometimes, in order to get an overview of the scene and to avoid offending the locals, it is best to stand back. Take the photo below as an example. By standing back, I got a long line of boys queuing up for alms. Getting closer would have been rude and wouldn’t have captured the moment as well.
Luang Prabang, Laos
In summary: If you want to take photos of strangers, I think the best method is to ask, engage and get in the middle of the action. Although this can be intimidating at first, you are rewarded with great photos and interactions with the locals. Alternatively, sometimes it is better to be invisible. Use both methods to get the best results.
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Do you have any street photo tips to share?
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Great and really helpful article. Thank you, now I can’t wait to get myself a camera and go out there. 🙂
Thank you. Share your results when you get done.
Rule 15a Get drunk before to relieve shyness.
Yep. That is very effective. Thanks for sharing.
Haha, anytime. x)
Hii bell.. Great tips.. Thnx it will help me a lots..
Thank you. Hopefully it helps you. Let me know if you try it.
Sure… I will.
Sure.. I will..
Love the tips – and the photos!
Thank you Stuart.
This is a great post – and as you mention above getting engaged with the scene I believe is vital, as when you are engaged the photos become part of it. These shots all show the art of taking photos of strangers perfected. Cheers ~
Thank you Dalo!
I love this post! Your photos are very realistic and engaging. Wonderful. Looking forward to more from you! http://www.segmation.com/blog
Thank you. I appreciate the comments.
We share a very similar life-style…and isn’t it grand? Excellent post with classic tips. Thanks.
Thank you.
I am in the section of. I LOVE taking photos in general and try to take them when people are not paying attention. However, I feel odd and awkward because I feel like I am intruding on their life. One of my favorite photos that I took was in Peru. They new I was taking a photo (I think-at least I think most of them did) but the photo I took was innocent. Multiple women, along with a couple of kids, sitting in the shade wearing what they wear on XYZ day. Thus, they all wore the same thing, etc. Peaceful photo and I’m glad that I took it.
I get the feeling of intruding on people’s lives, and sometimes I feel the same way. However, we are caught on surveillance cameras hundreds of times a day and most people share their whole lives on social media! In my travels, especially in Asia and the Middle East, I have been stopped by locals countless times to pose for photos and I never mind at all. I think most people are okay with it.
Thanks for commenting. Do you have a link to your Peru photo we can look at?
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Thank you!
No, thank you.
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Those are really great photos, i think when you capture their soul reflecting in the eyes those are the best. I just dont know why we see a lot of great photos, on the internet, and almost all of them are made in afrika or some poor country. Arent there any emotions worthy to capture in the eyes of european people? Or maybe we are that more fascinated because they are somewhat different?
Great question, and I am guilty of this too. When I was in Europe, between trips to India and Indonesia, I was timid in taking photos of people. In poorer countries, I think people really want to have their photo taken and are more open in general. I think it takes a little more effort in Europe or the USA.
Thanks for this article. I’ve been travelling for two years but very few photos are of locals as I felt to embarrassed ‘as a tourist’ to ask. This has given me confidence ‘what’s the worst that can happen? They say No’. Off to take some photos 🙂
I find being a tourist as my biggest asset in taking photos of people. I am a visitor who finds you, your country and your people interesting! I think most locals are flattered and proud of that. The only place I’ve found any resistance is some places in central and South America, but otherwise, I think people are very open.
If you want to grow some confidence, go out someday and ask the first 10 people you see if you can take their photo. I bet 9 our of 10 say yes, and this will help you.
Will give it a go.
Anda pernah ke Indonesia? itu adalah negara saya.
senang anda sudah berkunjung ke negara saya. blog yang bagus.
senang berkunjung di blog anda.
great blogs.
I learned a little Bahasa Indonesia, like Salamet Makan and Bintang Bisar. You may need to translate the rest for me!
terimakasih jef (thank yo) sudah berkunjung di blog saya. (visit to my blog). selamat berkativitas.
Salam kennal ,, zy jg dr indonesia…
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It’s very helpful.
Thank you!
nice photos and great tips – thanks
(or is it the other way around?)
great photos and nice tips!
I think either way works. Thank you for reading and commenting, or commenting and reading.
This is mesmerizing even for a complete novice like me.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your tips! Great photos!
Thank you, Barbara.
Great post, very useful!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great photos and great advice.
Thank you.
Great post..each picture says a story..but your writing is equally compelling:)
Thank you, I appreciate the comments.
I love this! Great pictures😊
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing. I have to practice what written here.
Thank you. Let me know how it goes and if it was helpful. I see that you are from Aceh – there are a lot of photogenic people there.
Ok, i will share my blogpost to you if i do all your guidelines.
Wow, you have been in indonesia? I am from aceh, a province of Indonesia. Hope you come to my city one day
I hope to visit someday. Your country is enormous! We spent 2 months there and didn’t even make it to Borneo, Sumatra or Papua. I hope to return soon.
Ok, i will wait.
Kudos to the quality and the soul captured in your photos.
Thank you, I appreciate the comments.
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This is perfect timing! I enjoy taking family photos during the holidays, etc. This came at a perfect time because I will be traveling north for the fall colors and attending a family wedding during that trip. Thanks for the tips!
A lot of these tips will help for family and wedding photos. I did some portraits of my nieces in a park last winter, and afterwards they were playing and goofing around and those candid photos were some of my favorites. Street photography helped me a lot! Let me know if you use the tips and if they are helpful. Enjoy your trip!
I purchased a book specifically about my camera but it’s about things not covered in detail in the manual that came with the camera. Their website has short videos to go with the book. I’ll let you know how my trip goes!
Pretty interesting article. Its great to mingle with strangers and capture fleeting seconds to turn them into eternity. 🙂 it just made my day. Keep on capturing and sharing with us 🙂 7
Thank you very much for the comments and compliments. I agree that capturing these fleeting moments is a great experience. We can always Google pretty photos of the places we’ve visited, but each human interaction is unique!
Lovely post!
I would consider myself the 1b don’t aks type, not because I am a weirdo or a creep but more due to the fact that I do not want to ruin the moment I would love to capture with my camera.
Here are just some shots I’ve taken
https://joanaslittleworld.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/weekly-photo-challenge-scale/
https://joanaslittleworld.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/photo-a-day-day-230365/
https://joanaslittleworld.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/photo-a-day-day-173365/
with the exception of this shot where I actually asked the man for permission
https://joanaslittleworld.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/photo-a-day-day-182365/
Cheers!
Nothing wrong with the 1b type – most of the great street photographers were this way. I see nothing weird about it.
Nice photos – I like the guy at the market and the girls looking in the window. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for taking the time to check them out! Have a nice day! Cheers
Congratulations making Freshly Pressed
Thank you very much.
Awesome photographs
Thank you.
I would love to have the courage to photograph strangers. The few times I have I could’ve sworn they caught me & I darted off. Although, I do have a great picture of an old Hungarian man in a fur hat, pointing suspiciously at me and my camera!
It can certainly be intimidating. I really think for a beginner, interacting and asking for permission is the best way to start. After you realize that most people don’t care or are open to being photographed, it makes it easier to take candid photos without permission. Do you have a link to the Hungarian guy?
Love your views nice post!
Thank you Gary.
Candid shots of people going about their daily lives are really special and really stimulating. It’s something that I’ve always thought about doing but I think I personally need to get my general photography up to a better standard before I utilise your top tips! Insightful post though- it’s interesting to know how a photographer approaches the situation!
Malti, thank you for the comment and let me know if these tips help you. The only way to get better at photography is to take more photos!
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Great tips! I’m a travel blogger and love going to new places, but I’m always shy and nervous about taking photos of the locals. i have a few times when it’s seemed appropriate, but it’s something i wish I’d done more of because the local people and the local culture is a huge part of what fascinates me about traveling. These tips are great, and I will definitely try and use them to get more photos of people on my travels!
Gemma, I feel the same way about travel – the people and the culture are a huge part of the experience and the photos I have of people are my most treasured photos. We can go online and see pics of the places we’ve seen, but those interactions with people are unique. I’d say that if you are shy, start by asking people for photos, taking photos of kids (who are almost always eager to have their photo taken) and to look for festivals or events in which there are lots of cameras. This will help get past some of the shyness, but in truth, all great street photographers get nervous no matter how successful or experienced they are.
Thanks Jeff. I guess all they will say is no and nothing is lost, if they say yes it’s an unexpected gain! Thanks again for the advice 🙂
Those are some of the most amazing yet very natural photos of stangers I’ve ever seen. I’m don’t know much about photography, but still.. AMAZING!
Thank you Jerry! I appreciate the comments.
Well done
Thank you.
Take a look at my blog one of these days if you could… it would be so nice of you. I would like you to judge it as “an expert” specially the post about my return to my origins and in there you’ll find a link to a post about my first countrie Caboverde.
P.S: It’s not only about fashion don’t worry…
Beautiful shots! 🙂
Thank you!
I really needed this information!
Thank you.
Awesome post! I travel and vacation. I just started my own blog. I hope to use your ideas to to take better photos.
Thank you. Let me know if they help you.
Although i m not a photographer but i always lyk to take snaps f things i luk around. N i also tried street photography but i have always been unsuccessful at it. But will definitely try ur tip. Gr8 post!!!
Thank you. Let me know if these tips help you.
Hi Jeff, thanks a lot for these tips. I love traveling. However, my love for photography is one of the main reasons why I like to travel. The feeling of watching strangers on the road in a completely unknown city is ineffable. There are times, when I see something candid on the street and I want to capture it, but I often chicken out. I have this fear that I may end up offending someone. huh!
Anyways, your post had some great inputs and I will surely try them the next time on the street with my camera. And I must say that the pictures are exceptional. Every picture depicts an emotion. Great job.
Thanks!!
Thank you Romika. Maybe I am insensitive, but I usually don’t worry about offending anyone. I am shy at times, and I have to be in the right mood, but if you do it with a smile and are friendly to people, they will usually be okay with the photo being taken.
Thanks for the comments and compliments and let me know if these tips help.
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Really very informative post sir. I love street photography too. But have sometimes experienced that the people become conscious as they see camera roaming around and capturing and the real finnest expressions is vanished from their face.
This is very true. Sometimes it is best to blend in and not let them see you. It depends on what you are going for. Thank you for commenting.
I do it too but always worried they could don ‘t like it..😏😏
Thank you for the feedback.
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