Happy Wednesday everyone - Shooting people is one of the hardest things I have found in photography. Since people tend to be the main subjects in my favorite genre of photography, street photography, you can imagine the challenges that might present. Its not that people are inherently difficult to shoot, its quite the opposite actually. The challenge rests in having the courage to take these kinds of photos. As anyone who has spent any amount of time shooting street photography will know, there are always moments of disapproval from your subjects, glares and glances, or even the occasional confrontation from someone who takes offense that you took a picture. Navigating these kinds of challenges and working up the courage to overcome them is the true challenge of street photography and of shooting people in the street. This is where today's lesson falls into place. I have worked to adopt a very different approach than simply "taking the photos." I have really strived in the last couple of years to be very open and obvious about the fact that I am taking photos in a given area, even so far as to try to joke around and/or do small talk with perfect strangers before the camera even comes up. This gentlemen here was a great example of this. While walking around in Herman Park, I took a few images of the water behind him, and he mistook that I was taking photos of him (which he did not really appreciate.) We got to talking and before I even knew it, he was mugging in front of the camera and I was able to get something a lot more fun than what I could have gotten on the sly. I have seen this approach from most of the greats, with even a few of them exchanging photos on the spot with their new friends. I, personally, am not quite to that point, but would love to be someday. Either way, I find that it seems to make everyone's experience a lot better when we, as photographers, reach out and connect with the people we are shooting. Conversations go a long way. Enjoy you Wednesday -
Houston, Texas - The Glance