Street Photography – A Cautionary Tale

Has this ever happened to you?

Street photography is fun. Capturing random bits of life as they happen is always exciting, and it is often evocative to look back on your photos afterward. Sharing photos with friends, on your blog, or on your favorite photo-sharing site can solicit great feedback and excitement. You can share a part of the world and a moment in time that few others noticed.

So what could go wrong? If you’re not careful about your subject, a lot—and I’m not talking about using the wrong focal length or aperture.

One thing I’ve learned from professional photographers about street photography isn’t often discussed in blogs: candid photography of individuals is frowned upon in many cultures and by many people. In this case, “candid” means photographing a subject without their knowledge or consent. When photographing your subject, if you can see their face, they can see what you’re doing too.

I’ve had similar problems when doing street photography. One time my camera wasn’t even pointing at the individual who became upset that I might be photographing them. I would suggest the following when you do your street photography.

Be polite and start with hello

This should go without saying, but if you’re doing street photography and want to include someone in your photograph, walk up, smile, say hello, and introduce yourself.

Ask permission

After you introduce yourself, ask if you can include them in your photograph. They don’t speak English? No problem: point to your camera, then point to the person. They’ll know what you mean, and if they agree they will probably love being part of the photograph.

Have a notebook with your email address written at the top of the page. Point to the address and ask if you can send them the picture. I’ve found that people are more than happy to share their email so they can get a copy and share it with friends.

Take no for an answer

If they don’t want to be in the photo, move on. They’ll eventually move on too, and you can still get your street photo.

Another tip: if people are turned away from you, you can probably make the photo without fear of reprisal. Most of the time the back of one person’s head looks like the back of another’s. Take the advice above and you should be good to go. Now go and have some fun.