Techniques , tips for taking candid photos of people in other cultures

Re: Suggestions on techniques how to photograph strangers in their environment NEW [SIMILAR]

Although I'm not a beginner at photography, I must confess that I always have trouble taking candid photos of locals whenever I travel. I always come back with many pictures of buildings and scenics, but not many interesting pictures of people in their culture. I feel like the "tourist" I actually am, who just points a camera with a telephoto zoom from afar taking a few snaps, then moves on.

I'd love to shoot candid, not posed, "photojournalistic style" portraits, but can't get past the psychological block of pointing my DSLR at strangers, intruding on their personal space, and taking their picture. My tendency is to put on a 70-200 telephoto zoom and shoot strangers from afar. That usually yields boring pictures that do not convey what the person does in their environment. I've seen many excellent candid shots here at DPR by photographers taken with wide angle or normal lens pretty close up to the subject. How do you do it?

I'd be grateful for any helpful advice, tips or techniques how to be comfortable shooting people doing what they do in their everday life.

Thank you.

I know how you feel. However there is only one way to take a shot of someone up close and that's try.

Even 200mm is not making such a large distance to your subject that they won't spot you. I've taken hundreds of alleged candid snapshots at 200mm, even 350mm, and found that someone was glancing right at me - which of course you can't usually see when you shoot. In one memorable case I'd accidentally snapped what seems to have been a groug of drug dealers on the street and they weren't happy at all. So I have stopped believing in Candid. A lot of the time what you get with 'candid' is 'reaction', which is almost as good ( although not with the drug dealers ). True candid shots are rare.

If you are going to take people shots, don't try and be covert. Humans, like most animals, have evolved whole sections of the brain whose sole function is to spot covert behaviour miles away in a crowd. The best place to hide is in plain sight, then they simply start to ignore you - strange but basically true.

The only technique I know that sometimes works is pretending you're taking a shot of something else then quickly snapping what you want. The problem is I then feel like I've stolen something, which I suspect is your issue to. So I gave up on that.

Close up means interacting with people. Honestly I don't see the point of pretending otherwise. It's an excuse to connect to people anyway, even if it's just a feeble attempt at 'may I', 'thank you' and 'OK', in the local language ( or gestures ). And nowadays there's no reason not to at least offer to show them the photo. Don't ever take a shot of someone who knows you did and walk off without acknowledging them - it's rude.

Your common sense will tell you that other places have other customs and social and legal taboos. Find out before you start snapping away, because you can land in jail ( or worse ) if you don't. For instance, these American chaps don't seem to like their buildings photographed - a strange taboo indeed.

So, no easy way. Alas. But opportunities to connect with people, which is good.

--
StephenG

Pentax K100D
Fuji S3 Pro
Fuji S9600

Len_Gee said:

Re: Suggestions on techniques how to photograph strangers in their environment NEW [SIMILAR]

Although I'm not a beginner at photography, I must confess that I always have trouble taking candid photos of locals whenever I travel. I always come back with many pictures of buildings and scenics, but not many interesting pictures of people in their culture. I feel like the "tourist" I actually am, who just points a camera with a telephoto zoom from afar taking a few snaps, then moves on.

I'd love to shoot candid, not posed, "photojournalistic style" portraits, but can't get past the psychological block of pointing my DSLR at strangers, intruding on their personal space, and taking their picture. My tendency is to put on a 70-200 telephoto zoom and shoot strangers from afar. That usually yields boring pictures that do not convey what the person does in their environment. I've seen many excellent candid shots here at DPR by photographers taken with wide angle or normal lens pretty close up to the subject. How do you do it?

I'd be grateful for any helpful advice, tips or techniques how to be comfortable shooting people doing what they do in their everday life.

Thank you.

Click to expand...

'here's one tip: for candid pics of strangers get a lens longer than 200mm !'

slayboss said:

Len_Gee said:

Re: Suggestions on techniques how to photograph strangers in their environment NEW [SIMILAR]

Although I'm not a beginner at photography, I must confess that I always have trouble taking candid photos of locals whenever I travel. I always come back with many pictures of buildings and scenics, but not many interesting pictures of people in their culture. I feel like the "tourist" I actually am, who just points a camera with a telephoto zoom from afar taking a few snaps, then moves on.

I'd love to shoot candid, not posed, "photojournalistic style" portraits, but can't get past the psychological block of pointing my DSLR at strangers, intruding on their personal space, and taking their picture. My tendency is to put on a 70-200 telephoto zoom and shoot strangers from afar. That usually yields boring pictures that do not convey what the person does in their environment. I've seen many excellent candid shots here at DPR by photographers taken with wide angle or normal lens pretty close up to the subject. How do you do it?

I'd be grateful for any helpful advice, tips or techniques how to be comfortable shooting people doing what they do in their everday life.

Thank you.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

here's one tip: for candid pics of strangers get a lens longer than 200mm !

Len_Gee said:

I'd love to shoot candid, not posed, "photojournalistic style" portraits, but can't get past the psychological block of pointing my DSLR at strangers, intruding on their personal space, and taking their picture. My tendency is to put on a 70-200 telephoto zoom and shoot strangers from afar. That usually yields boring pictures that do not convey what the person does in their environment. I've seen many excellent candid shots here at DPR by photographers taken with wide angle or normal lens pretty close up to the subject. How do you do it?

Click to expand...

The issue is not with the camera, it is with the photographer. Due to the "psychological block" some of us are unable or reluctant to shove a camera into people's faces. A long zoom reduces the nausea of the photographer in confronting the situation but as you say, it reduces the "life" of detail of the photo.

There are videos on Youtube. I just saw this:

http://www.wnyc.org/streetshots/

--



Ananda
http://anandasim.blogspot.com

'There are a whole range of greys and colours - from
the photographer who shoots everything in iA / green
AUTO to the one who shoots Manual Everything. There
is no right or wrong - there are just instances of
individuality and individual choice.'

sjgcit said:

Humans, like most animals, have evolved whole sections of the brain whose sole function is to spot covert behaviour miles away in a crowd.

Click to expand...

Could you point me to some info on this?
--
Dennis

I think about this a lot and liken it to wildlife photography in some but not all ways. Start with a long lens, one that provides a sharp 100% crop and approach people like birds and other wildlife. When you get comfortable and like the shots you get move in, go places like the beach, fairs and carnivals like the Renascence fair where people are showing off and maybe in costume. parades would be good. Start to interact with your subjects, talk to them. Stuff like "I love that outfit/hat/cape/costume, mind if I get some shots? These festive events people are looking to be the stars of your photos... These are good fun legit ways to get comfortible with street photography.

When you take it to the next level, keep interacting with the subject, even if you make up a white lie and say you are on assignment for a class you are taking or you are a freelance photog and doing a piece on (fill in the blank), can I get a few shots? Ask for e-mails and offer to send copies to the subjects and assure them you are sincere in how you plan to use the shots, that your goal is to capture the quality of the character you see in them... And by all means if they say no, thank them and move on...

LOL this is really my own pep talk, I have the same desire to be able to capture a good candid shot when the opportunity arises...
--
Dennis

Greetings Ananda,

Thank you for the link. Just what I've been looking for with good tips on street shooting in a journalistic style.

I noticed he switched from a DSLR (Canon?) to some kind of P&S later in the video.

I have been told to find a fast focusing fixed focal length P&S. Something quiet, with a "snap focus" mode and low shutter lag, instead of using my Canon 5D/ 70-200 zoom lens. That would force me to compose by moving my feet, not by zooming a lens.

Any suggestions on a small discreet P&S camera that would fit my need?

Kind regards.

AnandaSim said:

Len_Gee said:

I'd love to shoot candid, not posed, "photojournalistic style" portraits, but can't get past the psychological block of pointing my DSLR at strangers, intruding on their personal space, and taking their picture. My tendency is to put on a 70-200 telephoto zoom and shoot strangers from afar. That usually yields boring pictures that do not convey what the person does in their environment. I've seen many excellent candid shots here at DPR by photographers taken with wide angle or normal lens pretty close up to the subject. How do you do it?

Click to expand...

The issue is not with the camera, it is with the photographer. Due to the "psychological block" some of us are unable or reluctant to shove a camera into people's faces. A long zoom reduces the nausea of the photographer in confronting the situation but as you say, it reduces the "life" of detail of the photo.

There are videos on Youtube. I just saw this:

http://www.wnyc.org/streetshots/

--



Ananda
http://anandasim.blogspot.com

'There are a whole range of greys and colours - from
the photographer who shoots everything in iA / green
AUTO to the one who shoots Manual Everything. There
is no right or wrong - there are just instances of
individuality and individual choice.'

Click to expand...

Len_Gee said:

I have been told to find a fast focusing fixed focal length P&S. Something quiet, with a "snap focus" mode and low shutter lag, instead of using my Canon 5D/ 70-200 zoom lens. That would force me to compose by moving my feet, not by zooming a lens.

Any suggestions on a small discreet P&S camera that would fit my need?

Click to expand...

• A Panasonic GF-1 with that prime lens

• The Panasonic LX-3?

• The Canon S-90?

• One of the Sigma DP-something?

--



Ananda
http://anandasim.blogspot.com

'There are a whole range of greys and colours - from
the photographer who shoots everything in iA / green
AUTO to the one who shoots Manual Everything. There
is no right or wrong - there are just instances of
individuality and individual choice.'

DjD_a700 said:

LOL this is really my own pep talk, I have the same desire to be able to capture a good candid shot when the opportunity arises...

Click to expand...

An interesting article! And I also thought that both the original post by user Len_Gee and the reply by sjgcit were interesting too. (I've been doing "people pictures for more than four decades.)

Something that might help organize the way a photographer thinks about this topic is the realization that there are multiple styles of photography involved, and while they are all generally "non-studio, non-posed, non-photojournalist", they are still very distinct from each other. I don't know that there are any recognized titles for these catagories, so I'm just going to sort of coin my own names.

• Candid Portraiture -- This implies that the people being photographed are totally unaware that a camera is likely to be aimed at them. It suggests that if they knew, they certainly would not do whatever it is they are being photographed doing. Or at least not in the same way they are doing it (at a minimum, carefree and without regard to making a permanent record of it.)

• Natural or Enviromental Portraiture -- This implies that what is recorded is both acceptable to the subject and is also exactly what the person would be doing whether there is or is not a camera/photographer there.

• Street Portraiture -- This implies that the images are distinctly affected by the presence of the photographer, and subjects are photographed interacting with the camera/lens/photographer in a way that they might or might not necessarily do if it was not there.

Very long lenses are often used for candid photography. Or a small hidden camera if the lens is not long. This style is almost by intent an invasion of the subject's privacy.

Street portraiture is just about exactly the opposite of candid! It is an in your face, get a reaction, style that is intended to show the "public persona", not the private person. Wide angle lenses are commonly used, and photographers who can do this almost necessarily have to be extroverts with a gift of gab and good social skills.

In between those two is the Natural Portrait, where the idea is not to invade privacy but also there is no desire to cause any more interaction with the subject than is absolutely necessary. Normal to medium telephoto lenses are commonly used, most often but not necessarily the people being photographed are either aware that it is happening or aware that it might happen. If they are unaware at all they usually are not put in a position where they would be likely to object if they did know..

Think about which style is the one you want to do, because they are very different. For example, 30 years ago I used to photograph a few crosscountry ski races. There was another fellow who did the same... except while I never took a picture of anyone who fell down, he always took pictures of anyone who fell. To be honest, I've always assumed that we both thought the other was missing the whole point!

Greetings Apaflo,

Thank you for providing clarity on the muliple styles of shooting people pics.

I always feel a bit uncomfortable shooting people of different cultures with my DSLR and telephoto zoom lens. On the otherhand, I can never get enough courage to shoot pictures that convey an "up close and personal" look with subjects that are total strangers. I don't mean paparazzi type photos, but I notice that I have way too many shots of boring buildings, and scenics when I travel to distant lands.

Perhaps more "learn by doing", and use a small steathy camera ie. P&S camera might help? Do you think so?

Kind regards.

apaflo said:

DjD_a700 said:

LOL this is really my own pep talk, I have the same desire to be able to capture a good candid shot when the opportunity arises...

Click to expand...

An interesting article! And I also thought that both the original post by user Len_Gee and the reply by sjgcit were interesting too. (I've been doing "people pictures for more than four decades.)

Something that might help organize the way a photographer thinks about this topic is the realization that there are multiple styles of photography involved, and while they are all generally "non-studio, non-posed, non-photojournalist", they are still very distinct from each other. I don't know that there are any recognized titles for these catagories, so I'm just going to sort of coin my own names.

• Candid Portraiture -- This implies that the people being photographed are totally unaware that a camera is likely to be aimed at them. It suggests that if they knew, they certainly would not do whatever it is they are being photographed doing. Or at least not in the same way they are doing it (at a minimum, carefree and without regard to making a permanent record of it.)

• Natural or Enviromental Portraiture -- This implies that what is recorded is both acceptable to the subject and is also exactly what the person would be doing whether there is or is not a camera/photographer there.

• Street Portraiture -- This implies that the images are distinctly affected by the presence of the photographer, and subjects are photographed interacting with the camera/lens/photographer in a way that they might or might not necessarily do if it was not there.

Very long lenses are often used for candid photography. Or a small hidden camera if the lens is not long. This style is almost by intent an invasion of the subject's privacy.

Street portraiture is just about exactly the opposite of candid! It is an in your face, get a reaction, style that is intended to show the "public persona", not the private person. Wide angle lenses are commonly used, and photographers who can do this almost necessarily have to be extroverts with a gift of gab and good social skills.

In between those two is the Natural Portrait, where the idea is not to invade privacy but also there is no desire to cause any more interaction with the subject than is absolutely necessary. Normal to medium telephoto lenses are commonly used, most often but not necessarily the people being photographed are either aware that it is happening or aware that it might happen. If they are unaware at all they usually are not put in a position where they would be likely to object if they did know..

Think about which style is the one you want to do, because they are very different. For example, 30 years ago I used to photograph a few crosscountry ski races. There was another fellow who did the same... except while I never took a picture of anyone who fell down, he always took pictures of anyone who fell. To be honest, I've always assumed that we both thought the other was missing the whole point!

Click to expand...

If you have to resort to stealth like tactics when up close, sneaking the shot with a hidden camera then you really are stealing something from your subject. Those saying they feel dirty or sneaky when trying this I believe get it. A long lens and greater distance if you are not peaking around corners and hiding in the bushes or behind mailboxes would allow more candid shots as an alternative.

I will bring myself to practice with complete strangers at some point but at least with friends in groups I have gotten away with showing them the camera and saying "don't mind me, I'll make good shots available". Some will pose, others really try to go about what they are doing and the longer I am around them the more candid the shots get... There is always someone that will train on me like a hawk and try to avoid my camera at all cost, I try to let them know I won't target them but if I see a group shot and they are in it I am taking it.

I think that will work with strangers, talk to them and let them get comfortible with you being around, it they have tasks to get done they will ignore you and get too them and then you can get your candid shots...
--
Dennis

Interesting..i'm not the only one with this problem

Among friends i feel that the entire mood suddenly changes when you whip out your DSLR..everyone becomes more selfconscious and the entire candid element disappears since people either start posing, or hide from the camera, or make silly faces etc.

With strangers i feel the same thing happens. If you tell someone you would like to take their photo, something is definitely changing..they're not so naturally relaxed anymore. I guess it takes some trust to get people to relax more..probably why there's such a market for models

I saw a TV program featuring a street photographer and I wish now I had paid more attention to it.

The guy was dressed inconspicuously and he worked on a New York (?) street corner just bobbing and weaving amongst the people crossing the road. He had an unthreatening DSLR, probably some fixed 50 or 75mm lens.

He was just a photographer taking pictures of people and no-one seemed to pay any notice of him. Brilliant.

AnthonyL said:

I saw a TV program featuring a street photographer and I wish now I had paid more attention to it.

The guy was dressed inconspicuously and he worked on a New York (?) street corner just bobbing and weaving amongst the people crossing the road. He had an unthreatening DSLR, probably some fixed 50 or 75mm lens.

He was just a photographer taking pictures of people and no-one seemed to pay any notice of him. Brilliant.

Click to expand...

Just googled, it is Jeff Mermelstein, have a look for instance at

http://www.public-life.org/media/jeff-mermelstein/3/

I'm also telling you as someone who wants to improve his street shooting. These are the things I find most important when I'm shooting pics of strangers in the street.

1. If it's a full candid, don't rush it. It's tempting to think you should just whip out the camera and get the shot, any shot, as fast as possible, in the interests of stealth. Try it. You'll end up with the most boring, snapshot looking crap-o-la most of the time. Think of Henri Cartier-Bresson's idea of "the decisive moment." Click too soon or too late and you miss it. The subtle change of expression that can make a candid is often gone in an instant. I spent the better part of last Saturday working on this with a long lens to at least give myself the benefit of more stealth. I ended up with a lot of bland stares and some 'what the hell are you taking this photo for?' But I also ended up with a few gems with perfect expression and emotion. If I'd been more patient, I would have done far better.

2. Push the limits. Like Joe McNally said in one of his books, it's better to get the shot and get some lip than not get it because you were too polite to take it. Or something to that effect. I don't mean go out of your way to upset people, but try to be a little more forward. The most I usually get is "why are you taking that photo?" or "PLEASE don't take pictures of me!" Neither of which will put you in the hospital or lead to broken gear. Be confident and firm on the street and people will follow suit. Sometimes I can channel this, sometimes I can't. It's a constant struggle.

I'll add a quick #3. If you're asking to take pics, be ready to share them. I carry around MOO cards with my Flickr address on them so that people can see the shots I took of them. It's a nice way to give it back. Whether they want it or not is another matter - it's still a nice gesture.

Good luck!

--
http://andymcelroy.smugmug.com

If you are serious in asking I do not have a handy bookmark for that.

Behavioural science and psychology would be potential starting points for a search, but you'll get an enormous amount of stuff that (probably) won't interest you.

As you asked ...

Basically it's a survival function of brains. You ( and most creatures ) are essentially hard-wired to react as fast as possible in response to various types of behaviour that is typical of predators. Stealth is typical of predators. Sudden movement is typical of predators. Staring at the intended victim is very predator like, and hence the photography problem. Predators that use camouflage have been countered by creatures that can spot inconsistencies in visual scenes, even subtle ones. Species that survive get good at spotting these things and reacting. Species that don't die out. Evolution.

This is also why you will instinctively react to move away from any sudden movement in your peripheral vision. There are many examples of this you can probably work out for yourself. The reaction to look in the direction of sudden noises, for example. These behaviours are clearly linked to audio and visual processing parts of the brain, but do not involve the any concious thought.

A lot of army and police training is essentially designed to overcome these deeply ingrained behaviours. What normal animal is going to stay on a battlefield, for example ? You have to create a new set of instinctive reactions to overcome the normal ones.

I hope that didn't bore anyone, but the trick is to stop reading when it starts to hurt.

--
StephenG

Pentax K100D
Fuji S3 Pro
Fuji S9600

You could take a P&S or you could fit your body wit a small, wide prime lens, doesn't matter that much. A thing that works for me is shooting 'from the hip', without looking at the camera, or checking the pictures in between. Modern camera's can take 3 fps picture-sets, why don't make use of that and shoot around this way. Especially with a wide lens you can get pretty pleasing results, and your viewport also has an artistic touch to it.

AnthonyL said:

AnthonyL said:

I saw a TV program featuring a street photographer and I wish now I had paid more attention to it.

The guy was dressed inconspicuously and he worked on a New York (?) street corner just bobbing and weaving amongst the people crossing the road. He had an unthreatening DSLR, probably some fixed 50 or 75mm lens.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

It was a Leica rangefinder. Since the clip showed him rewinding the pix, I assume it was a film camera? ;-)

AnthonyL said:

AnthonyL said:

He was just a photographer taking pictures of people and no-one seemed to pay any notice of him.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Part of this is due to NYers being desensitized. They "tune out" everything that happens except just the small parts that really apply to them. In some other locales, people don't react this way.

--
Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D50, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
“...photography for and of itself – photographs taken
from the world as it is – are misunderstood as a
collection of random observations and lucky moments...
Paul Graham

AnthonyL said:

AnthonyL said:

I saw a TV program featuring a street photographer and I wish now I had paid more attention to it.

The guy was dressed inconspicuously and he worked on a New York (?) street corner just bobbing and weaving amongst the people crossing the road. He had an unthreatening DSLR, probably some fixed 50 or 75mm lens.

He was just a photographer taking pictures of people and no-one seemed to pay any notice of him. Brilliant.

Click to expand...

Just googled, it is Jeff Mermelstein, have a look for instance at

http://www.public-life.org/media/jeff-mermelstein/3/

Click to expand...

I was thinking folks must tune the guy out because the way he bobs and weaves in and out of the crowd it makes it look like he's not all there. Kind of a slow but gentle giant that doesn't cause problems but just zooms in for a clos-up and moves on... There are other areas where odd behavior is tollerated like NYC, Venice Beach in CA is one as an example.
--
Dennis