Photographing people

[Ian Foster]

I am often envious of photographs of people, by this I mean strangers. I always feel uncomfortable when trying to accomplish this and I am curious to know whether others feel the same way. I would also be very interested to hear of your tecnique, do you try to remain unobserved, do you ask permission to photograph people or do you just get on with it and hope there are no objections.

I will look forward to your helpful hints. Ian

[sossy]

Hi Ian, that is a good question I also asked myself very often.

I also am shy and feel uncomfortable and don't dare to shoot people.
What I do is to shoot them, when they are far away, when they don't see me or when they already passed.
But after viewing JoHa's captures I will try to shoot in front in the future and ask before, or not, depends from the situation.
Perhaps they say no, perhaps they want money, perhaps I have luck.

Would be great if Joha and others would be so kind to tell us how they do it and
about their experiances.

[Camera Obscura]

Ian, you posed a excellent question to which there will be a number of different methods in accomplishing capturing ordinary people on the street.

A colleague we both admire, Walker Evans photographed in the subway of New York by hiding his camera under a coat and using a cable release to take the exposure. He needed to be extra careful of not being detected since it was against the law to take pictures on the subway, even back in 1936. By 1941, Evans had taken over six hundred photographs of which 89 were published in 1966 in a book called ‘Many Are Called’.

Deception obviously is one method and the other extreme is more out in the open. Then there is the consideration of one camera and the lens being used.

Though I own a 300 mm telephoto lens for a traditional 35 mm non-digital camera, I prefer to use a 50 or even a 28 mm wide angle lens as I like to be right in the thick of the crowd. When I did street scenes back in the early 80’s, I was using a Canon F1n which allowed me to remove the prism and I could view the image from above in reverse, while the camera was hung around my neck, resting on the upper chest area, just like with Evans. However, I made no attempt to conceal the camera, matter a fact I always had it out in the open.

Before getting on the method of actually capturing the image, I should tell you that I preset the camera f-stop and speed according to a hand held light meter. This way I only concentrate on getting the image and not fiddling around with the exposure and this was in the good old days of roll film and this method should work equally well for today’s digital cameras.

With the camera setting set, I do one of two things, I move fast among a crowd taking random exposures without hardly looking through the viewfinder, or I lean against a doorway, positioning myself for something interesting to happen, as with ‘A moment of enlightenment, taken earlier this year with a Nikon D70 and a 35-70 mm lens.



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As I photograph mostly with a camera on a tripod, it is very difficult to be discrete about it, but by pretending to do something else while setting up the shot and looking at another way, you can fool some people and get what you want, as I did in a book store by looking at books when I pressed down on the shutter release, then when discovered, I smiled and quietly exited the scene.

In most cases I will just take the picture and then get away, but there are exceptions. I feel taking a picture of people who are down on their luck or homeless without their permission or even striking up a conversation is like stealing any last dignity they have. It comes down why is the picture being taken, what is its end purpose?

By having a conversation, at least an exchange of a few words, they feel human for just a moment and the image that one captures is priceless, because you’ve given them dignity. It also helps to have some loose change to give to the person being photographed.

I feel each photographer needs to find their own method based upon their camera and lens. You can be passive and at a distance, or you can act like a photo journalist in get right into the action with the finger on the trigger, snapping away and only back home finding out what results you have come with.


Egmont
October 21, 2006

[Monika]

Hi Ian,
indeed this is a great question you have put up here! Yes, I felt uncomfortable when taking photos of starngers for a long time. I was often envious like you of photographs of people. So I pushed myself to try such kind of shooting... it was hard in the beginning!

With the knowledge that it isn't allowed to show personal portraits of people without their permission in galleries or in the internet I use to ask those persons before taking a portrait.

It's different when people are just part of a scene... then you don't need their permission... since they are not shown directly or just shown in the background.

And there's another exception when shooting at an event... for example a street parade or a dance performance... you are allowed to take shots of those who participate in this event without asking for their permission.

So when I started taking portraits I visited such events... street parades, medieval fairs, street theatres and such. There are lots of other photographers so nobody pays attention too much. That helps a lot! Well, in the beginning I was still shy but meanwhile I get used to it! LOL
I still love to take photographs at such events... getting good results meanwhile though still learning!

Just my two cents here

[Monika]

Oops ... forgot to mention there's a similarity when taking animal portraits.

It happened to me twice that I met someone accompanied by an amazingly beautiful dog... at least for my taste When I asked those persons for permission they happily agreed. They have been proud that I had noticed the beauty their pets and they gave me plenty of time to take some shots

So to get more experiences about taking portraits of animals I started to visit shows for breeder cats for example. Not an easy situation for photographers though with so many visitors and exhibitors... at least you learn a lot by doing! Well another place to take images of animals is a zoo... but most of the time you cannot get that close for taking portraits.

Well, this is just a side note but thought it could be intersting though.

[Ian Foster]

Thanks Monika for your two replies, they are most helpful and I shall act on them. I had already come to the conclusion that events would be a good idea but I shall bear in mind the photographing of pets, and who knows possibly their owners. Best wishes Ian

[Monika]

Hi again Ian, glad I could give you some minor hints!
Keep trying, keep shooting... and have fun doing!!!
Have a great weekend, dear friend!
Moni

[sossy]

Hi all!
To Monika's comment I must add something. If you want to sell a portrait and offer it an agency you must show them a modell-release. Without such contract they never take the photo to sell it. I know that many photographers always have 2 or 3 contracts in their pocket on a shooting stroll.
And you are right Monika, if the person isn't identifiable you can offer it for sale without a modell release.
I know this because I am posting at some other galleries and agencies. Often my portraits or photos of people were defeated because I couldn't upload a contract.

[Camera Obscura]

Monika, you mentioned that it is not permitted to show personal portraits of people without their consent and you are right as well as incorrect. When taking a photograph of a person that is a portrait, then a release form needs to be signed by the person being photographed, allowing the photographer to publish the picture. However, if the images is not a sitting portrait but a photograph taken out in the public, like a street scene or an event, then these rules do not apply.

Now some people do not mind having their portrait taken in a non studio setting, in other words you meet someone on the street and you ask to take their picture and they permit you doing so, you must then decide to have them sign a consent form. It is here things become tricky.

Asking someone to sign a document giving the photographer the right to make use of this photograph causes alarm bells to go off for those whose portrait you have just taken. No one likes to sign a standard model release document not knowing what the image is going to be used for. Though there are model release forms available, I suggest altering them to fit the needs of a fine artist and insuring the person who’s portrait is being taken that the image will not be used for commercial advertisement. It is also suggested that a small print of the finished product is sent to the person as a form of payment and thereby making the document legally binding.

There is one more factor to consider and that is private property. You will notice that I have posted a few images of people inside buildings, such as a bookstore and supermarket. I can tell you now, you will never get permission from companies or corporations to photograph within their property and if you do, as I have done is to just do it and then if caught be willing to turn over the film or delete the image when pressed on the matter.

In most situations I have been fortunate, though a few times I have been confronted and if I was using a film camera, I always have a spare roll of blank film handy to switch, so that I still have the images. As for digital, if you see someone approaching, quickly exchange the memory cartridge with a blank one in such a way it is not noticed, so that once again you have the image.

My finally comments regarding photographing people doing what we do everyday is important and as things become more difficult for us, we must find ways to outwit these very limitations that have been imposed upon us. So happy hunting.


Egmont
October 28, 2006

[Camera Obscura]

After Rita’s good points, I should add another observation to either having a Model Release or not. If you plan on making money with the image(s) then you should get a Model Release signed, but also know that in doing so, your image will be posed and in many cases it is the un-posed natural appearance that is most precious to the photographer.

In just this month several books have been published here in the US, featuring street photography, in particular photographer Diane Arbus ‘Street People’, as our generation becomes nostalgic for what happened 20-25 years ago. This is the key to understanding when a street photograph without a Model Release can be published without much fear of legal actions.

Yes, you will have to view your material as a long term investment. In reality, people are not interested too much to purchase that which we still see, rather they are interested in that which happened 20, 25 or even 30 years ago.

I have photographs from the early 1980’s that I took of San Francisco street life, and it is only now that there would be an interest in them from a collectors point of view. You must think long term if your only interested in the natural un-posed photograph of daily street life, otherwise it is wise to just have a Model Release handy.

In closing, I would argue that when a person poses on the street for you to take their photograph, they are giving their consent at the time. However, you ultimately must decide what feels right at the moment and what the end purpose of the image is going to be.


Egmont
October 28, 2006