Street photography: 3 steps to beat the fear
Taking pictures in public is scary sometimes. Here’s how I overcame my fear in three steps.
I get a lot of questions, especially from beginners, who are intimidated about shooting in public places. I get it! It was the same for me and sometimes it still is. I didn’t have a framework for dealing with it. However in hindsight a kind of process emerged that I am going to explain.
First things first: Sometimes you are right to be scared, so don’t disregard that. There are places where you shouldn’t be taking pictures or where you shouldn’t really be in the first place. A camera is not an access pass! This article is based on the fact that I live in Norway. Laws and cultures vary and we should respect that.
Why are we intimidated about photographing in public?
Have you ever taken pictures of your friends or family in public? Likely yes, and I bet that didn’t feel awkward at all. Yet when you are alone this changes. Why is that?
Turns out there’s a very basic human factor at play here. We are social group animals that evolved to place great importance on being accepted by society. Being rejected, or in the more modern sense, not fitting in is actually an existential threat. In other words you are normal.
As soon as we do things that draw attention to ourselves we run a social risk. Having a group around us helps prove that we are in fact still socially accepted. This is why it might be a good idea to join a photo walk, like the ones my community Oslo SPC organizes. The rest of this article is about tackling this on your own, so try a photo walk if you are not really ready for step 1 yet.
Also, maybe obvious, but try to keep your gear minimal. A large full frame body with a grip with a 500mm lens is kind of counterproductive in this context.
Step 1: Shoot things, not people
The first step is to get more comfortable simply pointing a camera at something that isn’t an obvious subject to those around you. The fact is that using a camera in public will usually draw attention to you to some degree anyway. First you should practice being able to still concentrate on what you are doing while others are observing you.
Start in less busy areas and look for graphical details, objects left behind by people, abstracts, reflections. Whatever doesn’t require you to point your camera in someone’s direction. While doing this you will probably still feel self conscious with strangers around you. Maybe you will notice people trying to figure out what you seem to be so interested in. Some might look at you like you are a little weird. Learn to live with it. This is your passion and it’s natural that not everyone will get it. Practice this until you no longer care (as much).
Then start moving to gradually more populated areas. Notice how things change? In busier places one of two things can happen: Either people are less likely to notice you because they are preoccupied, or more people will notice you because there are, well, more people in total. Walk around and try to notice which one it is. Build your confidence by continuing to stick to non-human subjects. Eventually you will start to accept that you might be sticking out a little. Paradoxically, the less you care, the less you will be noticed.
Sidenote: For some reason I cannot explain, some people seem to be more inconspicuous than others. I’m a pretty tall person so I generally stick out anyway.
Step 2: Be there first (AKA “fishing”)
Now that you are more comfortable operating your camera while others are looking, you can start thinking about including people in your images.
At this point you are likely wondering what you are legally allowed to do. The legality and social acceptance of photographing people in public varies from place to place. In most western countries photographing crowds and non-identifiable persons is allowed. There is a threshold at which an image can be described as a portrait, meaning the picture is about one or a few specific people, their identity and/or their actions, and they are recognizable in the image. In these cases you should make sure you have your subjects’ permission to publish the image. The act of photographing them is often more a question of ethics than law. In general, remember these three things:
- Do make sure you know what laws apply in your location!
- Be reasonable and consider your own intrusiveness. Even though what you are doing is legal, that doesn’t always make it right. You are doing yourself and other photographers a disservice if you rampage on in people’s faces with an entitled attitude.
- Show good demeanor. Be nice. Smile! If people ask, show them the image you took of them. Consider deleting the image if they ask and if you really don’t want to, ask very, very nicely to keep it and tell them why.
It might help to pre-visualize the interaction with people who approach you and practice what you will say if it happens. The first times this happens you might find yourself a little startled and insecure. The key here is to remember that you are doing nothing wrong and your intentions are purely artistic. Try to be open to the person approaching you. In the extremely unlikely case where someone is acting hostile, I recommend swallowing you pride, apologize, delete the photos and wish them a good day.
OK, with that out of the way, here’s what you do: Find a spot where you think a human in the frame would bring the image to life, or where you suspect something interesting might happen. Frame up your shot and wait. Shoot when somebody is right where you want them in the frame. You might consider taking a few snaps when they are clearly out of the frame as well (before or after) to give the impression that you weren’t really photographing them. This is a bit sneaky, but as long as you stick to what’s legal I would argue that it is still ethical. If people notice you, it can actually put them at ease without you having to explain your motives to someone who might not be all that interested.
What this does is allow any subjects that detect you to think that they were interfering with what you were doing rather than the other way around. Basically you were there first. You would be surprised of how well this works. Sometimes people will notice you and stop to wait for you to finish what you are doing. Most often this is because they think they would be ruining your shot by walking into it. Just take your eye off the viewfinder and smile at them when that happens.
Speaking of the viewfinder: Consider your appearance when doing this. In some cases it’s best to be a little more stealthy and use the back screen for framing, but in general it’s better to be obvious about actively photographing. The less you try to hide yourself, the better the fishing technique works! Yes it might lead to some encounters where you have to talk to people. That’s just good preparation for the third step.
Step 3: Intentional interaction
You are now about to start initiating interaction with strangers to get permission to photograph them. I won’t lie, this is the scariest part.
If you are afraid to ask somebody to take their picture I have a couple of tips for you. Start with your own internal reasoning for why you want to photograph someone. I suggest practicing this without actually approaching anybody and without even bringing a camera. This lessens the pressure you put on yourself. The idea here is to start considering who you would want to photograph and why. Then you can start to imagine how to approach them and what you will say, without actually doing it.
Everyone’s motivations are different, but if you can’t really imagine explaining to someone why you want to take their picture it’s usually because of one of two things:
- You don’t really know, in which case I would argue that you should abandon that picture. Also, how will you know how to make a good picture if you don’t know why you are taking it?
- You know what drew your attention to this person, but you are afraid that they might not like to be photographed because of it. Ethically, we don’t photograph people to laugh at them or slander them. A photo of a person that brings attention to someone in a bad way does not belong in the world of street photography.
Having a project that the image fits into is really the key here. Check out my brief guide on project photography for more on that, as well as the video interview in it where I explain a little more.
People photographing random strangers for no good reason are understandably suspect. A project gives you guide rails and makes your argument clear and understandable. It doesn’t need to be a big philosophical thing or something you commit to over a lot of time. You can do one-day projects shooting people that dress similarly for instance. If you are looking for something specific, I guarantee that once you spot someone it’s going to be way easier to approach them. You know why? Because you are no longer doubting your own motives.
Summary
I hope I have managed to assure you of two things: The first is that it is completely normal (and in fact very human) to be scared when you are starting out in this practice. There are those very few who seem to have never experienced even the tiniest bit of anxiety about photographing strangers/in public. The rest of us are like you. The second point is that it is completely possible to overcome this. At least to the point where you are no longer as inhibited by it. I’ve been practicing this for four years and I’m still not completely comfortable. I have made my peace with that and I think you can too.
Good luck!
