A Year Testing Myself
Let face it. Most of us street photographers are introverts. I do my best to avoid people most of time. So why did I choose street portraits of strangers?
I love street photography, particularly capturing people enjoying the outdoors, be it on a beach, street or a bench.
But as a large hairy, 6’2” guy, I can't simply blend into the street. I have no choice but to own it. Which I don't mind at all. It does make capturing good candid street photography tricky but It also means that I'm not being ‘sneaky’ or ‘underhand’ or god forbid ‘creepy’. I would be horrified If something I did as a hobby made someone feel uncomfortable.
Early this year, deep into my switch to film photography, I made a choice to approach strangers in public and get their portraits. The ideal was that it fitted into my love for capturing live in the streets, ok not candid, but not set up. Their outfits wasn't chosen for a photo shoot, no mirror looked into or hairbrushed use. A true portrait of that person(s) at that moment in their lifes.
Building Resolve
The main reason for approaching strangers however was selfishly, to help me. I wanted to build confidence, not being afraid to have my camera present and ready to bring up to my eye. Build a suit of armour to protect against rejection and suspicion with the hope that these improved tools can be used to capture great street photography. Well, that last part has still yet to happen but I have improved my self belief.
Rejection!
My confidence has improved, I discovered an ability to strike up conversations with strangers, I bought myself a few extra seconds to compose a frame, dial in the manual focus, test new (to me) technics such as flash photography but most surprisingly, I didn't get to test rejection. I spent the year approaching so many people in all different environments and scenarios but only one single person said no. Which was fine of course!
My other surprise was that immediately after taking a strangers photo, I felt a little joy. I could see that the people who allowed me to interrupt their day, more often than not, had a smile on their faces. I made their day. I expected the suspicion to linger and still be present, maybe it does a little, but knowing that I made their day a little better is great.
Under Pressure
The pressure however, was the most surprising element that I never saw coming.
These people allowed me to interrupt their private moments, their breaks, pause their journeys for me. They listened and then allowed me to capture them onto film without any preparation. So do… not… mess... it... up!!!! Do not let them down!!! Make sure that they are in focus! Remove the bloody lens cap from your rangefinder. And get that roll developed asap so that they can see the photos themselves.
I naively didn't predict that film would add a extra layer of pressure to street portraits of strangers. I can't immediately turn the camera around and show them the display of the photo. I can't immediate recognise that I missed the focus and can then quickly re-focus and retake.
2026
What next? Well I won't stop street portraits. My passion is still for classic street photography but I really enjoy capturing strangers portraits. I will aim to use flash more and more, trying on and off camera shots. I preferred the full body in frame, environmental portraits as opposed to close ups, so will definitely focus on that. Hopefully with a medium format camera.
What about you? Are you trying anything new on the streets? You don't have to of course. Continuing the neverending goal of capturing a truly great street photography is tricky enough and could take decades. So the important thing is that you do you.
For me, street portraits have greatly benefited me but will no downsides, you have nothing to lose. If you can, give it a go. Ones fears are not easy to overcome, I understand if you choose to not approach strangers.
Top Tip!
If are on the fence or unsure on how to go about approaching strangers, start with dogs. Us dog owners love to show off our little and large furballs. Go to the owner and mention and good, cute, pretty, fun, amazing their dog looks. Maybe ask them what breed it is? Then follow up with asking to take a photo of the dog. Take it, then step back a little and recompose to include the owner in the frame. That will it mine at all.
You get to meet a dog, approach a stranger without issue, and get a photo.
I would love to hear your thoughts and see your photos!
These are great Lloyd. I feel like asking a stranger for a portrait is the next step for a street photographer. Imo I’d say most street photographers are introverts and choose candid to avoid the interaction with people, so it’s a big personal growth opportunity.
Agreed that dogs are a great starting point. I have built a habitual obligation to photograph every dog I see. Proud of my library of blurry spaniel images 😆