A Very Important Street Photography Tip!

Looking at your subject before or after taking their photo is not necessarily a mistake. It's all about how you engage and interact.

What you explain here can be a good technique; I actually use it myself, too. But I have talked to plenty of street photographers with amazing work who actually make it very clear to their subjects that they are photographing them.

To me, there's no right or wrong with these approaches. I enjoy seeing these tips from other photographers like you, so thank you for sharing. But there's no single end-all technique or truth in this genre.

Once you have the picture, who cares what they think? There’s no expectation of privacy in public.
If they get upset or ask what I’m doing, I say, “making you famous!”

Learn to be confident that you're not doing anything wrong. If your intentions are good, and you're honest with them and with yourself about why you're doing it, theres no reason to hide. Once they've noticed you, the candid moment is gone anyhow. Take another shot then look them straight in they eye and give them a smile. Some of my best shots were at the exact moment that they noticed me.

I walk up to them, then ask them politely, if I can take their photo. Usually they say yes - ignoring the standard comment " dont break your lens!" . Never had a problem.

Good advice

I’m a videographer and do a lot of city shots and this man gives great advice. Basically, this is what I do too. 👍🏻

I try to use the trick of being “intrigued” with something behind someone but every once and awhile I’ll miss a really good shot because they turn to look at what I’m looking at lmao.

Street cameras take pictures of us all day long

Absolutely great tips ! 👏

Smart move!

Haha as an introvert I was kinda doing that naturally

another tip: dont be afraid to interact with your subjects. if you’re taking photos of people without asking them then you should be open to confrontation and conversation. this method turns the subject into a tool or animal instead of a human being.

I did the same thing today, but it was intentional. I was just scared haha...

Thank you for advice

IMO that is not street photography. You are making pictures of people, without asking them, without wanting to let them know, but still put them online. You 100% can make pictures of streets and cities without any of this kind of too close interactions with people..

This is a huge tip. It’s the same with wedding candids. I always act like I was looking behind whoever my subject is. To their side and behind. I’ll even raise the camera again and pretend to take another one off center from them just to establish how little I notice them so they think I don’t notice them.

Amazing work

A video that is just so spot on.

This is a very good "trick" to do to sort of perhaps put your subject at ease, and make them not really pay attention to you as much (Zach Arias said the same thing, he takes a picture, looks at the LCD with a puzzled look, looks back up -- beyond the person, maybe something behind them, and reshoots, but he makes it look like he's shooting the thing behind the person.

I walk up to them and give them my card and say pls send noods

Who cares if they see you? Grow some balls??!!

Excellent tips. Thank you sir

Great advice. I sometimes also look beyond and slightly up, like I’m taking a photo of the building behind them.

Try it in Germany

good advice

Great Tips. Sneaky :)

Cities are cancer. I'm rural. Here's beauty and not just drug addicts, woke twats and soulless concrete.

Yeah take a picture and walk away heheh

Yep, my strategy too. But I also made a business card with just my website and an e-mailadres, so they can find the end result and contact me should they have serious problems with is

Big brain

Never realised other people did this, although it makes sense now that I think about it. I'm not strictly a street photographer but I do take a lot of photos in the street and I always do this. Someone else was saying that they walk up close to the subject and take a photo behind them to make it look like they were just in your way. I've done this ever since I was yelled at by an angry Chinese chef in shanghai.

The fact you have to explain this to people is odd to me. I guess im wored differnt ive done thos from day one. It i guess i am a sneaky fo

People that WANTED the attention: 😕😔😢

Now get 6ft away from them take a shot of their awkward face and smile.
So that they smile awkwardly

What also works and is kind of fun is walk by shooting. Where you have your hand on your camera in one hand and your walking past people on the street and just photo burst the hell out of it. Just act like your walking by and nothing is happening. I have got some amazing photos that way

I do the same 🤙 but thx for the reminder 🍀

I just use 500mm.

With a teleconverter.

On micro four thirds.

I also make it look like I'm fixing something

I always ask them if I can get them in frame as an subject. Some consent, some don't. I usually take shots where a lot ot people are in frame but whenever i see someone that i find interesting to frame, i just ask.

what kind of advice is this? you are deranged

Yeap😊

Or maybe ask them permission to keep it?

Try offering to send the picture to them, they get a nice photo, and you get a nice candid

It is always dependent upon the situation and your awareness of the environment and surroundings.

Garry Winogrand. Video from Venuce Beach.

I still have a problem - isn't it illegal to publish a photo of a person without their express consent? oh, not when they're just an element of a general scene, but the guy giving the finger, or the apparently Asian girl in mask (who's in focus where everything els is out of it) are clearly the subjects... So? what's the law?

Even better: don’t even look at the viewfinder at all. Getting good at this is like a superpower.

This is genius. Adding this to the repertoire!

That was me for the past few days in downtown ny😭🙏🏾 a lot of awkward stare offs😂

That’s just weird AF…