Ok – so you’ve seen a potential subject, overcome the hurdle of approaching them for permission and they’re happy to pose for you. Now what ?
Well, the most important thing is not to hesitate, to work quickly and not to start fiddling about with camera settings, lenses or rummaging around in your kit bag for a flash unit etc. If you do, you’ll probably find that you’ll start to make your subject feel self-concious – especially if a crowd has gathered to watch your photo shoot. When you allow this to happen, then a subject tends to start ‘adopting’ poses and that natural expression that made you want to take their photo in the first place will be lost. In the very worst case scenario your subject may even decide that you’re wasting their time and move on.
So, before even approaching a potential subject to ask for permission consider how you’re going to take the photo and think not only about the composition of the image but also:
Lighting - is the subject in bright sunshine which is casting harsh shadows across their face and making them squint? Or are they in deep shadow? Are you going to want to ask them to move ?
Camera Settings – What ISO are you going to use? Which aperture? What shutter speed will be needed? Which lens? Will you need to use a touch of fill-in flash to lift the face and add a bit of sparkle to your subject’s eyes?
Background: Think about the background. Avoid those that are very ‘busy’ and distracting to the viewer whose attention should be on the subject. Look for plain backgrounds with muted colours. Be aware of ‘distractions’ like bins, cars, lamp-posts, advertising hoardings etc.
Orientation – We’re used to seeing the world from ‘right-to-left’ and ‘left-to-right’ but taking a photo like this may result in distracting objects appearing at the edges of the frame. By turning your camera 90 degrees so that you see things ‘top-to-bottom’ means that a lot of potentially distracting stuff can be left out from a photo and ensure that the attention is firmly on the subject.
Hopefully by this stage, you should now have a great photo to share with friends and family back home but remember to thank your subject and show them the image on the back of the camera. That’s a real advantage of digital cameras over film cameras and the ability to show people their photo instantly often leads to further photo opportunities as friends and family are called over to look at your work. You may be asked for a copy of the image and it’s important to bear in mind that photography isn’t as accessible to some as it is to others and as a result many people around the world don’t have photos of themselves or their family. So if you promise to send a copy – then please ensure that you do. Remember however that although it may be fun collecting names and addresses whilst you’re on your travels – it can be a lot of work printing copies of photos when you get home and sending them to faraway lands.
Next Week: Part 4 – Portraits
The subject of paying for photos comes up all too regularly when it comes to taking people’s photographs and to be honest I find there’s no right or wrong way to address it.
If you feel that a photo fee is too much however, and I’ve been quoted upwards of $10 a photo before now, don’t feel under any pressure to accept. Paying high fees today means other travellers will also have to pay too much in future. This will eventually result in many potentially great photo opportunites being passed-up by photographers who are not willing to pay over-the-odds for an image. Just like your potential subject has the right to refuse your approach for a photo – you’re also entitled to politely decline their fee and walk on, and there’ll be many more potential subjects all around you as you do so.
However, probably the most important thing to remember when it comes to paying for photos is to agree on a price beforehand. Many times you’ll ask if you can take a photo of someone and hear the reply “$1 !”. But does this mean $1 per photo .. or $1 for the session ? Take 4/5 frames and you may find yourself confronted by a soon-to be disappointed subject expecting their payment and then having the challenge of explaining the misunderstanding in a foreign language. Save yourself the drama – agree on the price before pressing the shutter !
Just to let everyone know that I’ll be delivering a presentation about travel photography at Destinations – The Holiday & Travel Show 2012 at Earls Court, London on Friday 3rd Feb at 4pm.
