I’m sure that I’m not alone when I say this: “Photographing strangers can make me break out into a cold sweat.”
Recently, I was traveling in San Francisco. I saw this woman leaning against a glass office building and eating her lunch. The light was really interesting as it reflected off of the glass and illuminated her. She was a beacon of peace in a very busy location.
I took her photograph and immediately felt like running. I’m not kidding! The look she gave me was painful! She never had to say a word.
The problem is I really like photographing strangers, especially candid street shots.
So, I got pretty excited when I saw that Karlo De Leon was writing a Quick Guide for Photzy on that very subject.
You may not realize this, but Karlo is professionally trained in the art of dealing with human behaviour. That’s right! He’s more than qualified to give us all some tips on photographing strangers.
Here are some of the topics that he covers in his guide:
- How your belief system can influence your feelings about strangers.
- The art of studying a stranger.
- The difference between perception and reality.
- How to build trust with a stranger.
- How the location can influence a stranger’s reaction.
- He shares guidelines on staying hidden, or going the obvious route, when photographing strangers.
- How your clothing can impact your efforts.
- Learn body language, as it is the secret signal.
- What to do if you’re confronted.
- Learn some tricks for candid photography of strangers.
- Discover why looking straight at your subject can sometimes make you invisible.
- Tips on how to overcome your fears.
If you have an interest in photographing strangers – in any capacity – I KNOW you will benefit from this guide.