How to get over your shyness and approach strangers to photograph them

Whether you’re on vacation, into street photography, or are a budding portrait photographer, photographing people is often a necessary part of being a photographer. It can add greater context to travel photography and increase your understanding of a place. Similarly, much of the work of photojournalists and portrait photographers involves photographing people they don’t know. However, many of us are not natural extroverts.

I am naturally quite shy. If I had to choose between talking to a complete stranger and sticking a fork in my eye, I might be seriously tempted to reach for the silverware. However, that all changes when I have a camera in my hand. Now, I actually relish the challenge of photographing and connecting with people I don’t know yet.

And this, perhaps, is the key: once you change your perspective to one of curiosity and onto the person you’re photographing, all nerves melt away. Here are a few other tips that have really helped me overcome my fear of photographing strangers.

Use a shorter focal length

Be brave! Don’t just act like a paparazzi with a long lens hiding in the background, get up close and personal. I generally use a 50mm lens for portraits or a 35mm for environmental portraits (ones that show more of the scene with clues about the person’s life or occupation). With these focal lengths, you cannot rely on blending in with the wallpaper (which also has its advantages; I’m not knocking that approach, but it’s good not to rely only on that way of shooting).

Be respectful and polite

Always ask permission before you photograph anyone, especially children (ask the adult looking after them). Don’t take it personally if they say no, that does happen. The first assignment for Don Giannatti’s Project 52 involved photographing a stranger. The first person I asked wanted me to pay him $20 for the privilege. I quickly declined and moved on to somebody else!

The lesson here was twofold: first, you have nothing to lose by asking, and second, the world isn’t going to end if they say no. Just move on to someone else. Practice makes perfect, and the more times you ask, the easier it gets.

Engage your subject in conversation first

So don’t just stroll up to someone with a camera, but actually talk to them first before you even get your camera out of the bag. This goes for any type of portrait photography and helps people feel much more at ease in front of the camera. Having your portrait taken is a vulnerable moment for many people.

Strike up a conversation, learn how to make small talk, even with a language barrier you can connect through sign language or hire a guide that speaks the language. This is especially true if you want to photograph homeless people or people from cultures different to your own. Treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve, not as a tourist attraction or simply good camera fodder.

You will also get much better photographs if you get to know your subject a little, e.g. If you’re in a town for a few days, go back to the same market stall and buy something each day, striking up a conversation before you ask to photograph them.

Learn to direct your subject gently

By this, I mean to gently create your vision without disrupting their natural personality. I will often tell my subjects where to look and what to do with their hands because people often feel awkward and can seize up when a camera is pointed at them. Get them to do an everyday action that will let them forget that they are being photographed.

True candid photography is difficult to do well, and if I’m being honest, isn’t one of my strengths. However, I am good at faking candid photographs and taking “plandids” so to speak. It’s a different skill, and I don’t pretend to be taking documentary photographs in these cases, but it works well for me.

Have a plan for what you want to shoot

I will almost always pre-visulize every shot I want to make, either on paper or in my mind. Then after you’ve got that shot in the bag you can go ‘off-piste’ and improvise. But 80% of a great image is in the preparation and planning.

There are very few happy accidents, particularly if you can’t plan to spend hours in a location. Often I have less than an hour with a person to capture a whole library of images. If you can hit the ground running, you will get the safe shots covered quickly and then be free to be more creative with the time remaining.

Find people who know people

This is a great hack for those of us with crippling shyness. Basically, team up with an extrovert! You know those people who seem to know everyone and could charm the hind legs off a donkey? Yes, these people exist, and they are a gift to people photographers.

I was lucky enough to know one market stall owner like this. Emilio is almost an institution in himself and quite literally knows everybody. He was kind enough to introduce me to several other market stall owners for portraits and some other older shop owners in the neighbourhood who I never would have met otherwise. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know!

Check up on the local laws and rules

If you’re travelling to a new place or country it’s always a good idea to check the local laws and regulations on photographing people and buildings, particularly in public spaces. In some countries, it is illegal to photograph police and military (Spain, for example). It is always best to check first rather than having to pay a hefty fine, delete your memory card, or spend the night in a police cell.

Next time you feel nervous asking a stranger for a photo, remember that almost all of us feel a little shy to start with. However, with a little practice, you can overcome your fear, and you’ll discover that most people are only too happy to be photographed. Remember: in most cases, a stranger is simply a friend that you haven’t met yet!

The images in this article are all taken from projects where I photographed different people from two different communities: Rapid City, USA, and Russafa, Valencia, Spain. With just one or two exceptions, the majority of people were not known to me before I photographed them.