Pictures of People
As mentioned in Tripodphobia following a discussion on Morven Photoblog based around the image Reflected Bar I am normally nervous of having people in my photographs, particularly recognisable individuals, for a number of reasons.
- The fear of not doing them justice
- Concern that the subject will be disappointed of will simply not like it - trees and stuff do not complain!
- It would be fantastic to take candids, but I am a coward at heart - I love Sidney’s stuff for example
- The whole business of model releases and permission which I freely admit I do not properly understand, but which I believe means I need a signed piece of paper allowing me to publish every image (or perhaps group of images) of people who are recognisable
All of this is true, but the main reason is my concern over invading somebody else’s privacy. Clearly there is no real reason why my photographs of people should be any worse (or better) than my work in other areas - perhaps a little practice might be needed. Indeed I have taken many pictures of people over time - portraits, candid shots and events with people. They have mostly been of family and friends, however.
Pictures of Friends and Family
There are three problems of taking pictures of friends and family:
- Taking pictures of folk well known means that there is already the basis for an implied ‘contract’ to take a photograph - one is normally in a situation where photos are expected or at least conventionally accepted such s at weddings etc
- Friends and family normally accept all photographs uncritically - they are not particularly concerned about composition, lighting or other factors which sometimes excite us. Rather they are interested that it is a picture of Mary the wife/daughter/friend/sister/etc. As a photographer there is nothing better to kill progress than to listen to comments from friends
- Publishing pictures of friends and family onto a blog on the internet breaks the contract mentioned above and I fear it is in some way a ‘betrayal’
Some Questions
This thinking begs a number of questions for me.
- Do you take pictures of people?
- What are your feelings of taking people pictures?
- How do you go about taking people pictures?
- Do you have any advice for a closet people picture taker who would like to ‘come out’?
September 20th, 2005 at 1:17 pm
I love taking pictures of people more so than anything else but like you I am nervous of what they will think. So many of my family members always shy away from the camera so it is hard. And the candid shots always end up blurry from them turning their head. Children are always more than willing to have their picture taken so I get a lot of kid shots. I think to get more comfortable taking people shots I’m going to offer to do family photo shoots. They get pics for free and I get to practice.
If you are taking a candid shot of someone on the street does that really constitute a modeling contract? If I take a shot of my baby and people are in the background, there isn’t much you can do about that. And if I post that shot on the web, no one will ever know those people. There is already so much personal info on the web that I think a photo should be the least of anyone’s worries.
I would like to someday take more street / candid shots but I first need to be more confident that I can do them justice and then maybe I’ll hand out a card with a website and offer to let them have the picture if they want. I’ve seen some of Rock’s pictures (the riot scene) where people were flocking to his camera… now that is the ideal situation!
September 20th, 2005 at 6:12 pm
Do you take pictures of people? Yes, mostly family, sometimes strangers. I’ve posted photos of a belly dancer earlier in the year, who was a stranger to me then, but now a friend.
What are your feelings of taking people pictures? I suck at it, unless they’re my kids. I like viewing photos of people, but I think it takes a lot of learning to do it good. I watch several people who do street photography over at Flickr and I’m *always* impressed with the stories and interviews they get of the person. But usually their photos of the people just flat out blow me away.
How do you go about taking people pictures? I’m really a weeny when it comes to taking photos of others - I usually use my 70-300mm lens and zoom in, avoiding the person completely.
Do you have any advice for a closet people picture taker who would like to ‘come out’? No, but I need some so I can “come out” too.
September 20th, 2005 at 9:20 pm
Glad to see I’m not the only one having problems with this!
KIm - my children do not like me taking their pictures these days, but every now and then I manage to get a good one. I agree that people in the background probably not complain.
Jamie - I think you have hit the nub of the problem - perhpas it is whether one engages with the subject or not.
September 21st, 2005 at 4:37 am
hahahhaha
need courage and depends on where are you….
frankly i m scared of taking stranger picture here in malaysia…
i just will feel that they will whacked me if i did took their pic without their consent…
but of course we can always ask for permission..but normally people here are not that sporting…and most of them are shy…so end up they will reject your request…
so to take adult picture…just simply zoom in from far….oh just pretend u r snapping some other thing but just quickly snap and run… ahahhahaha
but perhaps the best will be the baby’s picture…we can just go and say..”ahhh cute cute….can i take a picture?” the parents will allow it i guessed…
so u hv good question here… and i m waiting if anybody provide a good guide for all of us
September 21st, 2005 at 5:37 pm
Ian, I have found that most people are flattered to have there picture taken. They will also often gladly sign a release, especially when I offer to send them prints. Digital cameras are wonderful for this because the model can see what was captured and know that you are not portraying them in a negative manner
If I think the moment will be ruined I take the shot and then show the model the image and ask away. Most of the time the person knows I took the shot anyway.
If I see somebody that looks like a good subject and they are not doing anything special I just go up to them, introduce myself and say that I thought that they would make an interesting photograph, tell them why I think so and ask if I can take their portrait.
Plus the comments I get when people receive their prints is really good for my ego!
September 23rd, 2005 at 2:29 am
Do you take pictures of people? — Constantly. I’m a people watcher by nature, and love to catch people in everyday life.
What are your feelings of taking people pictures? — I think it’s fine. As long as you don’t have malicious intentions, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with it. I think paparazzi give street photographers and photographers in general a bad name.
How do you go about taking people pictures? — I have two techniques. One is shoot first ask later. A lot of the time if you ask first, the moment is ruined. The other times, I just simply ask. I get very few “no” answers. I was quite surprised at this when I first started.
Do you have any advice for a closet people picture taker who would like to ‘come out’? — Put on your best smile. Look and act like you know what your doing. If your confident, people sense that and are more comfortable. If your hiding in the bushes with a telephoto, people will get nervous and edgy. Use a lens 50mm or wider. Get close and get to know them. After all, a stranger is a friend we’ve never met.
September 23rd, 2005 at 5:45 am
Thank you Dave - that is helpful - I will crack this!
September 23rd, 2005 at 6:07 am
Let me know if you have any questions about it Ian. It just takes a little while to feel comfortable, but after that it’s addictive.
May 13th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Appears like tons of xbox fanatics here, I am a fan also and enjoy to play games… my gf says I play way too much, but man it’s so enjoyable. I’ve been playing callofduty: mw2 and halo for half a year and can’t quit! What would you guys recommend? Anyways, looks like a good blog, is this wordpress? I’ve made a few pages myself and ain’t easy. Cheers for taking time to post this up.