Overcoming fear - 100 stranger's project

jonneymendoza · 24 May 2012 at 14:27

Hi all. i am a massive fan of this type of photography and always wanted to try it myself!

Well today i tried and failed to even ask a single person! i was out in the nice warm weather today around brick lane in london and failed to even attempt to ask anyone due to fear

How can i overcome this fear? how did you in effect break that mold and ask your very first person if you can take their picture?

Paul11 · 24 May 2012 at 14:29

as nike would say "Just do it" !

just think, whats the worst that can happen ? they will just say no

jonneymendoza · 24 May 2012 at 14:35

hehe true mate! it was only my first run at it! will get more balls to it next time! might even try again after work.

Thing is, during lunch, i only have a limited time to do it so i should not punder around too long and just start asking people as soon as i step out of the office.

GTRacer · 24 May 2012 at 14:39

"Hey, <insert compliment/something interesting about them>, can I take your photo for this project I'm doing?"

Talk to them as you're shooting, get to know them so they open up, once you're done hand them a business card so they know where to find their photo. Also if they're attractive and not wearing much in this weather, FOCUS ON THE EYES as you talk to them.

jonneymendoza · 24 May 2012 at 14:49

umm business cards. one thing i dont have

An Exception · 24 May 2012 at 14:55

jonneymendoza said:
Hi all. i am a massive fan of this type of photography and always wanted to try it myself!

Well today i tried and failed to even ask a single person! i was out in the nice warm weather today around brick lane in london and failed to even attempt to ask anyone due to fear

How can i overcome this fear? how did you in effect break that mold and ask your very first person if you can take their picture?

The fear is a survival instinct, strangers 'were' or 'are' dangerous, that's why we are so good at facial recognition.

Ultimately you need to think of what is the worst that can happen, and then be cool with that possibly happening. (Getting camera insurance helps)

Try to be non-threatening and confident, if your not, people will say no, or won't even let you speak.

Give them a genuine reason why, as otherwise they won't trust your motives.

Lastly you just need to force your self to do it, after the first you will wonder why you made such a fuss. While the fear never completely goes away, it does become subdued and you begin to get the better of fear, rather than letting fear get the better of you.

An Exception · 24 May 2012 at 14:55

GTRacer said:
"Hey, <insert compliment/something interesting about them>, can I take your photo for this project I'm doing?"

Talk to them as you're shooting, get to know them so they open up, once you're done hand them a business card so they know where to find their photo. Also if they're attractive and not wearing much in this weather, FOCUS ON THE EYES as you talk to them.

Sounds like one of my lines

Dunks · 24 May 2012 at 15:02

jonneymendoza said:
umm business cards. one thing i dont have

Uber cheap, have a look at http://uk.moo.com/

Doing free Facebook style ones with just the cost of postage.

http://uk.moo.com/products/facebook-cards.html

Kevin Clark · 24 May 2012 at 15:29

Vistaprint are currently doing 250 cards for £2.50. After VAT and delivery it's under a tenner.

Razor-BladE · 24 May 2012 at 15:38

I really need to do this as well. I would be terrified of asking people to take their picture! Regarding business cards, if you don't have your own website, what would you put down? Your flickr page or something? Or would you make a website first?

Dunks · 24 May 2012 at 15:40

Razor-BladE said:
I really need to do this as well. I would be terrified of asking people to take their picture! Regarding business cards, if you don't have your own website, what would you put down? Your flickr page or something? Or would you make a website first?

Flickr would work just as well as your own website, it's still somewhere with your photos

jonneymendoza · 24 May 2012 at 16:32

Dunks said:
Uber cheap, have a look at http://uk.moo.com/

Doing free Facebook style ones with just the cost of postage.

http://uk.moo.com/products/facebook-cards.html

wow awsome. thanks

PistolPete · 24 May 2012 at 16:45

I feel exactly the same. I even struggle with the concept of street photography too for fear of upsetting someone or looking weird.

jonneymendoza · 24 May 2012 at 16:52

i do normal street candid pics but it is getting boring to do now and want a new challenge

GTRacer · 24 May 2012 at 17:12

Watch how Scott Schumann does it too.

An Exception · 24 May 2012 at 17:54

PistolPete said:
I feel exactly the same. I even struggle with the concept of street photography too for fear of upsetting someone or looking weird.

It's good to embrace looking weird occasionally.
In my youth I used to dress like below (before broke back mountain was released

).

Anyway if anyone is interested in contributing some new material in my previous thread, they are welcome.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18300102

Also if anyone who too nervous, wants to see it done and then try it themselves, I'll probably turn up at the london meet and have ago at some street portraits (if it happens)...

wildman · 24 May 2012 at 23:48

asking is the easy way though as they know you are / want to take a photo. Real street work is taking pictures without them knowing this way you get some very good candid 'in the wild' shots. When you ask you always get some forced pose.

If you are in London its quite easily actually to take photos of people without them even noticing. I took candid shots in london earlier this year and with the exception of some dodgy TFL workers no one even clocked me

An Exception · 25 May 2012 at 00:04

wildman said:
asking is the easy way though as they know you are / want to take a photo. Real street work is taking pictures without them knowing this way you get some very good candid 'in the wild' shots. When you ask you always get some forced pose.

If you are in London its quite easily actually to take photos of people without them even noticing. I took candid shots in london earlier this year and with the exception of some dodgy TFL workers no one even clocked me

I don't find that happens often, what I do notice is that the pictures you end up with are a good barometer for the vibes you send out to people, like the old saying, the camera looks both ways.

For example, there is nothing forced in the below picture...

I like some candid work, but most I see posted around is pretty boring, as they capture mundane moments. The only decent candid shot's I see (imo) are the ones that capture interesting moments, but they seldom happen it seems...

jonneymendoza · 25 May 2012 at 07:40

wildman said:
asking is the easy way though as they know you are / want to take a photo. Real street work is taking pictures without them knowing this way you get some very good candid 'in the wild' shots. When you ask you always get some forced pose.

If you are in London its quite easily actually to take photos of people without them even noticing. I took candid shots in london earlier this year and with the exception of some dodgy TFL workers no one even clocked me

i disagree. not asking is the easy way. you have it the wrong way round. i have been taking candid shots all throughout this year and last year and its easy and boring to do and most shots are boring.

Most peoples street candid shots i see in forums are are boring IMO as they just snapshots in general that dont tell a story.

Its much harder to walk up to a person and ask them if you can take there photo. much much harder

Clown · 25 May 2012 at 11:27

jonneymendoza said:
Most peoples street candid shots i see in forums are are boring IMO as they just snapshots in general that dont tell a story.

I remember teaching you that same lesson