People, Permission & Pre-Focus
© Jerry Whaley

My biggest photographic weakness is people. I always seem to be too busy to spend the time necessary to build a relationship with people when traveling. I feel, and rightly so, that I must make the most of the time I have during a trip and that I can be more productive doing scenics and nature photos. However, people shots are in demand as stock photos and they provide vivid photographic memories. I do try to look for good opportunities to take people photos.

Do you always ask permission to take a person's photograph? This is a personal decision For me it depends on the circumstance. If I am shooting a street scene out a bus window there is no chance to ask. If I am using a telephoto and shooting across a street or down the block, why bother? However, if I have been talking to a street market vendor, I might ask to take a photograph. You can make this enjoyable by trying to say a few words in their language. Your awkward attempts at their language can certainly get you a few shots of them laughing. Most of my people photos are "grab shots," and I don't have model releases for them, so I cannot use them for stock sales.

Be aware that to use people photos commercially, as in selling stock, permission must be given by the subject, the model, in the form of a model release . Even people photographed as part of a street scene, such as a protest, that is later used for educational purposes have been known to sue the user and photographer claiming they just happened by, were not part of the protest and have had their reputation harmed by the photograph. Educational and informative uses of photographs, as a rule, do not require a 'model release, but obviously there are some exceptions to the rule.

Here are a few techniques for doing discreet people photos on the run. Try to anticipate the opportunity, pre-focus your lens and have the exposure set (on manual). This way you are ready for the action, be it from a bus window or on the street. If a couple of interesting characters are coming towards me, I will pre-focus at a point providing a decent background and wait for them to arrive at that point then release the shutter. In a static situation, I pre-focus on an object the same distance from me as the subject, then unobtrusively pan the area until my subject is in the viewfinder.

The pre-focus technique works well with a telephoto lens. When working at a distance you will not be disturbing the subject, in fact the subject may not even be aware you are taking their picture at all. Let the distance work for you. Pre-focus also works well with a wide-angle lens, but in a different, more intimate way. With a wide-angle lens (say 24mm) you can arrange people in the edges of the frame without them even knowing they are in the photo. Move in close to a vendor's tray and focus on the merchandise. The vendor will stand or sit nearby looking proud to be getting all this attention as you get a great shot of the vendor and his/her goods.

Many people are ashamed, due to their personality or local customs, to be seen having their picture taken in public, so don't embarrass them, just take it discreetly. A pre-focused wide-angle will let you easily shoot with the camera a t waist level. As you walk by, grab a shot. Using a wide-angle lens, you can point your camera down the street as you put the person you want to photograph in the corner of the frame. The best way to do people photos is to get to know the subject, but that is not always possible. Using a few simple techniques, you don't have to come away empty handed.