Too Shy to take photos

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whiteflyer

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Yesterday I went to Blackpool, as there is a punk festival over the weekend. Good opportunity to get some photos I thought.

Yes there where lots of colourful people about all waiting to get in the venue, with several togs about from a camera club, but could I get any photos, well not really.

I was just to nervous/shy to ask the people if it was OK to take their photo. I could have just put the 70-200 on and taken candids at full zoom, but I did not feel this should be the done thing.

Part of the problem is I never know what to say, and how to reply if they ask why I want a photo. When I did pluck up the courage to get a photo I rushed the shots and they turn out rubbish, like the girl below I cut off the top of her hair.

Maybe I should just get a macro lens and stick to flowers :eek:

girlpunk.jpg


oldpunks.jpg


youngpunk.jpg
 
2nd shot is pretty cool Mark ... he looks like he could have been around the first time too! :thumbs:

Im like you, I get a bit nervous asking peeps but if theres 'something on' then Im not so bad as I feel its half expected.

Venice helped me out quite a lot with that, as most peeps couldnt understand each other anyway, so I would just half raise the camera and smile and I soon knew if they were willing etc.
In Venice I noticed a lot of the giving and receiving cards, so if the peeps posing spent a while with a tog, doing whatever asked, then they handed out their card for pics in return.

Perhaps it might be worth offering your card while expressing that the pics are for your own personal collection, then just add that youll send them a pic or two for their time.
 
I know exactly what you mean and it is a real phobia.

There are a couple of schools of thought (IMHO) regarding 'street photography'.

Some people like to use long lenses to capture the moment with being captured themselves. I tend not to do this as I think you can cause more bother with people getting the wrong idea.

The way you are doing it is my choice and I often will approach people and tell them I am doing a project, student etc and ask them for the shot. If they ask why explain to them why you find them interesting. Even better if you have a website then point them in the direction and offer to email them a copy.

You will get rejections or told politely (or not) to go away, just thank them, move on a forget them. More often than not you will probably end up having an interesting conversation and building up your confidence.

I am sure loads of people will be able to give you some advice over and above this. But you just need to get out and ask!! Dead easy..... :thumbs:

Bob
 
I do a fair bit of this at events and the only advise I can say is to do it. People at events like these that stand out a mile won't tell you to go away. Everyone will be in a good mood. Its a confidence issue mainly. You need to be confident in your equipment so that when you see a shot you can instantly get it. You also need to be confident in approaching people to get the shot. At the parade the other day I was walking up to people, 24-70, and snapping away. When they caught me they were shocked, and I continued shooting and they laughed it off. You also need confidence in case someone does get annoyed. You need to laugh it off or you won't be able to point the camera at anyone. You need to accept their decision if they want the photo deleting. Yes you're in a public place and perfectly within the law to take the photo, but if someone asks you may want to simply delete it to respect their wishes and make them go away ;) Its just a matter of time really, like most things. My event photos this year have been better than last because I'm more confident.
 
At events I take both approaches - candids when I'm after trying the capture the feel of the day which is long lens from a distance approach.

Approaching people is all about confidence but remember you're only asking to take their photo not their wallet. A friendly smile and a bit of cheeky charm will go a long way. I worked in M&S for a while and the best part of the job was having a laugh with the customers and sending them away with a smile and I use the same tricks when shooting an event, etc. This shot:
IMG_0924.jpg

was taken at a Wurzels gig in July. I'd spotted the 3 of them dressed up and obviously in good spirits so I simply walked up and asked if they'd come over for a photo. As you can see they were more than happy to oblige. I took the shot as I knew the local paper would use it (they did) and spent a while chatting with the 3 of them, ended up with a wedding booking for next year for a friend of theirs and the girl in the middle is hopefully going to model for a promo I'm planning with some local companies.
 
Another thought - get a t-shirt or two made up with Whiteflyer Photography or whatever on it. Wearing a uniform is an instant confidence booster. My wife assists me occasionally at larger events getting names, etc. and is normally quite shy. When she wears her "company t-shirt" it's hard getting her to stop talking and get on with the job ;)
 
pxl8 said:
Another thought - get a t-shirt or two made up with Whiteflyer Photography or whatever on it. Wearing a uniform is an instant confidence booster. My wife assists me occasionally at larger events getting names, etc. and is normally quite shy. When she wears her "company t-shirt" it's hard getting her to stop talking and get on with the job ;)
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lol. I'd be too embarrassed to be seen in public if I had a tshirt saying "Pete Carr Photography" on it.
 
petemc said:
lol. I'd be too embarrassed to be seen in public if I had a tshirt saying "Pete Carr Photography" on it.
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But you have a hat with a monkey on it...and a girlie bag....:shrug:
 
Ahhh, Ill give you that.;) Just something to think about:D

I've been tempted to just get a big T-shirt with "Photographer" on it. It gives you an air of legitimacy and kinda emphasies what youre doing (for the stupid people)
 
Haha for very stupid people :D Figured the camera would do it ;) The people with photo passes at the Hub festival all had yellow football tshirts with "PRESS" on. Now that was cool, but I hear they had to give them back.
 
T-shots/polo shirts do provide a bit of credibility - there's company in my neck of the woods that offer a great deal on logo'd work wear - www.jual.co.uk.

It costs £15 for the artwork to be setup (one off fee) and then a good quality polo shirt is £7 - add £5 if you want something on the back as well. I use them for event work as I find it helps to stand out from the punters and it's free advertising :D
 
Nowt wrong with making your own ;) Loads of places sell customised shirts :D
 
The same as it would if a reputable photologo maker charged you £150 for the same
 
Or the same way a business card gives you credibility I suppose.
 
petemc said:
How do they provide credibility if anyone can make one saying "I'm a pro photographer" for £7?
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Any event you go to you'll see plenty of people in yellow vests, do you assume they're working or that they bought the vest on ebay for a couple of quid?
 
If you're covering an event it makes sense to wear something that makes you stand out, you will also find that people approach you as well. I got a high-vis vest from The Site Supply Company with Photographer on the back, it works well at my equine events.
 
petemc said:
lol. I'd be too embarrassed to be seen in public if I had a tshirt saying "Pete Carr Photography" on it.
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Where would you get an HDR tee-shirt anyway :thinking::lol:

pxl8 said:
Any event you go to you'll see plenty of people in yellow vests, do you assume they're working or that they bought the vest on ebay for a couple of quid?
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I have a yellow vest at work ;) and they are only £1 at Ikea



I have printed a few card just in case and the tee-shirt idea is not a bad one really
 
excellent link there hacker :)
What with one of these and my fake IPPA badge and card I should be well on me way :)
seriously, that is a great site for anyone requiring safetry gear for work, lots cheaper than my usual supplier.
 
pxl8 said:
Any event you go to you'll see plenty of people in yellow vests, do you assume they're working or that they bought the vest on ebay for a couple of quid?
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I assume they're working as they normally have photo ID too. But of course, if everyone can buy the gear on ebay for £5 then it takes credibility away from the real people who are actually working. *That* was my point. So yes you may fool people, but then if you're not a professional and if everyone else who isn't a professional wears one then who's to know who is and who isn't?

Hacker said:
If you're covering an event it makes sense to wear something that makes you stand out
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Can't say I've ever needed a tshirt or a hi-vis jacket. Generally the camera is a dead give away and as you can see from my recent parade shots, my Knowsley shots, and so on, I get the job done without a tshirt. Maybe its different with horses and they react better to yellow ;)
 
whiteflyer said:
... but could I get any photos, well not really.

.......
I rushed the shots and they turn out rubbish, like the girl below I cut off the top of her hair.

girlpunk.jpg


oldpunks.jpg


youngpunk.jpg
Click to expand...

What you on about man! They're great shots. Love em ! :thumbs:
 
I just grab stuff from far away with the 75-300. Too much of a chicken to get up that close ;)

Cheers,
James
 
I just have a pint of beer..works like a charm :thumbs:
 
I was at the Bristol Mela yesterday snapping away at the front of the stage. I wasn't an official photographer, but one wave of the 70-200 & everyone assumed I was. I started the day trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, but as the party mood got going & I started taking random shots of people enjoying themselves, I found I had such a buzz that when I saw someone interesting looking I just shot them! Most smiled, laughed & acted up for the camera - brilliant! Came home on a major high, partly from the bash itself, but mostly for feeling, for the first time, like an accepted part of the day - behind a camera! No-one got funny with me - as has been said, a photographer is just part of a great event. Go for it - you've nothing to lose, no-one will remember you, you'll never meet them again & you will go home with some fantastic images.
 
You have to just constantly be in the "party mood" that Phil T describes! If you are happy, approachable, don't take offence to people that say no, etc then you'll be fine.
At a recent festival I asked two people if I could take photos of them & they declined, I said thanks anyway, smiled & walked away only to have them chase halfway across the field to tell me they'd changed their minds & would I mind coming back.

From times I've met you Mark, you don't seem to have had any problems chatting to people that share your photography interest - just think of the people you are approaching as sharing an interest with you - themselves :thumbs:
 
i to have the same problem with taking street photo's, although i do find once i get going it get's easier, whiteflyer apart from the girls hair being chopped off the pic's look great, nice colour's and sharpness particularly number 2, i also like the idea of having something on a T shirt, i just took a look at photobox and you can have one printed with a favourite photo on plus a logo for £12, and you don't have to buy in bulk :thumbs:
 
you should have just gone for it. You wont find a friendlier bunch of rockers than the punks. I've been to most of the punk festivals in blackpool/morecambe over the last ten years, and met some amazing people. they might look a bit scary but they're generally a good bunch and they love the attention, why else would they dress that way?
 
not the experience we had in Camden...they deliberately avoided the cameras!

As for a T'shirt with Photographer on it, can you imagine how I felt when photographing a wedding with Barry recently, I was told that the main Photographer was over there! hmmmm what should I get printed on my T'shirt 'the other main Photographer'??? :lol:

oh and I love those shots...they are clear sharp and fun! :clap:
 
petemc said:
How do they provide credibility if anyone can make one saying "I'm a pro photographer" for £7?
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Cut the price label off first!

Seriously though, why does the cost of clothing make any difference to whether or not someone is a pro? No one is suggesting people should claim to be someone they are not. But a lot of people have a web site and name, even if they do not make money from photography. If hiding behind that name helps someone gain confidence then surely there is nothing wrong with that?

Part of the reason I decided to move up to a DSLR was as something to hide behind, where people will dismiss it as a pro, when taking pictures in places like Peckham where looking like a tourist with a compact camera would seem out of place.

Admittedly it is more a perception thing that reality but having no confidence and being chronically shy it is real enough to me. It is part of the reason I rarely take shots with people in them as subjects, the other being that they do not interest me so much.

One thing I would say against the idea of having a t-shirt, or other clothing, to look too professional is that you might get moved along at places or events where you need permission but amateurs are allowed.

Michael.
 
mij said:
Cut the price label off first!

Seriously though, why does the cost of clothing make any difference to whether or not someone is a pro?
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My point was that if just anyone can buy a tshirt saying "Protographer" on it then what makes you any more credible than the guy wearing one snapping away on his camera phone? You sort of loose that credability when you stand next to a crowd of 15 year olds snapping away on camera phones.
 
Pete you missed the point. The t-shirt idea isn't to give someone more credibility but to give them some confidence. Uniforms do have an effect both on the wearer and those around them, it's just basic social conditioning.
 
pxl8 said:
Pete you missed the point. The t-shirt idea isn't to give someone more credibility but to give them some confidence.
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pxl8 said:
T-shots/polo shirts do provide a bit of credibility
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Thats what I was talking about, you made the point and I was giving my side of it. Personally I used to be the shyest person you would ever meet. I used to sit inside my little computer world and nerd out. All it took to change was my camera, not a tshirt. Your camera should be all you need to get out there and shoot great photos. Lots of people think I'm press and I have a tshirt saying "goatse". :p
 
Fair point. But for you, the camera gave you the confidence, for some people, the t-shirt will do that instead. I know the camera alone isn't enough to give me confidence, but the authoritative feeling of some sort of uniform / t-shirt type thing would.
 
Its strange how people work :) You have no idea how shy I used to be. It got to the point where if I made a connection with someone at a store, like if a purchase went beyond "Sign here" then I couldn't go back to that store. My camera changed all that.
 
at dos like the punk festival, people are there to be seen.
you're paying them a huge compliment by wanting to take their picture
if you ask beforehand you'll be surprised how warm the response will be

I went to a local do recently (barge festival or somesuch)
people were amazed that I bothered to ask and really opened up
the other thing is, with a half decent camera, people will assume you're a pro anyway
they kept asking me "what paper are you with?"
they almost didn't believe I'm just an amateur
I suspect it's just a confidence thing

I've been to a couple of events where it turned out I was the only one with a camera
people were happy (nay delighted) at being harangued into posing

IMHO !

good luck
 
petemc said:
My point was that if just anyone can buy a tshirt saying "Protographer" on it then what makes you any more credible than the guy wearing one snapping away on his camera phone? You sort of loose that credability when you stand next to a crowd of 15 year olds snapping away on camera phones.
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Credibility is something in the perceiver and though it has been the case for quite a while now that anyone could have a custom t-shirt made up cheaply is has damaged it.

And to a large number of people just using a DSLR marks you out as a professional anyway but hobbyists have not damaged anyone's credibility by going out and looking like, well, you!

Besides, I would imagine if anyone did see a 15 year-old using a camera phone in 'protographer' clothing then they would assume the t-shirt was their parents business. Credibility is about a number of things not just gear or clothing.

petemc said:
It got to the point where if I made a connection with someone at a store, like if a purchase went beyond "Sign here" then I couldn't go back to that store. My camera changed all that.
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That is so uncanny! If only my camera had had that effect.

Michael.
 
mij said:
And to a large number of people just using a DSLR marks you out as a professional anyway but hobbyists have not damaged anyone's credibility by going out and looking like, well, you!
Click to expand...

I was always asked if I was working for the local paper or the BBC when I had my Canon A70 digital compact.
 
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