Friendly Strangers in Knoxville
by loganwhitephotography
This is a collection of a few photographs of friendly strangers in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.
Street photography is meant to be candid. Posed subjects tend to seem stiff and unnatural. Therefore, before approaching a stranger, it’s best to already have an idea of the type of shot that you want.
My personal technique: Approach people who are either sitting down, or seem to not be in a tremendous hurry to get somewhere. Next, introduce yourself and your intentions. Say that you assigned yourself a project for the day… maybe your goal is to photograph fifteen strangers in three hours. And then ask to take a few photos.
This immediate introduction of yourself, and explanation of exactly what you want, quickly sets the stage for a simple yes or no response from your subject.
If the person declines, simply walk away. On the other hand, if he or she agrees, then meet your subject. Ask what they do for a living, or how long they have lived in town. Most importantly, however, is to make sure that you correctly spell your subject’s name.
Through small-talk, you will be able to snap a few quick candid images of your subject. Whether it’s a smile, a laugh, a frown, or a funny face, you will instantly have a small set of photographs that tell your audience something about that person.
Aim for quirkiness. Search for your subject’s sensitivity. Engage your own personality into the conversation and you will always get a response.
Charles.
Luis.
Patrick.
John Schipe.
Hallie and Brookie.
Pat.
Dylan and his mother, Julia.
Clifton and Jacquelin.
Jarrod.
“Yeah, let’s do the Asian pose”.
Kent, “The Bicycle Man”. Vietnam vet.
Dustin and Jared.
Trevor. Bus driver for the band Kris Hitchcock & Small Town Son.
Casey and his mother, Mary.
Good luck out there. Joy to you.
Good tip! To me, the ”candid” portrait is a different type of street photography than the ”classic” candid shot. It takes some nerve to ask a complete stranger to take their picture! I think that I would try to make it an environmental portrait and ask shopkeepers, waitresses, etc, instead of passerbys. Thanx for sharing!
I agree with sph3re, these are not really candid pictures. To help you get more candid shots, a photographer might say, just do what you were doing before, and I’ll just be here. Something to add to this is to hold the camera close to your face while carrying a conversation with them–try to make them laugh if its a smile you want. Continue talking while taking their picture–you can get very natural expressions and often great smiles that do not look forced. Some of these smiles looked forced–although a solid attempt. However, none of this matters if the pictures are not exposed properly, or they’re even a touch out of focus. Keep that in mind.