Street Basics #1

Overcoming your Fears

Street Basics is a series of guides to help you elevate your street

photography. These guides are written by Brian Lloyd Duckett, author

of Mastering Street Photography (Ammonite, 2016). Brian is a

professional street photographer who runs street photography

workshops in the UK, Venice, Lisbon and Prague.

www.streetsnappers.com

So what’s the problem?

One of the most common questions I get asked by workshop participants goes
along the lines of: “How can I overcome my fear of shooting strangers on the
street?”

This discomfort with photographing people is a feeling most of us have at

some stage, to a greater or lesser degree, and we all have different ways of
dealing with it. Some people fight the feeling and shoot away regardless; some
will just give up and shoot something different; others will learn a new set of
skills to help them deal with such difficulties. Even the most seasoned street
photographers have these feelings to some extent - from mild unease to
uncontrollable terror.

In terms of our psychological make-up, fear is a defence mechanism; a

warning system that aims to keep us out of danger. A small element of fear is
not necessarily a bad thing; it keeps us sharp and can provide a quick dose of
adrenalin that will drive us on to get the picture. Conversely, fear can be
debilitating; it can prevent us from getting any pictures at all - and this is why
some people fall at the first hurdle and give up street photography completely.

Personally, I have always approached street photography from a

photojournalist’s viewpoint, with a core belief that I have every right to do what
I’m doing. And I must say that I have never had any particular issues: if I
encounter a problem I just smile and walk away (but I’m aware that’s easier
said than done). Having said that, I have one ‘killer tip’ which is a game-
changer - more on that later.

Before we explore the issue in depth, let’s pause for a moment to think about
how and why such difficulties arise. There’s no doubt that there is a trend for
shooting strangers in the street at close quarters, due in part to the rise in
popularity of ‘in your face’ street photographers such as Bruce Gilden and
Dougie Wallace. When many people think of ‘street photography’ they
immediately think of this machine-gun approach and perhaps do not consider
other styles and ways of working.

I try to get students to understand that street photography encompasses many

approaches. Does a street photograph need to include people at close range?
Of course it doesn’t. Just look at the ‘grandfather’ of street photography,

www.streetsnappers.com 2
Eugene Atget, who produced beautiful images of the streets of Paris - very few
of which featured people at close range.

But do you really need to get into people’s faces? Why make life
uncomfortable for yourself? Why do something you really don’t want to do? Try
thinking of street photography in its widest sense. As well as documenting
people on the streets, consider shooting atmospheric urban landscapes,
striking abstracts or geometric patterns; maybe let the people take second
stage to the architecture, the shapes, the textures or the wider documentary
purpose.

LEFT: THERE IS PLENTY OF

RAW MATERIAL TO SHOOT
ON OUR STREETS IF YOU
FIND SHOOTING PEOPLE
TOO UNCOMFORTABLE

My main point here is to really question your motives for shooting close-ups of
strangers. If it’s for a specific project or if you have a strong sense of purpose,
fine - but otherwise you may find that a random collection of random people on
random streets has little enduring appeal.

However, it’s not my job to put you off something you may really want to do!
There is undoubtedly some terrific street photography which has people as the
focal point so let’s explore some ways in which you can banish your fears and
become a more confident street photographer. Here are my top tips . . .

www.streetsnappers.com 3
Confront your fears

Before you can start to overcome your fears of street photography you need to
identify exactly what they are - and then decide whether those fears are
rational. Once you have worked out what your fear is based on you can set
about conquering it. Most people’s fears would fall into one of the following
categories:

• Fear of making people angry

• Fear of physical violence

• Fear of being robbed of your camera gear

• Fear of attention from the police or security guards

• Fear of being forced to delete images

• Fear of having your motives misunderstood (when photographing

children, for example)

• Fear of people thinking you’re strange

• Fear of being challenged

All of the above are, to some extent, legitimate fears. But stop and think: if
you’re simply taking someone’s picture, what’s the worst that can happen? It is
surely only the threat of physical violence which would cause any real
difficulties - the other fears, whilst uncomfortable, are unlikely to lead to serious
consequences.

When I started out as a street photographer I invested time in convincing

myself that I was doing nothing wrong and if people were unhappy with what I
was doing it was their problem, not mine. And I still believe this is the right
attitude. You are not doing anything wrong. Your acceptance of this basic
tenet should, therefore, be at the front of your mind at all times.

Another point to remember is that if people do see you taking their picture,
they don’t really care. In an age when just about everyone has a camera with
them - even if it’s just a phone - there is a familiarity and an acceptance about

www.streetsnappers.com 4
people snapping on the streets. Also bear in mind that we are used to being
photographed by CCTV cameras 24/7. And, in most big cities, people are often
so self-absorbed and locked in to their own little world that they are oblivious
to what others are doing around them.

However, it is the last point on the above list - the fear of being challenged -
which causes difficulties for most people (and most of the other points stem
from this one).

Deal with the ‘fear of being challenged’

The more you practise street photography, the more you will accept that being
challenged really is no big deal. If you are determined to shoot strangers on the
streets, you will be challenged. Hardly a week goes by without someone asking
me ‘Why did you take my picture?’ Or simply saying ‘Did you just take my
picture?’.

When challenged in this way, the first point to understand is that most people
are asking out of simple human curiosity, bemusement or even flattery; rarely
are people offended. However, most of us do still worry about being
challenged and this is one aspect of street photography that we all need to
deal with at some point—some of us more than others. We don’t want to be
asked why we are taking someone’s photo, or get asked to delete an image, or
—even worse—be threatened with physical violence. Of course, it’s best to
avoid being challenged in the first place, and your chances of this are
increased if you work quickly and quietly, don’t get in people’s faces and look
more like a tourist than a photographer.

When people challenge you, you’re under no obligation to explain yourself, and
some street photographers refuse to engage in any way with their subjects
(although this can seem a little rude). People’s curiosity is often satisfied with a
simple ‘stock’ explanation, which you should have ready in anticipation of
these situations: you might say you’re working on a project, that you’re doing

a photography course, or simply that you are documenting urban life in that
particular area. Just remember to smile, be non-confrontational, and confident
of your motives for taking that picture.

My advice in most circumstances, if you are spotted taking someone’s photo,

is to smile, say ‘thank you’ and walk away. Most people will simply smile back

www.streetsnappers.com 5
and that will be the end of it. Try to avoid getting into dialogue with people as
this may lead to you showing the person the image you have just taken of
them, which in turn may lead to you being asked to delete it.

Should you ever delete an image if asked to do so?

Much depends on the circumstances and how you feel about refusing. Did you
photograph someone in a compromising or embarrassing situation? Were they
doing something illegal? If a refusal may lead to physical violence, you should
probably consider deleting the image and retreating from the situation, but you
are under no legal obligation to do so.

Even if you do delete an image, it can probably be retrieved later using card
recovery software. If your camera is of the type which records to two memory
cards, you could always have a back-up version on the spare card.

Don’t follow the ‘get in close’ rule too closely

You’ll probably have come across the ‘rules’ of street photography, one of
which is the necessity to get really close to your subjects in order to produce a
decent street image. I know plenty of good street photographers for whom this
is the Holy Grail and is the only way to approach street photography. My view
is that it is sometimes essential - and often helpful - but if you can smell the
breath of your subject you’re probably too close.

Legendary photojournalist Robert Capa advocated getting in close, but he

probably meant fairly close—in other words, close enough to get the right
composition. A fair amount of today’s street shooting involves poking the
camera right in the subject’s face - maybe from less than a metre away - but is
that really what you want to do? It may be edgy and provocative, and it

may be fashionable for a while, but it can have a claustrophobic feel to it that
possibly lacks longevity as a style.

This style of street photography is often lacking in aesthetic value and, if you
want my personal opinion, it’s sometimes pretty pointless. Who wants a close-
up of some random stranger coming out of Starbucks? I think there is much
more to street photography than this

www.streetsnappers.com 6
Another disadvantage of getting to close is the exclusion of any meaningful
background. Much of the spirit of street photography is about context and a
tightly cropped shot of somebody's head will usually exclude the background.

LEFT: EVEN IF YOU DO GET IN

CLOSE, IT’S NOT ALWAYS
NECESSARY TO SHOW FACES IN
ORDER TO GET YOUR MESSAGE
ACROSS

There will, of course, be times when getting close to our subject is beneficial or
essential - and, in such cases, get close you should - but don’t let it become
one of your intractable rules of street photography.

Blend in

It’s (usually) important in street photography to go ‘unseen’ and not be

recognised as a street photographer. You are far more likely to achieve this if
you blend in to your surroundings.

Think carefully about your environment and the people around you. Do you
look as though you belong? Do you blend in? People are less likely to notice
you if you look like everyone else; it is important not to stand out in any way –

www.streetsnappers.com 7
and is even more important not to look like a photographer. You will blend in
more easily if you walk slowly and avoid sudden, jerky movements.

• Wear dark or neutral clothing - nothing too smart or too scruffy

• Dress like a local

• Hide any trappings of wealth

• Carry minimal camera gear

Less is more

Try to avoid looking like a ‘photographer’. We all see people shooting on the
streets with several cameras, long lenses, huge backpacks and pouches and
belts; it’s enough to make your subjects run a mile. I’m a ‘one camera, one
lens’ kind of person and everything fits either into my jacket pocket or into a
small shoulder bag.

De-sensitize yourself

Psychologists define de-sensitization as ‘the diminished emotional

responsiveness to a negative, aversive or positive stimulus after repeated
exposure to it.’ In other words, the more you do something the more you
become comfortable with it; familiarity breeds acceptability.

So, for example, if you are terrified of going to the dentist, your first
appointment would involve nothing more than visiting the surgery, meeting the
dentist and having a look around; your second appointment (and maybe your
third) would involve nothing more than a check-up; any treatment would come
much later. In other words, you are exposed to small, but gradually increasing,
doses of the stimulus, building up to a level of eventual comfort with, or
acceptance of, that stimulus. All that may sound a bit scientific, but we can
make the concept work for us.

We can apply this principle to our fear of shooting people on the streets. If you
were to start shooting from a distance and gradually, say over a period of
weeks, move closer to your subjects whilst using a wider lens, you would be
desensitizing your fear leading to a point, over time, when that fear is either

www.streetsnappers.com 8
eliminated or unimportant. How long it takes depends on the level of fear and
your own psychological make-up, but do try it – it works!

Shoot quickly

The less time you spend taking a photo, the less likely you are to be seen and,
consequently, the less likely you are to feel uncomfortable. Here are some
techniques you can use which will speed up your street photography:

• Have your camera pre-set. The longer you spend messing around
with camera settings, the more likely you are to draw attention to
yourself. A good rule of thumb is aperture priority, f/8 and ISO 1200;
these are my ‘go to’ settings and work for me 90% of the time. I explain
this in much more detail on my workshops.

• Compose in your head. Frame the picture in your mind and only bring
your camera up to eye-level when you are ready to take the picture.

• Use a prime lens. Time spent zooming, as well as increasing the

likelihood of missing the shot, will attract attention. I use a 28 or 35mm
virtually all of the time for street photography.

• Use zone focusing. Have your camera set on manual focus and set to
a pre-determined distance. Assuming you’re working at a small
aperture of at least f/8 and your lens is focused on a spot around 10
feet away, most of the subject matter within your ‘zone of
operation’ (probably between about 6 and 15 feet) will be sharp. Using
manual focus will enable your camera to respond more quickly and will
also help speed up your own response to changing situations. (I’ll be
writing in much more detail about zone focusing in a future ‘Street
Basics’.)

• Make sure your camera is switched on and ‘awake’ at all times. The
downside is a reduction in battery capacity but what use is a full battery
if you’re going to miss shots because your camera is asleep?!

• Use a wrist strap rather than a neck strap. That way your finger will
always be on the button and the camera ready for action quickly.

www.streetsnappers.com 9
Shoot covertly

It’s possible to shoot covertly without being creepy about it. I use some of the
following techniques to help me go unnoticed:

• Shoot ‘past’ the people in front of you. This technique works

particularly well when people are walking towards you and you are
using a wide-angle lens (the wider the better - 24 or 28mm is perfect).
You simply bring your camera up to eye level, ignoring the people in
front of you, and pretend to shoot something in the distance. Don’t look
at them and focus your attention on the space behind them and, when
they are in your frame, take the picture. Keep the camera at eye level
until they have passed and they will be none the wiser.

• Shoot from the hip. Bringing your camera up to eye level will usually
alert people to the fact that you’re about to take a picture. With some
practice (and plenty of wasted frames along the way), you will get to
know your camera and lens
combination really well and will
know exactly what shooting angle
is required in order to compose the
shot. If your camera has an
articulated (tilting) LCD screen,
shooting from the hip becomes
much easier. Whilst some street
photographers shun this technique
as being an easy option it is,
nevertheless, a useful technique
which can work well with a wide-
angle lens. However, don’t become
overly reliant on this technique and use it as a ‘crutch’; you should get
into the habit of using the viewfinder in the normal way, only shooting
from the hip when you really need to do so.

www.streetsnappers.com 10
Never make eye contact

This is my ‘killer tip’ and can be a real game-changer. Avoiding eye contact is
difficult (for nice people, at least!) and takes some getting used to but, as a
general rule, I never make eye contact with people on the streets; one of the
few exceptions would be when I need to engage with my subjects - when
taking street portraits, for example.

You’ll probably be familiar with the situation: you see someone you want to
photograph, you catch their eye and . . . . . the moment has gone. That split
second of hesitation resulting from the eye contact has killed the opportunity
and you move on, having missed the picture. The same goes for after the
picture has been taken. Eye contact could lead to a conversation you would
probably want to avoid – or even a confrontation. As soon as you have taken
the picture look away and give the impression that your attention has been
elsewhere.

I find one of the easiest ways to avoid eye contact is to wear sunglasses.

Use a wide-angle lens

With a wide-angle lens you can point the camera at something which appears
to be in the background whilst actually shooting the person right in front of
you.

Forget people - shoot urban landscapes

If shooting people makes you so uncomfortable, I would suggest shooting

wider street scenes which feature the environment more than the people. This
is an under-rated genre of street photography and it can be very rewarding; it’s
slower paced, more thoughtful and often technically more challenging. I run a
series of Urban Landscape workshops alongside my street photography
workshops, where we explore people’s relationship with the built environment.

www.streetsnappers.com 11
Know your rights

You will be a more confident street photographer if you know where you stand
from a legal perspective. In the UK, most of Europe and in fact throughout
much of the world, the basic legal premise is that if you are taking pictures in
public you do not need anyone’s permission to do so.

Legally, if a person is in a public place then they have little or no expectation of

privacy, which makes them fair game to be photographed.

UK privacy laws are fairly loose, the key point being that ‘everyone has the
right to his private and family life’. It really is a matter of common sense: if you
think what you are doing may be infringing someone’s privacy, then stop doing
it. On the other hand, don’t be bullied by someone on the streets who tells you
not to take their picture; unless they are doing something which compromises
them, you can photograph them freely.

Always check out the local laws if you are visiting a different country. In France,
for example, privacy is a completely different ball game and the creation and /
or publication of images of a person without their consent is illegal (perhaps
this is why we see relatively little street photography in such a photogenic city
as Paris). In Germany, there is a ‘right to one’s own image’ principle, which
aims to strike a balance between personal privacy and freedom of speech.

Some countries take a harsher approach. In Hungary, for example, if you take a
picture on the streets you are technically breaking the law if someone randomly
wanders into shot, under a new civil code that outlaws taking pictures without
the permission of every single person in the photograph.

So, please don’t let people on the streets tell you that you can’t take their
photo because it’s illegal or that you need their permission: it isn’t and you
don’t.

I’ll be writing a much more detailed article on this later - make sure you
sign-up for future editions of ‘Street Basics’!

www.streetsnappers.com 12
Finally . . .

Here’s a brief summary of my thoughts on this topic.

• Don’t punish yourself - remember that we do this because we enjoy it!

For some of us, fear will always be a part of street photography to a
greater or lesser degree. If it troubles you that much, find a type of
street photography you are more likely to enjoy such as urban
landscapes.

• Practice not making eye contact - before, during and after taking the
shot - it will boost your confidence.

• Look at the work of some great street photographers who don’t feature
people so prominently in their work such as Ernst Haas, Saul Leiter, Fan
Ho and Eugene Atget - and see if they inspire you.

• Get out and shoot more. The more you do it, the more relaxed and
comfortable you will feel.

• Shoot with a ‘buddy’ - many of us will feel more confident if we’re not
alone.

• It’s not just about people - try abstract street photography.

www.streetsnappers.com 13
My workshops

I run workshops throughout the year in London, Liverpool, Birmingham,

Prague, Venice and Lisbon. You can find much more information at
www.streetsnappers.com.

My book

My book, ’Mastering Street Photography’ (Ammonite Press, 2016) is the

definitive techniques manual for street photographers. You can buy it on
Amazon, in good bookshops or a signed copy directly from me via
www.streetsnappers.com.

MASTERING STREET
PHOTOGRAPHY
BRIAN LLOYD DUCKETT

www.streetsnappers.com 14