Photography.ca » street photography

129 — How to Photograph Strangers

Marko Kulik — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 13:04:45 +0000

Photography podcast #129 talks about how to photograph strangers in public so that your images are stronger and more interesting. I offer up 4 easy tips on how to make this process easier so that your shots have more punch at the end. These photographs were mostly taken over a period of 1 week. In the podcast I discuss the differences between when the subject is aware and unaware of the photographer’s presence.

Thanks to The Camera Store (The largest camera store in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) for sponsoring the Photography.ca podcast.

Click the player at the end of this post to listen to (or download) the 11ish minute podcast.

Tens of thousands of cyclists lining up to start the Tour de L’isle. All it took was me waving my hand, and cyclists did the same. There is much more engagement than if I had not waved my hand and all the cyclists were looking in random directions. I was not an official photographer for the event. I had the same access as everyone else.

I shot Raphael Aubry from the band Waiting Game at the Montreal Jazzfest. I had the same access as everyone else. I just waited patiently for this moment of eye contact while I was framing the scene.

Every Sunday in Montreal, thousands of people gather at Mont-Royale for drumming, dancing etc. This image has no eye contact, but a strong gesture which for me, carries the image.

Just as a test for a group of adults i was giving a course to, I asked 5–6 people walking down the street if I could take their portrait. 100% of them said yes. Take a deep breath if you feel shy about this, people are flattered and tend to agree over 90% of the time when I simply ask them for permission.

The boy in this image never knew he was being photographed. The second I saw him engage in this behaviour I saw a story. (click to enlarge this image)

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:

Photography forum assignments

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Although ALL comments are appreciated, commenting directly in this blog is preferred. Many thanks to Nuno C., Barefoot and Christopher Steven B. for their comments from the last podcast. Thanks as well for the emails and welcome to all the new members of the bulletin board.

You can download this photography podcast directly by clicking the preceding link or listen to it almost immediately with the embedded player.

Thanks for listening and keep on shooting!

69 — Street photography tips

Marko Kulik — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:05:54 +0000

Photography podcast #69 discusses street photography; what gear to use, what to shoot, how to shoot, should I ask the subject’s permission before I shoot etc. This topic was suggested by TJD of our photography forum, so many thanks TJD! One thing I forgot to mention during the podcast concerns model releases. If you never plan to sell the image, in Canada and the U.S. at least, you probably (I’m not a lawyer so this advice is worth what you paid for it as opposed to 2oo bucks an hour) don’t need one. If you plan to sell the images you shoot, then it makes good sense to bring a release form with you.

Rue Mouffetard, Paris and Behind the Gare St. Lazare, Paris by Henri Cartier-Bresson

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Robert Doisneau

July’s Heat” assignment on the Photography.ca forum

If you are still lurking on our forum,
feel free to join our friendly Photography forum

Thanks as always to everyone that sent comments by email about our last podcast. Although ALL comments are appreciated, commenting directly in this blog is preferred. Thanks as well to all the new members of the bulletin board.

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You can download this photography podcast directly by clicking the preceding link or listen to it almost immediately with the embedded player below.

Portrait from the Plateau — L’il Pigeon Feeder

Marko Kulik — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:03:07 +0000

This was a straight shot of a little girl feeding the pigeons on an overcast day. I actually shot this before I recorded my last podcast. Talk about a twofer (two for one) . No flash was used and about 5 minutes of post-processing was done on this one. I really like the intense concentration on the kid’s face. She’s on a mission. I also like the duck in the background looking at what’s goin’ on. I think the duck is envious of all those sweet cheerios! As always, when photographing children it’s best to get a parent’s permission, which I did. If you wanted to sell a shot like this, you’d need a model release.

Pigeon Kid

Portrait from the Plateau — L’il Pigeon Feeder

Marko Kulik — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:03:07 +0000

Pigeon Kid