One of the biggest hurdles one must overcome when getting into street photography is becoming comfortable on the street. It can feel awkward at first to put your camera up in front of strangers and make snapshots of them without asking for permission. Because of this, I’m a big believer in asking for permission at first. When just getting started, it doesn’t hurt to ask and to allow yourself permission to ask for permission.
Create your own game
There are no rules or guidelines to street photography. I believe it’s important to create your own game to play and approach the street in your own unique way. What I’ve learned is, by asking for permission, you recognize that you will be told yes, more than no. Because of this, I believe it’s a good practice to see how many times you will be told no when asking for permission to make a portrait of stranger. As a good challenge to overcome, approach somebody that you deem to be scary, or somebody that you are generally afraid of, and make a photograph of them.
Go with the flow
Once you become comfortable with asking for permission and engaging with strangers on the street, it’s now time to conquer your domain. Become in tune with the rhythm and the beat of the street. Observe the feet and the way that people dance upon the concrete. It’s a beautiful thing to become in tune with the flow of the surrounding environment where you photograph. Operate your camera fluidly without raising it to your eye so jarringly. Focus on your body language, posture, and the way that you present yourself on the front lines of life. You want to observe the world around you and recognize the patterns in human behavior and because of this, I suggest walking at a very slow pace. The slower you walk, the faster you will enter the flow state.
Learn through confrontation
When you hear the word, confrontation, it sounds as though it’s a negative thing. However, I suggest approaching confrontation openly by chatting with strangers, janitors, security guards, etc. and simply have fun when you’re out there with your camera. It’s important to not be so scared and afraid when photographing. You must have courage when making pictures candidly, and in order to achieve this, I believe we must hone in on our confidence with confrontation. On the street, it may feel awkward at first, but through increasing your charisma, courage, and working on improving your confrontational skills, you’ll realize that you will float through the chaos on a feather bed.