Street Photography Portrait - Land of the brave…

One of the genres of photography I have become quite fond of is street photography. Namely, street portraits of people. Sometimes candid, sometimes posed. I recently walked with a photographer who admitted they wanted to do more intimate street portraits of people in the wild. My advice was to run with it. I have been fairly fortunate with random subjects, I also attribute that to being observant and realizing when it's a good time to approach someone and when it would be callous or inappropriate.

In all honesty, I have taken so many really nice portraits of strangers on the street with direct request and out of all the instances I have asked people to pose, I have only been rejected twice. Both were poorly timed by me by being tone deaf to the moment or unaware of their situation and demeanor. If you are interested in pursuing this style, give it a try. Worst case scenario you get a rejection. Best case, you nail a really nice portrait that you can share with your subject and add to your portfolio.

Most people are generally very stoked when you create a beautiful image of them and represent them as a human being. That is the reason ultimately why I am so addicted to street portraits with random people. Showing normal folks that they are beautiful and worth being commemorated through imagery.

Street photography may be for the brave because you are capturing the world in its true form, but it is a truly beautiful form of expression when you catch that specific moment for someone who may not feel they are capable of being viewed or seen…