Prague, 2001

Based on a very unscientific, anecdotal survey of thousands of photography students from all the years of teaching I did, it’s a wonder there are any pictures of people at all. A substantial number of people say they are not “people” photographers. I get it. Landscapes hold still and don’t talk back, normally.

But if you were to look at a collection of those peoples’ photos you would almost certainly see a number of people pictures, of family and friends. The avoidance (and that’s what it is) is about approaching strangers and asking to photograph them. I get that, too. At 18 I was a shy kid suddenly a staff photographer at a daily newspaper. Photographing people for an assignment was “the family/friend” picture, easy because it was already a given when I got there. But to do the “Man on the Street” interviews, cold stopping strangers on the street, was a real struggle.

Fortunately there is a relatively painless option to photograph strangers, by going places where they expect it–farmers’ markets/fresh markets, festivals, etc. This photograph was from a summer in Prague where multiple performances of concerts and theater were all around, and young people were hired to promote the events on the street. (Barbara and I saw a performance of Don Juan at the Estate Theater where Mozart conducted the premier almost 200 years earlier, handing the last pages of the score to the orchestra just before the show. Pretty cool.)

A quick nod and ask for permission, a quick yes, snap, and move on. Don’t dwell. Of course take a minute to be sure the background is not close behind the subject, and by moving a little left or right you may be able to make the background simpler, less distracting, more supportive of the portrait–micro movements that change the relationship between the figure (subject) and ground (background).

There are some costumed-target rich environments that are a photo hustle, where the actors expect some cash in the hat for the photo. If you like the look, pay up. It’s a lot cheaper than hiring a model.

For more of Bill’s photographs, go to https://www.billdurrence.com/index/all