Take Better Photos of Locals

 
Taking photos is one of the best ways you can document your trip. While it’s great to get a bunch of photos of landmarks and your surroundings, there’s something really special about photographing the local people. This can be particularly daunting when there are cultural differences and language barriers. I’ve taken hundreds of photos with people without exchanging more than hello in the local language. Here are some tips to help you take better photos of locals:

Get Confident
Most people are flattered to have their photo taken. There will be some exceptions, but for the most part it is a compliment. In developing countries it is even a novelty too, so don’t feel bad about wanting to take their picture. If you are shy or awkward about photographing someone, that is going to influence the person you’re trying to photograph. The first few times you take photos of people you don’t know will be a little bit strange, but as you feel more confident you’ll see that your images will improve.  The most important thing to remember is that the person has a right to not be in your photo and if they don’t want to,  it’s fine. You’ll find someone willing soon. With this in mind, always try when you feel a photo opportunity that you’re interested in. The worst that can happen is they say no and the best is that you capture a wonderful image that you’ll treasure forever.

 

Smile
It’s simple really, but I think many people forget how powerful a smile is. When you’re hoping to take a photo of someone, the least you can give them is a smile. Open yourself up, be warm and friendly and your attempts to take photos will be much better received. It’s really important to make your subject feel comfortable if you want a photo where they are engaged with the camera. I have noticed that I have much higher success photographing people when I am by myself. Very few people feel comfortable with numerous cameras pointed at them, so take some time away from your friends to go off on little photo missions. I am sure you’ll be surprised with how much this little change can affect your photos.

Ask Permission 
I don’t learn how to ask permission in the local language. You certainly could if you wanted to. There’s numerous reasons why I don’t bother with this, but one of them is the fact that I’m a little bit nervous before I take a photo of someone. I see people in a certain way and I put pressure on myself to try to capture them as they are. So, I think I would stumble around a foreign language and I would feel less confident than I do with my method. Even if I tried to take a photo of someone in an English speaking country, I would still employ this non verbal approach as I believe it makes things more comfortable for both sides. If I see a photo opportunity I’m interested in, usually I will hold my camera up to my eye and point it directly at the subject. This will get their attention. Then I bring the camera down to about chin height and maintain eye contact with them – usually you can judge their response by this stage. However, sometimes they need a little more prompting so I will then move my camera back up to my eye and look at their reaction through the view finder. At this point they will have either moved into a “take my picture now” pose, or will be shaking their head frantically. Respect their decision either way.

Don’t Ask Permission
I think it’s best if you can communicate with your model(s) before you take their picture, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Often asking permission will ruin the particular picture you have in mind to take. Employing the method suggested above will often yield a photograph where the subject is making eye contact with you in the photo. Sometimes that’s desirable, sometimes not. So, if you find yourself in a situation where you want a more natural photo – just take it. If it’s a crowd of people, I wouldn’t bother checking if it’s okay. But if it’s one individual person that is clearly the subject of the image, then I would be more inclined. The best way to judge whether it’s appropriate to just go ahead and shoot is to see the situation. If you’re walking the cascading rice paddy fields of Sapa and you feel compelled to take a spontaneous photo of your local guide, then chances are that is fine. Common sense will be your best gauge.

Share the Photo With Them
This can be a great way to bond with them a little more after the photos already been taken. You can simply show them any photos you took of them on your camera. If you’ve taken a photo of a child and the parents are around, walk over to them with a smile and show them. Often they will be flattered that you not only chose to take a photo, but that you wanted to share it with them too. Better yet, if you can, get some printed for them to keep too. I shoot all my photos in RAW only so it takes a few steps to get them printable. However, if you shoot in JPEG that means you can easily take your memory card to a photo store and get them printed in minutes. This can be a nice way to give back, but of course you don’t have to. When I was in Phnom Penh I saw this wonderful little girl and her father. I felt compelled to take their picture and I showed him afterwards. He was quite emotional when he looked at the photo I’d taken and asked for my email address. A few days later he wrote to me and I replied with this image. He was really grateful. This is a little way to share some of what the local people have shared with you.

These are my tips for learning to take better photos of locals. Do you love taking photos of people when you travel?