This subject had an entourage close by, and we had to make sure to have them angled out of the shot. You want as few people in the background of your photos as possible, because they take away focus from your subject.
SELECTING YOUR SUBJECT
Our goal in this section is to give you some basic tips that will help you translate what you love most about someone’s three-dimensional outfit into a two-dimensional photo. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than getting back to the editing room and finding that your photos don’t really convey what made you fall in love with a person’s outfit in the first place. Hopefully, we’ll help you avoid those pitfalls.
Living in New York and San Francisco, we pass hundreds of potential subjects on the streets every day. But usually only one or two individuals in the masses will catch our eye. We consider several factors when looking for subjects to photograph: stand out clothing pieces and accessories, contrasting or bright pops of color, innate personal style, or interesting twists on current fashion trends. Whatever you look for in a model, there’s no “bad” reason for selecting your subject. However, certain elements will translate better onto film than others. Whenever you take photos—be they street style or otherwise—always ask yourself if the images you’re taking are capturing the message that you want to share.
Approaching an Individual
In most major metropolises—and particularly in cities like San Francisco with high panhandler populations—being approached by a stranger on the street can sometimes be a negative experience. So much so that attempting to get an unfamiliar person to stop for you can feel like an uphill battle. As a street style photographer, when you stop a subject, what you’re really asking of that person is to take time out of their day to do you a favor. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempts at stopping subjects are met with rejection. You get more comfortable with practice.
A simpler outfit can be enhanced in a photo by shooting against a background with more intricacy, like the buildings in this shot with many lines and windows.
It might sound counterintuitive, but when we stop people on the street we generally won’t introduce ourselves right off the bat. Expect people to have their guard up. If you start with a long-winded explanation of who you are and what your photo project is about, you’ll sound too much like a salesperson. Your subject may be skeptical. Instead, break the ice with a compliment. Approach with a smile and tell the person why they caught your eye. “I love all the brilliant colors you’re wearing” or “I adore that vintage bag. Would you mind if I took a picture?” It’s sweet, simple, and straight to the heart of matters. There’s usually no need to wax poetic about how great the person looks. Get right to the point and ask for the photo.
Once you’ve got your subject disarmed and agreeable, feel free to introduce yourself properly. Always carry a calling card and a friendly, yet professional demeanor. You never know who might be a great business contact later on down the road.
It’s unlikely that the exact spot at which you stop your subject will have the optimal photography conditions. Don’t be afraid to ask the person to move across the street or around the corner. Make sure to explain to your subject that the reason for the move is better lighting conditions, less foot traffic, and so on. The more involved you make the subject in the process, the more obliging they will want to be in helping you capture the perfect shot.
Be considerate of your subject’s time constraints. Ask them if they are in a rush. You can’t expect to drag them all around the city looking for the perfect background. If you try their patience, it will be written all over their face in the photos.
The last thing you want is for your subject to look stiff and uncomfortable in the photographs. It’s your job as the photographer to make the person you are shooting feel relaxed. This can prove a particular challenge when photographing someone who is especially reluctant or camera-shy. Taking the emphasis off of them as a person can mitigate this. There is a subtle, yet distinct, difference between saying to someone “You look great” and “That outfit/purse/hairdo looks great.” While most of us would probably prefer the former as a compliment, the camera-shy person responds more positively to the latter. Taking the emphasis off of them tends to make them more relaxed in photos.
Tips for Making Your Subject Feel Relaxed
— Start out by asking to take a photo of a particular article, such as shoes or bag. Lead up to the full-length shot. This approach will put your subject more at ease.
— Ask them questions about their outfit. Be conversational.
— Remember, these are NOT professional models. Be courteous of body issues, because many people are self-conscious about physical imperfections they feel they possess.
— Don’t be afraid to take candid shots.
Approaching a Group
More often than not, you will find that a subject who’s caught your eye is traveling with companions. Approaching a couple or a group of strangers can sometimes be more daunting than stopping a person who is walking alone. If you find that the whole is greater than its individual parts, you might feel inclined to photograph the pack. Group compositions of friends that dress alike can help drive home a theme or trend that you’re trying to convey. If you have the time, we recommend getting some individual shots of each person in addition to the group shots.
But when one subject stands out above the others, don’t feel too timid to ask their friends to step out of the frame. Or better yet, separate your subject from their crowd by asking them to move around the corner or across the street. You can always say that it’s for a different background.
BACKGROUND
Whatever is behind your subject will be the background of your photo, or in other words, the canvas you are painting on. It’s important to have a good canvas, but it’s even more important to remember this: in street style photography, the subject of the composition is your model, NOT the background. Don’t work too hard to get the perfect beautiful background. It’s more important to have a background that doesn’t have distracting elements that detract from your model’s outfit. Beautiful settings are great, but avoid focusing too much on monuments or significant landmarks, sculptures, or objects. Photos taken in front of something prominent or recognizable run the risk of looking like tourist snapshots. Even when the photo is well executed, the landmark might still divide the viewer’s attention and detract focus from your model.
People, cars, and other moving things will inevitably find their way into the background of your street style photos, cluttering up the frame. There are ways to mitigate this problem:
Timing. Simply be patient and wait for things to pass.
Displacement. Move your subject to a less crowded area.
Angling. If you’re pressed for time, you could angle the camera and your model so that distracting elements are far in the background or completely out of the frame. Sometimes, you can also time the shots so distracting things are directly behind your subject, and thus completely blocked. That takes timing, and is especially useful when angling pedestrians out of a shot.
As we’ve mentioned, group photos can be difficult—but when they work they are magnificent. Make sure to take individual shots of the subjects as well, in case the group shot doesn’t turn out as you had hoped.
Shooting more than one subject at a time can be challenging, since it doubles the chances that someone is blinking, moving, or just not making a flattering expression. Try to make sure your subjects stand parallel to each other, and not too far apart. A lot of times when you’re stopping a pair of friends or a couple, their natural rapport will enhance the shot and make it twice as good!
You have probably noticed by now that when we shoot people against a wall instead of standing freely on the street, we usually select spots with nice patterns and textures. There’s almost always a good option wherever you may be.
We spotted this modern day Edie Sedgwick traveling with a pack of her stylish friends in SoHo, New York. When we stopped her for a photo she was happy to oblige our camera, but we could tell that she was in a hurry and didn’t want to hold up her friends. We asked her to go across the street for a chance of better lighting. She was a hint reluctant to abandon her companions, but we assured her that the shoot would only take a minute.
Even though the part of town we stopped her in is actually quite picturesque, we opted instead to use this abandoned, graffitied lot as the backdrop. The lot itself lent a great deal of depth to the composition, and the muted colors provided a nice contrast to the dark silhouette of her outfit. For the close-ups, we were careful not to have the white billboard directly behind our subject’s head. The white background would have washed out her blond hair and light skintone.
We originally wanted to photograph this groovy gentleman solo, but he literally had his hands full. He agreed to let us take some candids, and it really paid off with an adorable moment captured.
This is one of those instances where the natural affinity of the subjects helps to enhance the overall outcome of the photo. When you have a pair as insouciant as these two, let them continue holding hands.
This is a great example of how an exquisite backdrop can enhance a photo without distracting from your subject.
If the background has some sort of height variance—like this shot does—try to incorporate it.
Be wary of distracting things in the background, like a garbage can or pile of cardboard boxes. You don’t want people to look at your photo and pay more attention to what someone is doing in the background, either. You don’t have to avoid these things completely though—in this shot a pile of flattened boxes can be seen, but barely.
We wanted the compositional elements in this photo to convey a very specific point in time and space. Between the piled up evergreens for sale in the background and the word “SOHO” on the shop just behind the subject, you get the distinct presence of December in Manhattan. We also chose this background because we wanted the green accents from the bike lane and window trim to draw attention to the woman’s beautiful skirt. The close-up on her midsection was necessary to highlight the skillful mix of textures in her ensemble—detail that would be otherwise lost in a full-length shot.
Choose your background thoughtfully. This shot was taken right next to the iconic fashion show location of Bryant Park—but we shot facing away from the park, since the lines of the buildings complement the lines in the subject’s dress.
Sometimes your location will have beautiful details, like a loose-stonework street and striking architecture. Take a moment to look around your current location for the best spot. There are endless possibilities, even within a thirty second walk from where you are standing.
Signs and banners can be a major distraction in your photo. In this photo they are far enough away from the subject and cut off by the frame that they cease to be a problem and instead become an innocuous, incidental part of the scene.
Even when shooting in a very picturesque setting like San Francisco’s Chinatown, we still let the subject be the main focus. Try to always stay mindful of your subject so that you don’t run the risk of your photos turning into tourist snapshots.
There are many, many people directly behind this man, and the shot shows how you can angle a crowd out of the shot and not have to wait for them to pass by.
There are times when having people in the background isn’t necessarily a negative attribute. This photo makes use of the interesting background pedestrians but keeps the focus on the subject by literally keeping only him in focus. It’s pretty easy to achieve this when the other people are walking and your subject stands still.
You want to avoid shooting where there are a lot of pedestrians walking through the frame. Never have anyone (or anything) directly next to your subject. If you find yourself in a tough spot with too much unavoidable foot traffic, then ask your subject to move to a better location. Take the person to a curb or find an unconventional hideaway. This photo was taken in a blocked off patio in front of a closed restaurant. The alcove provided a nice sanctuary from pedestrians entering the shot.
In congested cities like San Francisco, parked cars are unavoidable. If there happen to be automobiles in your background, try to have your subject stand between them to let the cars frame the shot. This will help to make your subject pop.
One trick you can use to avoid pedestrians walking directly next to your subject is to ask the person to stand right up next to the curb. This photo was taken on one of those beautiful Indian summer days that New York is famous for. It seemed like all of Manhattan was out on the streets that afternoon. In this instance, putting our subject against the curb served a dual purpose, because it allowed the black asphalt of the street to contrast with her cream-colored skirt. If we’d placed her against a white building or light background, her outfit would have been completely lost.
Bokeh
Higher-end cameras with the right lenses will—under certain conditions—produce a bokeh effect, which is the blurring of things that are behind or in front of the area you’re focused on. Distracting objects can sometimes be rendered non-distracting if they are far enough away from your model and are blurred in the shot.
Wall
If all else fails, place your model in front of a wall. This is a last resort, because the location and background are part of what makes street style photography unique and special—but it’s okay to use a wall now and then. It can be a nice change of pace from the way your photos normally look. If you do end up placing your model in front of a wall, trying angling slightly off to one side or the other in order to create diagonal lines in the composition.
FOREGROUND
Ideally, the only thing in the foreground should be, well, the ground. You really don’t want anything in front of your model, lest you detract attention and focus from your subject and their outfit. Some photographers use the technique of shooting their model through a small window or behind the branches of a tree. This technique can create some interesting effects, but is rarely used for street style photography. Remember that the first priority is to focus on your model, so let their style be the star.