Overt or covert?

There are two ways to take photos on the street, openly or secretly.

Some street photographers brazenly walk up to people, and ask to take their photo. You need nerve to do that, because you have to start a relationship with a stranger. It’s emotionally demanding.

And you risk them turning you down or even getting hostile. Not many people want to be photographed. They know you want to photograph them because they look odd or different. It’s a bit of an insult.

And because of the time it takes, you may end up with fewer shots, albeit better quality ones.

I offered this man money, and asked him if I could take his picture. He agreed.

A pose is just that

If you ask to take a picture of someone, they will strike a pose, usually a grin, and look straight at the camera.

This gives you a marvellously direct and frank image. There is real contact between the subject and the person who later sees the image.

But by posing people you lose their self-absorption and their activities – things that make street photography so strong.

In short, you can end up with a grinning portrait.

For those reasons (fear and posing) I generally avoid asking people if I can take their photo. I do it only if they’re wonderfully photogenic, or if I'm engaged in a photo essay that requires, say, people in a certain village.

Street photography is really about capturing a moment and a story. So the majority of this book is about snapping people unawares.

But if you prefer to ask people for a picture, good luck. You’ll get great pictures. And much of this book will still be relevant for you.

Shop assistant, Wales. They’re usually preoccupied with their work so you can shoot unobserved until it’s your time to be served.

From the waist or at eye level?

Many street photographers shoot from the waist, because it’s less obtrusive. If you’re using a DSLR (see ‘Your Equipment’), you can use the camera’s hinged screen, to see better. If you’re using your phone’s camera, you have to get used to seeing less.

It can be better to raise your camera to eye level, and use the viewfinder. Because the lens is at eye level, the pictures don’t look as though they were taken at child height.

More importantly, eye level lets you compose the picture better. You can take in the scene, and shoot the photo at just the right moment.

So, overt or covert, waist or eye level, the choice is yours.