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| Hot Tip: Kids are tough. Flatter the heck out of the parents and answer all of their questions patiently. Make sure they know you won't exploit their child. |
Whether we're afraid of getting our camera smashed or people thinking we're creeps, many of us are too timid to approach interesting, attractive, or odd-looking strangers and ask to take their picture.
But one guy who has no problem with that is Pop Photo Contributing Editor Bryan F. Peterson. He's not only bold enough to walk up to strangers and get them to pose (and even hold his reflector), he's also brave enough to ask them to sign a release!
What does his bravado get him?
Great shots and lots of money. Bryan has made a career out of approaching people, taking their picture, and selling the photos to stock. All it costs him is a little time and postage.
So how does he do it? I met Bryan in Venice, California -- home to lots of strange, fascinating, and intimidating characters (and a few nice-looking, ordinary people) -- to join him in his people-hunting and see what I could learn. Our strategy: hang around Venice Beach and look for interesting subjects, approach them, and convince them to pose for the camera.
As it turned out, turning strangers into willing portrait subjects meant we had to gain their trust. This, in turn, sometimes required patience and good listening skills. Sometimes it just took flattery.
Here's what I learned.
The Approach
Although Bryan is a professional photographer, he often puts people at ease by playing the enthusiastic hobbyist (for many of us, that act shouldn't be much of a stretch). His successful approach plays out in four parts: first, a flattering opening line, followed by a reason for the picture, a request for help, and finally a promise of a print.
Walking up to someone who looked like a good portrait subject, Bryan would say something like: “Pardon me, but you have an absolutely wonderful face. Do you have a minute? I'm a student of photography, and I'm doing a project on the people of Venice Beach. I'd love to take your picture.”
He usually augmented his monologue with a more specific hook. In the case of Flower Penn, a tarot card reader, Bryan announced he had two requests: a tarot reading and a picture. With Michelle, a waitress at a café we'd chosen for its good-looking staff, a simple compliment was enough.
But with John, a handyman, it was more complicated. His response to Bryan's query: “I know about a secret society that's attempting to destroy American society from the inside. They know about me. I can't be photographed or I'll be killed.”
I was ready to put my lenscap on and turn tail, but Bryan hung out, asking John about his hat, learning how he ended up in Venice, commiserating about women and the economy. Soon Bryan was giving John a tour of his camera. He then took his picture and showed it to him. John was impressed by the photo, and moments later signed a release! Chalk it all up to?persistence, good listening skills, and the Nikon D2x's LCD screen.
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