Evolving Photographer: Shy? Get Over it and Take Some Pictures

On day one, we were told that we weren't in a workshop to take far off photos of landscapes. We were in a photography class in New York City - people are everywhere, are interesting, and that's what the class would focus on. After all, you open an issue of National Geographic, and you're not looking at landscapes of cities all too often. If you're looking at photos from cities, people are the centerpiece - their lives, their personalities. So, what's the big deal?

Taking pictures of random people going about their lives, often without any interaction with them, and completely candidly is an intrusion. You're capturing them because they seem interesting to you. Something about them is captivating and beautiful. But how do you get those photos without operating a spy camera? Or by busting out a long lens and making like a birder? One of the best pieces that I've read on this is here.

For this class, we didn't get articles to read. What we got was a meeting time in Chinatown/Little Italy on a Saturday morning. Then, a simple instruction. Go out and take a biographical portrait of someone. Tell a story about the subject - not just that they're in front of your camera, but something about them, what they do, what makes them smile. Oh, and Chinatown, during market day? Not a friendly place for people with cameras. Too many tourists come by with cameras every week, and take "exotic" photos.

Some of my classmates were shy, and got "surprise" biographical photos. Others, like me, tried to chat with people and convince them to have their picture taken. I had a failed attempt to buy a fresh apple and turn that into a chance to produce images of a green grocer. The apple was pretty delicious, at least. A few of my classmates were able to make some great photos! I was jealous to see some of what my classmates produced, but everyone brought something unique to the table, and produced cool images that brought their subjects to life.

So get out there. Talk to people. Take their pictures. Offer to email the pictures to your subjects. I did that with three folks over the workshop, and they loved getting them! I may not be the most experienced or best photographer, but it makes you feel pretty good to make someone happy with a photo that you took.