This is my entry into the Lens-Artists Challenge, a weekly photography challenge on WordPress. This week, Ritva of Ritva Sillanmäki Photography asks us to: capture the essence and personality of your subjects. Whether you choose to ask a stranger, do a self-portrait, take the portrait of a friend, family member, or acquaintance, the goal is to connect with another person or subject and tell their story through your image.
I didn’t think this challenge would be as, um, challenging as it turned out to be. When we travel, I tend to do a lot of street photography, which is a different beast than portraiture. Most of the pictures I take of people are stealth-snapped. I don’t ask for permission. I find candid portraits to be more spontaneous and authentic, so I subscribe to the better to beg forgiveness than ask permission school of photography.
A Deep Dive
For this challenge, I went on a deep dive through my pictures, and tried to find a few where I had asked the subject if I could take their photo. As it turns out, I don’t have that many pictures that fall into that category.
Asking a subject if I can take their photo gives me anxiety. There’s the fear of awkward, or even hostile, rejection. And, the second you ask someone if you can take their picture, they tend to go into pose mode. Case in point: this group of girls who were with us on an ice fishing trip in northern Norway. I asked if I could take their picture, and they were ready with choreographed poses!
Here are three portraits I took (with permission) in Guatemala. Love the smiles, but they are all very much posing.
By way of comparison, here are three portraits I took in Guatemala – without permission. My favorite is the little girl playing with the pigeons – so joyful.
Now that I’m looking at these images together, I’m not sure I like one set more than the other. But they are – different. I’ll try to work on my permission asking skills on our next trip. I’m hearing my mom’s voice right now: “It’s an automatic no if you don’t ask.”
My entire (work in progress) photography portfolio can be found here.
If you would like to participate in the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. And don’t forget to link back to the host in your post.
Cheers!
I love the ice fishing group, but my favorite is your candid portrait of the two men in front of the motorcycles.
Thanks so much. Those girls were a hoot (a self-absorbed hoot, but a hoot, nonetheless). I love that one, too – it looks like I’ve caught them in the middle of an intense discussion.
Absolutely agree with you on all fronts! You have divided the ‘asked-for’ and ‘stealth-snapped’ photos very well indeed and methinks there is a place for both as some of the posed ones are great fun! But I must agree as far as the little lass from Guatemala is concerned – arms spread and not bothered by the birds ‘look at them’ 🙂 ! Have a dear American friend living in one of the Scandinavian countries – a real oops’a’daisy once when he accidentally included a couple in his snap!!!
She is just the sweetest – every time I look at her, I smile!
Excellent photos. The little girls with the pigeons is definitely wonderful. I also liked the others, even if people posed for them.
Thank you so much, EgÃdio!
Excellent job Kirsten! I know what you means about the “pose mode” – always frustrating. I too prefer the “stealth” portrait. Some people just have naturally beautiful smiles while others look immensely comfortable in front of a camera. Here’s a trick. Tell them to close their eyes and open when you say three. 9 time out of 10 it will work and they’ll smile pretty naturally when they open 🙂
That’s a great tip, Tina! I will have to try it on our next trip. Cheers!
These are so colourful and energetic, if that is the right way to put it. They show lots of life. I do that first one, that made me laugh.
We laughed all afternoon about those girls and their poses!!
These are great, Kirsten. I usually don’t like people posing but yours are so genuine and relatable. Wonderful candid ones too.
Thank you, Sofia. Appreciate you taking the time to comment. Cheers!