*First of all, from now on I'm gonna blog in English when I feel like it...as I've noticed I have 2 international followers, yeey! :) *
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| © E.K. |
This week I sold a small copy of one of my most favourite (and funny) photographs, named 'Barca Bastards'. This photo was taken in 2006 in Barcelona, during some sort of dance fest for the elderly. I remember getting excited watching all the people dance, since it provided me with an excellent chance to go all 'documentary style' and take shots of people in their natural environment without them noticing me.
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| ©E.K. |
Photographing people -without them noticing you- can be extremely difficult...I know that for me, when I start my 'paparazzi-adventure', I feel quite sneaky trying to do this. And when you feel sneaky, you will come across sneaky. Usually people don't like that. I wonder why...
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| © E.K. |
But when I really get excited about what's going on, those feelings disappear and I really get into my element. I move around more confident, pretend as if I belong there and let people see what I'm doing. It's a lot less secretive, and people will usually ignore you anyway (or even pose for you!).
(Confession: at those moments I like to think I'm a heroic war photojournalist, going for the World Press Photo...:))
I've also noticed that when you smile while taking the photograph, it usually is no problem at all.
Big crowds are also excellent for taking unnoticed shots...and when people do notice you, just smile!
Now, after having said all this, there have been some shots I took where I thought I had caught someone unnoticed... and I was so wrong! When seeing the photo afterwards, those people are staring STRAIGHT at me! Busted!
Like this rastafari's piercing look through his sunglasses...aiii!
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| © E.K. |
There's one other tactic I sometimes use while trying to capture someone unnoticed, but it's not always effective. You need a wingman for this; put your wingman close to the actual scene you want to shoot, and pretend you take a photo of W. Ingman. While instead, of course, you take a photo of the funny looking guy on the left. It doesn't always work, though...
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| © E.K. |
Last but not least, just asking people if it's okay to take their photo is a very effective and polite way of taking that photo. The downside of this 'technique' is that people tend to pose, or start looking unnatural...and that's exactly what you don't want.
As for the lovely 'Barca Bastards', back in 2006 I circled around them like a vulture, trying to get closer and closer, until I had exactly the photo I hoped for.
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| Barca Bastards, 2006 © |
I guess you can say photography is like hunting, sometimes. Hmmm.
