In photography there are many ways to tell stories, as many as male and female photographers holding their cameras, but of all of them, the stolen portraits They are the ones that best allow us to capture the essence of the moment that happens before our eyes. When you press the shutter, you stop time and that unknown person in an instant that will never be again; in a look, a gesture, in a coming and going of people who disappear into the streets. You may not steal their soul, but it is clear that you “steal” something, you keep something, don’t you think?
Before continuing to talk about stolen, if you are interested in the subject of portraiture, you cannot miss this mega guide that we have prepared on portrait photography where we tell you all the tricks, tips, inspiration and much more than you can imagine.
Continuing with the topic at hand, let’s see the tips and tricks that will help you achieve incredible stolen portraits.
- Worth
- Discretion
- Main reason
- ideal goals
- shutter speed
- Movement
- focus on the eyes
- framing
- places and situations
- speed and anticipation
- A lot of pictures
- Always on trips, but not only on them
- Composition
- if you get caught
- Tells a story
Portraits stolen from strangers
Let’s start with the portraits stolen from strangers, because it is what usually costs us the most and many of these tips can also be applied to acquaintances.
1. Arm yourself with courage
Although it may seem easy to go out to photograph unknown faces, the truth is that once you find yourself in front of the situation, it is not always so; you don’t know where to start, “you feel bad”, or you are afraid that someone will confront you.
- Preheating: If you are in the previous situation, the best way to start is: Start. If you are self-conscious, try photographing buildings, lampposts, zebra crossings, pigeons or your feet. Little by little you will gain confidence on the ground and you will feel more comfortable.
- Plan long outings: It is not a question that once you have begun to gain confidence you have to leave, so if you can, plan outings for a few hours, especially when you are beginning to gain confidence in these situations.
- Tourist places: Another simple way to overcome the qualms about taking pictures of strangers is to start by moving around places where no one would be surprised to see a camera. It will be easy for you to camouflage yourself among the tourists and move at your own pace, so you will not stand out and you will be able, little by little, to become familiar with this type of photography.
Other places you can start are street crossings with a large influx of people, public transport exits (metro, buses…), markets, shopping areas, parks, sporting events, etc.
2. Be discreet
No photographic vest as if you were on safari 😉 . If you want to get good stolen portraits, rule number one is to try to be inconspicuous.
- Leave the tripod at home.
- no flash: It’s like putting a light signal over your head, Hey, look, I’m taking pictures of you! And it is also invasive and annoying to others.
- Disguise: The more inconspicuous you go, the better chances of getting images you will have. You can simulate that you adjust something on your camera, that you do tests, or make a poker face as if you were not doing anything.
- Turn off the sound of the camera.
3. Identify a main reason (or several)
On the street there are people, there are lines, there are lights and shadows and thousands of elements that can distract the attention of the person you had decided to photograph. If you do not want an image in which the view is lost among the elements, it is very important that you are clear about who is the real protagonist of that image. You can do it by playing with the depth of field to isolate it from the other elements, you can play with the light to highlight only it, you can take your viewer’s gaze to your main subject through lines, composition, etc.
4. Recommended targets for stolen portraits
The most recommended lenses to get stolen portraits are telephoto lenses and medium focal lenses. Each one of them has different functionalities, so based on what you want to do (and if you have both, of course) you can choose between one and the other.
- Telephoto lenses: They will allow you to take pictures without having to get too close to the person you want to photograph. They will also be useful to highlight your protagonist, isolating him from the background and giving him prominence. As a disadvantage, they are lenses that need a lot of light and are much less discreet than medium focal lengths.
- Medium Focal (50mm): They are much brighter, so they will allow you to move in almost any light situation that comes your way, getting sharp images. They also weigh little and are more discreet than the previous ones. The main disadvantage is that you will have to get quite a bit closer to get your stolen.
5. Control the speed
It is important that you always take the images with the highest possible speed. Stolen or not, you’re doing a portrait, so unless you want to use movement as an end of expression in itself, don’t forget to set the speed high enough that your subject doesn’t come out shaky.
- It is said that for a photo to come out sharp (motion free), you should shoot at least 1/Focal Length you are using. For example, if I am taking pictures with a 100mm focal length lens, the minimum speed will be 1/100.
- Stabilizers: If your lens has an image stabilizer, it is always a good option to activate it for this type of images if you are going just for light.
In case you have doubts about the shutter speed, I leave you with a video in which Mario explains it to you in a very graphic way:
6. Play with movement
That your subject is sharp in the image, does not mean that your image cannot have movement. Playing with movement is one more way to add interest to your images.
- Sweeps: Use them to add movement to your image without losing focus on your protagonist.
- Zooming: Another original way to focus interest on your character through the movement of your target.
7. Focus on the eyes
Yes, the number one rule of the portrait, we also apply it in this type of images. It is not always easy to focus eyes in the distance, but at least keep it in mind when choosing your point of focus; try to make it as close to them as possible. You can have an amazing image that ends up being mediocre just because of a focus error.
- If you photograph profiles, remember to focus on the eye that is closest to the subject.
8. Vary the frame
Don’t just do the same thing all the time. Once you have achieved some ease, try to vary the frames, the angles, the planes, the point of view or the perspective.
- shoot from the waist: In addition to complying with the rule of discretion, it will allow you to take images from a different and very interesting point of view.
- Look for original elements: You can frame through a window frame, through the reflection in a puddle of water, through the rain, or through a tree. Try different and original things.
9. Photogenic people, places and situations
Not everything is limited to isolated photogenic faces, you can fall in love with a wall full of graffiti and wait for an old man to pass by, for example, who contrasts with your wall (photogenic place) or you can find an action that arouses your interest in the middle of the street starring a not too photogenic subject (photogenic action), or a face that by itself and due to its interest, holds only your image (photogenic person).
If you manage to combine place, person and photogenic action, you will surely get a very, very interesting image.
10. Speed and anticipation
Moments are fleeting, so you must combine being quick with anticipating situations that may occur in order to be at the right time and in the ideal place.
- Study your camera modes and decide a priori which one you are going to use according to the situation in front of you. In this type of photography are good options shutter speed or aperture priority modesdepending on what you want to get.
- If you see a potentially interesting situation chase her, move to get her.
11. Take lots of photos
The more you train in these situations, the fewer pictures you will need to take. Everything is a matter of practice. For now, don’t hesitate to take many images, it will help you train your gaze and learn to select them.
- Burst Fire: It will come in very handy in rapidly changing situations.
- Don’t settle: If you didn’t get what you expected, try again until you do. Patience and perseverance will be your great allies in photography.
- Make a good selection: Don’t keep them all, especially if you’ve been shooting in burst. A good dose of self-criticism and those that do not work, in the trash.
12. Take advantage of the trips but do not limit yourself to them
They are always inspiring, it seems that outside our city or town, it is always easier to obtain images of other people’s faces. On a trip nobody knows us, we wear the usual tourist face and it seems that we offend less. It is good that you take advantage of them to get stolen portraits, they are unique images of a unique moment for you, but if you like this type of portraits, you have millions of daily opportunities within reach of your camera.
13. Take care of the composition
Although stolen portraits require a lot of improvisation, speed and spontaneity, try to take care of the composition in your images. Little by little, after some practice, you will have it so integrated that you will do it by instinct. Meanwhile, it is a great opportunity to practice it.
14. “Fortune smiles on the daring”
Rarely will you get great images by chance. If you really want to retain great moments, you will have to take risks to get them.
- Come closer: Losing fear is what will make you get better images. Don’t be afraid to approach people. If you do the test you will see that people are less offended than you think.
- Be prepared to explain: It is common for more than one person to approach you to ask what you are doing and why you do what you do. It is normal and you are not doing anything wrong, so explain that you are a photography enthusiast, that you like to photograph people on the street, that you are taking a course or practicing with your new camera. Don’t get defensive, smile and be polite. Just as you have the right to take pictures, others have the right not to want you to take them. If they ask you to delete them, do so, or offer to send them by email, making them part of your hobby.
15. Tell a story
You can talk about loneliness, joy, old age or the innocence of childhood. It does not matter the theme or the reason you choose. The important thing is that you…