In 2009 I wrote a post about photographing people in the street, based on my own experiences. It offered some tips on how to approach people and make them feel good about being photographed – often against their will – in a public place. I have just came across a brilliant post written by my LA-based colleague and fantastic street photographer, Eric Kim, in which he explains how to deal with people you’ve just photographed and somehow managed to piss off.
Apart from advising photographers to share their business cards or, if pushed, deleting the contentious photos, Eric helpfully included a list of your rights as a photographer in the US and UK.
But I’m glad we both agree on one thing: if everything else fails, smile:
“There is nothing as powerful as the effect of a smile. Even smiling at somebody frowning or pissed off will make them ease up a bit. How can you be suspicious of somebody who is smiling at you?”
writes Eric.
Try it. It doesn’t cost much.
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