Portraits: How to approach strangers in the street

Approaching people in the street and stop them for a portrait can be quite intimidating, or for some terrifying.

How to approach strangers in the street for portraits? My 3 tips to overcome the fear of rejection related to asking strangers for portraits.

I was probably one of the guys at the terrified club, but along the years, with practice, it has slowly become way more comfortable.
Here are my three tips to help you get better at it :

• Smile and look confident. That one is probably the essential piece of advice you can get on this subject. If you look as scared as you probably are, the result will be a No answer, but trust me, no one will be aggressive to you if you respect the response you just got. After all, before you ask, the No was already guaranteed. If you ask nicely, you may get a Yes, and you may be surprised at how many Yes you can get.
• Keep the conversation simple, short, and honest. People may ask: Why are you taking my portrait? Or,  What use are you going to do with the pictures? Have a simple, honest answer ready, and you will be good to go.
• Use small, light, and fast gear. Big cameras like those enormous pro level full frame or medium format digital cameras can be quite intimidating for most people.  The goal is to shoot fast at a relatively close distance from your subject, not giving the person, you just approached, enough time for second thoughts.

At first, the number of No answers will be high but don’t feel discouraged by that. With experience and training, it will become way more natural. What seemed scary at first will soon become quite enjoyable. After some time your acceptance ratio when you approach strangers in the street for portraits will be high. You will have a great time connecting with new people while shooting great portraits.

The video below by Jamie Windsor is an excellent tutorial on how to approach strangers counting with great advice by @pablostrong