Praying woman in worship service. Mayalan Village, Guatemala.
The great photojournalist Robert Capa said, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."
I don't fully agree with that maxim, and there are exceptions to every rule. But the man has a point. Can you imagine how much impact the picture of the woman praying in the little village church in Mayalan would have if I had stood ten feet away?
So my rule is, get closer -- when you can.
Of course, it's not always possible to get as close as you would like. Some subjects are not welcoming, some are not safe, and some are better photographed with a bit of space around them. But still, get closer when you can.
If your subjects are people, try to engage with them whenever possible.
People will not open up to you until you open yourself up to them. Put aside your fear of photographing them openly. Project sincere attitudes of friendliness and courtesy. Don't talk any more than necessary. A smile will open more doors than words any day. These are not aliens from another galaxy -- they're people, and they will respond to your efforts to relate to them as people. Don't try to hide in the shadows and pick off shots with a long lens. If you're furtive, if you appear indecisive or uncertain, you'll be greeted with suspicion.
Don't let fear hold you back. Fear is the number one hindrance to good people photography. For that matter, fear of being open and vulnerable is the greatest hindrance in most human relationships. Fear often comes in the form of an inertia which suggests all kinds of reasons why you shouldn't take the picture now. Later will be better. The light will be better. The people will be more receptive. You don't have the right lens. Later...but not now. If you want to make good photographs of people, you must put aside your fear and inertia by an act of your will and begin to photograph -- now. Not later -- now!
To quote another great photographer, Jay Maisel, "Shoot it NOW!
Parts of this post were adapted from my article The Fascination of Foreign Faces, which appeared in Rangefinder Magazine in August, 1999.
About the equipment: The photograph of the praying woman was made with an Olympus OM2n camera with the Olympus Zuiko 85mm f2 lens, Fujichrome 100 film, and two Vivitar 283 flashes -- one on camera, and one on a stand to my right.
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Photography and text copyright 2024 David B.Jenkins.
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.
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