Man with hat, Dayton, Tennessee
Making photographs of the historic courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee, site of the famous Scopes Trial of 1925, I chanced to meet this jaunty looking older gentleman and asked if it would be okay to photograph him. He seemed happy to oblige, so I made a few exposures, probably with a Canon EOS 10s and the 70-210 f4 Canon EF lens.
Making informal portraits has long been one of my favorite things to do with a camera. I've photographed friends, family members, and total strangers whose faces interested me. It's easy to do, and you don't need to carry a massive load of equipment. One camera body and one lens are all you need, although that lens should be on the longish side (85 to 105mm) for my taste. Personally, I like the 16-80mm (24-120mm equivalent) zoom on my Fuji X-system cameras, but your mileage may vary, as they say. I've made some portraits I like with a 35mm lens, but nothing wider.
Some photographers like to use wide apertures to render a very narrow depth of field, but I've never cared for that effect. I like to use an aperture of f5.6 or f8 to give enough depth to keep both nose and ears in focus.
My brother, Steve, in better days.
Actually, the technical side of making informal portraits is pretty simple. Practice with friends and family until you feel comfortable and have made some portraits you're pleased with.
Photographing strangers, however, can be a bit intimidating if you let it affect you. It's easy to make good photos of people when they are occupied with something else, and they may not even notice you or care that you're there. The part most people have trouble with is approaching a stranger and asking if you could make their photograph. Sometimes I ask, and sometimes I don't.
I met this young Malaysian Man as he was crossing a walking bridge into Singapore. I tipped my camera and gave him an inquiring look. He paused and gave me an ironic half smile. I took one photo and then we both moved on.
Here are a few things I've learned:
1. Be organized: Be ready to shoot quickly without futzing around with your equipment. (This is where what I said about simplifying your equipment comes in.)
2. Be obvious and open: Don't sneak around trying to pick off shots with a long lens. Act as if you have a right to be there and people will soon ignore you. If you're confronted, move on.
3. Be invisible: This simply means you work in an open,
straightforward, and businesslike way without calling unnecessary attention to yourself.
4. Be occupied: Actually, this refers to the subject rather than you. Often, the best time to photograph is when your subject is involved in some activity.
About the photos: The old gentleman in the top picture was captured with a CanonEOS A2 with, probably, the Canon EF 28-105mm lens. My brother, Steve, was photographed with an Olympus OM (film) system camera and the Olympus Zuiko 85mm f2 lens, as was the young man in Singapore. Steve was photographed with Kodachrome 64 film. Fujichrome 100D was used for the other photos.
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Photography and text copyright 2025 David B.Jenkins.
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.
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