Capturing High Impact Urban
Portraits
By: Steve Paxton
 Introduction
Imagine yourself, camera in hand, walking through a
busy metropolis. The sights, the sounds and the
smells of a bustling city overwhelm your senses.
People all around you are scurrying to and from
work. Others are sitting in outdoor cafes enjoying
lunch. You can see worn out shoppers, their hands
filled with packages, moving from store to store.
The city is alive with activity.
As you survey the scene, you spot an elderly man
across the street sitting alone in a wheelchair. He
holds a small cup out and thoughtfully watches the
activity. You're amazed at how seemingly invisible
he is. No one gives him a second glance. In fact
people seem to be going out of their way to avoid
him. As you look further you notice that this poor
man has no legs and is missing part of his left
hand. You can also see that he has been wearing the
same clothes for quite some time.
Have you ever considered approaching someone like
this for an urban portrait? If not, why not? It's
easy to fall into a rut of photographing the same
kind of stuff day in and day out. If you are a
landscape or wildlife photographer, you may get up
early for the sunrise and hike out to beautiful
locations. Wedding photographers are all business on
a bride's big day making sure to capture all the
memorable moments. Sports photographers create
compositions that help tell the story of how a game
was won or lost. It is easy to get locked into one
or two specific subsets of photography (especially
if you're a professional photographer). Most of us
began with a simple passion for photography. When I
seriously starting taking pictures (using an old
hand-me-down Canon SLR), I photographed everything
in sight! My girlfriend at the time (now my wife)
had to put up with me stopping every couple of
minutes to take photographs. I know it drove her
nuts (although she would never say so). I had no
idea what I was doing, but I was passionate so I
shot everything I laid my eyes on.
 Shooting urban portraits is a great way to shake
things up and break out of the passionless
photography rut we sometimes find ourselves in. In
this guide, I am going to share how to create high
impact urban portraits of perfect strangers. My
experience centers on photographing homeless and
destitute people; however I encourage you to read
with an open mind as you can apply many of the same
principles photographing virtually any stranger
(homeless or not) in an urban setting.
Remember Your Safety
We can't have a discussion about approaching
strangers in a city environment without first
talking a bit about safety. Safety is an important
part of taking urban portraits so please stick with
me. Approaching strangers for portraits can come
with a bit of risk - especially if you decide to
photograph the destitute and individuals living on
the streets. Lugging expensive camera gear around in
not-so-great parts of town paints a target on your
back for robbery. People who are high or intoxicated
and those with mental health issues can react
unpredictably. There isn't a photograph in the world
worth getting hurt over.
Keep in mind that crooks are typically looking for
easy targets - people not paying attention to their
environment. The best thing you can do to reduce the
risk of getting hurt is to take someone with you.
Your field of view narrows as you begin engaging
people for urban portraits. It's very easy to lose
track of what's happening around you. It is
impossible to look through the viewfinder and pay
attention to your environment. A second person can
step back, watch the overall scene and ensure that
nobody surprises you from behind. If things start
going side-ways during a contact on the street, your
partner can call the police, run for help, or make
noise to draw attention to what's happening. Your
partner can also help watch your equipment.
 More on Safety
Avoid venturing into extremely isolated areas and
consider taking a cellular phone with you so that
you can quickly call for help. It is also a great
idea to bring a whistle along so that you can easily
draw attention to yourself if necessary.
Body language speaks volumes. Over 80% of
communication is non-verbal. I always try to pay
attention to what people are saying with their body
language. People with their head down or who refuse
to look at you generally don't want to be
approached. Respect that and move on. I usually
avoid contacting people with extreme mental health
issues (e.g. talking to self, screaming at the air,
etc.) and heavily intoxicated individuals. A good
rule of thumb is to remember that intoxication =
unpredictability. I am not suggesting that you never
approach someone who has had a bit to drink; just be
cautious of approaching people who are extremely
blotto.
I ignored this rule one day when I noticed a
Hispanic man sitting alone in the middle of a
secluded alley (see the images below and above). He
was just finishing a 40-ounce beer and was clearly
intoxicated. Ignoring the red flags, I walked down
the alley and contacted him. Within a few moments of
conversation, he suddenly stood up and came within a
short distance of my face. First he demanded to know
if I was a cop and then asked for money. Next he
reached out and firmly grabbed my right arm. I was
totally alone in the alley with this guy. At one
point I actually wondered if he was going to hit me
with the nearly empty beer bottle he was still
holding. I was able to calm him down and avoided
getting hurt; however this situation could have
turned very ugly. This guy was obviously very
intoxicated. He was situated in a very secluded
alley (where help was not readily available) and I
was working alone. I should have never approached
him under these circumstances.
 Safety in the field is important enough that I have
condensed it into the following points:
1.
Take a partner. Remember there is safety in numbers.
2.
Consider taking a cellular phone so that you call
for help.
3.
Consider taking a whistle so that you can draw
attention to yourself if necessary.
4.
Avoid going into extremely isolated areas.
5.
Avoid contacting extremely intoxicated subjects and
those with extreme mental health problems.
6.
Pay attention to body language. Don't approach
people who have their head down and those who seem
to be going out of their way to avoid making eye
contact with you.
7.
Be careful not to invade personal space during your
contacts. A good rule of thumb is to stay three to
five feet away from people.
8.
Stand bladed at 45 degrees with your feet planted
shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent.
This should help keep you balanced on your feet and
afford you some stability if you need to react
quickly or escape.
9.
Make brief eye contact with the people around you
(but don't stare). Let people know that you see
them.
10.
Be aware of your surroundings.
11.
Listen to your intuition and move out of the area if
you start feeling uncomfortable.
The Equipment
I travel very light while working in an urban
environment. I usually only bring a single DSLR and
lens. Currently I am shooting most of my urban
portraits with a Canon 5D and a 24-105mm lens. I
pack it in a Lowe Pro shoulder bag (slung crossways
around my body). Traveling light allows for quick
access to my gear and makes it a snap to walk many
city blocks without tiring out. Occasionally I bring
a monopod if the weather is dark and gloomy (e.g.
cloudy winter weather). I like to shoot tightly
cropped portraits. A medium length zoom lens comes
in handy for capturing close up portraits without
getting right in the person's face. Another benefit
of traveling light is that it won't be necessary to
put your gear down while you shoot.
Generally I avoid using a flash while shooting urban
portraits. This is contrary to the traditional rule
of thumb of using fill flash for environmental
portraits. In an urban environment a flash is
usually very distracting to the person you are
trying to photograph and it is possible to get high
quality results using natural light. I will discuss
lighting in more detail further along.
 Attire
Does your clothing matter? You bet it does. Blending
into your environment is crucial. On more than one
occasion I have had a street person comment on my
jacket - "Is that a North Face? That sure looks
nice." It makes sense to do whatever you can to
reduce class differences if you are planning to
photograph the homeless and less fortunate. Walking
up to a homeless person dressed in expensive
clothing only serves to remind that person that they
are poor. Questions and comments about your clothing
make it much more difficult to establish the initial
rapport that is so important. Consider dressing down
a bit before going out. Instead of wearing an
expensive leather coat, throw on an old work jacket.
Ditch the $200 sneakers and wear old shoes. I am not
suggesting that you wear uncomfortable clothes -
just pay attention to what you put on.
Shutter - Aperture - ISO
The first thing I do before I start pounding the
pavement is to set my camera to Aperture Priority
mode and adjust my exposure for the available light.
I generally choose a wide aperture such as f4 or
f5.6 and try to keep my shutter speed at 1/125 or
higher. Having a slightly faster shutter speed helps
reduce camera shake (since I shoot most of my images
hand held) and it helps freeze the portrait. I have
found that almost all of my "urban clients" look
around nervously while I am shooting. If your
shutter speed slips down to 1/80 or lower, you may
find that a lot of your images are blurred from the
movement (especially if you are using a longer focal
length). Pay close attention to the lighting as it
can change dramatically depending on whether you are
in an alley or a more open street environment. Using
a lens with a built in stabilizer or anti-shake
option is a plus.
The key to getting the right aperture/shutter speed
combination is setting the ISO appropriately. Don't
be afraid to raise your camera's ISO to 800 or
higher. A bit of digital noise usually enhances the
overall feel of street portraits anyway. It is much
better to have to deal with some digital noise than
to have a series of great shots completely ruined
because they are blurred (as a result of using a
slow shutter speed). On more than one occasion I
have deliberately under exposed a string of images
by a stop or two when the ambient light has been
low. This buys me extra shutter speed. Since I shoot
everything in RAW format, it's a cinch to regain the
exposure later on in Photoshop or Lightroom.
 The histogram is a great way to keep tabs on how
well exposed your images are. I shoot just about
everything with the histogram preview option
selected. I know that if I can keep the majority of
the histogram curve between the two sidewalls, I
will have most of the highlight and shadow detail to
play with later on in Photoshop and Lightroom. Being
able to quickly glance at the histogram and know
that my exposure is correct also frees me to focus
on the composition. If the dynamic range is too
great, I lean toward exposing for the highlights and
try to capture as much of the dark values as
possible (without blowing out the shot). Plugged up
shadows usually introduce extra noise and conceals
crucial detail.
Where to Start
I've captured many of my urban portraits within a
five-block radius of downtown shelters. I also have
a lot of luck making contacts with panhandlers in
dense shopping districts. Panhandlers take up
positions in areas where heavy pedestrian traffic
passes by. Every city is unique. Jump on the
Internet and discover where the shelters, food banks
and city services are located. This should help get
you pointed in the right direction.
The Approach
There are some that advocate taking urban
photographs of people from a distance or shooting
off the hip in an attempt to conceal the fact that
you are taking a picture of them. Some even suggest
that you should just walk up to people and take the
photographs you want without asking (paparazzi
style). I think this extremely rude - not to mention
dangerous. Admittedly there are times when a unique
situation involving strangers unfolds and it makes
sense to photograph it. These situations are usually
observed from a distance and qualify more as a kind
of photojournalism than portrait photography. For
urban portrait work (as discussed in this paper), I
almost always get permission first. Connecting with
the person you are photographing usually translates
into much better images anyway. I try to create
micro-relationships with each individual I
photograph (just like you would with a regular
portrait client). I want to put the person at ease
and capture their portrait when they are feeling the
most comfortable with me taking the photographs.
This is not always easy to do; however when you are
successful connecting with the person, you end up
with much better shots.
I have found there are two main ways to make contact
with people on the street. The easiest kind of
contact is one where the individual approaches you.
The second type of contact is a cold approach where
you identify an individual and make contact with
them. This is the hardest kind of contact and
requires a bit of work. I regularly use both
strategies. I will start by explaining the first
approach.
 They Approach You
The simplest way to start taking urban portraits is
to deliberately position yourself in places where
you will be solicited by panhandlers. This is a
great way to get started if you are afraid of making
cold contacts with people. I can walk through
several blocks of a shopping district in Seattle and
get solicited for spare change multiple times.
Instead of ignoring these folks, look at it as an
opening.
Here is how a typical exchange might go:
Panhandler
"Can you spare some change?"
You
"Sure... (drop some change in the cup) What's your
name?"
Panhandler
"Todd"
You
"Todd, I am Steve." "Are you from Seattle Todd?"
Panhandler
"I am originally from Chicago..."
You
"Oh really, what part?"
Obviously there are quite a few different ways a
conversation like this can unfold. If you are
successful, within a few minutes you will have
created a rapport with the panhandler. The key to
starting a conversation is having an opener. As the
conversation moves along it is not too uncommon for
the panhandler to ask where you are from and what
you are doing. This is a great opener for telling
them you're a photographer, which then leads to
asking to take their photograph. Oftentimes I carry
my camera in hand so that they can easily see that I
am a photographer. On more than one occasion I have
had panhandlers ask if I was a photographer.
Read this next paragraph carefully if you want to be
successful taking urban portraits.
 You
have to actually care about these people! You
can't look at each person you contact as another
potential photographic notch on your belt. The key
to making this work is showing empathy and true
concern for the person and what they are saying. You
will get turned down nearly every time if you simply
walk up, throw change in their cup and ask to take
their picture. People want to be treated with
respect and know that you care. They don't want to
feel like a sideshow. Keep in mind that most
homeless folks are probably already feeling pretty
low. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor.
Feeling cared for and respected is a universal need
everyone has. You have to approach each contact with
the mindset of creating a mini relationship and
showing true respect. If you are successful, the
photographs will come naturally.
Once you feel comfortable and have established a
rapport then it's appropriate to ask if you can take
a few photographs. Sometimes I mention that I am a
portrait photographer and offer them my business
card. If they ask why I want to take their
photograph, I simply explain that I enjoy taking
pictures of the people I meet. Depending on the
situation I might ask if they have an email address
and offer to send them a few images (you might be
surprised at how many homeless folks have an email
address that they can check at the local library).
The Cold Contact
The second approach involves making cold contacts
with people on the street. This kind of contact
requires more creativity. You may decide to make a
cold contact when you see someone who catches your
eye for some reason. This could be an elderly person
in a wheel chair, a man with an extremely wrinkled
face sitting on a curb or a woman sitting alone on a
park bench.
 I am always drawn to people who have lots of
character and emotion in their eyes and face.
Whether it is happiness, sadness, despair, or fear,
I love photographing people who wear their emotions
on their sleeve.
Once you spot someone you want to photograph, walk
over and make contact with him or her. As I have
already mentioned, you can't just walk up and ask to
take pictures. Generally people are already going to
be very suspicious of you (and why you are talking
to them out of the blue). My main opener is usually
to approach and ask for directions. This usually
reduces their suspicion and is a great conversation
starter. Here's how it might go:
You
"Hello...do you know where Washington Avenue is?"
Street Person
"Hmmm...I think it's two blocks that way."
You
"Thanks (looking around). Are you from around here?"
Street Person
"Why?"
You
"Oh...I am just a little turned around."
Street Person
"I am originally from Chicago"
You
"Have you been living in Seattle long?"
Despite it being deceptive on my part to ask for
directions, I have found this is the best kind of
opener for a cold contact. If you have a problem
with this approach, the alternative is to simply
walk up and introduce yourself. This approach tends
to be much less successful. People are usually very
suspicious of the, "Hi, where are you from..." or
"Hi, I am Steve Paxton, what's your name..."
question that seemingly comes out of nowhere. You
have to ease into it. I recommend trying out a
couple of different openers to see what works best
for you.
Composition and Lighting
I have talked about the two main ways I make contact
with people on the street. You have to tailor your
approaches so that they work for you (and that you
are comfortable with). Once you get permission to
take the portrait, it's time to break out the camera
and start taking photographs. Your time is going to
be very limited (several minutes at the most). As I
am talking to the subject, I slowly sidestep in a
circle until the best light is landing on my client.
As you move and talk, the person will naturally
track you with their head and body. This puts you in
complete control of the lighting and background.
Tall buildings act as natural reflectors and often
create wonderful fill lighting. Move around as you
talk until you find the most ideal lighting.
Along with lighting I also pay close attention to
the background. For example, I try to minimize
horizontal lines cutting through the person's head
and neck and other distracting elements. If the
background is just too busy or distracting, bend
down and shoot your portrait upward at a 45-degree
angle. Remember to keep talking!
 Keep Talking
I am always asking questions as I shoot my
photographs. This helps the client relax and forget
that I am photographing them. I usually ask
questions like how long they have been in the city,
where they grew up and how they ended up living on
the streets. I take a lot of photographs. I may take
50+ shots of a single person I contact in just a few
minutes. I do this because I am capturing tiny
little moments of that person's life as they answer
my questions. I am trying to capture the micro
expressions that surface a fraction of a second at a
time. These micro expressions are what separate
mediocre urban portraits from good ones. Taking a
lot of photographs is also an insurance policy
against the blink factor (capturing shots of the
person blinking) and blurred shots from movement.
If they seem interested, I may show them a couple of
the images (by letting them see the LCD on the back
of my camera). This can break the ice even further
and allow you to shoot longer. Most people will only
put up with a few minutes of you pointing a camera
in their face. Don't forget to move around and shoot
from different vantage points. I always shoot
tightly cropped photographs; however I may back up
and shoot a wider view especially when there are
objects nearby that help tell the story (beer
bottles, a sleeping bag, garbage, etc.).
Money
Sometimes I hand out a dollar or two near the end of
a contact. Sometimes I don't offer money and simply
thank the client and move on. Every person is
different. I really don't like turning my urban
contacts into a quid pro quo situation where I am
paying a homeless person to photograph them.
You certainly need to take some money with you. I
usually take ten dollar bills and a handful of
quarters. I keep the bulk of the money in my right
pocket and a single dollar bill and few quarters in
my left pocket. Since I shoot with my right hand, I
can quickly reach in my left pocket and scoop out a
dollar bill and a few quarters. Separating the money
keeps me from pulling out too many bills at once and
making it appear as if I have a lot of money on me.
I almost always say, "This is all I've got..." as I
hand them the dollar out of my left pocket. The
money part of this goes right to the heart of
safety. Remember that many of these people have
warrants for their arrest, criminal convictions, are
registered sex offenders, are intoxicated, or have
mental health issues. It is not a smart idea to
advertise that you're carrying gobs of money with
you. I am very low key about giving away money and
try not to make it a big deal. You might be
surprised how many homeless people who will allow
you to photograph them without asking for money.
 Tell the Story
I like to be able to document a little bit about
each person I photograph on the street. Being able
to tell a little bit of their life story makes your
images stronger and more interesting. It also helps
your viewers connect with the person on a deeper
level. All the questions you have been asking during
the build up and while taking the photographs is the
story. Don't let the information go in one ear and
out the other. Remember their name and some of the
basic details about their life. I have a terrible
memory so I try to write out some basic notes
immediately after each contact. It is not a bad idea
to have a pen and small notepad in your camera bag
(however don't take notes during the contact).
Processing Your Images
Capturing urban portraits is only half the fun! Once
you have captured a few shots, the next step is
process the images. This is where individual style
and taste really come into play. I like to
desaturate my urban images and give them a gritty
feel. There are lots of ways to achieve the look you
are after. I encourage to you play around and
experiment.
During processing you can also fine tune the
lighting through basic dodging and burning. My
typical workflow includes lightening the eyes,
lightening shadows on the face, desaturating the
color and significantly darkening the background (to
make the portrait stand out a bit).
 Conclusion
Urban portrait photography is as challenging as it
is rewarding. Photographing strangers is sure to
stretch most people outside their comfort zone. You
will learn a lot about the people you contact, but
you are certain to learn even more about yourself.
Load up your camera bag and hit the streets!
About the "Least of These" Series
The "Least of These" series is an urban portrait
project with the central theme based on Matthew
25:34-40. Each image uniquely captures a person who
is homeless, destitute or precariously in need. My
goal has always been to capture the best in each
person I photograph. This series has been no
exception.
Matthew 25:34-40
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your
inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave
me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed
me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in
prison and you came to visit me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when
did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you
a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and
clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison
and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers of mine, you did for me.'
About the Author
Steve Paxton lives with his wife and two children in
the Seattle area. Steve has been a photographer for
over fifteen years. His experience ranges from
wedding and portrait work to landscapes and crime
scene photography. You can find more of Steve's work
at
www.paxtonprints.com and
www.paxtonportraits.com.
Get the PDF version of this article
here.
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