Photographing the people you meet is an essential part of the travel genre. But photographing strangers is scary, right?
It doesn't have to be. A friendly and sensible approach will help you take some lovely portraits – and enjoy some fun encounters with locals. If you want to set up a portrait, start up a conversation and win the person's trust first – then you can ask to take a photo.
When the chance arises, work quickly. Try a focal length of 100mm and a wide aperture such as f/4 or f/5.6 to separate them from their background, focusing on the eyes. If you can, include a little bit of their environment to help tell the story of who they are. A nice touch is to show them the picture on your LCD screen afterwards, and you might win yourself a little extra time for a few more shots.
A candid shot
Alternatively, if you don't want to directly approach people or aren't comfortable doing so, step back with a 200mm (or longer) lens and watch what is going on around you. With some guile and good timing, you can shoot some natural portraits of locals going about their everyday business, and they'll be none the wiser for it!
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