Interacting with Your Subjects

[BHGoddard]

Hi Roger,

I’ve really enjoyed the videos you and James have posted telling the stories behind some of your photographs, many of which capture chance moments of people in their element.

In my wanderings I’ve struggled a bit with the balance between taking photos of fleeting moments as they come and giving the subject of the photos – in many cases strangers – the courtesy of asking permission to take their photo and them declining.

This also relates to capturing something authentic as it happens and compromising a picture by intervening, because as soon as someone knows they’re being photographed, they – even if only subconsciously – will change their behavior.

I was curious if you could speak to this – how often do you let a moment be due to  consideration for your subject or do you pay no mind? Have you gotten any grief in the past for seizing a moment in which a stranger is the main focus of your photo? Or do you have a successful method for asking a stranger if you could take their photo?

Would really appreciate your thoughts, thank you!

Topic

[Roger Deakins]

I don’t really interact with anyone that happens to be in a photo I take. Sometimes I stand for long enough that a person within my view can make a choice whether to be photographed or not but I only rarely specifically ask their permission. That being the case, most of my pictures these days have few people in them or just figures in the distance.

[Author]

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