Tips and Tricks to Photographing in a New Environment!

Hi everyone! Recently, I visited New Orleans with my mom on a quick weekend trip, and I would like to share some photographs I have taken. I would like to tie in a lesson for you young photographers as well. Taking photographs of people in a new place can be scary because you do not know how they are going to react. Instead of just telling you guys to be brave and suck it up, I am going to share some tips with you guys!

I took several different types of photographs in my time in New Orleans: landscapes, architecture, people, etc. Even with photographing architecture, I grew nervous at first that home owners would come out of their house and grow mad at me. I am in a new environment, so I do not know the silent rules of the city. However, I did not let my fear stop me from taking photographs and exploring my creativity.

Here are some tips to street photography or even just photographing in a public setting:

• Always smile to make sure you do not look threatening
• Have a buddy/partner next to you just in case someone gets angry and confronts you aggressively
• When on a street, just snap a bunch of photographs all around, so it does not look like you are targeting a specific person or place
• Use a long lens;I did not do this because I travelled light this trip, so I only had my normal lens on me. However, this is an advantage for street photography, so you do not have to be up close and personal to strangers to get a detailed and interesting photo!’
• And lastly…have fun! Do not be too stressed about people watching you or getting upset. Act natural, and if soemone does come up to you upset, just tell them you are sorry and you will delete the photo. The last thing we need is to get into a public fight in the middle of a new city!

Now, here are some of my photographs that I took while listening to these rules. Follow my instagram to see updates about future posts!