Times Square, NYC – People!

So, are you joining Rick Sammon, Juan Pons, Smugmug and me in Times Square this Saturday for Rick Sammon’s Times Square Shooting Session? If not, you should be! It is free and, best of all, fun.

I’ll be posting images from Times Square this week along with assorted, miscellaneous and random tips as I see fit! For more information about shooting in Times Square and all over NYC, check out my book Photographing New York City on Amazon or in bookstores.

You aren’t going to visit Times Square without seeing people. Lots of people. Lots and lots of people. If you are very patient and creative, you can take photos even at night of scenes without people. But shooting candid and posed street portraits is lots of fun.

When shooting candid/street photos, patience and a good background are critical. You will miss most of the shots that you see, and many more will have horrible backgrounds! I often will find a place with people with a background that I like and just hang out almost as if shooting wildlife photos. 🙂

Street portraits can be fun as well, and if you are a shy person, this is a great place to try it out. Here’s a tip to break the ice – when you are standing around Times Square with a large camera and look like you know what you are doing, you will be asked many times to take people pictures with their own cameras. When that happens, say sure, and do they mind if you take their portrait with your camera as well? I don’t believe I’ve ever had anyone say no to that request. At that point THEY have already asked YOU for a favor, so it is much easier for you as the photographer to make the request back. Pretty soon you’ll find yourself seeing striking people on the street and will find you have the guts to just walk up and ask if you can take their portrait. Like anything else, practicing it a bit makes it much easier and less scary.