Dumbfounded by depth of field? Clueless about colour space? Send your technique and camera questions to digitalcamera@futurenet.com

Andrew James

Andrew is a highly experienced writer and photographer – if you have a problem, he is here to help.

Colourful and busy locations, outdoor markets offer great opportunities for candid photography.

Andrew James

A people poser

Q

I love to travel and want to capture more of the sights, but I feel nervous about getting my camera out. Do you have any advice?

Tanya Flowers

A

Having some anxiety when you are photographing people going about their business is perfectly normal. I’ve taken a lot of street-style images in this country and all around the world, and there are always a few moments of nerves when you put the camera to your eye and start taking pictures, because you just don’t know how people are going to react.

I think it’s easier in really busy places where people are constantly coming and going. In fact, half the time they won’t even notice you. If I’m in a new city, I look for outside markets, as there is always colour and energy in these places. I prefer to work with a wide lens, too – anything from 16mm to 35mm – so often you’re not having to point the lens directly at the subject. Half the time people won’t even notice you, as they’re so engrossed in what they’re doing. If they do, they’re likely to think they’re not even in the frame.

The shot above is an example of this. The focal length is 17mm and the man in the top left has no idea he’s in the composition, even though I’m really close to him – from his viewpoint it just looks like I’m photographing the fruit. The other key is to be confident. There will still be moments when people question what you’re doing, but this doesn’t have to be confrontational. One thing to remember when shooting at markets is that you can get colour casts, as the light filters through the canopy of a stall, so I set Auto White Balance and always shoot raw files.