Street photography tip: Photograph someone from very close up
Saturday 13 June 2026, 14:07 by Michiel Heijmans | 1,292 views | 1 commentThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
It can be confronting and sometimes simply difficult to photograph passers-by from close up. What if they see you! It is very much 'in your face', and that stops many people from doing street photography. What a shame!
Besides turning off the sounds on the camera, a street photographer can easily walk through a crowd with the camera at chest height.
It looks as though you are protecting your camera from being bumped. Of course, you do have your finger on the shutter button, but most people do not even notice that. This way, you can get really very close!
Another easy, 'safe' way of photographing is simply pointing your camera and staying put when your subject has already walked past. Do it, because after three times you will no longer find it exciting!
About the author
Michiel is professioneel straatfotograaf en geeft workshops en lezingen over straatfotografie. Hij schrijft columns voor Focus Magazine en is erg actief op Instagram. Daar vind je dagelijks inspiratie en tips voor je eigen straatfotografie!
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1 comment
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willem wrote on Tuesday 16 June 2026 at 19:33
| reply
hi Michiel. i think it is very important that everyone finds their own way. i often photograph with an SLR camera with a 14-24 on it. the advantage of that is that you don't have to aim at your subject so precisely at all. besides that, i am a fisherman, which also makes it a bit easier to blend into the surroundings. regards Willem.
Translated from Dutch.
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