Street Photo Tip: Icebreaker for Street Portraits

Here's a quick tip that I think would benefit all street photographers to some degree but would be particularly helpful to those that engage their subjects more, like doing street portraits.

Make a business card for yourself.

Include a sentence saying that if they contact you you’ll send them a digital copy of the image/s. Include your contact info and your social media profile/s. I have all this laid over an image that has a lot of dead space but still represents what I do.

When I approach a person, I either already have it out or I reach for it shortly after I begin talking to them. It’s a gesture that gains trust but allows for them to get something back for the time they gave you. Make sure of course to respond and fulfill your promise to get an image back to them.

Luckily, you can get inexpensive business cards easily.

Upon moving to France, I had a stack made in French so I didn’t have to rely on relaying all the correct information in a language that I still haven’t mastered or asking them to understand english.

Keep a few in your wallet at all time and look forward to having to restock them. This of course helps build followers to your socials too. It’s an inexpensive win in every direction.