Smile And Shoot
Yesterday, as part of the FotoWeek DC festival, we had a portfolio review with the wonderful D.C.-based photographer Frank Van Riper. Frank publishes photo books, runs photo workshops, and employs skills developed during his first career as a New York Daily News reporter to write about photography. One of his favorite photographers is the late Gary Winogrand, whose massive retrospective will be installed at The National Gallery of Art next March. In reading some of what Frank has written about Winogrand in the Washington Post, we were reminded that Winogrand’s technique for disarming people on the street who might not at first understand why someone was taking their picture was always to smile and be friendly. We tend not to have much problem doing so, which is how the photo above, taken on Friday, ended up with us having a nice conversation with the women who, in this frame, admittedly do not seem particularly happy…
Not everyone likes getting their picture taken. Or appreciates being surprised.
Smile when you shoot. For when you do, people often respond in kind.
Tulip Frenzy 
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