One-Minute Masterclass Advice from Steve McCurry: “Don’t Forget To Say Hello”

One of my favorite quotes by Alfred Eisenstaedt is “It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter”. When we are out shooting street photography, it is often difficult to find time to talk to the subjects we capture, as life often moves at a very fast pace.

Steve McCurry, one of the most pivotal photographers of the 21st century, shares the same notion. McCurry has traveled the world and captured subjects in very intimate settings- and one of his pieces of advice is to approach and talk to people (even for a minute) before taking photos of them. I feel that this is a very important piece of advice to take, especially when visiting foreign countries. The video shown above is a feature put together by Phaidon, which can be viewed here.

Although I still feel that street photography should be done without permission and candidly, I see no problem interacting with your subjects before, during, or even after you shoot them.

Portraits by Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry Portrait

Steve McCurry Portrait

Steve McCurry Portrait

Steve McCurry Portrait

Steve McCurry Portrait

Steve McCurry Portrait

Steve McCurry Portrait

Steve McCurry Portrait

Thanks to Ian Pettigrew for the tip, and let us know how much you like to interact with your subjects when shooting by leaving a comment below!