Sweet people in Brussels
Ack, how much do I love this little girl…
She and her family were walking by as we were wandering along taking photos and soaking up the (too hot) sun. I caught her eye and smiled and she came running up with a big smile, interested in the camera. Her family, behind her, was also smiling and clearly welcoming. So I knew it would be at least okay to ask to take their photo. Which I did! They were all enthusiastic.
I crouched down so I was at the same eye-level of the little girl. This is really useful to make kids feel comfy and also so that your images show them as equal. If you take a photo of a kid from above, they appear small and powerless. So eye-level is usually my go-to angle for children.
We had a lovely little exchange and I showed them the back of my camera with the images. She was very excited to see her face on the screen. :)
My big regret is that I didn’t take their contact info to send them this photo afterwards - I absolutely should have. And will do in future. Especially when it’s such good feelings all around.
And: technically I should have also asked them to sign a release for this image (!). There are some apps that are really handy for this. I didn’t think of it at the time, which is my bad.
Street photography can be tricky to navigate ethically speaking - especially in places like Germany where it’s actually illegal to take photos of strangers on the streets - but most of the time I have had really positive experiences taking / making photos of folks on the streets. It comes down to your approach and doing what feels right in the moment (for everyone, not just your camera ;)).
But yeah...those release forms must be prioritized! Note to self…
P.S. Easy Release is the name of the app that the incomparable @amivitale recommended during one of her awesome online workshops that I took earlier this year. It works on both Apple and Android.