Street with Permission

Portraits of  Strangers by Danny Santos

Here is a beautiful flip side to my previous rant post about aggressive street photography techniques. Danny Santos makes portraits of strangers he meets on the streets of Singapore. Always asking permission, and after two years of practicing this technique, still feeling the anxiety and fear of approaching a stranger before each encounter. But the results are surely worth the effort. Look at the intimacy of subject he achieves with each portrait. These are people who are engaged with the lens, not shocked and oppressed by it. Let me add that several people reacted to the discussion of aggressive street photography by saying they loved the work of Bruce Gilden and Thomas Leuthard. I agree with them. Both Gilden and Leuthard have made outstanding photographs, and obviously don't always use the obnoxious techniques featured in their respective videos (flash photography in the faces of unsuspecting strangers). It is purely this technique that offends and embarrasses me as a photographer, and I don't think good results ever justify a disreputable approach to the medium.

Stranger #9  Danny Santos

Stranger #57  Danny Santos

Stranger #100  Danny Santos

How To Shoot Street Portraits With Permission


Danny Santos