“So… how do you get so close to people?”

This is probably the most common question I hear during my photography tours in Asia. “How do you approach people to take their photos?”. As it is now the busy season in Hoi An and I run photography tours almost every day, I feel I talk about it daily, and so I’d like to put it in words here. I already wrote a tutorial years ago about how to approach people to take their photos, but an update is long overdue now.

How do I get close to my subject when doing people photography in Asia? A great question,  because taking photos of people while travelling is about more than just technical skills.

Approaching people for photography, especially in countries across Asia, requires empathy, cultural understanding, and the ability to build trust quickly.

Whether you’re new to people photography in Asia or just looking to feel more confident in the way you engage with your subjects, this tutorial is for you.]

Why People Photography in Asia Is So Unique and Rewarding

Asia offers some of the most vibrant and diverse environments for street and portrait photography. Life happens outside — in the streets, on doorsteps, in markets, and in rice fields. In Vietnam, people are out in the streets from 5 or 6am, when the light is best! Which is perfect if you’d like to take nice photos, because, you know it, it’s all about the light!

But what truly makes it special is the human connection. If done with respect and awareness, people photography in Asia allows you to tell intimate stories and document daily life in a meaningful way. And I believe this is a smarter and better way to travel. This allows you to meet the people, learn and experience the culture of where you are, and often leads to unique and memorable experiences.

And it can make your photography better!

Why getting close to your subject is good for your photography:

There are so many good reasons for that, and I previously (another long-overdue-to-update article!) talked about it here.

But to summarise, getting close to your subject will help you:

Control your surroundings:

By getting close to your subject, you are able to control the direction of the light and the background, by simply moving from one side to another. I witness people taking portraits using telephoto lenses and I often feel that they are “victim” of the background available behind their subjects, with little control over it.

Observe the details:

You will also be able to see more of your subject, appreciate some details of what they wear, their clothes or more interesting facial features.

Experience the culture:

And you will most probably have a better travel experience as you can interact with the people from the place you are visiting. And what better way to understand the culture of a place than to connect with its people?

How to approach your subject to take their photo?

First, let’s see an example of what I believe NOT TO DO when taking photos of people on your travels.

We have to thank Chat GPT here for its wonderful suggestion. As much as I agree with steps 1 and 2, step 3 is one of the worst things you can do if you want to take a photo of a stranger in the streets.

What you are going to end up getting when doing this is people awkwardly looking at the camera with either a shy or a huge smile, showing you the V sign with their fingers and waiting for you to take your shot. And that’s in the best scenario. People could also wave you away to F**k off to other lands.

And this is the reason why I never ask my subjects if I can take a photo of them. I mean I literally do not ask them “Can I take your photos?” because I know that will never lead to good candid moments. And I like my photography candid, you know that!

The trick here is not to ask but to be permitted to take photos. I know, right? How does this work?

I want to take a photo of someone if I feel right about it. I need to know that my subject is ok with me taking photos of them. It is better for my consciousness, of course, but also better for the quality of my images (we will talk about this later).

Do not ask people if you can take their picture!

I want to have their permission, but I do not want to ask them directly because, as I said earlier, it will break the natural, candid moment. Also, by asking your subject if you can take a photo, you are going to suddenly put a lot of pressure on them.

For me, asking people “Can I take your picture?” has the same meaning as “Hey, I am taking a photo of you now, are you ready?” Imagine the pressure on your subject. And you are also putting pressure on yourself! “Oh, I have to take a photo now, and a good one, and oh, all these people are looking at me, I have to perform!”

This can be stressful and will usually lead to the photographer only snapping one or 2 images, with a subject often posing in an awkward way. And this will probably not lead you to the best images.

Step 1: Forget “Taking” your shot— Focus on Creating Human Connection

And yes, I know, there are some situations when taking the photo first will allow you to capture the moment. But in these cases, it is also preferable to create a connection and interaction with your subject after the act of taking the shot, to explain to them your reason for taking the photo.

And I don’t mean telling them exactly about your artistic approach to travel and people photography. But more simply, explaining that you are travelling, and you liked what you saw, and you decided to take a picture. Tell them about where you come from and what you love about their country. Show them the photo, bring them a smile, and you will feel good about taking photos of people. And you will make it easier for the next photographer coming along, too. So be nice 🙂

How many times has it happened to us on a photo tour that we approached a certain scene or subject, thinking about taking a photo we saw could be interesting. But by staying around, interacting with our subjects, and spending more time working the scene, we end up with completely new sets of images that we could not think about before. Simply by letting the scene unfold before us.

Step 2: Show interest in your subject

And basically explain to them why you are taking their picture!

Is it because you found them beautiful? You’re interested in their clothes? Their jewellery? The activity they are doing? The products they sell? Or simply you feel like saying hello and chatting with someone in the streets and taking their photos?

People will usually let you hang out with them for a while when you show interest in them. I know it happens to us all the time on our photo tours:  by showing interest in a specific scene, some of the people there will take us to see other steps of the process they are working on.

Here is an example:

Last week I discovered a super cool “peanut factory” outside of Hoi An. Over there, some women roast and sort peanuts and pack them. We walked in the front without really knowing what was going on, and showed interest in an old lady who was sitting on the floor sorting peanuts.

Soon after, she pointed inside the house and told us to go have a look. As we walked in, we discovered 2 women actually roasting the peanuts, with incredible light, smoke…. the kind of scenes that I love! (I felt I was back into the coffee factories of the central highlands of Vietnam).

Once you show interest in what is happening around you and in the people, many doors will open for your photography. You will take the time to let more opportunities come to you, instead of just trying to take a shot.

Step 3: Sign language, lots of smiles and positive energy

I always encourage people on my photography tours to learn at least 3 words of the local language: “Hello”, “thank you” and “beautiful”. These 3 words can go a very long way!

By showing interest in what the people do, you can use your hands, point at things, mimic some things (like pretending to put something in your mouth if you want to ask them if what they have is for eating or something else), and of course, smile a lot. And you do not need the language to do that.

I also find that coming to people with a huge smile and bombarding them with questions about the fascinating things they are doing fills them up with positive energy, making it hard for them not to spend time with me. People see that you are genuinely interested in them, that you are interested in their lives, and that will make a huge difference in the kind of access you will have to your subject.

Step 4: Shoot while you interact/interact while you shoot

One more reason why having a smaller mirrorless camera can help your people photography. It is much easier to keep eye contact with our subjects when we do not place a camera between our face and theirs.

Using your viewfinder will create a wall that may break the dynamic of the natural interaction you were having, and your subject will often begin posing for you, as they know you are taking a picture now. And people usually are nice and polite, and they want to make guests in the country happy, so they will pose. With a cheesy smile.

So, try and capture some more meaningful and candid moments that tell stories about your subject by catching them in the moment. And this will be made easier once you begin interacting with your subject.

Step 5: Take better photos

Now, as I am showing interest and interacting with my subject, I have the time to study my surroundings in more detail. I can adjust my background or change the direction of the light by moving a little bit right or left. While I am close to my subject, I have greater control of my frame, and I can look for other elements that will help me to take a more interesting picture or tell a better story about my subject.

Take a few minutes to watch before even touching your camera. Let locals see you, feel your presence, and understand you’re not just a passing tourist.

Step 6: Let your subjects be the makers of your decisive moment

One of the biggest mindset shifts for better travel photography is this:

👉 Don’t “take” photos — create them with people.

What I mean here is that I often have no idea of what photo I am going to take when I meet my subject first time. I am responsible for my framing, my general composition, but I will rely on my subject to give me an interesting moment. And I know I will get much better results and more interesting images when I first interact with my subject. Because I will be able to understand them better and hang around longer. And ultimately capture a better moment.

This one shift changes everything.

If you approach someone with the idea of mutual respect and shared curiosity, rather than trying to grab a quick shot, you’ll instantly improve both the experience and the photo. You will have more time to study your surroundings and fix a messy background, for example.

Also, one of the mistakes that I see very often from the people joining my photography tours, is that as soon as they find a subject, they point their cameras up, and look at the scene via their monitor, or, even worse, their viewfinder.  By doing this, you totally block the interaction with your subject as you are busy just looking at your camera, waiting for a good composition to maybe magically appear.

More tips:

A mirrorless camera to make it easier

Using a DSLR camera will make this approach much more difficult, because you are going to place a big bulky camera between you and your subject, thus blocking or even stopping the interaction. This is the reason why I love shooting travel photography with my mirrorless Fuji camera (hey you know what? It’s broken again!!!!)

What to Do If People Ask for Money for Photos

Many photographers ask: Should I give money when photographing people in Asia?

Here’s the short answer: Not always. I would even say, not too often.

Sometimes you do, and it’s right to do so, sometimes it is right not to give. This is a grey area and everyone has a different opinion about it.

But if someone is asking you for money, it is because you have failed to approach them the way you should have, maybe by not spending enough time and energy approaching your subject properly, distinguishing yourself from the typical ‘passing tourist.

It could also mean that you’re photographing in an area that’s been heavily exposed to tourism, where locals are used to seeing photographers as walking wallets. In these places, genuine interaction becomes much harder because people are often focused on selling something rather than connecting.

I suggest that first, you try and photograph in places away from the main tourist tracks. In Hoi An, I run my photography tours in villages that are away from where tourists go, and it makes it so much easier to approach people to take their photos. The people actually approach us, as they are curious about what foreigners are doing in their villages.

Then, if you feel that someone may be asking you for money, floor them with your positive energy, and ask a lot of questions (or point) about what they do. It will usually show your subject that you are genuinely interested in them, and the dynamism of the interaction will change dramatically.

But do not forget to give back!

Spend time interacting with your subject when taking photos of them. Maybe you can give them some information about you, or where you’re from. You can of course show them their photos as well, and bring a smile to their faces. But it is only fair to do something positive like this for the people who are helping you create great images!

My process summarised:

This is my process when taking photos of people:

First, I very rarely shoot alone. 99% of the time I take travel photos, I am actually running a photo tour. So I am with someone, or with a small group. And I actually find that it makes it much easier for the approach, as we can together point to the things that interest us and talk about them. People understand that we are interested in that thing that interests us, because we are talking about it. Makes sense?

So I will first come close to my subject(s), often use physical contact, like a handshake for men, and ask them about them and what they do. As I do that, I study the background closely. I try to think about elements that will be distracting, or elements that make sense to add to my subject. Maybe for colour combination, for creating leading lines, or for storytelling reasons.

Once I know which angle to use exactly, I only need to take a step on the side, because I am already close to my subject. It is then easy for me to modify the background.

As I interact with my subject, I can tilt my camera screen in a way that will help me see my frame. Because I do not place my camera to my eye, it is often more like on a chest or belly level. I do this while chatting, and I also try to anticipate what my subject is going to do. Sometimes, as they speak to us about the things they do, they look around at the things they talk about. If I ask them how many cows they have, they look at their cows before replying. You have like an 80% chance to make it happen. At least it works like this for me in Asia.

I also often use continuous focus combined with eye detection. So my focus is done by the camera on my subject’s face (if this is where I want to focus), and I don’t have to worry about it. Oh, and because I shoot in Aperture mode and Auto ISO, I don’t even have to think about my settings, except for my aperture. But I have probably already moved it to where I want, as I was walking towards my subject.

And then, it’s all there. I am in the middle of interacting with my subject, my framing is ready, my settings are ready. All I need to do is press the shutter. But then, as I said earlier, I will wait for a good moment. I do not know what, but something has to happen. Not just a person looking in the camera, and doing nothing. I want some action, some emotion, some moments with a twist that will make my image more interesting.

Want to Practice This in Real Life?

Come and join us on a people photography tour in Asia, where we guide you through immersive, respectful photography in villages, markets, and hidden corners. You’ll learn how to connect through your camera, capture authentic photos of the people, and most importantly, have the confidence to approach people anywhere in the world.