How Can I Take Pictures of Strangers on The Subway?

Dec 5, 2007

There’s a couple I see on the L train some mornings, and they look fascinating to me. They’re both the same height and carry matching aluminum coffee thermoses. He has sunglasses and a soul patch — he’s medium build, which looks stocky compared to the stocky weeds that populate the train cars in my neighborhoods. She has red hair. They stand there and face each other and look completely compelling to me. I almost took a picture of them last time — hoping to do it secretly. But that’s impossible, right? They’d notice and I’d be put in jail for mashing or being a creep or something. Or maybe I could ask? But what if they say no? I run into these guy a bunch.

The only plan I can think of: take their picture. If they notice, apologize. And no matter what, I move out of Williamsburg the next day.

| Tags: nyc, photos

12 Replies

Billy P
Dec 5th, 2007 at 5:39 pm

Say “Hi, I’m doing a photo series on thermoses–would you mind if I got a picture of you with yours?”

Perfectly natural.
Dan Dickinson
Dec 5th, 2007 at 6:15 pm

Just shoot it; make sure the flash is off, the camera doesn’t beep or have a particularly loud shutter sound, and if you’re going to feel creepy, try to hide the camera as best you can or look like you’re fiddling with it.

I just noticed I have 80 photos from the subway. This depresses me.
Jim
Dec 5th, 2007 at 7:21 pm

Didn’t you used to be a journalist? Aren’t you now heavy into improv?

There must be a place where these two points intersect and provide an excuse to take one simple picture, right?

If not, have a buddy pose next to them a la Cusack in “Say Anything.”
chad
Dec 6th, 2007 at 1:55 am

as a photographer… just take it.

they are in front of you… what? do you have a point and shoot? a camera phone? DSL? you just take it.

if they notice - you just look at them and smile. if they don’t - it doesn’t matter.

take it.
Anonymous
Dec 6th, 2007 at 1:00 pm

Can you pretend that you are looking at your other pictures and then subtly take a picture of them instead? I am the worst at covert picture taking. I shouldn’t offer any advice whatsoever.
Benjamin Ragheb
Dec 6th, 2007 at 3:06 pm

If you ask to take their picture because you are an amateur photographer (or whatever you want to call yourself) and you think they make an interesting subject (”I’m doing a series of subway rider portraits”), they will probably say Yes.

If you just take it, and somebody notices, they will be suspicious. At that point, if you say you are an amateur photographer and you think they make an interesting subject, they will probably think you are lying.
Jennifer
Dec 6th, 2007 at 3:17 pm

Ben’s right. Someone took a cellphone picture of me once while I was putting on lipstick and it was very uncomfortable. I actually didn’t notice it, but a man near me did, and then confronted said photographer. Those two got in an argument, and it got ugly. I was afraid it would lead to fisticuffs, and got off at the next stop, pausing only to say to the photog, “Pervert.” Moral - even if the couple doesn’t notice, someone else will.
katey
Dec 6th, 2007 at 4:51 pm

i took a picture of a napping woman holding a napping boston terrier in her arms on the subway. no one noticed. or if they did, they pardoned it as an act performed under the duress of extreme cuteness.
anonymous
Dec 6th, 2007 at 6:14 pm

just wondering.. You said they were compelling and all but why is it you want to take their picture- since you seem them a bunch?
If you were part of such a couple how it make you feel if a stranger took your picture?
tony
Dec 6th, 2007 at 10:09 pm

Will, ignore these namby-pamby naysayers. And Jennifer, aren’t you flattering yourself just a bit by saying the photog was a pervert? Maybe he was working on a photo series of fugly bitches.
Jim
Dec 7th, 2007 at 8:21 pm

It’s been two days. Where’s the next post with a pic of the compelling couple in it? Plenty of good suggestions here on how to take the pic.
Linda
Dec 10th, 2007 at 8:36 am

I think that’s me you’re talking about.

PERVERT.