Animating Street Portraits with Props

Originally, a prop, fka (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or on screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, and costumes. The term comes from live-performance practice, especially theatrical methods, but its modern use extends to film, television, and photography.

A simple yet highly effective way to animate and spice up an interactive aka posed street portrait is to use impromptu props in the scene. An impromptu prop for interactive street portrait photography would be anything that the subject owns, holds or touches and/or something near the subject that adds to the story and dimension of the image. Utilising props that mean a great deal and are highly personal to the subject, such as below the Buddhist prayer wheel, Mao’s Little Red Book, or the sadhu’s walking stick, can make the street portrait more unique and tell a story about that person.

Using props in portrait photography is a simple way to create a strong point of interest in the image. Props can complement the subject and make the picture more visually appealing. Props help to tell a story, producing a more intriguing photo for the viewer to look at. Cell phones, flowers, umbrellas/parasols, cigarettes/cigars, books/newspapers, food/drinks, musical instruments, cameras and pretty much anything else that the subject can lay her/his hands on will make a good impromptu prop for interactive aka posed street portraits.

Examples of street portraits "propped-up" with cell phones:

Examples of street portraits "propped-up" with flowers:

Examples of street portraits "propped-up" with cigars, cigarettes, vapes, chillums, beedies:

Including a prop will add another level for the eye to the process, therefore it is imperative to clean up everything else as much as possible: a tight frame/crop, a clean background/backdrop, and minimal distractions in general. Any prop should always be used to the advantage of portraying the subject. The objects used in the picture should be very convincing for the viewer in understanding the subject; there has to be a reason for the object to appear in the image. This can be done with the help of (i) person-related props, (ii) context-related props, and (iii) time-related props. Of course, the transition from one prop category to the other is gradual.

(i) Person-related props help the viewer to understand the character, personality, mood, attitude and role of the photographed subject:

(ii) Context-related props help the viewer to learn about the subject’s environment, culture, religion, nationality, and/or occupation:

(iii) Time-related props help the viewer to fantasize about the subject’s past or future:

More blog entries depicting impromptu props for street portrait photographs:

• Food/drinks (Slurping Oodles of Noodles, Munching at Donghuamen Nightmarket),
• Umbrellas/parasols (Dancing with the Thai Chinese),
• Musical instruments (Facing Exotic Northern Borneo),
• Pieces of art (Profiling Coconuts on Sulawesi),
• Books/newspapers (Making Decisions in Tamil Nadu).

Wearing Fancy Sunglasses

Sunglasses aka shades aka sunnies are ubiquitous: (i) part eye protectors, (ii) part disguise, (iii) part fashion statement.

(i) They offer protection against excessive exposure to light, including its visible (e.g. glare) and invisible components. The most widespread protection is against ultraviolet radiation, which can cause short-term and long-term ocular problems. For adequate UV protection, experts recommend sunglasses that reflect or filter out 99 % or more of UV light with wavelengths up to 400 nm.

(ii) Sunglasses can also be worn to hide one's eyes. They can make eye contact impossible, which can be irritating to those not wearing sunglasses. Eye contact can be avoided even more effectively by using mirrored sunglasses. Sunglasses can be used to hide eye movements and emotions since many facial expressions involve the eyes. In all cases, hiding one's eyes has implications for nonverbal communication: sunnies may slightly obscure our view of the world, but they also hide the world's view of how we are feeling.

(iii) Fashion trends can be another reason for wearing sunglasses, particularly designer sunglasses from high-end fashion brands. Sunglasses of particular shapes may be in vogue as a fashion accessory. Fashion trends can also draw on the association with a particular lifestyle. Worn equally by men and women, sunnies can simultaneously say we are funny, cool, trendy, mysterious, intimidating... Once more, the map isn’t the territory and human projection prevails.

For taking street portraits of people with sunglasses, aperture-priority mode (f/2.8 ... f/4.5) and single-point auto focus might be a practical beginning, before one decides to shoot in manual mode. If necessary, changing the angle/position of the subject and/or the camera might help to avoid unwanted reflections.

(iv) Mirrored sunglasses with a reflective optical coating on the outside of the lenses are also useful impromptu props for self portraits.

Portrait photographs with exif data, geotags and other specs in Matt Hahnewald's

Flickr Album 2015-03b Doubling Down on Doubles