HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH STRANGERS

Have you ever been on vacation and wanted to take a picture of a colorful local character, but felt weird or shy? I definitely have. Have you ever tried to snap a sneaky pic and then either gotten yelled at or had the person demand money? Don't worry, that's happened to me too. Luckily, National Geographic has some great ideas for taking pictures of strangers without coming off like a total creeper (via Today, I'm Bobbi).

I really like the idea of giving something back to the person you want to photograph, whether it's buying something that they are selling or just taking a few minutes to talk to them. I also love the idea of using your camera as an excuse to get to chat with people. I'm not a natural extrovert by any means, but I love to meet new people and hear their stories. When I was a reporter, I used my job as an excuse to carry on conversations with people who I normally would never have had the guts to talk to. Maybe now, my camera can be my excuse.

A boy and his donkey in St. Kitts. I think we gave him a dollar or two to take his picture.

A fiesty 91-year-old Pearl Harbor vet. He said it was okay if we took his picture, "if we hurried".

Old man out for a stroll in Madrid

Cinque Terre, Italy. The best part of going to any European beach is the people watching. I've learned that many Europeans (not all, but many) have a "smaller is better" philosophy when it comes to swimwear. See exhibit A.