my greatest handicap

[siopaopei]

This is a photo i took of a boy selling rosaries and scapulars outside the Quiapo church in the Philippines. It's pretty obvious I took the shot on the sly. i guess with street photography, my greatest handicap is my shyness. do you guys have any tip on how I can shoot better photos of people like these on the street? is there any way i could have made the shot better? thank you guys. also, i'd like to thank you for all the critiques on the photos i've posted so far. you're all very accomodating and helpful, and your comments have helped me a lot.

[xxpinballxx]

try reading here on getting over the shyness.
shooting in public
I think you'll find it useful from us who are shooting in public and have gotten over the fear.
Did you do any post work? There seems to be a halo around the boy from some blurring or sharpening not sure which....

This is a good shot with a great story. I think I would crop a bit off the top and right side. There is a bit too much area there my tastes.

[siopaopei]

yes i had to darken the background a bit because it's so busy. i guess the halo shows too much. i'll try to redo it. thank you. and thanks for the link! i'm reading the photographers' rights at the moment.

[windrider86]

I used to be so shy that i couldnt even force myslelf to go to McDonalds and order food. Many years ago I had a gal i worked with who told me life was like an acting career and how a lot of the movie stars you see are really shy so to pretend you are acting and kind of put yourself into another body, act goofy if you want. Laughter always works as a great buffer.
That advice always stuck with me and today I've actually done motivational seminars in front of 30thousand people and didnt blink an eye.

[jdwalz]

The expression, the softness of background and lighting are all very subtle but convey something dramatic.

As for shyness, all I can say is that you can try a Zen-like approach, which is just to drop the whole thing altogether and just be spontaneous and totally in the moment.
Go up to someone you find visually interesting and say something like "I'm going to make you famous..." take the shot and then tell them, "you're going to make me famous!"
Laugh, keep things light and lighten up on yourself. Nothing makes people tense like a camera shoved in their face so be playful about it. Flattery will go a long way with many people, but be sincere.
When I was younger I had my photographer persona which was much more outgoing and fearless. Now I just be myself and don't worry about things much, because there is nothing to fear but rejection and that is not so bad. I try to remember that other people are shy and afraid as well.

The young man you photographed should be grateful that an artist captured his image and did it so wonderfully. You're a very good photographer, people shoould be grateful to have you take their portrait.