Street Photography Tips
“Who in their right mind would spend their time photographing streets”, you may be thinking. Well, I have seen beautiful shots of streets, even empty ones!
But that’s not what street photography is, anyway. Basically, it’s taking pictures in public places.
And the picture doesn’t have to include people or streets. Photography has no “rules”; just be creative and use everything you’ve got to obtain that picture you envisaged.
Some prefer not to walk around while street photographing, and instead of getting up close and personal with their subjects, sit in their car, for example, with a telephoto lens, and “spy” on them. Although too much of the latter would be, by pretty much everybody’s standards, plain stalking.
You can’t capture smiles like these with a telephoto lens. And the eye-to-lens contact is priceless! Two men from Ecuador in the above image. We met them in Manhattan. What a great shot! Thanks guys!
In some countries, it’s illegal to take photos of strangers without their consent, but this won’t be discussed in this article. We will instead try to have fun discussing street photography, and will leave the legal side of it alone. The laws of one country (or state) differ from those of another anyway, so ask if it’s legal or not in your country if you’re really concerned.
Times Square at night.
There are many ways to take a picture of someone on the street. The more you practice, the more techniques you discover. Although some photographers frown upon the “spying” techniques of street photography and prefer asking for permission before shooting, it really comes down to personal preference. Besides, in many instances, when you ask for permission, the genuine feeling of the composition just isn’t there anymore. And you could always take the picture, then ask if you could keep it.
A hot dog stand in Manhattan, and a smiley face behind it. Sorry about the highlight clipping. We couldn’t take our time shooting as we were in a real hurry.
The following techniques might help if you want to take pictures as stealthily as possible:
- Ask for permission, then take all the time you need to compose, then shoot.
- Shoot the subject, then ask for permission to keep the photo. If you are really afraid of saying that you already took the picture because the subject looks so mean that he/she could break your camera, then ask for permission to shoot after taking the picture.
- If you have a wide angle lens, then you can get close to your subject and include them in your shot without them even knowing. That’s because your camera was not directed at them when you took the picture. This way they will be on the left or right of the photo, and you’ll get a nice photo that complies with the “Rule of Thirds“!
- If your digital camera has a swivel screen, hold it at waist level and start shooting. You will look as if you’re just looking at the gadget, and not shooting photos with it. Even if there is no swivel screen, you might try shooting several times from waist level, then, in review mode, keep the best photo and delete the rest.
- Like stated earlier, you can shoot with a telephoto lens from a chosen spot, like your car, or while sitting on a bench, for example. But be aware that using a telephoto lens will result in a much shallower depth of field, thus isolating the subject from its surroundings and losing details. But this might not be such a bad thing after all; it all depends on how you visualized the photo in the first place.
- Using an ultra compact digicam often goes unnoticed.
- If someone is moving towards you, aim the camera at them and shoot, or aim it a little ahead so that you take the picture when they come into the frame. Hold your position until they’ve passed. This way it will look as if you were photographing something that’s beyond them.
- Shoot from behind.
- Let someone you know pose for you, and pretend that you are taking their picture while focusing on someone else.
- Don’t take pictures of people. People don’t have to be included in the shot for it to be called a street photograph.
- If you are photographing children, it’s always better to ask their parents first.
Times Square, different angle.
Stealth and asking for permissions aside, here are some hints you might consider while street photographing:
- Give Black and White photography a try. Often the colors aren’t important in a photo; they might even be redundant.
- Be patient. If your subject is aware that you’re photographing her/him and you wanted a candid shot, just wait and there will come a moment when this awareness goes away, if only for a second.
- Use the Continuous Shooting Mode. You’ll be able to filter the results afterwards and keep the best picture.
- Use bracketing. Like in the previous tip, you’ll be able to review and keep the best photo later.
- Choose your settings beforehand. In most cases, the ISO and aperture can be set in advance. This will help you take the pictures as quickly as possible.
If you have never tried street photography, grab your camera and go out. It’s fun, and sometimes you get to interact with people. Be confident, and don’t let yourself feel that you’re doing something wrong. Unless it is wrong and illegal where you live.
