How to Do Street Photography

Pittsburgh 1970

Photographers develop their own specialties as they take more and more pictures. Over the years, I have developed a number of specialties, but one of my favorite things is to take candid pictures of people on the street. Street photography was really defined by the famous French photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson as he developed his concept of the decisive moment. The concept is that each photograph has one decisive moment for the perfect photograph. An illustration of this would be to think of a baseball player catching a ball. The decisive moment is just as the ball is entering his mitt; if it is still in the air, you don't know the outcome. If his mitt has already closed on the ball, it is too late; you missed the actual catch. In this article we will discuss some of the basics of street photography and how to be aware of that decisive moment.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• A Digital camera
• Someone to watch your back

1. NY 1974

   The first thing to be aware of when doing street photography is that not everyone wants to have their picture taken. It is always good to have someone with you to watch your back while you are in creative mode. You also have to be aware of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. The principle is defined as changes that the act of observing will make on the phenomenon being observed. This picture is a classic example. Before I raised my camera to take the picture, the young lady was looking right at me and not smiling. Putting the camera to my eye made her look away and smile, creating the dramatic tension between her and the men surrounding her who were trying very hard not to check her out. The act of observing created this image.

2. Taste Buds

   To get really candid pictures of people, there is nothing like attending an event. People are less concerned with themselves at events and not overly concerned with being photographed. This image was taken at a now banned street event at Penn State University. Contestants had to "run" a mile and stop at five area taverns and drink a 12-oz. beer at each one. The proceeds went to charity, but too many people would get sick trying to do this and the event was eventually outlawed. The "taste buds" were really not at all concerned with being photographed.

3. Fifth Avenue

   Modern digital cameras make street photography really easy, since you are not concerned with wasting film and having to process it. You can photograph people and create really natural street portraits without ever looking through the viewfinder. Simply adjust your ISO setting so you can take pictures while walking and still freeze motion without using a flash. Use a wide-angle lens and hold the camera securely against your midsection while walking. Don't look at your subjects and just take hundreds of images to get one good one. This type of "urban portrait" captures honest expressions and feelings; it eliminates the observer effect.

4. Taking a Nap

   I call this sort of photography "wild photography" because it is like capturing wild sound for a movie. These pictures almost always require editing, so you need to have a fairly high-resolution camera to do this sort of photography. I cropped almost half of this image away, but the expression on the little girl's face is peaceful and priceless.

5. Ewww

   I took this picture while waiting for my wife and daughter. Even if you don't have a wife or daughter, just lean against a building and pretend like you are waiting for someone. A bored look will help diffuse the presence of your camera. I had been taking pictures of the Chicago Theater before taking this picture and retreated to my spot against the building, so the subjects thought I was just taking pictures of the landmark. I call this picture "Ewww," because it describes the look on the subject's face while looking at the "Wicked" display sign.

6. The Good Book

   Sometimes your subject can be completely unaware of your presence, but there can be interesting interactions between others surrounding the subject. This person was reading out loud from the bible, which caused this interesting flow of interaction between the child, the bible reader and man with the pipe, who was very aware of my presence. Street photography does not need to be combative to be effective. It does, however, require patience, discipline and a willingness to put yourself in some uncomfortable situations.

Tips & Warnings

• You don't need a model release to take street photographs and display them artistically. You will need a model release if you want to use the image for commercial endeavors.

• Always be safe and have a friend with you when photographing on city streets.

Resources

• Henri Cartier-Bresson
• Streetshots
• Visionaries