Street Photography Techniques

Street photography is a popular way of documenting the modern society.

Street photography is an exceptionally rewarding medium. Most street photographers find the most difficult challenge is overcoming the fear of taking pictures of strangers. Street photographers are careful how they shoot as they do not want to do anything which will change how the subject naturally behaves. With practice and technique, street photography will become second nature, and reluctance will become less in time. Practice will also train you to achieve better candid shots. The street photographer will find himself selecting which location has the best view and which side of the street offers the best opportunities. Eventually, shooting street photography may even become addictive.

Things You'll Need

• Film or digital camera
• Memory card or film

Instructions

1. Become a participant. Pack a small camera case with a few small lenses, extra camera battery and Compact Flash cards or film. Dress similarly to the people you are photographing and do not hide your camera, allow those around you to become comfortable with the idea that you are a street photographer. Once they realize they are in the presence of a street photographer, they will not be surprised or startled if their photograph is being taken.

2. Equip your camera with a normal to wide-angle lens. Your focal length should not be any longer than 50mm. A focal length of 35mm is ideal. When shooting with a wide-angle lens, you are capturing the individual in a passive manner and can be considered a participant. With a telephoto lens, you may be mistaken for a voyeur. Telephoto lenses may create tension and anxiety in the individual you are shooting.

3. Use fast exposures for shooting street photography. A fast exposure value may be anywhere from 1/100 of a second to 1/2000 of a second. These values will capture motion and diminish undesired blurring. When shooting street photography in low light, use a higher ISO setting to let in more light. ISO values from 400 - 800 may be ideal for extra light; however, the higher the ISO the grainier the image will be produced. Fast exposures are ideal for shooting in crowds, cars in motion, or a single individual's expression. Shooting with fast exposures is best in daylight as the faster the exposure the less light is let into the sensor of the camera.

4. Wait for the composition to come together. This requires waiting at a specific scene until the appropriate individual or subject comes together. Once everything is to your vision, you may move on to the next scene.

5. Search for compositions that reveal dichotomy to build a narrative, create tension and challenge the viewers' preconceived assumptions. Try splitting the composition between reflections on the ground and the scene above, or capturing parts of a building in split light and darkness.

6. Try different angles and perspectives. Shoot from below or find a higher viewpoint. Perspective can create a narrative,for example, shooting an individual from below creates an impression of grandiosity, while shooting from above will make an individual seem small and the importance of your subject is diminished. Try shooting from a multi-story parking lot for a high viewpoint. Make sure your camera is secure when shooting from above.

Tips & Warnings

• Always keep the camera with you. You may find some of the best compositions are during your daily routine. If your camera is too large to carry with you on a daily basis, invest in a smaller point and shoot which can provide a way to capture that opportunistic moment.

• Take a lot of pictures, When shooting, take more than one or two shots of the same composition. At the end of the day, it is not uncommon to have 500 images from a shoot.

References

• Luminous Landscapes; Documentary and Street Photography
• Philip Greenspun; Street Photography