Inspirational work from top street photographers. Street Photography: Laws and Rules Best Street Photographers
In this article, we will touch on street photography, or rather, consider the TOP 20 tips for beginner photographers.
Less is better. With heavy luggage it is difficult to move around the city. By getting rid of unnecessary things, you can take pictures and change positions much faster.
Don't go to tourist places. Parks and alleys are great places for staged photography, but to convey the real atmosphere of the city, you need to photograph behind the scenes.
The reality of color. Black and white can create a great effect for a tense environment, however, you can often find something bright and radiant and you need to be ready to photograph in color.
Background. Pay attention to what is happening behind the main subjects. Various road signs, signs or advertising boards can fill the frame.
Use slope. Do not keep the camera in a horizontal position all the time. Street photography is notoriously informal, so feel free to experiment with angles.
The attraction of opposites. Photos that clearly show contradiction and deviation from the norm are most often effective and exciting. Try to choose an unexpected composition for your subject.
Street concerts. Actors in the parks, musicians in the passageways, a parade procession or a festival on an impromptu stage can serve as excellent subjects for photographs.
Outside the streets. Every street leads somewhere. Take your pictures in the places where the road has taken you. It can be zoos, exhibitions, various shows and amusement parks.
New Horizons. Try to climb as high as possible or go down to where few people have been before. This will make it possible to take pictures that will open up an overview of familiar places, but from a completely new angle.
Repetition and practice. Constantly practice photography, over time your technique will improve and you will notice more interesting details and nuances on the streets. In order to reach heights - constantly train.
Luck is the companion of brave people. There are times when you need to get closer to the subject to create a good shot, but this may not always be correct. By taking a risk, you can get a great shot.
Be alert. The situation on the streets is constantly changing. Do not hide the camera far and be ready not to miss the moment of shooting, which can last for a split second, and if you hesitate, you will lose a valuable shot.
Waiting for the right moment. Photographs of street life are not always spontaneous. For example, you can conceive an interesting shot at a pub, but at the right time there will be no people there. Do not worry. Just need to come back next time. Maybe then you'll be lucky.
Stop the movement. The street is filled with movement and life. Everything flows and changes in seconds. Set your shutter speed slower and your ISO up a bit. This will freeze one moment from the life of the street.
Be part of the street. Blend in with the crowd. Don't be intrusive.
Life through optics. Try shooting with a wide-angle or fisheye lens.
Be polite. Not everyone may like being filmed. Don't impose. Be polite. Take pictures where you are welcome. Delete photos if asked to do so.
Place, place, and again place! Choose places where people interact a lot with each other and easily make contact.
When photographing on the street, you should independently notice the places and times when it is better to shoot.
Most genres in photography can be easily identified or described at least by the subject. If a photographer shoots natural beauties and landscapes, then, therefore, he is engaged in landscape photography. If he photographs people, their faces and emotions, then we are talking about portrait photography. It is much more difficult to define the genre of street photography.
At first glance, it seems that street photography is about shooting people, objects and interesting events taking place on the streets of the city, in parks or other public places. But in fact, street photography may not necessarily mean shooting on the street. Perhaps the main thing that distinguishes street photography from all other genres is the desire of the photographer to find some zest in everyday events and ordinary life of people, satisfy his curiosity in unexpected cases and capture the true diversity of the surrounding world in the pictures.
Therefore, a real street photographer is not limited to any strict definition of the genre of street photography - he can concentrate on comical situations that a person constantly encounters in his life, draw the viewer's attention to acute social problems, or choose to shoot a certain event that seems interesting to him. Be that as it may, a street photographer is constantly looking around for interesting scenes and curious incidents, focusing his camera, first of all, on people and their actions.
Becoming a street photographer is very simple - you just need to carry a camera with you at all times, wherever you go. This is how many professional photographers who became famous thanks to the genre of street photography began. You don’t need to go anywhere, just walk around your city and strive to take interesting shots. This is the beauty of street photography. Take your camera with you and go to work, classes or just a walk around the city, and you can always find time to take some interesting shots.
Author: schaaflicht By the way, for street photography it is not necessary to use an expensive SLR camera, because it will be hard to carry around with you. It is enough to acquire some advanced and convenient compact camera, which, thanks to its modest size, can always be put in a bag or pocket. Carrying a camera with you at all times is actually the rule for any photographer who wants to master street photography. Interesting and funny moments on the street often appear at the most unexpected moment. And if you do not have a camera at hand, you may later regret that you missed a great opportunity to take the most successful shots of your life. Street photography implies that anything can happen in the next second and the photographer must be ready for it.
However, in addition to the fact that the photographer must catch some interesting moment on the street, he must also correctly beat him in the context. Comparing the event that interests him with the environment, a street photographer always strives to create a certain story, a plot that can express the humor, irony of the author or the beauty of the world around him.
Usually photographers go to the city center, where a huge number of people pass through the streets every day and there are many interesting events that just need to be noticed. This is where the photographer needs to know how to wait. Although modern digital photography technology allows you to take hundreds of pictures in a matter of minutes, but in the case of street photography, the main thing is not quantity, but quality. Still, it’s better to wait for an interesting, curious moment and take just a few successful shots, having previously studied the place, the light, the actions of people and the surrounding objects.
The skier stayed until the summer The behavior of the photographer and ethics are important aspects when it comes to the genre of street photography. When photographers first get into street photography, they are inevitably overcome by a certain timidity and stiffness. Many people simply don’t feel comfortable being on the street with a camera and taking pictures of people who immediately pay attention to you. If you really want to become a street photographer, then you have to forget about shyness and what other people think of you.
Regarding the very behavior of the photographer on the street, there are no universal recipes. Many famous photographers have used special tricks to get lost in the crowd and remain invisible. For example, someone covered the camera from prying eyes or filmed "from the hip" so that people passing on the street did not understand that they were being filmed. This street photography technique also means that you must look like a typical representative of this urban area in order to be able to completely blend into the crowd and at the same time shoot people up close without getting into the frame. We can say that in this case, the photographer is required to possess real ninja skills. However, this is absolutely not necessary. Some photographers succeed, on the contrary, due to their directness, courage and openness. In short, here everyone should find their own approach.
It is believed that it is impossible to shoot people without permission on the street. People are often annoyed when they suddenly realize that they are caught in the lens of a camera. Some even openly express their dissatisfaction and go to conflict. Only a smile helps a photographer in such a difficult situation. Try to smile more often at strangers on the street, and a positive response will not keep you waiting. It is better, of course, to politely ask permission to take pictures from a person who has interested you in something. If someone does not want to be photographed, you need to show respect and leave him alone.
I must say that not all street photographers share the opinion that you should try to ask permission to take pictures from people just walking down the street. In particular, many believe that true street photography must be impartial, which means that the photographer is not at all responsible for the fact that a person or event is in the frame while shooting in a public place. However, if you decide to become a street photographer, then you cannot avoid communicating with strangers, and therefore you need to learn how to properly talk to the person you just photographed.
We must not forget about respect for people. On the street you can find a lot of photographic scenes that can capture a person, to put it mildly, from a not very beautiful side. Sometimes photos of homeless people taken on the street look like pure exploitation of their misery. Photographing such people just to take a photo is probably not a good idea. But to come up with an interesting subject for photography that would evoke in the viewer a feeling that encourages him to help the homeless is a completely different task.
In terms of shooting technique, street photography requires the photographer to get as close to the subject as possible. Always try to get close to people and take more detailed pictures. For street photography, it is important to use wide-angle lenses. Such lenses, firstly, look much less menacing than large telephoto lenses, and secondly, they create such a perspective of the frame in which the viewer will feel part of the scene, and not an outside observer. In street photography, you can also shoot black and white, monochrome images, thanks to which human emotions captured in some decisive, interesting moment are better conveyed in the photograph.
When shooting outdoors, you should always pay attention to the background and lighting features. The background should be chosen so that it can add additional expressiveness and attractiveness to your photo. And at the same time, it should not distract from the main subject. Light is important for any genre of photography, and street photography is no exception.
A street photographer is the exact opposite of a studio photographer, who tries to build the right light, optimally position the subject, decide on the appropriate camera settings in order to get the desired result. The street photographer is different. His main task is to capture any curious moments and unusual things, isolating them from the whirlpool of everyday life in the metropolis. Therefore, for him, the characteristics of photographic equipment are not so important. But, despite the fact that for a street photographer, in general, it does not matter which camera to use - a reflex or a "soap box", he must clearly know how best to use it. A street photographer doesn't have to waste their time changing various camera settings. All this should happen almost on a subconscious level.
Beginners who are just taking their first steps in the genre of street photography often have a variety of doubts and difficulties. They simply do not know how and where to start shooting on the street, what plot to choose? But it is worth immediately discarding these doubts and indecision. After all, this is the essence of street photography - you cannot plan what will happen in the next moment and what subject will suddenly seem interesting to you. You just need to start, take your camera with you and go out into the street, where you will find a wide variety of interesting moments.
I recently discovered an interesting article by American photographer James Maher.
If you shoot a street, it will be very useful to you. For illustrations, my photos.
Street photography is a tricky business. The world around us is rapidly changing, and it takes a fair amount of practice to get it right in the frame.
However, it's not just about practice. Every seasoned street photographer has a number of tricks that make life easier when shooting on the street. These tricks will help you find subjects for your photos so that they are interesting and powerful.
1. Stop
Do you think that street photography is when you take a pleasant walk with a camera around the city? In a way, this is true, but in general it is extremely difficult to walk around, while straining your attention in search of a good shot. You will often simply not be ready to catch the decisive moment. If you try to take your camera out to shoot on the go, your preparations are likely to be noticed. Finally, people usually go in the opposite direction to yours. It's hard to slow down enough to get a sharp shot while still composing the shot correctly. Excellent coordination is required to succeed.
So, it's important to slow down. slowdown! Get in the habit of stopping every couple of blocks for a few minutes. See what's happening. If you want the story to come to you, there is no other way.
Study your surroundings in the most intent way and wait for any situation to arise. You'll be surprised at the number of lucky moments you'll get while you're just standing by.
2. Pay attention to the eyes
If you want to improve your personal portraits, pay attention to the eyes of passers-by. People can hide emotions very well on their face, but their eyes never lie. I've seen too many street photos with expressionless faces. Catch the emotion in the eyes of passers-by.
Direct eye contact is extremely important. It creates a strong bond with the person. I usually try to avoid being noticed, so I often avoid eye contact. But sometimes it pays to wait for the person to look at you. This photo will only get better. Photography will not cease to be objective and impartial at the moment when people take their first glance at you and do not have time to somehow react.
3. Focuson thedetails
Street photography isn't just about photographing quirky neighborhoods or putting as many different people or objects in an intricate frame as possible. Although this is something I see too often in street photos. It's often best to simplify your photos and look for the "little things" - the little hints of life's circumstances that everyone else usually misses. Look at the details: a person's hands, an expression, a piece of clothing, or a single object shot very close and taking up the entire frame. Strong ideas can be expressed through the simplest scenes.
Modern digital cameras produce good image quality at high ISOs. If you're in bright sunlight or shooting still subjects, then you don't need high ISO values like 1600, but in all other cases it will be useful.
If you're using a reasonably good digital camera, you'll quickly notice that shooting at high ISOs will produce much better images despite the higher levels of grain (digital noise). I mainly use ISO 1600, 800 and 3200. Shooting at high ISO values will help you get sharper images thanks to fast shutter speeds and wide open apertures.
Plus, the graininess is great! Just don't make the high ISO image too bright in post-processing. This will kill the photo. When shooting at high ISO, the correct exposure value is extremely important.
5. Find footage without people
Street photography is often mistakenly associated solely with photographing people on the streets. Yes, street photography is about people, more precisely about scenes from the life of the city, but people do not have to be present in the plot at all. There are endless opportunities to take great street photos without people. You just need to look for them.
But don't confuse street photography without people with the cityscape genre. A cityscape is a direct shot of an urban environment, such as a simple shot of the Empire State Building. Street photos tell something about human nature. They contain a message.
Let's take the Layers of the City photo as an example. This photograph shows the changing nature of Manhattan and, in particular, the East Village neighborhood, which is now the city's fastest growing area. The picture shows a gradual change from a shabby past to a smooth, sterile future. This shot tells something about human nature and the nature of cities. This is not just a banal photograph of urban structures.
Night is one of the busiest times of the day. In general, I find nighttime street photos to be more charged with mood and power than daytime shots. You don't need to use flash (although I like the flash-lit view). I prefer to shoot without a flash because I love how everything looks in undistorted artificial light, and I want to capture that great atmosphere that these lights give to the picture.
The main trick to shooting street photography at night without a flash is to find bright areas and wait there (well, shoot at ISO 1600 or 3200). Use light from shop windows and street lights. It's worth it.
Street photography is like fine wine; time makes them even better. This is the thought you need to keep in mind when taking pictures. Think about what might change. Focus on trends or things that won't be around in 2, 3, 10 or 20 years. For example, take a look at this photo from 2012, which shows five people reading in a subway car. In any case, this is not my favorite shot, but it quickly "ages" like wine. In three years, filming something like this may no longer be possible, because everyone around will use e-readers, tablets or smartphones. The idea behind this picture is simply fascinating to me.
Nils Jorgenson tries to capture a street moment filled with meaning in his peculiar style. Both color and black-and-white photographs of this photographer evoke in the viewer a feeling of calmness, then surprise.
Charlie Kirk
Information about Charlie Kirk (Charlie Kirk), presented on his website, looks pretty ordinary, which can not be said about his pictures. This is a photographer from Japan. He likes to shoot in public places, with Kirk's increased interest in beautiful girls, umbrellas, drunk people and mirrors. Charlie's photographs were exhibited at the Format Festival Derby and FOAM Netherlands.
Stefano Corso
Stefano Corso's photographs are full of light and wonderful compositions. His work is shown in numerous exhibitions and galleries.
Felix Lupa
The Ukraine-born phenomenal author has been working as a freelance photographer since 1995. Felix Lupa's photographs are strong and eloquent. It is felt that he fell in love with street photography even before he realized that he was shooting in this genre.
Siegfried Hansen
Siegfried Hansen is a professional photographer. In street photography, he is attentive to people or their faces. His work is also characterized by graphic elements.
Marcos Semola
Marcos Semola is a self-taught photographer from Brazil. He has already published several books on street photography and exhibits his work in different countries.
Alex Kog
Alex Coghe is an Italian photojournalist currently based in Mexico. Street photography is his calling. Alex says the street has become both a gym and therapy for him.
Brian Formhals
Bryan Formhals is the founder of LPV magazine and an avid street photographer. At first, carried away by screenplays, he saw himself as a director. But street photography lured him to her.
David Solomons
For David Solomons, it all started with the Magnum exhibition "In Our Time", which made a lasting impression on him. He was an English teacher, but enrolled in a photography course. David is inspired by color photographs of famous authors such as Joel Meyerowitz, Alex Webb and Martin Parr.
Margie Lang
French photographer Marji Lang loves to travel and photograph outdoors. Her images are characterized by rich, vibrant colors and geometric lines. Margie has a great portfolio with great, highly artistic shots. India is her favorite holiday destination and main source of inspiration. Most of all, the photographer focuses on topics: everyday life, pilgrimage, religion, social and cultural issues.
Yanidel
This famous photographer undertook an 80 week trip around the world. Upon his return, Yanidel updated his website with new experiences he had while traveling around the world, as well as showing his best photos. His style is largely influenced by humanistic traditions. And the main motto of the author when shooting on the street is respect for human dignity.
Cramer O'Neil
Kramer O'Neill is an excellent photographer who emphasizes the details in the frame. Photographing both objects and people, he fills the frames with meaning using lighting.
Sergey Maksimishin
Along with numerous recognitions and awards, Sergey Maksimishin became the winner of the World Press Photo Award. His photographs are phenomenal.
Sagi Kortler
Sagi Kortler stands out for his street photography style. For this author, street photography is more than just a genre. He follows intuition to press the shutter button at a particular moment.
The author does not plan his shots, he allows life to unfold before his eyes, and then photographs it as it appears to him, conveying his feelings. Sagi Kortler contemplates life and observes society, documenting the world in which he lives.
Devin Yalkin
Devin Yalkin creates stunning black and white photographs that capture the mood of the characters in the frame and provide food for thought.
Keith Kirkwood
In her works, Kate Kirkwood idealizes the unfamiliar magic of cities, immersing herself in which she takes special pleasure.
Ricky Seegers
Ricky Siegers is a photographer from the Netherlands who loves to photograph people and their life on the street. Most of his works are black and white and ironic.
Leonardo Amaro Rodriguez
Leonardo Amaro Rodrigues strives to push the boundaries of his abilities by overcoming internal barriers. His photographs express the inner world of the photographer without words. Using light, he shows everything that he feels and thinks about.
Gaby Ben Abraham
For Israeli photographer Gabi Ben-Avraham, street photography is a favorite way to see the world. Although sometimes he has to stand and wait for a long time until an interesting object appears for shooting. It can be a cyclist, a dancer or a child.
The camera has become an integral part of Gabi. He takes it with him everywhere, waiting for the opportunity to take the best photo of his life. And luck smiled at him more than once, judging by the wonderful works that we see.
Chris Marquardt
In 2011, Chris Marquardt released the first two series of his shots taken on the iPhone, an app that aims to give photographers a wide range of shooting options. The images turned out to be very high quality, despite the pocket format of the device. These photos speak for themselves.
Lukas Vasilikos
Lukas Vasilikos became interested in photography in 2006 when he attended a seminar by Manos Lykakis. Since then, he has been enthusiastically filming and multiplying his numerous publications, including on websites.
Eleni Rome
Eleni Rim's color and black-and-white photographs are distinguished by the emphasized framing of frame elements or characters. Her pictures need to be felt.
Konstantin Karaiskos
Bold and dynamic compositions, the contrast between the object in the foreground and the background are characteristic of the photographs of Kostantine Karaiskos. His work definitely deserves our attention.
“The essence of street photography is to capture everyday life and society on the streets. Opportunities to practice this kind of photography are everywhere, and you don't have to travel to distant lands to get a great shot. Pictures in this genre are usually taken in secret, without permission, and the person you are shooting does not even know about it. Still, street photography does not exclude staged shots. You may meet interesting characters that you want to capture - you can go up and ask permission to photograph them: this is a great way to get more personal portraits in a person's familiar environment.
The most important thing in street photography is to have fun with the camera. Remember, your goal is to capture emotions, the inner content of a person, his character. This will take time to learn, but practice and patience will pay off.
Choose the best lens
Lens choice is one of the most important factors in street photography. You may want to use a telephoto lens, but it will likely do more harm than good. It is unlikely that people will like a suspicious type who shoots them from afar with a huge camera. If you want to become invisible, you need to come closer, to participate in what is happening yourself. Take a wide-angle lens and get lost in the crowd. Many street photographers prefer to use a compact camera rather than a large DSLR - compacts are smaller, lighter and more discreet.
Camera settings
The quickest and easiest way to fine-tune your street photography is to switch to Av (Aperture Priority) mode and manually select the aperture value and ISO. The camera will automatically choose the shutter speed. On a clear sunny day, you can set f / 16 and ISO from 200 to 400. If the camera shows a shutter speed of more than 1/200 second, you can shoot. If the shutter speed is less than 1/80, there is a risk that the picture will turn out blurry - however, this can give an interesting effect. If you do not need it, then simply increase the ISO or choose a large aperture.
If you're a beginner, you can always put your camera in P (Program) mode and let the camera choose the right settings for you. In this mode, you can adjust the EV if you want to get an overexposed or underexposed frame. This is handy when you're shooting on the go without thinking about how the shots will turn out, but you don't have full control over what the camera does. Therefore, this is not always the best option. The program mode is not bad, but in low light conditions it is likely that the shutter speed will not be long enough to get a clear image.
Get closer to your characters
Using a wide-angle lens allows you to get closer to the people you are shooting. A wide angle gives the viewer the feeling that he himself is present in the moment captured in the photograph. In addition, such a lens will allow you to blend in with the crowd, become part of the world around you, and not stand aside with long optics.
Many successful street photographs were taken just a few meters from the scene, sometimes a few centimeters. Walking down a crowded street, market, or park can get you some great shots if you're observant enough and looking for interesting characters. And if the pictures taken don't look the way you visualized them for yourself, it might be worth getting closer. Let your feet be your zoom and guide you to the right place at the right time.
Always keep your camera handy
Street photography is spontaneous, it won't wait. You must memorize this. The camera is an extension of yourself, a tool with which you show the world your vision; and you don't want to miss a great shot just because you didn't have a camera handy. If you are serious about street photography, you should always have your camera with you.
This is called the “decisive moment” - when you have only a fraction of a second to photograph something that in the next moment will be gone forever. There may not be a second chance, so be prepared.
Some people get very upset about street photography - they worry that people will get angry because they are being photographed; worried that they might use force or call the police. These are common fears that are overcome with practice and more practice. Here are some tips on how to deal with anxiety.
Find an interesting place and set yourself up there with your camera. When I travel, I spend a lot of time in cafes and restaurants with my camera at the ready. Viewing your surroundings in a comfortable environment, you can relax and wait for the frame to find you. People will pay far less attention to you if you sit with a camera at a street cafe table than if you stand with a camera in the middle of the street.
Turn on the player and go for a walk. Music helps to distract, relax, and at the same time stimulates creativity. It may sound counterintuitive, but it works, so if you're sure the places you'll be walking around are safe, put on your headphones and go. Of course, this does not apply to walks at night, in unfamiliar areas. Never let your guard down.
Shoot from the hip
As a general rule of street photography, if you can shoot with your camera at eye level, you'll get a better shot. But sometimes there are cases when it is impossible to raise it. Therefore, shooting from the hip, so to speak, is a useful method to help capture the decisive moment. When I first started street photography, it was very difficult for me to raise the camera to eye level and point it at strangers. So I started shooting from the hip to get more natural, unstaged images when the characters don't know they're being filmed. The shots weren't great at first, but as I got used to shooting this way and learning how to choose the right focal length, I was able to capture some great moments.
Shoot at night
Shooting a city at night is a great chance to get unique shots. Yes, shooting in the dark is more difficult than in daylight; you need to remember the shutter speed so that the image does not turn out blurry, set the correct ISO and aperture settings to compensate for the lack of lighting.
If you plan to shoot at slow shutter speeds, bring a tripod with you. Or use a fast lens. When shooting at night, try to find interesting lines, shadows, compositions that give the shot a bold visual imagery. Silhouette shooting gives an interesting effect - shadows in the foreground can look very good.
Think big
Strong ideas and emotions can be conveyed through the simplest of scenes. Most people mistakenly associate street photography only with people, their portraits on the street. But it doesn't have to be a person in the frame. On crowded streets, it's hard to keep people out of your camera, so take a quiet alley or alleyway and look for new interesting subjects and themes for your photos. In Vietnam, I spent a lot of time outdoors photographing bicycles, and then these shots became a small series called “Transport”, which was quite successful in the photographic community. I didn't think of all this initially, but it turned out that I had to do something unusual in order to get an interesting series.
Image quality isn't everything
Some photographers may disagree with me, but I personally don't place as much emphasis on image quality when shooting street photography as I do when shooting landscapes or commercial assignments. No, of course, quality should be strived for whenever possible, but for street photography it is not so important. Much more important is the composition, lighting, idea, story. And if your frames combine these four points, then you are on the right track.
Sharpness, lack of noise, perfect image quality - all this is useless if there is no composition and atmosphere in the picture, poor lighting. Focus on what really matters first and you'll get great street shots.
The main thing is pleasure
As in any other genre of photography, it is important to do what brings joy and enjoy what you do. If street photography says nothing to your heart, it's highly likely that your shots will be mediocre. Creativity is where the passion is, so only do what makes you happy, not what others expect you to do. I love street photography because it allows me to freely roam the streets, meet interesting people and see everyday life from a new angle. It inspires me.
Conclusion
Street photography takes practice. The more you do it, the more trained your look becomes, the more confident you feel. This genre is simpler than others, post-processing is not required here, and if it is required, then it is minimal. Perception and intuition are much more important. Perception requires a creative eye for details and close attention to them. Intuition is something sudden, not subject to any arguments. Both of these factors together create that decisive moment. It's an amazing process that takes images to the next level. Thanks to him, street photography appears.
