Street photography tips

[mrhitchens]

Street Photography has been a passion for me from an early age, from looking at the masters of street photography and then being mentored by a great photographer in my early years.

So lets share your tips and advice with everyone else^^

Feel free to post you tips or links to Youtube videos from Photographers that inspire you etc

[TP1]

So, what are your tips mrhitchens?

As a new photographer, I'm all ears to listen and learn from your advice and guidance, coming from an experienced photographer like your good self.

Edited September 17, 2015 by TP1

[mrhitchens]

Yep, In the morning mate I did start typing a long thread out but, but people seemed to have arrived at my home and I have lost what the hell I was typing.

In the morning I will pick up where I was going

[Roger Lee]

Looking forward to your tips.

One of my tips besides mastering the craft or technical aspects and just shooting in the best light is to read, study and learn.

Reading your tips will be part of my daily regimen.

[gandalf12]

For a start forget taking photos in the middle of the day. The llight is strong and will not give you the subtle colours within the photo.

[glegolo]

For me I am happy if OP can be back today with tips and guidence... I really need some input

Glegolo

[MauiSteveBKK]

Here's a few from experience:

+ Shoot early morning or late afternoon. Night. Never noon to about 4pm. Too bright.

+ Be highly aware of your light source. Sun behind you. Angled. Never into the sun.

+ Watch out in the evening for ambient light sources -- street lamps, neon, white light at street stalls, etc.

+ Use a tripod. Or more likely, put the camera on a rock or a fence or something steady. Or lean it against a pole. Something to help keep it steady and the picture clear.

+ Often, I use the "self timer" and put my camera on top of something, and let the timer go off.

+ Most important: Let the camera focus, then take the picture. Use a "Half Button Press". On my Canon, I press the button half-way, let the camera focus, then finish pressing it down to take the picture.

+ Play with EV Values. On my camera, I can change the EV values (-10 to +10) to either let more light into the camera, or close the aperture more to keep light out.

+ Modes. If you have a Point-and-Shoot, play with different "modes". Try "fireworks" or "sports" mode at night. Play with the different modes.

+ For the best sunset pictures in Thailand, use your "Underwater Mode" for sunsets. On my Canon G12, I use Underwater Mode for sunsets as it pulls out more orange and red, and diminishes the blue and green.

+ Most evenings -- I take 500 - 800 pictures. It's digital. Throw away the ones you don't like. Snap like Crazy.

+ Take a picture and then MOVE. Never ever take two pictures in the same spot with the same angle. You'll impress yourself when you look at the pictures later.

OK.

That's all I got.

[northernphil]

Here's a few from experience:

+ Shoot early morning or late afternoon. Night. Never noon to about 4pm. Too bright.

+ Be highly aware of your light source. Sun behind you. Angled. Never into the sun.

+ Watch out in the evening for ambient light sources -- street lamps, neon, white light at street stalls, etc.

+ Use a tripod. Or more likely, put the camera on a rock or a fence or something steady. Or lean it against a pole. Something to help keep it steady and the picture clear.

+ Often, I use the "self timer" and put my camera on top of something, and let the timer go off.

+ Most important: Let the camera focus, then take the picture. Use a "Half Button Press". On my Canon, I press the button half-way, let the camera focus, then finish pressing it down to take the picture.

+ Play with EV Values. On my camera, I can change the EV values (-10 to +10) to either let more light into the camera, or close the aperture more to keep light out.

+ Modes. If you have a Point-and-Shoot, play with different "modes". Try "fireworks" or "sports" mode at night. Play with the different modes.

+ For the best sunset pictures in Thailand, use your "Underwater Mode" for sunsets. On my Canon G12, I use Underwater Mode for sunsets as it pulls out more orange and red, and diminishes the blue and green.

+ Most evenings -- I take 500 - 800 pictures. It's digital. Throw away the ones you don't like. Snap like Crazy.

+ Take a picture and then MOVE. Never ever take two pictures in the same spot with the same angle. You'll impress yourself when you look at the pictures later.

OK.

That's all I got.

Interesting what you say about different modes. The back of our house looks over rice fields and to the west so everyday there is a sunset so the camera gets set on SUNSET. Tonight if it stops raining I will try fireworks mode , oh there is no under water mode. Great fun at no expense , I don't miss taking a roll of film in to a Kodak shop.

My camera is a Pentax X5 , the last one was a Kodak but it gave up the ghost about a month ago. Sunset from the back kitchen

[KarlosInBKK]

Look up. When you're walking through a busy street you can sometimes be oblivious to what's going on above you. You can get some great shots of old buildings or people looking out of their windows or just weird and wonderful things.

[TSF]

I'm another one eagerly waiting OPs street photography tips.

[northernphil]

Look up. When you're walking through a busy street you can sometimes be oblivious to what's going on above you. You can get some great shots of old buildings or people looking out of their windows or just weird and wonderful things.

I agree, how many times is the camera out of reach when a Honda Wave goes past with 2 adults on board and 3 kids waving and smiling , or better still ,pointing. Can't get enough pics. of folk pointing.

[ozyjon]

As a commercial photographer since i left school i still look

at the world through a lens, colors, scenery's, patterns all

excite me to this day, i love colour, driving through the green

rice fields as the sun is setting takes my breath away, i told

my ex parasite g/friend, look how beautiful that lanscape

looks, the composition, the strong contrasting colours of

the tropical landscape of Isaan, she says, always looks

like that, i never think that, every day is a new day.

Advice: use a strong heavy tripod

anyone here ever used a large format 4x5 or 8x10 camera

those were the days although i still use Photoshop every

day, back then you only had one chance to get it right

Anyone have a Linhof Technorama 617s for sale with a few

lenses, i would be interested.

Remember 1 tripod + 1 brick = sharp image

[kestrel]

^ 2nd pic . . . nice home made star tracker. i remember building one very similar nearly 30yrs ago.

[Lewthetraveler]

Don't

Don't think that any random icture of people in the street taken fairly up close and rendered in B&W

Do

Street photography rarely gives time to compose and frame a scene in the landscape kind of way. Situations happen and dissolve so quickly that a street photographer must learn to predict and 'see' the shot even before it happens, just as an baseball outfielder knows where the ball will be before it gets there.

The photographer must know exactly what he or she is shooting and why. Not generally, like 'this looks like a good shot', but exactly. What is interesting and important.

Then follow these three rules both in taking and editing the picture:

• Place the important thing(s) in important places
  
• Maximize the impact of the important things
  
• Minimize the impact of unimportant things.
  

If the photographer doesn't know why the photo is interesting and why it was taken and if all that information isn't in the photo, then the photo will fail.

(and not all street photos have to be B&W and moody, they just have to have something.)

[Lewthetraveler]

Sorry, had to run out and found I couldn't edit my entry on return.

The first full sentence should read:

Don't think that any random picture of people in the street taken fairly up close and rendered in B&W is street photography and meaningful.

[MauiSteveBKK]

The CORE of My Photography Is:

The Rule of Thirds.

Never center something. Think of the picture as a set of 9 quadrants.

My Canon G12 puts the Grid on my screen for me.

Place your Main Topic at Upper Right (or) Upper left intersection.

It will help your picture to tell a story!

Best Tip I Ever Got: On a tripod, especially a heavy tripod that might sink in sand or dirt, slit a tennis

ball and shove the end of the tripod up into the tennis ball.

+ Great for beach pictures. Sand won't get into the end of the tripod.

+ Makes the tripod very steady.

+ Works really good on a Monopod.

+ Helps a light tripod to be heavier and steadier.

That's all I got for today.

Mahalo nui loa

steve

[mrhitchens]

My first Tip, here we go

The fishing method, though it has nothing to do with fishing, lol

basically I look for a place with good composition, be it good light, nice lines etc, negative space, or what ever composition we can get from where we are.

I will work that space and find out the limits of where I wanna be to make the shot.

I will pre focus my camera on the distance I wanna shoot.

Then its just a case of waiting for something to happen within the area worth shooting, a rule people will avoid walking towards you so you need to mask the fact that you are going to be shooting them, I guess thats the trick.

Sometimes it works very well other times not so much^^

[mrhitchens]

Second Tip would be to get up close, I have been out with many photographers who feel shy I guess, I like to be more aggressive and get up there in close and personel^^

I was up shooting on Soi Cowboy last week 4 guys took a dislike to me photographing them and all surrounded me, demanded I delete the images, though I just tell them to get the <deleted> away from me.

I never delete a shot or give in to being bullied etc

Edited September 24, 2015 by mrhitchens

[mrhitchens]

Pre focus shoot from the hip etc

Set your focal length to what you want, one, two metres away as you walk and people come into that range you shoot, Its kinda hit and miss at first though with practice you will be shooting awesome images.

[mrhitchens]

Reply to this Thread If interested in more tips^^

[shaggy1969]

Sorry, had to run out and found I couldn't edit my entry on return.

The first full sentence should read:

Don't think that any random picture of people in the street taken fairly up close and rendered in B&W is street photography and meaningful.

Outstanding images !!

[shaggy1969]

Reply to this Thread If interested in more tips^^

Keep'em coming MrH!!!

[Lewthetraveler]

There's no magic in street photography.

Be prepared to make the shot and compose the shot in your head.

All of the tips in the world don't mean anything if the shooter doesn't know why he/she is taking the shot.

If the shot doesn't have all the information and impact needed to reach out and grab the viewer, then all the fancy processing and moody shadows don't mean crap.

http://lewlortonphoto.com/p279473813

[Assurancetourix]

Reply to this Thread If interested in more tips^^

I'm a member of a french forum about photography ( and many other things ) but I'm there for the photos and technik

http://www.lesnumeriques.com/legrandforum/avis/Photo/galeries-photos/galerie-photos-ouverte-sujet_19348_271.htm

On the lign up, there is " Aron " who shots beautiful street photos in B&W with his J5 + 30-110mm

That what I would like to do but difficult for me, I'm living in the countryside in E-San .

Hope I can meet you one day in Bangkok ...

You have great shots

[quiksilva]

Some fantastic shots in this thread and some good tips.

I'm not a pro or anything but shooting at a higher shutter speed has improved my street shots a lot.

So I guess this is two tips in one.

Shoot at a faster shutter speed and don't be afraid of using a high iso to do that.

This was shot at iso 800, 1/500 sec, f5.5. Shot handheld with my arms by my side and the camera below my waist, which allowed me to get a close up shot without him being aware of it.

This was also at 1/500s but at ISO 250, due to the brighter conditions, but this time F4 at 24mm

Both were in the middle of the day, but in shaded areas. So I guess that's a third tip. If you do find your self shooting in the day, look for shade.

[shaggy1969]

Following this thread with great interest,picking up some good tips on the way....thank you all!!!

I am a newbie in the world of photography,but have taken a serious liking to street photography,street candid shots in particular.

When I first started to do street shots,I was very self conscious and would only use my 55-210 lens,mostly on full zoom,trying to

distance myself as much as possible from the subject.My confidence has grown a little since then and now I use my 16-70 lens

and also my 50mm......so I suppose what I have learned,is don't be afraid to get in close,but remain respectful and always have

a warm smile on your face if you make eye contact with your subject.

[fang37]

Top pic. Good lookin' shiela.

[rhythmworx]

You could take Bruce Gildens approach.

Edited October 9, 2015 by rhythmworx

[Lewthetraveler]

Shaggy,

Nice pictures.

I hope you don't mind some comments, critiques.

The woman and girl - vignettes, dark or light, should be subtle. Otherwise they make the picture look much too mannered and edited.

The street guy - a beggar, street person cropped close so there is no hint of his environment really uses only this man's misfortune to generate impact in the photo. That is seen as homeless porn by a great many people.

The picture of the monk is great. Nicely framed and caught with the subject on one side balanced by the OOF monk in the background on the other side. One should try to capture and direct the viewer's eyes but in a subtle way. I would lighten the dark side of his face so that his entire visage is seeable and the light/dark shadow thing isn't too obvious. I would also darken the rest of the image so that the viewer looks at the brightest part of the image - the main subject. This would also darken that bright, eye-attracting blob in the middle.

His robes are warm in color but his face is a bit cold so I would warm up the image so his face sort-of resonates with the color of his robes.

If these comments or the rework are againt the forum protocol, just say something and I'll delete them.

No harm meant.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Lewthetraveler

[MauiSteveBKK]

For street photograph and shooting "candid" shots of people,

I use a wireless shutter release. Even my Canon G10 has one.

+ Set camera on tripod or post or fence. Something stable.

+ Stand next to camera - but sorta look around, mill around, look somewhere else, etc.

+ Fire Away with Remote!!

I get great candid shots because the subjects don't see me actually holding the camera.

Also, I can get HDR (3 different EV settings) and no one knows.

I don't want people walking away ... shying away from the camera or trying to be too cute.

A good wireless shutter release is about $15 (used) or $20 and up. Not too expensive.

(also get "steady" pictures -- as we all move a bit when we press the shutter release)