In this article we will cover 15 ways to improve what you shoot on the street and how you go about it. Street photography is one of the most challenging genres for all photographers but it is also the most exciting and rewarding. It relies so much on our ability to see and observe, and to notice the things that normal people don’t register, that we need a dramatic shift in the way we use our eyes.
This is action photography: even when we aren’t constantly moving from one environment to another, the content of the scene will be changing as new people enter the frame and they all look different, walk in different places and at different speeds. Here are some tips to help you make the most of what the street has to offer.
My preference in this area is definitely for small bodies and lenses: they can go unnoticed more readily and they often can fit in a coat pocket so that camera bags can stay at home.
I don’t want to look like a photographer when I’m out shooting, and small cameras can usually be hidden from view with a hand wrapped around them. Even when they are seen, small cameras rarely look like what normal people consider ‘proper, professional’ cameras which is perfect. I want to look like a holidaymaker or just a happy snapper, so people will ignore me.
As the most impact will often be created by being close to people, I find standard or wide focal lengths work well for me, so I use a 50mm-equivalent most of the time, or a 24mm when I want a more dramatic view.
If your aim with your photos is to make your viewer feel as though they are in the scene themselves, you need to give them an angle of view they can relate to so again, a standard focal length does just that.
Colour is also more realistic, so your viewer will relate to colour images more readily. People talk in reverential tones about the purity of the black-and-white image, but monochrome images are a fictional representation. Shooting in black and white doesn’t automatically make your work more ‘serious’ or atmospheric.
Wear ‘normal’ clothes that make you look ordinary however special you are and go prepared for the weather so you remain dry and comfortable all day.
You can treat your street photography more like landscape, by finding the best view of an interesting place and then waiting for the decisive moment to happen. That could be the right person stepping into the right place, for example, or the sun moving around to leave a puddle of light on the subject, but either way it requires a degree of previsualisation and a healthy dose of patience.
I love a graphic background or a foreground that uses strong shapes to create interesting lines and angles, and which presents a clean area onto which the subject can be placed. The best ones are not always obvious, so look carefully for interesting architecture at ground level; the angles of a wall, or a bright window that creates a strong rectangle you can make the most of.
Good pictures rely on light to define the subject and to help create interest, so it should be the first thing you consider in any type of photography.
In my street pictures I search out light that looks interesting and use it to draw the viewer’s eye to the area of the frame I think is most important. In many of my pictures, light is the subject; in others it is a critical element to draw another subject out from the background.
Look for places and conditions in which the light has plenty of direction, so it can create highlights and shadows that lend weight to the three-dimensional qualities of whatever you are photographing. Once you have found interesting light, select an exposure that makes the most of it. Very often, small patches of interesting light get burnt out because the camera metering gives more weight to large dark areas in the frame, so you need to take control and override the meter.
Shoot interesting places and interesting people. That’s not to say that you have to go to Paris to shoot models, but we need to search out the interesting in the everyday. Familiar places become fresh seen from new angles, and normal people very often have something about them that’s worth our attention. A flick of hair, a cool hat, a funky jacket, an expressive face or a dramatic hand gesture: these are the things that make a picture work. We want to see human behaviour, the things humans do that make us individuals.
What makes low and high angle images work so well is that the view is surprising. Your viewers won’t be used to seeing even familiar places from any angle other than eye level so your pictures will show them something new. Taking a low angle and looking up also often helps you to create a cleaner background, as most distractions in the street are at ground level. With an upward angle we can place our subjects against the sky, for example, or some interesting architecture. This can create a simpler picture that allows the viewer to pay attention to the subject more easily, just because there is less in the picture to draw their attention away.
High angles often offer the chance to create graphic shapes and lines from paving, kerbstones and painted lines on the ground. We also get to see the top of heads from our looking-down perspective which, again, is a viewpoint most people aren’t used to having.
If you see someone you think looks interesting, there is nothing wrong with asking them for a picture. “Hello, I love your hat! Can I take your picture?” The worst that could happen is that they say, “No, I’d rather you didn’t.” Then you say, “OK, have a lovely day.” If they ask why you want to take their picture, you can say “I think you look great. I’m just taking pictures of the things that go on in the street. I’m shooting a project about this area, and I thought you looked really good.”
Smile and be open. You aren’t doing anything wrong, and no-one is going to be offended. You will be surprised at how many people will be flattered, and will pose all day long for you. And you’ll make some friends along the way!
This is action photography: even when we aren’t constantly moving from one environment to another, the content of the scene will be changing as new people enter the frame and they all look different, walk in different places and at different speeds. Here are some tips to help you make the most of what the street has to offer.
Street photography tips: Mirrorless cameras
Mirrorless systems tend to be very small and often have much more compact lenses than DSLRs, which makes them ideal for this sort of work. The absence of a mirror makes the picture taking process much less noisy, and electronic shutters often allow us to shoot in silence. If you are starting from scratch, or intending to take street photography seriously, I highly recommend this type of camera.USE A SMALL CAMERA
Any camera that you have with you can be used for street photography, so don’t let anyone tell you that a certain type of body is an absolute necessity. Still, it is true that some types of camera can make your life easier and can allow you to get shots that might otherwise prove very difficult. Although I have shot street pictures with both film and digital medium-format cameras, they are not my first choice: large cameras draw attention and are generally too heavy to carry in comfort on a full day’s shoot.My preference in this area is definitely for small bodies and lenses: they can go unnoticed more readily and they often can fit in a coat pocket so that camera bags can stay at home.
I don’t want to look like a photographer when I’m out shooting, and small cameras can usually be hidden from view with a hand wrapped around them. Even when they are seen, small cameras rarely look like what normal people consider ‘proper, professional’ cameras which is perfect. I want to look like a holidaymaker or just a happy snapper, so people will ignore me.
USE LENSES THAT REFLECT OUR VISION
Lens choice is critical in street photography, as it is in all types of photography. People get very caught up with the ‘best’ or ‘traditional’ focal lengths for street pictures, as though there’s a law about it. The only rule is that you have to decide how close you want to be to the people you are shooting, then find the focal length that will include the amount of background you want in the shot. It really is that simple.
As the most impact will often be created by being close to people, I find standard or wide focal lengths work well for me, so I use a 50mm-equivalent most of the time, or a 24mm when I want a more dramatic view.
If your aim with your photos is to make your viewer feel as though they are in the scene themselves, you need to give them an angle of view they can relate to so again, a standard focal length does just that.
DON’T FORGET COLOUR
There seems to be a rule that all street photography has to be in black and white. There is nothing wrong with shooting in black and white, but only if you’ve thought it through and have actively determined that this is the right course for the situation. Most of us see the world in colour, so presenting it in colour is an honest reflection of what you saw on that day.
Colour is also more realistic, so your viewer will relate to colour images more readily. People talk in reverential tones about the purity of the black-and-white image, but monochrome images are a fictional representation. Shooting in black and white doesn’t automatically make your work more ‘serious’ or atmospheric.
BLEND IN
It’s remarkable how little people notice each other in the street anyway, but it pays to do what you can so that you don’t stand out. You don’t need urban camouflage, but do try not to wear things that will draw attention such as a high-viz jacket. Wearing a suit for a man can also draw attention when you are taking pictures, as people will assume you are doing something official and you may be avoided.
Wear ‘normal’ clothes that make you look ordinary however special you are and go prepared for the weather so you remain dry and comfortable all day.
STAY AND WAIT... NO RUSH
You can wander around the streets all day hoping to come across someone or something exciting that will jump out in front of you. Alternatively, you could find some interesting light or a graphic location, frame up a great scene, then wait for someone interesting to come along and step into the right place. I much prefer the second option, and find that with preparation I can take a much more organised shot of the spontaneous moment. With the first option, you’ll spend the day grabbing shots in all directions, and they’ll tend not to be quite so polished.You can treat your street photography more like landscape, by finding the best view of an interesting place and then waiting for the decisive moment to happen. That could be the right person stepping into the right place, for example, or the sun moving around to leave a puddle of light on the subject, but either way it requires a degree of previsualisation and a healthy dose of patience.
PRACTICE MAKES BETTER
Not many people get good at something without putting lots of work in, and street photography is no different. The more you do, the better you will get so long as you are concentrating, examining where you are going wrong and learning all the time. After a long break I can lose my mojo, as happens with concert pianists and athletes, so it is important to practice regularly, and as frequently as you can. If you have a small camera you can carry it all the time, so you never need to have a day when you aren’t thinking about photography. That sounds a bit extreme, but when you integrate your photography into your everyday life, you will find amazing opportunities present themselves all over the place.LOOK FOR SHAPES
Careful selection of a background always pays off. You should treat the background as an element that’s almost as important as the subject matter. I spend time testing angles and camera positions to ensure my backgrounds are interesting but not distracting they shouldn’t draw the viewer’s eye before the subject does.I love a graphic background or a foreground that uses strong shapes to create interesting lines and angles, and which presents a clean area onto which the subject can be placed. The best ones are not always obvious, so look carefully for interesting architecture at ground level; the angles of a wall, or a bright window that creates a strong rectangle you can make the most of.
USE CAMERAS THAT REACT
Don’t take a camera out that you aren’t familiar with, as you will miss pictures. Equally, make sure you have a camera that reacts quickly and which will shoot when you ask it to. You won’t notice shutter lag when shooting landscapes and still-life, but street photography is action and delays mean missed opportunities. I use Aperture Priority, and operate so that I only have to change the ISO as I move around. Know the quickest way to move your AF point, and if your camera is too complicated or slow, trade it in.PAY ATTENTION TO LIGHT
The word ‘photography’ means ‘drawing with light’; yet many photographers forget that light is the most essential element in the process of making a picture and that it needs their full attention. I don’t mean that we need to concentrate so much on the quantity of light, but the quality and the direction, and how that influences the way the subject appears.Good pictures rely on light to define the subject and to help create interest, so it should be the first thing you consider in any type of photography.
In my street pictures I search out light that looks interesting and use it to draw the viewer’s eye to the area of the frame I think is most important. In many of my pictures, light is the subject; in others it is a critical element to draw another subject out from the background.
Look for places and conditions in which the light has plenty of direction, so it can create highlights and shadows that lend weight to the three-dimensional qualities of whatever you are photographing. Once you have found interesting light, select an exposure that makes the most of it. Very often, small patches of interesting light get burnt out because the camera metering gives more weight to large dark areas in the frame, so you need to take control and override the meter.
DON’T OVEREXPOSE
By default, most cameras create images that are a bit too bright. They do this so that shadow detail can be seen, so pictures will look nice on the back screen and so they will print nicely in a High Street lab. Bright street pictures, as a very broad generalisation, can lack atmosphere. I set my cameras to -1/3EV, but on a sunny day I might use -5EV to ensure a subject with a dark background gets the right exposure. Finding the right exposure requires you to expose for the light that’s falling on the subject, not the range of brightnesses in the frame. Identify how the light on the subject relates to the light on the background, then guess how wrong the camera will get it and use exposure compensation to correct it. And try different exposures it can be astonishing how much better a scene can look either a stop brighter or a stop darker.LOOK FOR SHADOWS
It makes sense that where there is light, there will also be shadows. When that light is strong and directional, you get powerful shadows that can make significant contributions to your composition they can even become the subject of the image. Lots of people take no notice of shadows because they aren’t physical things, but in photography we don’t need ‘things’ to make an interesting picture.
PICK INTERESTING PEOPLE AND SCENES
There are occasions when we want to show that something is boring or uninteresting, but in general street photography is about showing what’s exciting and worthy of comment. As photographers our job can be to reflect reality, but we have the chance to choose what sort of reality we show. If you photograph uninteresting people, your pictures are not going to be interesting to others. They might think, “Why are you showing me this person or place? There’s nothing special about it.” When we show a picture to someone else, they assume we’re showing them for a reason “Hey, look at this. Here’s something I saw today.”Shoot interesting places and interesting people. That’s not to say that you have to go to Paris to shoot models, but we need to search out the interesting in the everyday. Familiar places become fresh seen from new angles, and normal people very often have something about them that’s worth our attention. A flick of hair, a cool hat, a funky jacket, an expressive face or a dramatic hand gesture: these are the things that make a picture work. We want to see human behaviour, the things humans do that make us individuals.
GET CLOSE
The purpose of photography is to show someone something they weren’t there to see themselves and, I think, to transport that viewer to the scene so they can feel what it was like to be there. To do that, we need to use a lens that reflects the angle of view humans can concentrate on with their eyes. While we have a field of vision that covers more than 180 degrees, we can only really concentrate on what’s in front of us in an area that’s covered by a standard lens in all camera formats. I’ve found that the most impact and the biggest dose of reality can be achieved through the combination of using a standard lens and getting myself close enough that the subject is obvious in the frame. Getting physically close while you’re shooting makes the viewer feel physically close when the picture is inspected and that’s exactly the connection with the subject we want to generate.USE UNUSUAL ANGLES
A massive percentage of the world’s photographs are shot from eye level, so a simple way of making yours stand out is to work from a different angle. This is easier if you use a camera that has Live View, but even viewfinder users can crouch down to see the street from a lower level.
What makes low and high angle images work so well is that the view is surprising. Your viewers won’t be used to seeing even familiar places from any angle other than eye level so your pictures will show them something new. Taking a low angle and looking up also often helps you to create a cleaner background, as most distractions in the street are at ground level. With an upward angle we can place our subjects against the sky, for example, or some interesting architecture. This can create a simpler picture that allows the viewer to pay attention to the subject more easily, just because there is less in the picture to draw their attention away.
High angles often offer the chance to create graphic shapes and lines from paving, kerbstones and painted lines on the ground. We also get to see the top of heads from our looking-down perspective which, again, is a viewpoint most people aren’t used to having.
ASK OCCASIONALLY
Although most of us think of street photography as being candid, there is no reason you can’t also ask people if you can photograph them. Remember that most, but not all, people behave differently when they know they are having their picture taken, so you may not get the natural ‘as-is’ look that you’d get with a candid shot, but you can still get very interesting pictures.If you see someone you think looks interesting, there is nothing wrong with asking them for a picture. “Hello, I love your hat! Can I take your picture?” The worst that could happen is that they say, “No, I’d rather you didn’t.” Then you say, “OK, have a lovely day.” If they ask why you want to take their picture, you can say “I think you look great. I’m just taking pictures of the things that go on in the street. I’m shooting a project about this area, and I thought you looked really good.”
Smile and be open. You aren’t doing anything wrong, and no-one is going to be offended. You will be surprised at how many people will be flattered, and will pose all day long for you. And you’ll make some friends along the way!
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