A Comprehensive Guide to Street Photography

Street photography is an interesting niche in photography. It is all about taking photos of streets in different places that show buildings, people, and life in the place. Street photography is all about randomness. It is photography that is candid and captures what is happening on a street. Some people consider it intrusive photography.

If the idea of street photography sounds exciting, you can get started in this genre. Whether you want to pursue it as a hobby or profession, it offers interesting prospects. We have a guide to help you get started with street photography. The guide will tell you all about this photography niche and how to go ahead with it.

Basics of street photography

Street photography records life in public places, namely streets. Even though it is termed street photography, it is not always necessary to shoot on a street. Photographs taken on a beach can also be street photography. It need not always be photography in the city, but can even be photos taken in rural areas.

Ethics is a concern in street photography. When you shoot on the street, you will find people. Photographing people is a concern. There is an ethical consideration on whether you need to ask their permission. On a crowded street, you cannot go around asking everyone’s permission. There can be situations where people object to being photographed. You need to be ready to handle this situation.

You need to check with local laws to find out if it is legal to shoot people on the street. In the US, there are no restrictions on shooting photos on the street. A street is a public place and you can legally take photos. Street photos are mostly candid where you take photos without anyone posing for them. It is possible to even take street photos without people, though they may not be so effective.

How to get started with street photography?

1. Resources

It goes without saying that you need the basic resources for street photography. You need a good quality camera. It is ideal and convenient to use a small camera. A camera with a silent shutter mode that does not make noise while shooting photos is preferable. It is recommended to consider prime lenses. Have minimal accessories with you. The basic concept is that you should not stand out, but should rather be unobtrusive.

2. Be patient

Patience is essential. The first thing is to find a location. You need to decide what kind of photo you want. Based on that, choose a street and find a spot from where you get a good view. Choose the spot keeping in mind lighting. Shooting while walking may not give the best results. Instead, it would be better to stand in a place and wait.

You need to be patient and wait for the right opportunity. As people keep moving around, watch them through your camera. You must be ready to click when you spot an opportunity. Preferably shoot in burst mode, so you get a series of photos. You can later decide which one to retain.

3. Compose the shot

The key to street photography is photo composition. You can choose a subject and focus on the subject while blurring the background or you could also include the background. Look for relationships between the subject and other background elements. This will make the photo stand out.

4. Shoot from far

Ideally, you should shoot from far. Shooting from too close may not give you the desired results. Shooting from a distance will allow you to capture the entire street with the subject and background. It also is comfortable for you, since shooting people from close up can be an issue. Not everyone would like to be photographed from close.

5. Shoot from behind glass

Shooting from behind glass will give you a good effect. It is a good idea for new photographers who are nervous to shoot people directly. Standing behind a window while taking a photo is a good idea.

6. Shoot from back

Another handy tip is to shoot from behind. This makes the photograph less intrusive. You don’t really need to capture the face of the subject. You can shoot people from behind, so the focus can be on their clothing and accessories. It also ensures you don’t face objections from people.

7. Lighting is important

Try to ensure the light illuminates your subject. But this is not really necessary. Make the most out of the available light. Use light to get silhouette shots that give a great effect.

Thanks to Dremastime.com for the stock photos used in this post.