You know, one of the most common qualities of a human being is being an observer. It is quite natural for us to find ourselves among certain situations in the street which are so interesting, that we can’t resist ourselves and somehow we just have to capture it on our camera. At times, we feel regretful when we miss the chance of capturing a decisive moment that occurred suddenly on the street. The only thought that runs on our minds at that time is that “why didn’t I bring my camera?” right?
I know it happens!
Those who are reading this page must also belong to the same category “Street photography”. Some take this as a hobby and some take it as a profession. But the overall motive of both of them is the same and that is to capture something great and original. Lest’s check out these amazing street photography tips which will be decisive for anyone into it.
Special Tip for those who are taking it as a profession
For those who are taking it as a profession, you must also have another motive, which is to monetize your photos and earn through them. The best way to save time and money for that is to concentrate on only capturing great photos. I know you still may have to give some magical touch to those photographs through editing them right? Well not to worry, because there are lots of photo retouching services out there which might help you save your time and are also quite affordable. Leave the headache of editing to them and concentrate on improving your personal skills as a street photographer.
Therefore, in this article, we will give you the most decisive street photography tips which we have hunted down from the professionals who are ruling this industry. And I am 110% sure these tips will highly benefit you and your work. So, don’t miss this opportunity.
Before starting, I would like to share some articles which I’ve gone through while researching on this very topic. Hope they will also influence your work and boost your confidence as a newbie.
- 70 Street Photography Tips For Beginners
- 23 Street Photography Tips For Your Next Photo Walk
- What makes great street photography?
- Street Photography Tips for Beginners
Tips
Lens –
For an image to look great the lens must also be great. It is the lens that determines the quality of the photograph clicked using it. There are different kinds of lenses available in the market but only a few of them will serve your purpose. Especially for this photography niche, the majority of the professionals have suggested the Prime lens which has a focal length of 35mm. The reason for their suggestion is that it is wide enough to capture great details and also close enough to capture great portraits. As a conclusion, a Prime lens is a winner!
Camera settings –
You probably must be thinking that why didn’t I suggest anything about the camera right? It’s because you can use any kind of camera for this purpose, whichever you are familiar and comfortable with. Just make sure you’re using a digital one. But, you just need to know one thing and that is the camera setting. According to most of the experts, the aperture priority mode or in other words the ‘P’ symbol on the dial pad of the camera is best suited to take such photographs. Because it automatically selects the perfect aperture and shutter speed for the scene and lets you focus on the frame and other less technical things like the ISO. Therefore, using this setting will be perfect.
Candid –
All of you must have heard this word a lot recently right? And you probably should know by now that what is it right? For those who don’t know it yet. Candid are moments captured off guard. This means that the subject doesn’t know when his/her photo was taken while in action. The most important rule for this niche of photography is to take candid moments which are decisive. This means that you need to follow each and every move of the subject and capture the moment that is decisive. Anticipation is a must.
Approach wisely –
Sometimes you may have to approach the subjects for a perfectly timed photograph to happen. At, that moment the photo won’t be a candid yet as a street photograph it may be a masterpiece. Approaching skill should be wise. You must approach the subject or the person with a humble and respective voice. Or else you may lose the involvement of that person in your photograph. Be wise!
Fit enough –
Dwelling around the streets and the city needs energy. Without energy, it may be difficult for a person to take photos with full concentration. He or she may lose interest in capturing any. If mind won’t work so even the body won’t. For this reason, you should always carry extra food which is light and will give you the energy to travel the whole day. I prefer chocolates and biscuits they give instant energy as they contain a high amount of glucose in them. If you stay fit then your photos will also expose that energy from them.
The right place –
So to capture photos on street, you must have people or subject on it, right? Or you’re not going to take photos of empty street right? So, for that, you should find the right place for it where you can find your subject for the scene. Most of the experts have suggested one similar place and that is a bus stop or a park. Because these are the only places where you can easily find a great scene to shoot. Visit such places to capture the best image.
Interaction –
What if when you are taking the photograph and suddenly the subject unknowingly makes an eye contact with your camera? Won’t that photo be great? So, always wait for a proper eye contact with your subject. These photos look incredible and perfect.
Emotions
– Another great to portrait your street photographs is by adding emotions in them. There are lots of people on the streets some are celebrating a festival, some are attending a funeral and some are showcasing their talents. Capture their emotions and portray their feelings through your images. This highly influences the viewers. Nowadays most of the socially shared photos portray emotion. Make this tip count. Image credit to imagestudio.com
Unique perception for street photography tips –
People with different perception always achieve their goals. Same goes for this niche of photography. Photographs at the same eye levels all the time doesn’t look that much good. But if you take a photo from the ground level of the subject then there may be uniqueness in the photograph which will attract the viewers easily as they love to see different things that are unique. Be unique!
Capture shadows –
Shadows are interesting. They bring out the reality from the image. It highlights the edges of the photographs and sometimes shows the work the subject is doing. Taking photos of the shadows also create a great influence on the viewer’s mind. Therefore, take photos of the shadow of the subject and highlight the job he’s doing.
RAW format –
Yes, this is the rule I’ve been suggesting in most of my articles and this is actually the most important one. This is necessary for all sort of photography available in the world. Always take photos in raw format. Because it keeps the information of the photograph safely guarded. And while you post-process them. The photographs quality doesn’t get poor. It stays great.
Post-processing –
There is a myth that most of the bloggers keep writing about which is that a photographer never edits their photographs. This statement is completely wrong because all the photographs need at least a small amount of editing on it. It may need color correction, shadow retouching, etc. The only way of doing it is to use Photoshop or sometimes to save time people outsource them from different photo editing experts and get a great outcome from them. It saves their time at an affordable cost and helps them to increase their conversions easily.
Conclusion
“The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.” – Robert Doisneau
This quote perfectly describes the true color of this photography style. The daily life of the human being is quite unexpected, and you never know what may happen and when. Be ready with your camera on the street and click the moment you believe that can change the way people see regular life on the street. Change perception! And Click!
