There was an article on street photography in today’s Evening Standard which I thought I’d share…
Tip 1
Take only basic equipment with you – whether that’s a phone, P&S or DSLR. If it is a DSLR, take only one lens – that way you can spend more time taking photos rather than fiddling with kit and can move from one scenario quickly to another.
Tip 2
Don’t look at things as a whole, but frame situations through the camera’s viewfinder.
Tip 3
Be patient but be quick. Combining elements that are permanent, such as a sign, with things that are not, such as people, can make for a great shot. Find your permanent element, set up your shot and wait for something to happen.
Funny enough, that’s what I did for my pic earlier today....
Tip 4
Move yourself and your camera up or down – find different heights which can make your shot more interesting than a photo taken at standard eye level.
Tip 5
Persist. Take your camera with you at all times and go on little camera strolls and keep snapping. Even the best street photographers might only get one decent shot per session but the more you practice, the more natural it will become and the more you’ll be able to catch those special moments
Took ages at the Rill today - waiting for the right people to walk past at the right time...got some very strange looks as it looked like I was sitting in the waterway!
@38mm
the first 10 of that list just blew my mind - the guys a genius.
One thing I did when I was doing my street shot - get pushed challenge - get in the way on the sidewalk and put the camera to my eye. At first the people who saw me raise the camera and stand there avoided my gaze and shuffled round me, but then I almost became a permanent fixture and people coming along after that saw that I was photographing before I saw them so they didn't care. It allowed me to keep shooting pedestrians without any dirty looks. Does anyone else do this?
@chewyteeth I tend to stay in the same place for a while. My, admittedly limited, experience of street photography so far has been that the more blatantly obvious I am, the more I'm ignored. It's like people immediately know what you're doing, so just ignore you, rather than being wary and suspicious.
@chewyteeth yep! all the time... i rarely hide and sneak or shoot and run... mostly i find a perch and hang out with my camera poised for all to see... eventually i just blend into the background :)
@38mm ok - i LOVE that... i think i may have to print it out and post it on my wall... (but 1600 ISO??? srsly??? that one surprised me a LOT... never would have occurred to me!)
@38mm oh... and the other one i don't get is shoot RAW... i mean, if you're only supposed to spend a minute in post process, why bother with RAW? just curious...
@northy I would imagine the ISO1600 thing is for his particular style, as to the other I have no idea. Maybe post a question on the article and ask him, he is very approachable and always responds well to questions etc.
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http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2012/02/102-things-i-have-learned-about-street-photography/
the first 10 of that list just blew my mind - the guys a genius.
One thing I did when I was doing my street shot - get pushed challenge - get in the way on the sidewalk and put the camera to my eye. At first the people who saw me raise the camera and stand there avoided my gaze and shuffled round me, but then I almost became a permanent fixture and people coming along after that saw that I was photographing before I saw them so they didn't care. It allowed me to keep shooting pedestrians without any dirty looks. Does anyone else do this?
I love that shot Andy.