How do you do street photography?

[karmagarda]

I was out recently in Picadilly London and tried my hand a street photography for the first time. It was a hell of a lot more difficult than I imagined. So I suppose I'm looking for some tips on how you guys do it (in a non Bruce Gilden way!)


What did I do during my attempt:

1. Tried to blend in. And make myself a bit unnoticable
2. Grew a pair of brass b*lls. It really is required!
3. Didn't think about it, just TOOK the photo.
4. Put both the exposure and focus on manual


What mistakes I made:

1. Went out at night thinking Picadilly would be lit enough. Caused a lot of underexposed photos/blur because of shutter speeds

2. Compensated light deficiancy by using an aperture of 3.2 instead of bumping the ISO a bit :bang:


I think the best I came out with are these photos:

The argument

Just a blink away...

Easy target

Risky business

To be honest, I wasn't overly happy with the above 4. They were soft, dark, and well, just not quite what I wanted. I had about 2/3 opportunities that I missed because they were either out of focus, blurred, or just didn't work.

Tell me, what's your secrets to street photography? Settings you use and why would be most beneficial. What days/times of day?

Thanks!

 

[KIPAX]

#1.#2 and #3 too much room above heads.. thats what snapshots look like..

street photography.. just smile and look like your supposed to be there

 

[Arkady]

Try strating in daylight - it's easier.
Pick a 'Touristy' location for practice - lots of cameras around and you'll blend in a bit better...

'Brass-Balls'... check...the most important item in the 'bag'...

And practice.

 

[happyfish]

I think street photography is what you want it to be.
The first few times you will be nervous so your idea of it is one thing, but the more you learn from it and the more you get comfortable with it, the more your idea of what it is will change.
I think the first time you go out you will have very few pics that you are happy with, but over time your opinion will change of what you want and what you notice, then you will take less pics but more will be keepers.
search street photography in Google and browse, there is some very inspiring stuff on there.

I really like Pics 2 + 4. the night time lights and B+W processing really helps.

edd

 

[awp]

Making yourself look 'unnoticeable' can simply make you look suspicious. Show yourself and take the pics with confidence like you're meant to be there. A little trick is immediately after taking the pic - when you take the camera from your eye - look past your subject at someone/something in the distance - and they will assume that's what you were shooting and not them! It really does work.

 

[karmagarda]

#1.#2 and #3 too much room above heads.. thats what snapshots look like..

street photography.. just smile and look like your supposed to be there

Yeah, I was trying to look relaxed and smile alright, but I was pretty nervous . It's quite nerve wrecking when you haven't done it before.

Try strating in daylight - it's easier.
Pick a 'Touristy' location for practice - lots of cameras around and you'll blend in a bit better...

'Brass-Balls'... check...the most important item in the 'bag'...

And practice.

agreed on that being the most important item in the 'bag'. I'm gonna revisit Picadilly during the day, maybe take in trafalgar square too.

I think street photography is what you want it to be.
The first few times you will be nervous so your idea of it is one thing, but the more you learn from it and the more you get comfortable with it, the more your idea of what it is will change.
I think the first time you go out you will have very few pics that you are happy with, but over time your opinion will change of what you want and what you notice, then you will take less pics but more will be keepers.
search street photography in Google and browse, there is some very inspiring stuff on there.

I really like Pics 2 + 4. the night time lights and B+W processing really helps.

edd

Thanks edd. I must have a gander at google at some stage today. There's some pretty impressive stuff on flickr too, and on these forums.

Making yourself look 'unnoticeable' can simply make you look suspicious. Show yourself and take the pics with confidence like you're meant to be there. A little trick is immediately after taking the pic - when you take the camera from your eye - look past your subject at someone/something in the distance - and they will assume that's what you were shooting and not them! It really does work.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I was out with a friend at the time, and I felt he was trying to hide too much. I just stood smack bang in the middle of the path looking at the advertisements etc, but really observing the people walking.

Another question for you all. I presume I should be using something like f11+ to get myself and nice long DOF? I presume manual focus is correct? And what do you do focus wise? I.e. how far away do you set the focus? I was picking about 4-5ish meters away and waiting for people to approach that zone. But my DOF was a bit shallow due to my aperture mess up and it showed in a lot of the photos.

 

[retired]

awp has the correct idea, I keep my camera to my eye until the subject has walked past me so that it (looks to them) that I was photographing something/someone else.

 

[karmagarda]

Thanks for the input retired. I'll be putting some of these tips into practice next time I'm out

 

[awp]

I was picking about 4-5ish meters away and waiting for people to approach that zone. But my DOF was a bit shallow due to my aperture mess up and it showed in a lot of the photos.

I use 51pt 3d on the D3 - pick up your subject - out of range - and let the camera track them till you get the shot you want. Don't know if that's available on the D60 though.

 

[foggy4ever]

I use 51pt 3d on the D3 - pick up your subject - out of range - and let the camera track them till you get the shot you want. Don't know if that's available on the D60 though.

:shake: no it's not.

 

[karmagarda]

I use 51pt 3d on the D3 - pick up your subject - out of range - and let the camera track them till you get the shot you want. Don't know if that's available on the D60 though.

:shake: no it's not.

That sounds way too clever for the D60! I do know the D60 has continuous focussing while something gets closer, but you have to follow your target if I recall correctly. And I don't know if you can have more that 3 points for focussing.

I think I might have to stick with manual focussing on the D60. :bang:

 

[awp]

:shake: no it's not.

Well thank goodness for that! You'll need to save for a D3 then - it really makes it a lot easier!

 

[POAH]

generally take pictures in the city centre and turn them to B&W seems to be the most common method lol

I was out recently in Picadilly London and tried my hand a street photography for the first time. It was a hell of a lot more difficult than I imagined. So I suppose I'm looking for some tips on how you guys do it (in a non Bruce Gilden way!)

Thanks!

 

[mrtoad]

i feel the main thing is to select a spot or area where people who are watching...and they are watching..will get used to you and not feel you are spying on them specifically
ie you are taking general shots
walk around a lot..shoot a lot of shots...
soon it will seem that you are really there to photograph and not attack
everyone relaxes...then you get the correct mood
as for black>white..who cares
once you have a shot its processable
i sometimes pretend to be shooting some obscure object in the sky
having set a focal point on my camera
turn and shoot the action and then follow on and study some other obscure object...a roof top or such
it seems like snooping..and it is but without intent..edit..this does seem like direct candid shooting
if there is something going on which is interesting by a group..talk to them and join in the fun...then you are one of the crowd and can shoot..as it were..with their permission

personally i like to shoot the lighting and movement

 

[archangel]

if you do street photography is it legal to use the people you photograph for exhibition purposes or to reprint and sell?

 

[BlackCloud]

I enjoy street and people photography. I'm a big guy so don't easily blend in, but I still find many people are going about their business and don't notice or else they aren't quite sure if it was them you are photographing or something else. I find I have to wander a bit lookng for shots, but once I have the first two or three I get in the in the mood and a bit braver.

I do sometimes wonder why I take the shots though. I find more and more publications, competitions, websites etc. increasingly reluctant to publish without the subjects permission or requiring production of permission if there are any issues.

 

[karmagarda]

Well thank goodness for that! You'll need to save for a D3 then - it really makes it a lot easier!

Ah, I might as well go the full hog and stick an x on the end

 

[karmagarda]

generally take pictures in the city centre and turn them to B&W seems to be the most common method lol

I might have been asking for that!

i feel the main thing is to select a spot or area where people who are watching...and they are watching..will get used to you and not feel you are spying on them specifically
ie you are taking general shots
walk around a lot..shoot a lot of shots...
soon it will seem that you are really there to photograph and not attack
everyone relaxes...then you get the correct mood
as for black>white..who cares
once you have a shot its processable
i sometimes pretend to be shooting some obscure object in the sky
having set a focal point on my camera
turn and shoot the action and then follow on and study some other obscure object...a roof top or such
it seems like snooping..and it is but without intent..edit..this does seem like direct candid shooting
if there is something going on which is interesting by a group..talk to them and join in the fun...then you are one of the crowd and can shoot..as it were..with their permission

personally i like to shoot the lighting and movement

Ohhh, some interesting advice there I never thought of. Not sure why I haven't considered interacting with groups before. That's something I must try.

In regards to capturing candid shots I think I'm pretty ok there. I'm just missing the shots I want because of lack of practice, and possibly because the brass balls I took with me last day weren't just big enough .

 

[karmagarda]

if you do street photography is it legal to use the people you photograph for exhibition purposes or to reprint and sell?

I don't believe so. I think what you're referring to is a model release. I could be wrong here, but unless the subject of the photograph is completely about that person you don't need it. I.e. If it's more of a photo describing a scene/event/street/building then you're covered.

Not 100% sure about the above though. Can someone else confirm?

I enjoy street and people photography. I'm a big guy so don't easily blend in, but I still find many people are going about their business and don't notice or else they aren't quite sure if it was them you are photographing or something else. I find I have to wander a bit lookng for shots, but once I have the first two or three I get in the in the mood and a bit braver.

I do sometimes wonder why I take the shots though. I find more and more publications, competitions, websites etc. increasingly reluctant to publish without the subjects permission or requiring production of permission if there are any issues.

Luckily I'm a small guy so people don't notice me until their on top of me . I do agree with walking around until I get that first few shots in. For me it's both about getting my eye in, and massaging the confidence for a bit.

On an overall note, I enjoyed it when I did it, but I think the best advice I'm getting here is I need to have more fun with this. Smile more, interact more, not so much to get noticed but so that people are more relaxed. I'm really looking forward to my next attempt at this. unfortunately it won't be for a couple of weeks. Unless I go for a wander around London someplace on my day off on Monday... we'll see.

 

[stan the man]

join in with one of the london TP meets..lots of experienced "street togs" to gain experience from,and there's one on the 8th of november (see in the meet section)

 

[karmagarda]

join in with one of the london TP meets..lots of experienced "street togs" to gain experience from,and there's one on the 8th of november (see in the meet section)

Oh my, how have I not seen this! Thanks I must sign up for it. I might be in Brighton that weekend, but hopefully that will end up being the weekend after.

 

[stan the man]

Oh my, how have I not seen this! Thanks I must sign up for it. I might be in Brighton that weekend, but hopefully that's will end up being the weekend after.

glad to have helped..they really are a great bunch of guy's n gals,and i'm hoping to be there myself...well,as it's my birthday,it would be rude not to

 

[BlackCloud]

What's the format for the meets? Do you form a group pretty much wandering along seeing what you can find?

It's not been said in this discussion but those into street photography should be aware of their own safety too. I've noticed one or two people I'd rather not have looking at my gear and I am sure they were wondering what the options may be. Secondly as a tog with 'a big camera' it does draw attention, and it's only a matter of time before you hit on photographing the wrong person, or in my case someone who just decided I must be a big softy if I had a camera. We'll just say he was wrong and now he understands that. But be aware folks it does draw attention from the wrong folks too and many people don't want to be photographed.

 

[Jayst84]

if you do street photography is it legal to use the people you photograph for exhibition purposes or to reprint and sell?

Yup. Just not to endorse anything.

eg "Buy a BMW, this guy did-->" [Photo]

WRT street photography, you have to spend a lot of time out there. You can't just go out and do it and expect good shots. You have to be in the right place at the right time, and be able to notice that it's the right place and the right time, then compose, focus, expose properly.

Mis-focused shots of boring people walking down a boring street with zero composition, isn't good street photography. (That's not aimed at your shots here by the way).

I generally use my 24-70 at the wide end on my 5D, auto-focus and manual exposure. You talk about using f11, etc. well that all depends on the shot as with any kind of photography.

If you go to the 'personal' section on my website (see sig') you can have a squizz at some of my street stuff. Not great by all accounts, but some of it has been exhibited in the past.

The biggest thing is relax, have quick reactions, and keep your eyes wide open.

 

[Marc]

What's the format for the meets? Do you form a group pretty much wandering along seeing what you can find?

It's not been said in this discussion but those into street photography should be aware of their own safety too. I've noticed one or two people I'd rather not have looking at my gear and I am sure they were wondering what the options may be. Secondly as a tog with 'a big camera' it does draw attention, and it's only a matter of time before you hit on photographing the wrong person, or in my case someone who just decided I must be a big softy if I had a camera. We'll just say he was wrong and now he understands that. But be aware folks it does draw attention from the wrong folks too and many people don't want to be photographed.

The London meets tend to be just that with the odd smaller group breaking off every now and again.

As for the safety angle, common sense is a must.We tend to be in quite busy areas and it's also a case of safety in numbers. That said, we have never come up against any real issues except for the odd security guard. As for the "big camera", the biggest thing we come across is people asking us who we're waiting for because they think we're paparazzi. It's quite fun telling them we're waiting for Tom Cruise and seeing how long they wait around for.

 

[Forbiddenbiker]

WRT street photography, you have to spend a lot of time out there. You can't just go out and do it and expect good shots. You have to be in the right place at the right time, and be able to notice that it's the right place and the right time, then compose, focus, expose properly.

Mis-focused shots of boring people walking down a boring street with zero composition, isn't good street photography. (That's not aimed at your shots here by the way).

Id like to echo that.

Street is different things to different people big time, but for me all the successful shots have things like meaning, impact, reason and always a preconceived aim in mind when the photographer shot them.. Miscellaneous snaps of random people for no good reason will show in the shots, no point, no story, nothing but a nicely shot image of a person in a street..

I take beautiful street portraits out of that equation, they are more portraits taken in the street, rather than 'street photography'. But that just my personal opinion.

Just for ideas …Two recent shots, nothing special like James's, the first is a typical cliché, but it does have a well know story.
The second though is not a typical street shot (and some may argue its not street at all) but it is particularly powerful image today I think, but possibly would have meant nothing twenty years ago.

 

[karmagarda]

Yup. Just not to endorse anything.

eg "Buy a BMW, this guy did-->" [Photo]

WRT street photography, you have to spend a lot of time out there. You can't just go out and do it and expect good shots. You have to be in the right place at the right time, and be able to notice that it's the right place and the right time, then compose, focus, expose properly.

Mis-focused shots of boring people walking down a boring street with zero composition, isn't good street photography. (That's not aimed at your shots here by the way).

I generally use my 24-70 at the wide end on my 5D, auto-focus and manual exposure. You talk about using f11, etc. well that all depends on the shot as with any kind of photography.

If you go to the 'personal' section on my website (see sig') you can have a squizz at some of my street stuff. Not great by all accounts, but some of it has been exhibited in the past.

The biggest thing is relax, have quick reactions, and keep your eyes wide open.

Thanks Jay. The above shots are merely a result of practice anyway, I don't expect to nail this straight away. I'll have fun trying though, and I expect to have a lot of ok shots before I start getting some of shots I really want.

When I mentioned f11 I wasn't very clear about what I was referring to, apologies! I was thinking more along the lines of taking people shots as they were walking down the street. The reason I mentioned it was that I was shooting in manual focus for a couple of reasons.

- My lens was doing a bit of focus searching, I reckon it's because it was night though so light wasn't optimal.

- Not sure about other cameras, but the D60 has this really annoying bright focus light on it which attracts peoples attention while focussing. So if you forget to cover it you miss every possible candid or natural street shot going! I must invest in some blue tac or something to cover the b****r up.

Anyway, the other issue is sheer inexperience, but I'll have fun knocking that out of me

Had a quick look through your street stuff and I love it! I'm getting a whole different outlook on this now, especially about composition. That shot of the guy at the water fountain, and the guy on the wheelchair. So good. I loved the melbourne photos too. They looked street too, but maybe you'll tell me they are posed/set up!

Anyway, lots of food for thought. Thanks again.

 

[karmagarda]

Id like to echo that.

Street is different things to different people big time, but for me all the successful shots have things like meaning, impact, reason and always a preconceived aim in mind when the photographer shot them.. Miscellaneous snaps of random people for no good reason will show in the shots, no point, no story, nothing but a nicely shot image of a person in a street..

I take beautiful street portraits out of that equation, they are more portraits taken in the street, rather than 'street photography'. But that just my personal opinion.

Just for ideas …Two recent shots, nothing special, the first is a typical cliché, but it does have a well know story.
The second though is not a typical street shot (and some may argue its not street at all) but it is particularly powerful image today I think, but possibly would have meant nothing twenty years ago.

Thanks Forbiddenbiker. Very much appreciated. I'm not sure what exactly I'm intested in taking yet, but I love people interacting with each other. So I'm going to start from that angle and see where it takes me.

 

[Eddie1]

follow alistair campbells advise
never apologies, never explain

pretend u dont see the people you are photographing

 

[Jayst84]

...
Anyway, lots of food for thought. Thanks again.

No worries.

I can imagine a focus lamp would be a bit of a nightmare, especially shooting at night.

Just remember that shooting at f11 won't make your photos in focus if they're not. There's only ever a single point that's correctly focussed, stopping down will never completely hide a mis-focussed shot.

More practice with manual focus is never a bad thing, and you'll only get better. Personally I don't know how people manage to do it on a crop sensor camera.

Thanks for having a look at the site.. the only set up or posed shots on there are in the commercial section, the rest is as found.

 

[mid_gen]

I find alcohol a good substitute for brass balls Got my best street shots when I've taken my camera out in central when I've been out with mates. Not always sharp mind, but the best 'street' I've done.

Camden area is great for starting out with street photography....so many freaks and weirdos around that are quite happy to be snapped, I'd reccomend going up there

 

[ryank]

take a look on this site: http://www.in-public.com/

Have a look in the galleries theres some great shots that cover many different kinds of street.

 

[paul mac]

Check out Joe Wigfall on you tube maybe some ideas

 

[karmagarda]

follow alistair campbells advise
never apologies, never explain

pretend u dont see the people you are photographing

Thanks Eddie. I have loads of things to try out now

No worries.

I can imagine a focus lamp would be a bit of a nightmare, especially shooting at night.

I was messing with the camera settings today, and found a menu option for, wait for it, whether you want to see all the menu options or just a few. :bang:

On the upside one of the hidden menu options was to turn off the damn focus light.

Just remember that shooting at f11 won't make your photos in focus if they're not. There's only ever a single point that's correctly focussed, stopping down will never completely hide a mis-focussed shot.

More practice with manual focus is never a bad thing, and you'll only get better. Personally I don't know how people manage to do it on a crop sensor camera.

You're right. Now that I've turned off the damn focus light I can go back to automatic . I think I still will do some stuff on manual solely for the practice.

Thanks for having a look at the site.. the only set up or posed shots on there are in the commercial section, the rest is as found.

I have Monday marked down again for a bit of day shooting. Might catch some people on lunch break, some tourists, etc. Not sure where I'll venture yet. Might just do a hop on hop off round the circle line.

 

[karmagarda]

I find alcohol a good substitute for brass balls Got my best street shots when I've taken my camera out in central when I've been out with mates. Not always sharp mind, but the best 'street' I've done.

Camden area is great for starting out with street photography....so many freaks and weirdos around that are quite happy to be snapped, I'd reccomend going up there

Beer. Now you're talking my language! I might just do the pubs of Camden on Monday see what I end up with... maybe just a hangover

take a look on this site: http://www.in-public.com/

Have a look in the galleries theres some great shots that cover many different kinds of street.

Thanks for the link. Having a read of that now.

Check out Joe Wigfall on you tube maybe some ideas

Joe Wigfall is pretty amazing, never saw that clip before. I might try that "see with your hands" technique.

Excellent comments folks, very much appreciated. I have loads of stuff to work with

 

[Jayst84]

Try www.mattstuart.com for a slightly different take on street shooting.

 

[karmagarda]

Yeah, Matt is a resident in my bookmarks! He's really different to the norm which I love. Gotta wonder how on earth he get's some of his shots.

 

[karmagarda]

Well, attempt 1 was today (since all the advice in this post ). Funny thing is I've started looking for completely different shots that I would have before. Also, funnily enough, the biggest thing I learnt today was:

Patience, patience, and more patience.

These shots just don't fall on your lap. I came home with 1 shot that I'm somewhat happy with, but it's not the upclose/personal street shot that I thought I'd get:



I'm happy enough with the above photo. I know I can find better stuff to shoot, but I will in time. What I like about the above photo is what it conveys and the slight comical factor it does so.

There's a few aesthetic factors I'm not overly fond of, but I don't really care about them to be honest. One of the things I'm going to be strict on myself about is not allowing myself to clone anything out of my pictures. Crops/curves/B&W conversions etc is as far as I'll go.

What I'm really happy with is the following:

- I've changed my thought process. Today I was taking photos I wanted to take, as opposed to trying to take a street photo.

- I thought a little more about composition. What message is in the photo? Or what's interesting about the scene? And what do I not want in the photo!

- Most importantly I've lined up 2/3 places I want to return too. I spotted some places with excellent potential, but it requires the "right place, right time, or right people present". So I don't expect to have those for quite some time yet. So I'm putting these on my route everytime I go taking photos now in hope that the situations arise.

Thanks all again for the advice/links/tips/etc. Much appreciated