Street photography locations: Liverpool

StreetSnapper

StreetSnapper

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Brian
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As anyone local to this truly fine city will tell you, Liverpool is a street photographer's paradise. I grew up 20 miles from Liverpool and know the city well. If you invest a little time in getting to know the city, finding its rhythm and putting in the leg-work you won't go home empty-handed. So what makes it so beguiling?
  • It's a city of contrasts: rich/poor, old/new, modern/traditional, happy/sad, funny/serious, sober/drunk, formal/relaxed . . . and so on.
  • The locals are 'up for it'. People are generally quite relaxed about having a camera pointed at them and I rarely encounter problems when I'm 'caught'. There is an inherent 'happiness' about Liverpool.
  • Some of the architecture is stunning and it's well worth a trip for that reason alone.
  • There is good scope for the urban landscape genre of street photography.
  • There is a great choice of locations within the city centre: squares, shopping areas, Lime Street station, the docks, the riverside, two cathedrals, a university quarter, the Tate, the Bluecoat Gallery and about a hundred branches of Greggs (always good for a snap). I could go on and on . . .
  • The Open Eye Gallery (Liverpool's super version of London's Photographers' Gallery).
  • The pubs are great. Or so I'm told.
So, for me, Liverpool is one big photo-opportunity. My next workshop there is on Saturday 24th June. Liverpool is very accessible by rail, air and road (2 hours from London by train) and accommodation is cheap and plentiful. I'm in the process of organising my Liverpool archive put have posted a few pics here to give you a flavour.
 
STARRIDER said:
Why would anyone pay to do street photography..?..:eek:..come with me for nothing..:rolleyes:
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Hi Dave - I've never heard of anyone paying just to do street photography (unless it's a photo-walk)! But I teach about 600 people every year who want to learn about how to do it well. It's a true learning experience in a workshop format. Sure, it's not for everyone but those who do it seem to really enjoy it and learn a new set of skills :)
 
It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary.

David Bailey



Personally, the idea of a one-day street workshop with someone who knows his stuff is worth months of trial and error.
 
aliengrove said:
It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary.

David Bailey



Personally, the idea of a one-day street workshop with someone who knows his stuff is worth months of trial and error.
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Thanks Jon. I agree - as you would expect me to ;-) Street photography is like any other photographic genre; there are plenty of tried & trusted techniques that will make you a better street photographer - and 'seeing' is just one of them. A good workshop will develop the student's sense of observation and build an understanding of the aesthetic of street photography. It's usually easy to spot the work of someone who possesses these skills - and many people don't! Sure, some people have an inherent ability to get it right and workshops exist for those who don't.

Maybe those who are opposed to workshops are at the top of their game and can teach us all a thing or two.
 
I should imagine it also helps with gaining confidence to do what is (as far as I'm concerned) an unusual thing. As it's often to spend time in the company of people with similar interests.
 
Sassafras said:
I should imagine it also helps with gaining confidence to do what is (as far as I'm concerned) an unusual thing. As it's often to spend time in the company of people with similar interests.
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Yes, you're absolutely right. Most people are anxious about shooting on the streets and I teach techniques to combat this. It also helps, as you say, to be able to learn and practice in the company of others.

But don't ever let lack of confidence put you off - there are plenty of things you can do to change that!
 
StreetSnapper said:
Of those who are new to it, yes, I'd say the majority are anxious to some degree
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I get anxious and feel uncomfortiable when using my Nikon D3 and big lenses on the street. No problem when I shooting with my Fuji XT1. Small compact body is less distracting and is blending into the environment which helps. Big pro body tends to attract people's attention.
 
badboy1984 said:
I get anxious and feel uncomfortiable when using my Nikon D3 and big lenses on the street. No problem when I shooting with my Fuji XT1. Small compact body is less distracting and is blending into the environment which helps. Big pro body tends to attract people's attention.
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Yes, I agree. Small, light and quiet is the way to go. The less you look like a 'photographer', the better!
 
I get anxious too but that's easing with every trip into cardiff. However I live in a seaside resort of Barry and would like to do a project locally but i feel a lot more anxious at the seaside. Parents are on their guard with the children and generally people are more self conscious in their bathing suits. I'm not out to spoil their day.
 
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I think one of the key things is don't dress like a pro photographer ....... fully loaded backpack gear with tripod hanging around definitely attract too many attention. When I shoot on the street, i tend to use lens like 18mm and 35mm on my fuji xt1 crop sensor. On certain places i do miss the big 70-200 zoom and I do miss some shots, but in general small compact usually capture most of the shots. Pulling out a big zoom is a big no no for me.
 
I find street photography thrilling more than scary. Not sure anybody could teach me how I dealt with it. It's something you have to learn on your own? & it doesn't happen in a day...
Small camera is a good idea. I use a tourist style Panasonic tz70 superzoom
 
rjbell said:
I get anxious too but that's easing with every trip into cardiff. However I live in a seaside resort of Barry and would like to do a project locally but i feel a lot more anxious at the seaside. Parents are on their guard with the children and generally people are more self conscious in their bathing suits. I'm not out to spoil their day.
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I advise steering well clear of children when you have a camera in your hand. The best of intentions are often misconstrued and it just isn't worth the hassle. But you can still get great seaside shots in a place like Barry; I run workshops in Blackpool and there's enough material there to keep a street photographer happy for years.
 
StreetSnapper said:
I advise steering well clear of children when you have a camera in your hand. The best of intentions are often misconstrued and it just isn't worth the hassle. But you can still get great seaside shots in a place like Barry; I run workshops in Blackpool and there's enough material there to keep a street photographer happy for years.
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I accept, fully, what you say, but aren't children a matter of context? I love taking photos of the large carousel in front of the pier in Southport - it's got colour; action, when moving; different textures depending on which 'horse' you are looking at - but it becomes so much more alive when children are on the ride. The thought of having to either not take pictures of ride, or ask a dozen parents' permission, purely to take a general shot horrifies me. Having said that, even on that carousel, I would never obviously (nor sneakily) focus on one child & one child alone.
 
Side note - I'm moving to Thailand in the summer - 90 minutes drive outside of Bangkok...... Street shooters heaven!
 
Lawsyd said:
I accept, fully, what you say, but aren't children a matter of context? I love taking photos of the large carousel in front of the pier in Southport - it's got colour; action, when moving; different textures depending on which 'horse' you are looking at - but it becomes so much more alive when children are on the ride. The thought of having to either not take pictures of ride, or ask a dozen parents' permission, purely to take a general shot horrifies me. Having said that, even on that carousel, I would never obviously (nor sneakily) focus on one child & one child alone.
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So glad I live in Asia where I have no problems with street photography and having to worry if people will get annoyed. People generally love to have their picture taken here.
 
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