Street Photography - which lens?

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dancook

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Ok tonight I'm going to prowl the streets of Guildford, in my first real attempt at street photography.

5dm3, which lens should I go armed with?

35mm 1.4 (manual only)
85mm 1.2
135mm 2.0

I was thinking aperture mode 1.6-2.0? auto ISO up to 12,800 with min shutter speed of? 1/160?

advice welcome, thanks
 
Depends - I've recently been prowling the tube with a 14mm or my 24-105 on a 5D mk3

14mm super wide, walk close with the camera by your side and trigger as you go poast. Remember to use silent shutter and turn beeps off.
 
Is it common for people to shoot from the hip, I am nervous so it does kind of appeal - but want to a least try to get over it.

how do you focus?
 
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boyfalldown said:
35mm - just remember you're doing nothing wrong. Act like it and you'll have no issues
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Thanks, I may have roped in a colleague from work to join me - not sure if that'll help or hinder, but else might be fun.
 
dancook said:
Thanks, I may have roped in a colleague from work to join me - not sure if that'll help or hinder, but else might be fun.
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This was 35mm, on the Southbank an evening last summer. If you believe everything you read I should have been lynched for this

DSCF0473.jpg
 
I once saw a young girl peering out of a coffee shop window, up against the glass - would have made for a good photo I think. I didn't have my camera on me though, so I didn't have to make the choice!
 
This is something I've been researching a bit more of late - there's some pretty good vids on YouTube about recommended lenses along with what rights you have if challenged..

The concensous seems to be a 50mm prime (thats what I'll be using) with some people recommending a 28mm or 35mm..

Let us know how you get on in this thread (y)
 
dancook said:
Is it common for people to shoot from the hip, I am nervous so it does kind of appeal - but want to a least try to get over it.

how do you focus?
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Samyung 14mm - manual focus. F8 to f11, set it for about 3 feet and everything is in focus :)

I can carry the camera with my hand around the lens and trigger the shutter with the fleshy bit at the bottom of my thumb/palm.
I had an op at Christmas near my eye and couldn't have the camera near, so worked on a different method. Gets some interesting angles.
 
^Joe said:
I think it depends what you're after.. For me I like super shallow DOF, and capturing just peopls, so use 85mm. For more 'environmental' shots, go wider. 85mm also keeps you 'hidden' well :D
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I do quite fancy some pretty bokeh, and I do like portraiture ... which is why the 85mm is tempting. That said, I think I will try the 35mm and see how it goes
 
Byker28i said:
24mm shot from the hip
152735751.jpg



The camera is slung from my shoulder being carried normally. It's facing sideways and so isn't noticed at all.
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That defeats the purpose of taking a picture. No sense of composition and structure if you are not even looking at your subject through a viewfinder
10977838276_9254aa475e_c.jpg
 
iced_jacob said:
That defeats the purpose of taking a picture. No sense of composition and structure if you are not even looking at your subject through a viewfinder
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There was a very good reason why I couldn't look through a viewfinder. Should that stop me experimenting or taking images?
IMG_5506.jpg





Composition isn't always a necessity to look through the viewfinder.
img_5602-edit-jpg.4763


A sneak preview from my assignment. Taken at 14mm from the hip
 
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Nobody said that but holding the camera to your side pretending nothing happens sounds like you are doing something you shouldn't be doing. William Klein once said "I just don't make a fuss about it and nobody else seems to do so". The more natural you act the less weirdo you look/feel like and the better your pictures are
 
Cool, but I could also quote you photographers who disguised what they did. How about old wet plate cameras with lenses on the side to disguise what they were doing.
How about walker Evans shooting in the new York subway between 1938-1941. He painted his cameras chrome parts black, hid the camera beneath his coat, with a shutter lease running down his sleeve.

The idea, Evans said later, was to affirm that certain people had come along and without knowing it placed themselves in front of a fixed and impersonal apparatus for a given time. He said ' the guard is down and the mask is off even more than when in lone bedrooms, peoples faces are in naked repose down in the subway'.

It's not about the technique, it's about the image. There's no right or wrong way, it's just what works and sometimes being different, but it's the final image that's important.
 
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In all honesty I really like the images put up by Byker28i - the image from iced_jacob along with the comment 'No sense of composition and structure if you are not even looking at your subject through a viewfinder' does nothing for me what-so-ever..

At the end of the day I don't think it matters how you get your image whether its shooting from the hip, looking through the view-finder or standing on your head singing 'my delilah' - each image should always be looked out and critiqued on its individual merit ;)
 
Have you failed or have you learnt something ;)
What was your thought when going out, architecture, night photography or street.

I like the last shot with the cyclist silhouetted - maybe a pace to the right to get the cyclist wholly silhouetted and the rail leading in
 
Byker28i said:
Have you failed or have you learnt something ;)
What was your thought when going out, architecture, night photography or street.

I like the last shot with the cyclist silhouetted - maybe a pace to the right to get the cyclist wholly silhouetted and the rail leading in
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Well I had the intention to get people into my shots, we moved around a lot - but I feel I might have been better off to find a spot and let people come to me (into the shot)

With regards to focussing, I did some pre-focussing using the lens readings - but only in the 5-10 feet range, the closer you get, the more difficult it would seem to be.
In general taking close up photos of people at night with wide apertures needs more MF refinement, I guess things could feel awkward if you point a camera at someone 2-3ft away and spend 5 seconds trying to get focus..

There was a general lack of people, shops were closed, people were going home - my first thought for any female pedestrian is that they probably already feel vulnerable enough.

since my colleague was more interested in architecture and finding the abstract in the mundane, I followed suit mostly!

I think a better time to go would be on late night shopping.
 
There's some good shots there matey - I always tend to prefer the street photography where its capturing a person in a scene, so for me I like the image of the man walking down the alleyway and the guy pushing the bike across the bridge.. (y)
 
I've an app on my iPhone called PhotoCalc which amongst other things has a depth of field calculator. a 14mm lens at f8 with a subject distance of 8 feet gives me from 2'9" to infinity. I don't have to think about focus :)

If you spot a good background then there's no problem with letting people walk into the frame. Just sometimes you could be in for a wait - people don't always react the way you think.

When I started earlier this year, I was nervous so picked a tourist spot to start. No-one pays attention to people with cameras there
 
XFile2708 said:
There's some good shots there matey - I always tend to prefer the street photography where its capturing a person in a scene, so for me I like the image of the man walking down the alleyway and the guy pushing the bike across the bridge.. (y)
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Thanks!

Byker28i said:
I've an app on my iPhone called PhotoCalc which amongst other things has a depth of field calculator. a 14mm lens at f8 with a subject distance of 8 feet gives me from 2'9" to infinity. I don't have to think about focus :)

If you spot a good background then there's no problem with letting people walk into the frame. Just sometimes you could be in for a wait - people don't always react the way you think.

When I started earlier this year, I was nervous so picked a tourist spot to start. No-one pays attention to people with cameras there
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F8 :) I assume that's during the day, or in well lit areas?

Quite a few people stopped to wait whilst I took photos as to not get in the way :) that was nice... but I'd rather they were in it..
 
I've been toying with the idea of street photography. I got called 'a bloody nuisance' last year by some stroppy git in his canal barge. I was on a landscape photography course and we were experimenting with a barge coming through the lock. He got a shirty on saying photographers were a menace and demanded we didn't photograph him. I didn't photograph him (i mean who would want to?) but I did look through my viewfinder and he took great offence!

Has anyone ever had any issues? What about overseas? I am in Cyprus and looking at trying some out here and up the Turkish side this weekend!
 
The goblin said:
Has anyone ever had any issues? What about overseas? I am in Cyprus and looking at trying some out here and up the Turkish side this weekend!
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In my experience overseas you won't encounter any of the potential issues there are over here. I've never encountered a stroppy boat owner abroad ;)
 
The goblin said:
Has anyone ever had any issues? What about overseas? I am in Cyprus and looking at trying some out here and up the Turkish side this weekend!
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There are ****heads all over the world, but with somewhere around 7.5 billion people knocking about, it's hard to say whether or not you're going to bump into one of them in any particular place. Just get on with what you want to do, and let them worry about their problems.
 
dancook said:
Is it common for people to shoot from the hip, I am nervous so it does kind of appeal - but want to a least try to get over it.

how do you focus?
Click to expand...


I have done a lot of street photography and I'm always open to new ideas so one day I tried the hip shooting thing. IMO I would of been better off using my iphone. It was not photography as I know it. It turned out to be totally random composition with no aperture control or focus points. I guess some may really like this method but it was not for me.
 
Has anyone ever had any issues? What about overseas? I am in Cyprus and looking at trying some out here and up the Turkish side this weekend![/quote]


I would say that it really depends on where you are at. Some places are much more friendly towards photographers than others. I have been to places in Asia that the people on the street actually come up to you and ask you to take their picture when they see you with a camera (great fun). On the other hand I have also been to other countries in Asia that they absolutely do not want you taking their photo. I'm sure there are exceptions but for every jerk there are hundreds of nice people that don't mind you taking their picture.

:canon:
 
dancook said:
Ok tonight I'm going to prowl the streets of Guildford, in my first real attempt at street photography.

5dm3, which lens should I go armed with?

35mm 1.4 (manual only)
85mm 1.2
135mm 2.0

I was thinking aperture mode 1.6-2.0? auto ISO up to 12,800 with min shutter speed of? 1/160?

advice welcome, thanks
Click to expand...

I use my Zeiss 16 to 80 mm f3.5 as a street walkabout lens, high ISO works well too

one I grabbed at 80 mm and he actually smiled at me



Candid in Chester by lesmoxonphotography, on Flickr
Les ;)
 
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shaylou said:
I have done a lot of street photography and I'm always open to new ideas so one day I tried the hip shooting thing. IMO I would of been better off using my iphone. It was not photography as I know it. It turned out to be totally random composition with no aperture control or focus points. I guess some may really like this method but it was not for me.
Click to expand...

It takes practice, it's a new technique after all, but it works ok for me. An an example, and from abroad, here's two taken in Thailand a couple of weeks ago:

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 1/40s f/6.3 at 24.0mm iso3200
154861274.jpg


Canon EOS 5D Mark III 1/60s f/7.1 at 24.0mm iso12800
154861276.jpg
 
I was thinking aperture mode 1.6-2.0? auto ISO up to 12,800 with min shutter speed of? 1/160?

I'm just curious, why would you want to pick your settings before you are at location seeing the subject in the actual light you will shot in?:thinking:
 
Depends on how you are shooting. Only you know what the lowest shutter speed you are capable of shooting at depending on the expected conditions and the technique you expect to use. Obviously these are different between bright sunshine, dark places or nighttime.

Sometimes it's needed at those moments are fleeting and if you a fiddling with settings you'll possibly miss it.

I have a couple of custom modes setup on my camera, one of which is the silent mode for my. Lose street shooting. For that I have all beeps turned off, all screen displayed turned off, silent shutter, minimum shutter speed of 1/125, auto iso to 12800, but that was my setup for shooting in the tube or night markets, both dark areas at times. Easy to switch to av, 3 clicks, without looking if required.

As already mentioned, I have a samyung 14mm manual lens, so generally set that to around 3 feet focal length and f8-f11. At f11 I get a depth of field from 1.5 feet to infinity. On my 24-105 I'll use that in various ways.

There's no set way to do things, the image is important, not how you got it. There are various ways and techniques to get the image and that's where the creative process is down to you. Sometimes you need to experiment, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.
 
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