What’s so nice about street photography is you get to tell or capture a story without influencing the scene or subject. In other words, it’s something really challenging! If you wish to dabble in street photography, below are 10 tips on how to take street photos like a seasoned street photographer.
Tip #1: Be Bold
There’s no use in knowing an assortment of street photography tips and tricks if you fail to put them in practice. It may be really easy talking about them but things can get somewhat uncomfortable once you’re out there and ready to take snapshots. You will encounter people who will ignore you, smile at you or react in an unfavorable manner.
Tip #2: Know How to Behave
Being unnoticed allows you to capture stories as they are unfolding and subjects as they go on with their lives. Try not to be secretive in an obvious way as people might think you’re doing something wrong. Most of the time, smiling when caught helps in dispelling negative reactions. See to it that you do not invade people’s privacy as well as break some laws.
Tip #3: Understand Your Gear
When it comes to street photography, the gear doesn’t really matter most of the time. You may come up with winning street photos even when using a humble mobile phone camera or a cheap point-and-shoot compact camera. However, it’s a good idea to use something with a handful of manual controls so that you may adjust certain settings as needed.
Tip #4: Quit Rushing
Striding while capturing scenes or people at the same time can be really challenging. It keeps you from taking sharp photos, makes you noticeable the moment you stop walking to take a shot, and even cause you to miss some really interesting happenings. It’s a good idea to slow down, stop every now and then, and wait what happens.
Tip #5: Concentrate on Details
Just because you’re taking street photos doesn’t mean you have to fill the frame with lots of different people and goings on. Sometimes the best street photos are the ones that focus on certain details only. Commonly, some of the most interesting stories or subjects are the little things that people tend to miss while they’re out in the street. A snapshot of a very simple scene or a single detail like a person’s hand or face, as you will find out, can be really moving and powerful.
Tip #6: Capture Emotions
A great way to fill your photos with emotions is by paying special attention to the eyes of your subjects. Capturing eyes that reflect happiness, excitement, tiredness, uncertainty or annoyance rather than blank stares can turn a street photograph from ordinary to out of the ordinary.
Tip #7: Experiment with Perspectives
As much as 95% of all the photos you can find out there are taken at eye-level, which tend to be lackluster as everyone sees everything in that perspective. Come up with really interesting photos by placing your camera near the ground or shooting your subjects from above. Experiment with angles to end up with stellar street photos.
Tip #8: Tell a Story
Don’t take snapshots of people or scenes just for the sake of having photos. What’s so great about street photography is it’s done in places where all sorts of narratives and stories are unfolding all the time. Shoot people interacting with people or everyday objects. Try to say something about your subjects by focusing on what they are wearing or doing.
Tip #9: Check Out the Works of the Pros
In order to have an idea on what a good street photo is, study the works of revered street photographers. Observe what their favorite subjects are, how they compose their snapshots, which photography styles they like to employ, etc. Buy books or log on the web to have an idea on the things that make a street photo a street photo worthy of being marveled at.
Tip #10: Shoot Daily
Consistently taking street photos is the only way to become an excellent street photographer. Heading out daily to take photos allows you to hone your skill while at the same time enables you to find out or develop a style that makes your photos your very own. Shoot street photos everyday whether you have a full day to spare or only 30 minutes.
