There is lots online to read which talk about this, but for me, street photography is a visual documentation of everyday life and society. However, a person doesn’t need to be in an image for it to be considered street photography, it although does take place exclusively in public areas, not necessarily on the street.
Within the street photography genre, there are so many different sub-genres, these are just a few:
- Documentary & travel
- Intentional Camera Movement
- Reflections
- Long Exposure
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
How to do street photography
Street photography can either be one of the easiest or most difficult photographic genre to capture, but like any other genre, it does take time to master, these are my tips for you:
- Conquer your fear
- Choose the right gear
- Get your settings right
- Don’t forget about artistic images
- Tell a story
- Find your own style
- Join a street photography workshop
Conquer your fear
Being uncomfortable at capturing street photography images is what many people say to me, and the main reason why many decide to not try it out. When you join a Street Photography Workshop, you are guided through how to capture images in public and you become more comfortable doing this, by the end of the workshop, you’ll have found your ”fears” have melted away.
Also, being part of a photography workshop and a group, you are seen as less intrusive, this sounds counter intuitive, but when approached by people asking what you’re doing, it’s very easy to say ”I’m learning street photography”.
Choose the right gear
Since you’ll be carrying your equipment around town, travel as light as possible as your goal is to capture candid scenes and you’ll want to pass as unnoticed as possible – check out my go-to street photography camera.
Get your settings right
- Aperture: I tend to set to a narrow aperture, typically f/8 aperture as a starting point and sometimes narrower.
- Shutter Speed: My favourite is 1/125s or above. As you know, things happen fast on the streets, and anything under 1/125s you’re risking camera shake and motion blur.
- ISO: ISO affects image brightness. Unfortunately, while higher ISOs brighten up the scene, they also produce noise. If you’re shooting in black & white, these can look good with noise – especially if you’re trying to capture Henri Cartier-Bresson style images.
- Focusing: I focus my lens a few feet in front of the camera, wait until the subject enters the prefocused zone of sharpness, then hit the shutter button.
- White Balance: Just use Auto.
You can read more detail about my recommended settings here.
Don’t forget about artistic images
When thinking about street photography, most people immediately think about crisp clear images, but there’s lots of sub-genres to street photography:
- Intentional Camera Movement
- Panning & zooming
- Reflections
Tell a story
The best street photos are those which transmit an emotion and reflect on the human condition. Upon seeing your work, people should be able to connect with the scene you captured and wonder about its backstory.
Mastering the art of street photography is essential to be able to capture and convey powerful emotions through your work. You’ll need to learn how to read people’s expressions and put yourself in their shoes, and then frame the scene in a way that matches those feelings.
Of course all of this is easier said than done, as the moment will be gone forever in a matter of seconds.
There’s prep work in street photography which helps you see those moments ”before” they happen – sit at a cafe, see how people interact with one another, watch their expressions change, and pay attention to how they merge with their surroundings.
Find your own style
The most important part of street photography is to find your own style – get out with your camera, join street photography workshops to explore different sub-genres and grow your street photography expertise. But most importantly, have fun.
Join a street photography workshop
Check out what street photography workshops are in your area and register to join, grow your skills and meet other like-minded street photographers. Click here to see the extensive list of Street Photography Workshops I run.
About Lesley Whyte
Lesley is a member of Australian Association of Street Photographers Incorporated and Australasia’s only woman street photography mentor offering a variety of street photography workshops in New Zealand and Australia; beginners, abstract, advanced two day and Henri Cartier-Bresson methodology.