The art of photographing people in their familiar environment, in the places where you and I “live”: streets, parks, squares, avenues, lanes. There are a lot of different articles about this genre of photography, about what, where and how to shoot. In this article, we do not set ourselves the task of talking about the principles of street photography, but we invite you to get acquainted with the best photographers representatives of this type of photography. A variety of cultures, people, objects - all this is combined in our articles, pleasant viewing.
Eric Kim
Eric Kim, became a street photographer by accident. His soulful portraits are full of drama and expressiveness. While working as a Sociologist at UCLA, Eric continues to experiment on the streets. The theme of his work is the study of human behavior, he seeks to make people overcome their fear on the streets.
Claude Renault
If you have ever dreamed of visiting India or if you are interested in the culture of this country, then you definitely need to get acquainted with the works of Claude Renault. He is one of those wonderful street photographers who does not focus on certain people, his photographs are moments, moments, the simple truth of life.
Markus Hartel
Street photography combined with art. A special distinguishing feature of his work is the use of dark tones and the transfer of the true emotions of the characters in creating the composition of the photograph. An unusual look at the embodiment of abstract street compositions. Marcus's secret is simple, it reflects the reality that surrounds us every day.
Thomas Leuthard
Thomas Leutard, street photographer, perfectionist. For him, street photography is an adventure and a shoot. The composition of his photographs is the view of a traveler, a stranger on a character.
Boogie (Boogie)
Don't miss out on informal street photography. He created his collection of street shots in many places from Cuba to New York. His paintings are irresistible, and understandable without much explanation.
Sha Ribeiro
Sha Ribeiro is a photographer from Milan. His photographs are different from others. They are calm and seem at peace. Looking at them, listening to slow beautiful music, you will definitely feel peace of mind.
Matt StuartMatt Stuart
Matt is a street photographer based in London. His whopping fourteen years of photography experience can be easily seen in the pictures. A variety of colors combined with the expressiveness of the characters. Matt shoots with a Leica and never leaves his house without a camera.
Maciej Dakowicz
Maciej Dakovic photographs the streets, trying to capture the comical nature of situations in his work. Professionalism and a sense of humor fill his photographs. Brilliant use of colors throughout to convey the beauty of the streets to us.
Jurgen Burgin
A little about natural light street photography. Jurgen Burzhin is an extremely talented person with a special eye for composition. Born in Germany, Jürgen considers his photography to be a mix of street, architecture and portrait photography.
Greg Schmigel
Greg Smigel, the dynamism of his irresistible photographs makes you think about the history of the creation of each picture. He is perhaps the first person to create photographs using Cell phones. Greg believes that 90% of great photography comes from the photographer and the rest is technique.
Kevin Wy Lee
Kevin V. Lee, founder of the society of so-called invisible street photographers, where people study the art of this genre. His pictures are bright examples street photography with a creative touch. Compositions, objects, characters can serve as excellent research material for beginners.
Robert M Johnson
Robert M Johnson, his photographs are the reason to love this genre of art. His subjects are so simple and the exceptional angles make the viewer marvel at the shot. Inspiring and charming American street photography is at its best.
Matt Weber
His pictures of the streets of New York make us understand what street photography is all about. Everyday life ordinary people, just like us, in the form of a photograph.
Guido Steenkamp
If you like Black&White street photography, then you simply cannot miss the work of Guido Steenkamp. Incredible play of light and shadow, stunning compositions and a huge experience in photography for 13 years.
Chris Sorensen
Uncomplicated compositions of photographs attract the viewer with their sincerity, play of color and emotional state characters.
Danny Santos
Unusual fantastic pictures. Danny Santos brings us wonderful items on the streets of the garden road. His portraits of strangers, street portraits will give everyone a real aesthetic and visual pleasure from the process of communicating with the art of photography. He really tells us the story of his portraits.
Richard Sandler
After viewing the first three photos, you can plunge into unconsciousness into his gallery and not notice how time has passed while you studied the gallery of his works, trying to find and capture the very captivating secret of his work.
Dairou Leather (Dairou Koga)
Dairo Kozha is a photographer based in Tokyo, Japan. As a bookseller, he photographs portraits, trying to convey all the emotional features of each character.
David Jakelic
Silence - is the meaning of his pictures of the picture. Empty streets with a magnificent play of lights and shadows, geometric shapes and objects. One begins to wonder where one sees David's work.
Genre or street photography is one of the most interesting areas of photography, now, like 50 years ago, many photographers are fond of it, I will try to tell the technical aspects of shooting.
Genre (street photography) is a direction of photography in which the photographer tries to capture society, people and their relationships in natural environment, without the use of staging, so that the sacredness of each moment would not be lost.
In order to make a photo natural and lively, the photographer needs to remain invisible to the people around him, as I will tell you below.
First you need to choose a shooting location. This is ideal for crowded places. Stations, squares, metro stations, rallies, etc. In principle, any place is suitable (where it is allowed to shoot) and where you can get lost in the crowd, and the more diverse the crowd, the better.
After you have chosen a place, carefully look around. Think about what you might need at work. You need to pay attention to where and how the light falls, whether there are interesting signs or architectural solutions that you could fit into your frame. On the this stage your task is to understand what and where you can shoot, you must imagine what kind of photos you can get in this or that place.
Getting started shooting, you need to remember that the frame can be waiting for you anywhere. Genre, something akin to hunting, if the gun is unloaded and lies in a backpack, you will not be able to shoot a hare. Therefore, the camera must be turned on all the time and ready to shoot, do not forget to set the exposure on the camera and take it in your hand or hang the camera around your neck. These aspects seem banal, but in 80% of cases they are the key to your success.
Then merge with a mass of people, it is quite simple and difficult at the same time. Clothing should not attract attention, it is unnecessary to wear nothing bright for shooting, the eyes of passers-by should skip past you, not reading you in the crowd.
Pay attention to the speed of movement of the masses, listen to the rumble of the city, this will help you. Move like everyone else. In no case do not be nervous and do not make sudden movements, try not to run around with your eyes, in general, relax. Observe people and look for a frame.
Often, many shots in street photography are taken from the stomach without lifting the camera. Let me briefly explain how this is done. You take a wide angle lens, perfect in my opinion focal length about 17 mm. Then set the focus point to 2.5-3 meters, aperture from 5.6 or darker. Do not forget about shutter speed, so that there is no blur, with such settings, I set it in the region of 1/250 - 1/500. Next, we shoot from the stomach, without raising the camera, it is very convenient and imperceptible, just practice on the "cats" in advance so that the object being shot falls into the focus point.
If you need to get a frame, but for this you need to bring the camera to your face in order to focus and correctly set the composition, it does not matter either. You stand statically, choosing a shooting point and waiting for the "object" to come to the place you need. While the "object" is moving, you are "showing" him with all your looks that you are photographing anything, but not him. Turn around, take a few blank shots. The person will most likely relax and forget about you. Boldly, but discreetly, take a picture of him as he passes you, take a couple more shots into the void. It is important to understand that people passing by do not know the focal length of your lens and do not see your eyes, so they do not understand that you are shooting them.
And also be friendly, look at the person you want to photograph, maybe (which is really rare) he doesn’t mind at all. Sometimes it's enough just to smile, get a smile back, and then take a picture of him.
Some more important tips
In my experience, the smaller your camera, the more relaxed people feel about taking pictures. Kenon 1d in this matter loses to an ordinary soap box or mobile phone.
Quite calmly, people take pictures in places of mass celebrations and holidays, rallies are also suitable.
Police officers in the line of duty (this is when they are in uniform) can be filmed, according to the law, as much as they like, although they often prove the opposite.
Be tolerant, don't film people with disabilities, it's ugly.
Do more takes, if necessary shoot a full flash drive, maybe at this moment you are making a great shot, let there be plenty to choose from.
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The magic of street photography is that it doesn't follow any rules. She notices and captures unusual moments of everyday life. If you've ever felt like taking your camera for a walk through busy city streets or unexplored places, be sure to give street photography a try and try your hand at being a street photographer.
We've rounded up all the best tips to help you get the most out of the genre and create truly atmospheric shots.
Tip #1: Review your equipment and try not to stand out from the crowd
Our first piece of advice is not to draw attention to yourself. Imagine that you are walking down the street and you see a stranger with a huge telephoto lens pointed straight at you. I bet you won't be very comfortable? You need to put yourself in the place of passers-by and try to blend in a bit with the crowd.
Instead of a standard DSLR, we recommend opting for a light and compact camera. Yes! This is the main secret of all street photographers. You need to respect the privacy of the people around you, especially those you are about to film. Arm yourself with a compact camera and immerse yourself in the thick of things.
Instead of zooming, which often compromises photo quality, get closer to your subject. Stop passively clicking the shutter and turning on the zoom, use a wide-angle lens instead and concentrate on being in the right place at the right time every now and then. Don't think about the lens - move your feet instead.
However, remember that people need to be treated with respect, so keep a comfortable distance. One of the best photos- those that are taken from a very close distance, literally a few meters from the center of events. Be observant! Look for interesting objects and plots, dynamics and action - all that is an integral part of the hectic life of the streets.
Most likely, your first impulse will be to shoot everything that catches the eye. Indeed, on the street, so many moments seem extraordinary and worth capturing on camera. However, in street photography, you need to develop a picky editorial eye. You need to be attentive, spend more time looking at everything, watching people.
Instead of coming back with a thousand shots that you have to sort through, try to focus more on quality rather than quantity.
Tip #4: Experiment with different times of day
During rush hours, the streets literally change. Early morning is a special time, because this is the time when you can take unique shots of sparsely populated streets; is there some more and don't forget about night photography. Keep those good moments in mind, because in street photography, good moments are everything.
At different times of the day, you will have different lighting conditions. You can come to the same place, but each time you will receive completely different photos. So you should definitely experiment with shooting in the morning, at noon and in the evening. After all, it is light that makes photography special.
Tip #5: Learn to ask permission to shoot, and don't let hostility discourage you.
Sometimes you know for sure that now you will get a super-successful picture - you just need to quickly catch on camera the person who attracted your attention. However, many masters of street photography say that you first need to learn how to ask permission. Of course, the most original and casual photos are usually taken when the subject is unaware and just minding their own business. However, don't be afraid to slow down a bit.
Learn to ask, because you never know what the next meeting will bring ... Let people know that you find them interesting and ask for a portrait shot. Some will immediately agree and even feel flattered that you chose them. Well, if you stumble upon hostility, you know - it's okay, it's part of the workflow. Just don't dwell on it and move on.
Tip #6: Don't miss out on spectacular lighting and interesting combinations
The success of many street photographs lies in the element of surprise. In fact, your task is to shoot places and phenomena that are well known to us, but show them in a new, unexpected light for us. You kind of catch a moment, a fragment of a day that will never happen again.
By spectacular lighting, I mean the play of two opposites: light and dark, light and shadow. This is just a goldmine for many talented street photographers,especiallywhen shooting in black and white.
In many ways, the magic of street photography lies in successful and sometimes completely unexpected combinations - in a strange neighborhood of people and objects around them. Look for an environment that will help convey your message to the viewer, and let it be something slightly contradictory. Human emotions, gestures and facial expressions also fall under this item.
Tip #7: Worried about the legality of street photography?- Relax!
You know, so many photographers are scared away from street photography by the fear of “is it legal”? The only point at which it can become illegal is the use of photographs of people for commercial purposes. If you don't sell photographs, you may well keep street shots in your personal collection.
Well, if you plan to sell photos on photo stocks, you can always mark them with the Editorial category, that is, “Editorial Use Only”. This means that your images do not come with model releases and can only be used for editorial purposes, i.e. to illustrate or highlight an event, news or story.
If someone asks you on the street what you are doing, do not be nervous, but calmly and politely explain to a stranger what you are doing. Smile and remember that some people are just curious why you are walking down the street, aiming your lens at passers-by.
Tip #8: Be more than just a photographer, be a storyteller
You are the silent observer, the creator behind the photographs. You carefully choose objects and plots and work with the context around you. However, remember, you are also telling a story that will never happen again.
There is often an element of storytelling behind the originality and success of successful portraits and stunning street photography. What are you trying to say? Why did you choose these objects for shooting? What emotions are you trying to convey? If it takes the viewer several minutes to view your pictures, then you are doing everything right. Don't forget to ask yourself these important questions when taking a photo.
Tip #9: Street photography secret - shoot from the hip
Of course, you want to control the process of taking pictures. To get really good shots and winning angles, you need to be able to see what you're shooting. However, don't forget that there are times when this is simply not possible - for example, when you are standing right in the middle of a stunning street scene. Shooting from the hip without looking through the viewfinder is a great way for many photographers to quickly seize the opportunity.
You really don't know how the picture will turn out, but at the same time, you get the original angle. By shooting from the hip, you get more lively and relaxed photos. They can bring you genuine surprise, but remember that this tool is used only in the most extreme cases.
Tip #10: Get in the habit of going out and taking pictures more often
Take your camera everywhere! And when you don't have a camera with you, take pictures with your phone. The truth is that every day brings with it new events: there is always something interesting happening, interesting people pass by, and you are bound to find an extraordinary shot somewhere. All these extraordinary situations and events will not wait until you decide to take your camera with you.
Remember that only practice can bring real results. Street photography is a kind of art. And those who discover the magic of street photography will never be able to look at everyday life the same way again.
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Street photography opens up an interesting and vibrant world for photographers. everyday life. Street and reportage photographers capture the brightest and most emotional moments of our lives, they shoot on the streets and in shops, in the subway and public transport, these photographers, putting their safety at risk, portray the ordinary as it is. How to make original reportage photos and to interest the audience in their work and will be discussed in our article.
wide angle lens
For street photography, it is customary to use shorter lenses. A street photographer with a long telescopic lens attracts the attention of passers-by, and people will resist shooting. A small, standard lens offering a focal length somewhere between 24-50mm won't be as conspicuous, and you can take beautiful wide-angle photos with it.
Camera setup
You should not look through the viewfinder all the time and try to take a picture of everyone you meet, so you will not only catch your eye, but you may miss all the most interesting scenes. Some masters, even holding the camera around their necks, are able to do interesting photos. You can hold the camera in your hands and take pictures discreetly. Set the continuous shooting mode, the aperture should not be too large, otherwise the picture will be blurry in case of a focus error, set f / 8, or so.
Best Places for Street Photography
Looking for the perfect shape
If you shoot in the city you live in, you probably know places with interesting compositional forms. Perfectly smooth lines and shapes look beautiful in the frame. Find such a place and wait for people to pass by. Pay attention to stairwells, lattices and beautiful bridges. You can photograph the shadows on the wall, they can serve as a strong visual complement.
Shooting from the hip
Author: Fábio Costa Practice shooting at hip height without looking through the viewfinder. We have already said that it is practiced by experienced street photographers and it really works. So you will be completely invisible, people passing by you will not even suspect that you are photographing them. At first, the photos will be unsuccessful, but practice will lead to amazing results.
Noticing interesting person, or an interesting subject to shoot, follow it. We are not talking about the fact that you would follow someone, interfere and disturb passers-by. It will not end well, but be careful, try not to lose sight of interesting images. You may be interested in non-standard passers-by, people walking with a dog, lovers, etc.
creative moment
Look for ways to show interesting comparisons, combinations and associative plots. Don't shoot with templates, look for interesting shapes and take shots that make your viewers' imagination work. You can search for stories billboard interestingly interacts with the passerby, or how statues and architectural compositions are combined with people.
Paparazzi
This type of shooting is one of the most difficult for beginner photographers. Paparazzi are not always liked by passers-by, as few of them like unexpected photos. Usually the paparazzi choose a large telescopic lens, with its help the masters can approach the person as close as necessary. Remember that with big lens you will attract attention, but usually the paparazzi don't care. If a person is happy to take pictures, then show him the resulting pictures, and send them by e-mail.
Blurred people in the crowd
Use a slow shutter speed when shooting outdoors to help capture blurry photos of crowds. It is advisable to focus on one person or an interesting object - it will be clear, and all other people in motion will be blurred. When shooting with long exposure you will need a tripod, because without it, the photos will be blurry. If you don't have a tripod, you can mount the camera on a stable base. Successful exposure can only be determined experimentally. Start with 1/4 sec., see what happens and, depending on the result, change the shutter speed.
Bright accents in street photography
City streets are filled with gray shades and gloomy plots; it is not easy to find bright accents and beautiful colors here, especially if we are talking about industrial or residential areas. Try to find something expressive, beautiful, catchy, but not vulgar - it can be a beautiful car, or vehicle, a well-kept flowerbed or a themed restaurant. Include such elements in your photos, so they will look more interesting and attractive. You can try shooting in black and white, or by taking a photo in black and white, using software, keep one bright object. In some compact cameras partially black-and-white shooting is provided, when one element retains color, and the rest of the frame is black-and-white.
What happens if you start shooting on the street? A crowd of passers-by, hurrying past - and you, with a camera in your hands! Consider the psychological aspects of street photography, as well as a few technical ones.
Walking and street photography are rapidly gaining popularity in the art of photography. Many photographers, including those who, today earn money by selling street photographs, since they do not require additional costs for lighting equipment, renting a room, etc.
But shooting on a crowded street will be especially useful for amateurs who are just mastering photography. All for the same reason: to create a successful frame does not require additional photographic equipment and its complex settings.
The key to getting a good story street photo is to frame the frame in such a way that the story taking place in the picture, its heroes, and the subsequent plot outcome are clearly clear. In this case, most often the main character is the city, and its inhabitants are impersonal.
The task of the photographer is to search for a dialogue, event or conflict between a person and a city as essential objects of a street shot. Without an urban environment, photography on the street becomes simple portrait genre, and without people in landscape and architectural photography. Traditionally, the viewer's attention is held by the plot of urban shooting, built on a randomly found contrast between the life paths of people united in one city: the difference between the elderly and the young generation, rich and poor. Contrasting interests of people are attractive, such as reading books and playing on the phone, wasting time in traffic and jogging.
Psychology of street photography
It’s not enough to simply release the shutter while focusing on a crowd of people to get a decent shot when shooting in the city. In order to get artistically valuable pictures as a result of walking with a camera, you need to follow some principles when shooting strangers.
Alone standing man with a camera with incomprehensible intentions, constantly pointing the lens at people, is likely to arouse the suspicion of passers-by and their lack of desire to become the main object of the frame. To overcome this psychological barrier, the photographer should put all his acting skills into roles that are neutral or positive in society.
The behavior of a person who looks like a foreigner or a tourist who is interested in everything and does not let go of the camera will not cause negative emotions among passers-by, and perhaps even arouse interest, and someone will want to be photographed. Integral features of the role of a tourist should be a smile and goodwill.
The image of a photojournalist filming an important city event during street shooting, on the contrary, can encourage people to get into the frame in any way, so that later they can see themselves on the “front page”.
If the idea is to act out theatrical performance seems unacceptable, the photographer should organize the day and time of shooting so that a friend or friend, preferably a female, can join him. Under the guise of a photo session of a specific person, you can safely look for stories or emotions among individual representatives of society for street photography.
In any case and in any role, a street photographer must shoot unobtrusively so as not to influence the ongoing urban plot and not attract the attention of passers-by. Therefore, the action of the photographer, when he abruptly raises the camera and puts the viewfinder to his eye, trying to catch an interesting moment, is most likely to frighten the person and break the noted plot. When shooting urban outdoors, you should not use an eyepiece, but a folding LCD display, which is on all modern digital cameras. A photographer who holds the camera at waist level and looks down is invisible to people in the same way as a person buried in a smartphone or tablet.
Preparing for City Shooting
All preparation reflex camera to the lighting conditions should take place before it starts, because when shooting outdoors, where interesting scenes happen every second, the photographer should not be distracted by constantly reconfiguring the ISO, aperture and shutter speed settings.
The shutter speed in most cases of street shooting is set to a short 1/250 to freeze the movement of people passing in the frame, capture the sharpness of urban buildings, and eliminate blurring when shooting handheld and rejecting shots. It is desirable to exclude the auto focus mode, and in manual mode focus on a building or object, then take a series of shots. The ISO should be high, but not noise-free in the final image. In non-professional cameras for photography on the street, the sports shooting mode is quite acceptable.
In addition to all of the above, it should be remembered that not every public place legally allowed to shoot. In addition to secret and specially protected objects, photography may be prohibited at railway stations, railway crossings, airports, fire stations, as well as in other places where special accreditation of a photojournalist is required.
Street photography is an easily accessible but challenging, highly concentrated challenge for a photographer. It requires knowledge not only of the basic principles of photography, but also the ability to create a plot from nothing, to think quickly, to act quickly. But as a result, you get not only unique live shots, but also a lot of impressions and pleasure from the very process of getting a street photo.
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