Street Photography Tips

Street photography captures everyday moments of people that we pass by daily. It’s always interesting to see what you have captured once you have developed your rolls. Here are a few tips for those who want to explore the art of street photography.

The idea of street photography is to catch people in candid situations and take pictures of them. Sometimes, it is better to shoot people when they aren’t aware of your presence so that you can get raw emotions from them. This is why street photography is usually done guerrilla style, where shots are done discreetly, quickly and without permission.

Here are a few tips that can help you with your street photography:

Know Your Intention
Since you are shooting people without their knowledge, it is best to know your intention for taking that certain shot. You might want to shoot something serious, funny or outrageous. Before shooting, know that you are invading the privacy of your subject. If the focus of the picture is quite sensitive, you might think twice about pushing the button. However, some of the best pictures are the ones that are controversial in nature. Sometimes, it is best to just shoot and not think!

Dress Like a Tourist
This is for those instances where you plan to shoot in a popular tourist destination. You must blend in the crowd so that you won’t stand out and people won’t mind you while you are doing your street photography. While among the tourists, be observant and look for some interesting objects or people to shoot.

Bring Someone With You
When shooting in everyday places like streets, subways and alleys, it is beneficial to bring a friend along with you to help you with your shoot. This has been one of the oldest techniques in the book. Look for a subject to shoot. Ask your friend to stand near the subject and frame your shot without your friend in it. By doing this, you can capture more candid moments since the people will not be conscious of your presence with a camera.

Shoot From the Hip
This is one of the 10 Golden Rules and it is a big advantage if you can master this when doing street photography. Shooting without using your eyes can be quite difficult at first but you may be surprised at how good the pictures turn out from a different angle. You might want to practice a few shots first and see what angles work best.

These are just tips to help you with street photography. Remember that there are no rules! Just go with your creativity. When you get used to the experience, you will see that street photography is somewhat addicting!

written by jeanmendoza on 2011-09-15 #gear #tutorials #art #street #photography #tipster #guerrilla #top-tipster-techniques