Whazzup Everybody. A shutterbug friend asked me how street photography works. How do I do it? I am not a pro in this field but to you my friend who asked me, and to you reading this post I bet you want to learn or curious about street photography, I will answer your query in my own little way of how I do street photography. I did some digging on my dusty photography magazines and from my few notes I jotted down before and from my own experiences in this genre of photography.
Here are some few thoughts:
“Less is More – don’t take too much equipment and travel light. It’ll make you less obtrusive and you will be able to move around for the best shot quickly.”
1. Go to the Real Scene: It’s okay to go to touristy places and take some touristy shots, but if you want a real story, go to the real-life scenes.
2. Candid Moments: Take candid shots to capture real moments, real emotions, and real stories than staged images.
3. Bring in the Colors: Black and White is at its finest when it comes to street photography but there are times that colors are much needed in the picture. There are some scenarios that Black and White won't do.
4. The Background: Your subject’s backgrounds can actually ‘make’ or ‘not make’ the shot. Try to look for Billboards, signs, graffiti and other visual elements can really make a statement in your shot.
5. Go Diagonal: This I quote “don’t just hold your camera horizontally – experiment with angles. Street photography is a less formal medium – make the most of it.” Find new angles. Take your camera up or down low. Try new perspective than the normal eye perspective.
6. Go beyond the Street: Street photography is making photographs in the public places. So go and set your foot on some public places were real stories happen. Malls, Parks, marketplace, Terminals, and the likes.
7. Get Close: Sometimes getting close to your subject can be difficult but will produce powerful images. Be aware of the Light and Shadows that plays on your subject.
8. Sunlight makes your images shine: Most of the time we try to avoid the direct light from the sun because it’s a hard light and it can cause unwanted shadows but it does not mean we can’t take great photos when the sun is up high. Be creative, use shadows and hard light as your paintbrush.
9. Keep that Grip: “…have your camera out and ready to shoot at all times.” I miss a lot of opportunities shooting beautiful stories because my camera is inside my bag or my camera wasn’t set ready to take images. Actions in the public places come in a sec so keep your gear ready.
There you have it, my quick tips for street photography. If you can add something, please let me know by your comments below.
0 Comments