image by dibakar
it seems that getting good street photos is fundamentally a matter of luck. We must bear in mind that being in the right place and at the right time is usually not enough. The best photos are often the result of a constant effort, which allows us to overcome the challenges that this genre entails.
Street photography is quite popular among photographers and there are many people who practice this genre. After all, going out on the street with a camera is nothing complicated or expensive. The problem is, given the avalanche of street photos, it can be difficult to find your own style and leave a mark. In part because, know it or not, many photographers face a number of typical problems along the way to the image they want. Let’s take a look at the things we need to watch out for when taking street photographs.
Trying to put it all in one shot
Many things happen on the street at once. People walk back and forth, stop, talk, make life in colorful environments. Trying to capture everything in one photo leads to a chaotic and overly descriptive picture. In such shots, it is difficult to identify what the photographer’s interest was. Instead of original images, we can end up filling the card with snapshots all of them similar.
It is true that we can crop our photos later in Zoner Photo Studio, and thus remove the deterrents, however, it is better to think in advance what exactly we want to photograph.
If we are embarrassed to photograph on the street, then simply putting the camera in front of our eyes will definitely be a success. But we should not be afraid to take another step and try to simplify the whole scene. Let’s focus on a specific object, and omit everything that is not related to it. Our photos will be more interesting and easier to interpret.
We can also simplify a photo using the cropping tools. The square cutout that has been applied to this image removes all elements of the building that depart from the main object. In this way, only the dominant contrast remains: the silhouette of a man in front of the large circular facade of the building.
Sony A7, FE 50 mm F1. 8, 1 / 200s, F / 8, ISO 400, focal length 50 mm
Shoot from far away
One thing that sometimes makes street photographs too descriptive and containing too many stimuli is the photographer’s remoteness from the object.
Robert Capa’s famous quote “If your images aren’t good enough, it’s that you’re not close enough” is perhaps a cliché repeated to satiety, but it still has its share of truth. Especially when we focus on photographing people. Photos taken from further afield may lack the warmth that contact with the public brings, so they will seem impersonal.
We’ll have to be a little brave and get out of your comfort zone. Our reward will be images with more depth, which will be able to attract the audience and incite them to action.
The direct view of the lens is what makes this photo so attractive. It produces a feeling of contact with the person you are looking at in the photo.
Canon EOS 100D, EF-S 24 mm f / 2.8 STM, 1/80s, F / 4, ISO 200, focal length 24 mm
Take photos only in the bustling places
Even though the bustling streets and squares can be crowded and packed with events, that doesn’t mean the quieter places are boring. Street photography doesn’t have to be limited to capturing events. That would be constrained to a part of the stories of the street.
Try to capture the atmosphere of the abandoned corners, of the streets where time stands still. Often, we can find them more interesting than the occupied places. We can even leave people out of the photos, try to convey a story or an emotion without people.
Street photography does not necessarily have to be taken on the street itself. It can also come from a half-empty cafe, for example.
Sony A7, Sony FE 35mm f / 2.8 ZA, 1/80s, f / 3.2, ISO 100, focal length 35mm
Walking too fast
Sometimes, on the street, I feel that there is nothing to photograph and that I do not see anything interesting anywhere. Usually afterwards I realize that I have been walking too fast, making too few stops and not looking around enough.
Normally, we all walk from place to place and in a hurry to get to our destination. But the goal of a street photographer is every step and every corner. Therefore, it is worth slowing down and carefully looking for moments and landscapes worthy of Capture. When we walk fast, it is very easy to overlook them.
I stayed in this place for several minutes and tried several shots, one by one. In short, I had to wait to achieve this image.
Sony A7, FE 50 mm F1. 8, 1 / 200s, F / 8, ISO 100, focal length 35 mm
Indecision
But being fast is worth it when what we want is to decide whether we should raise the camera to bring it closer to our eyes or not. If we have the slightest feeling that something is worth photographing, we should not hesitate, we must press the trigger.
We often feel held back by unnecessary fears. Will this picture be worth it? Won’t I look stupid standing here taking a picture? Won’t this person be mad at me?
Our photo could be useless, and someone could react unpleasantly. However, there is nothing simpler than apologizing politely and explaining what our goal was. Little by little, we will learn to handle such situations and gain more confidence and preparation.
And it’s always better to take a photo and have to delete it than to regret missing the perfect shot.
Shoot only at eye level
Over time, photos taken directly at eye level can become boring because this type of perspective is the most common. If we bend down and try other angles, we will be able to acquire a completely different and interesting view of the objects we are photographing.
We can try to place our camera on the ground or climb to a high place and photograph from above. In this way, we will offer the viewer a view that is hidden from ordinary passers-by.
Sometimes it is more interesting to look down than forward, in this way, we will focus on a smaller shot, but with more details.
Sony A7, Sony FE 35mm f / 2.8 ZA, 1/100s, f / 3.5, ISO 100, focal length 35 mm
Forget about the environment
In general, the longer we stay in a certain site, the less attractive it will be to us. In that case, it is not surprising that we cease to perceive even the unique elements of the place.
The feeling that there are better images waiting for you in another country, or in some big city far from our home is something logical, really. In places like these, we are more alert, we are fascinated by everything and photography is easier.
But it would be a shame not to try to make the most of our close environment as well. Even if we know it as the palm of the hand, we can take interesting photos of our hometown too, just try and observe with a little more care. While it may be a boring place for us, it doesn’t have to be for our audience.
Succumb to clichés and imitate famous photos
It is good to admire the other photographers and take inspiration from the famous. However, repeating certain themes creates a cliché, and imitations will never be as interesting as what we try to express ourselves.
Although sometimes it seems that there is nothing new to invent in street photography and that the themes are always the same, it is always possible to come up with an original approach. Street photography can be more varied than it seems. And it would be a shame to set limits based on the canons of the “authentic”, often repeated to satiety.
Facebook and Instagram pages, blogs or groups dedicated to street photography, as well as books on the subject, are all good to follow. That will give us a more complete idea on how to approach this genre. Also, we will learn to identify the elements that are already very busy.
It is not always necessary to capture a full-body person. A head hidden behind a wall creates an impression of mystery. At the same time, this prevents the photo from being overly descriptive.
Sony A7, Sony FE 35mm f / 2.8 ZA, 1/100s, f / 3.5, ISO 100, focal length 35 mm
It does not matter if we have just started in street photography or if we have been practicing it for a long time, we must keep our mind and eyes open, and not be afraid to leave our comfort zone. That will always give us an impulse to get a little closer to beautiful results that will make us enjoy photography.
