Street Photography Guide

Street photography is one of the major disciplines of photography. It is, to some extent, hard to give an exact definition of it. But, we can describe street photography as photography dealing with public places. More accurately, it concentrates on the people and their activities within the streets and public places.

So, the street is, in fact, more of a setting than the subject of the photos. It is the stage where life events take place and where the people interact with each other and with the photographer. A street photographer may try to document the life in the street by rendering photos that are faithful to reality. But he/she can also concentrate on certain details that can be humorous and funny or can look out for “decisive moments”.


Yassine Hakimi

Nowadays, street photography faces different challenges and obstacles. On one hand, capturing everyday life has become accessible to everyone thanks to the abundance of compact cameras and camera phones which has made street photography somewhat obsolete. On the other hand, a lot of laws and regulations are being issued and are restricting the array of subjects and places that a photographer can capture. Also, people are growing more and more suspicious of street photographers and tend to be uncomfortable around them. But, all of this shouldn’t curb the street photography enthusiast’s will to go out to shoot and document the life on the streets. There are many ways and techniques that can help you take better street photos while enjoying the experience of interacting with the people you are photographing.

Get in the Middle of the Action.

Photo By Yassine Hakimi

Robert Capa said “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.”
So, in order to get powerful and impressive street photos, you need to be close to the action or scene you are photographing. Act like an outsider and the photos you take won’t be engaging for the viewer. The fear of people’s reactions is the main reason behind not getting close to the subject. Surpassing this fear is crucial, in order to be able to take street photos comfortably. People that you attempt to photograph will most likely show reactions of curiosity, surprise, shyness, etc. But, they will rarely have any negative reactions. This will consist of people telling you not to photograph them. In that case all you have to do is to respect their reaction and to find another person to shoot.

The above image wouldn’t have been possible to capture if it was attempted from far away. It is a photo of a demonstration, and I had to mingle with the crowd in order to get a better view of the facial expressions of the demonstrators.

Blend In.

This goes hand in hand with the technique of getting in the middle of the action. While you need to be close to the people and sceneries you are photographing, you also need to be as invisible as possible. This will allow you to get photos that are spontaneous, natural and candid. In order to achieve this sort of results you can take different approaches.

– Dress casually: Dressing is an important element in street photography. What you are wearing might draw attention that you don’t want. So, try to dress like the people you are photographing and avoid the tourist look that will make you noticeable from far away.
-Busy streets: It’s easier to blend in a crowded place. So, you can opt for a busy market or a street with a lot of pedestrians which will make it easier for you to approach people without bringing all the eyes on you.

-Don’t look suspicious: Most probably, people will notice you because you look suspicious and it’s apparent that you don’t belong. Try to loosen up and to act normally. Take a breath; walk around without taking photos at first and after a few moments you will find yourself more comfortable within the place and you will find it easier to act normally.

Interact.

Interaction may consist of a simple smile as well as a full conversation. But, at all costs don’t avoid it. It is what makes the beauty of street photography and what gives it its humanitarian aspect. A simple smile or a look can be enough to get permission to take a photograph. But, some people are curious and will ask you about what you are doing. Take your time to explain your motives to them and they will feel more comfortable about your presence and will forget you are even there after a few moments. That will give you more opportunities to take photos.  You may even form some friendships and go home with a story along with great pictures.

Patience!

Street photography is an art of patience. You can pass hours waiting for the photo you have in mind to happen, and you must be ready to capture the moment once it occurs.

Find a spot which has the potential of producing a good photo. This may be an interesting background or a place with great light. Then all you have to do is to wait for the human element to get into the scene. Take several photos and then you can choose among the different images you captured.

Photo By Yassine Hakimi

In this photo I found the setting of my photograph (the rails, the train, the stormy clouds, the crane and great light). So, I waited for the right person to pass through this composition to complete it. I took several shots (a man on a bicycle, a taxi passing in the foreground, and this passerby). Then I chose to keep this photo as I liked it the most among the shots I took.

Gear:

This part doesn’t really matter in street photography. You can take great photos equally with a compact camera or with a sophisticated digital SLR. But, you should consider some things in relation to your gear in order to get the best results.

-Keep it light: Don’t bring every piece of equipment you have with you. You are trying to blend in. So, keep it simple. All you need is camera that is as quite as possible and as discreet as possible.

-Avoid long lenses: Long lenses will make you tend to take your photos from far away. While this can be helpful for the beginner street photographer, long lenses won’t produce the compelling images you can get with a short lens and the fact of being close to your subject.

Some Examples of Street Photography:

Photo By Yassine Hakimi

Photo By Kevin Steele

Photo By Thomas Hawk

Photo By Yassine Hakimi

Photo By Yassine Hakimi