The guide to street photography

Its a pretty busy wedding season at the moment and therefore I have a bit slow in compiling a post for this blog! But while shooting weddings, I still find the time and joy of shooting street photography just for fun every now and then. In this blog post today I wanted to share with you my mental approach to street photography.

Same vision - different attitude

Although my way of viewing the world does not change when I have or do not have a camera in hand (as I am always a photographer at heart and in vision), when I have a camera in hand my attitude changes as I am more actively looking at my environment with more attention. I am looking for interesting subjects, interesting backdrops and geometries and interesting stories to document. Usually I like to walk alone, as this enables me to move more at my convenience and pace. Sometimes I just retrace my steps to go back to a subject or a composition.

Below is a list of practical points which I find important for street photography:

  1. Shoot where there are people

    Choosing the right location for street photography is key. Go to a place where you feel that you may be inspired by what will be happening around you, the people and also the right. For example I feel particularly inspired in places where it is more probable to meet locals or elderly people.

  2. Do I need to ask for permission?

    As explained in my blog post here (https://www.fbalzan.com/blog-content/2016/1/5/street-photography-in-malta) in most countries like Malta, there is little to no risk in doing street photography without getting prior consent. I cannot imagine shooting any of the natural images I am here showing if I had to ask for permission. Do read my article above to check on the way I approach the risks involved when I am doing street shooting and do make sure to check the laws of the country before you do street photography in that location, so you are aware of the risks involved.

  3. Do not be shy

    Definitely I am not shy when I am with my camera. One of the issues I note with some other photographers is that they do not have the courage to take a camera with them and shoot. They are worried someone will scold them, talk with them or who knows what. Now the risk will depend on the cultural and traditions of where you are shooting, but as far as I am aware for most part of Europe I have never encountered any issues with street photography. Its more of a mental block which does not allow a photographer to shoot thinking it might be offensive or undesired. Having said that, refer to my next tip below:

  4. Keep low key

    Now I think this is crucial. Once you have managed to overcome your shyness and have managed to start shooting, you definitely do not want to interfere with the scene and neither do you want people to be noticing you. So you have to find a technique which suits you where you can actually shoot without by noticed or getting in the way. To read about my shooting technique, I kindly ask you to look at the the section below.

  5. Get close

    This relates to not being shy! I use a 35mm lens and sometimes I find even that is a bit to distant! My best compositions are done when I am close to the subject.

  6. Keep camera ready

    Make sure that the camera is set to the correct settings, when you are roaming the roads. You do not want to miss the moments just because you are fiddling with the camera settings. For me (when I am outdoors) the camera is set at Aperature mode, ISO auto, continuous autofocus and with the Aperature roaming around 2 to 2.8. This was I can just concentrate on the moment, the composition and that’s it.

  7. Shoot first, check later

    Have confidence in your vision. You do not need to check the camera at every shot you take unless you are not sure if the settings are correct. When you start shooting keep on shooting and review your images only later, when you are back home. You never know what special moment you can miss if you are focusing just on the camera rather then on being aware and in the moment.

Two approaches to composing

I find myself using two main techniques for composing images when I am on a street photography coverage. I do find that both of these approach are also useful when I am shooting a wedding or am on some other documentary shootout.

Natural moments

The first technique is very simple. I am just walking around and note someone or something of interest. I get close and slow down my walking pace. I hold the camera in a stealthy manner (my way of doing this is to hold the camera in my hands, at waist level, and shoot without looking at the viewfinder or screen). Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss but I have found this technique to be great to get close to other persons who are completely unaware you are taking an image and therefore will never be complaining. My camera (Sony RX1rii) has a super silent shutter and my finger gesture is just very graceful and discreet!

Here are some images I captured recently using this technique:

Preconceived moments

This second technique is a bit different and is the technique which Henri Cartier Bresson also mentions in his book ‘The decisive moment’ and in some of the interviews he did. In this case, I note some interesting place or geometry or composition or see that there is an interesting person who is moving into an area with good light. In this case, I stop myself and fix my camera in a particular position. I tend let the person enter in my frame - normally people may think I am shooting an image of the background and no one is usually bothered and keep moving normally.

Here are some of the shots using this technique:

That’s it for today! As a photographer in Malta, I am at least blessed to not have a problem with street photography and having work to be able to do what I love that is shooting! I intend to continue this education series with more information on my photographic approach in general and to continue showcasing the work which I do through out the year.

Previous
Previous

Street photography at Cospicua (Bormla)

Next
Next

Alistair Floral Design - Papal Visit