On the street

What is the street photography?

Wikipedia defines street photography as “photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents.”

Typically, street photography is about candidly capturing life in public areas. And contrary to its name, street photography does not have to be done on the streets. You can do street photography anywhere.

Street photography is one of the older form of photography, it is most challenging, but at the same time one of the most rewarding genres of photography.  Street photography is just documenting human life, period. Candid or with permission, Color or black and white? It doesn’t matter.  Street photography is about capturing the essence of humanity.

What and how you shoot street Photography?

Just pointing your lens in the direction of a person on the street does not qualify as a good street photography. A good street photo needs a clearly defined subject. All the rules (use that word “loosely”) of composition, such as rule of thirds, leading lines, use of negative space, symmetry, frames, etc. still hold. Try and tell a story with your images. Create photographs where the viewer pauses and asks questions.

In terms of street photography, less is more. You want to become invisible when you are on the streets. Using a small camera makes this much easier to do. That isn’t to say that you can’t do street photography with a DSLR. However, doing so may get you noticed more often. Use a small prime lens and wide angle lens are mostly used for Street photography.  It does not mean you cannot use long zoom lens.   You need to learn to make decision fast, shoot fast, and sometimes shoot from the hip and blind shooting.

Looking for people and environments with Contrast/ Opposition, Connections (something similar, something you can related), Characters, face Expression, Shoot through glass and reflection and of cause “the Decisive Moment”.

When you first venture into street photography, don’t get too hung up on the definition. Instead, record street life from your own unique perspective.  Telling the Story!!!