Street Photography

The most valuable change that the invention of photography brought to society was the ability to capture more of reality than ever before.

Landscapes, formal portraits, and imagined biblical scenes dominated painting because they stood still long enough and that’s where the money was.

Photography made everything else stand still long enough. Almost immediately, a special breed of photographers sprang up, street photographers.

Street photography involves capturing images of the “urban landscape”, including candid photographs of its inhabitants. Although any street shot is capable of being appreciated for its command of light and overall artistic value, what continues to define street photography is its root in social commentary.

Street photographers seek to show you something that will make you think, regardless of what it may make you think of them for having taken the shot.

Ironically, the advances in photograph publication and the legal environment of our time have endangered street photography. But it remains a challenging and rewarding form, for the very brave.

*Become a legal expert at what can and cannot be done legally in your city, state, country and, with the internet, internationally. In England, there is some current controversy on the rights to photograph in public. Check this site out and, if you are from the UK, sign the petition. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Photography/

*In general, and at least in the US, there is no expectation of privacy in a public place. This fact does not stop people from “minding” having their picture taken without permission.

*Digital SLR users have an advantage over point-and-shoot users, because cameras with exchangeable lenses lend a false sense of legitimacy.

*When someone stops because they don’t want to get in the way of your shot, they don’t want to be in your shot. Respect that.

*Don’t do anything, in life or photography, unless you are fully prepared to get caught doing it.

*Unless you are on private property, no one is allowed to confiscate your camera.

*Wide-angle or normal lenses, set at the largest f-number, eliminate the problem of what you want not being in focus by leaving everything in focus.

*Learn how to shoot via remote or cable release, and what your camera will capture when it is hanging normally around your neck. Spend the necessary time going out and “calibrating” this, so you can take shots without lifting the camera to your eye whenever possible.

*Find an expressive or non-distracting background, set up, and wait for your “characters” to cross your “stage”.

*Pick a public place and establish it as your “turf”. Street photographers can thrive if people get used to seeing them in a place.

*Carry a little portfolio of your best work in 4×6 format, to help defend your claim as a “serious” photographer, if challenged.

*Garry Winogrand, one of the most famous street photographers, is “known” for less than 1 out of every 1,000 frames he ever exposed. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Be satisfied with blind success.

None at this time.