How do you shoot on the street?

[gb hill]

The furniture market is in High Point this week & I went over Saturday to shoot on the bustling streets with my Bessa R. I loaded with Arista Premium & set my shutter speed @ 400. I'm using my 35/2.5 color skopar & wanted to set the lens at a hyper focal setting of 5.6 or f8. I kept fiddling around with the shutter speeds because I kept seeing the under over exposure lights in my meter. Anyhow I got a little frustrated, so how do you guys & gals do it? Should I take the batteries out? I'm not as good as Tom A. to be able to look at the sky & determine what settings to use. What was the most confusing for me was the buildings shadows then walking into bright sunlight. Maybe I should just slow down & just use my cameras meter & forget this whole idea of using a hyper focal setting but I don't want to miss a shot. I plan to go back tomorrow & try again. I'd appreciate any advise.

 

[kokoshawnuff]

Perhaps taking a few meter readings in the various lights when you arrive at you destination--ie a reading of shadows, a reading of the direct light, and one of the indirect light. So it's only 3 speeds you'd need to remember, and your judgement of which to use depending on the subject.

 

[finguanzo]

I usually do what you mentioned...
The area Im walking around, take a reading in a sunny area, another in a shadow area, and adjust between the 2 speeds depending where the photo is taken.. I try to keep in at around f8,f11, and adjust the shutter speed back and forth.. Not all shots are going to be dead on, but B&W should come out ok when the exposure is somewhere in between...

 

[gb hill]

Perhaps taking a few meter readings in the various lights when you arrive at you destination--ie a reading of shadows, a reading of the direct light, and one of the indirect light. So it's only 3 speeds you'd need to remember, and your judgement of which to use depending on the subject.

I usually do what you mentioned...
The area Im walking around, take a reading in a sunny area, another in a shadow area, and adjust between the 2 speeds depending where the photo is taken.. I try to keep in at around f8,f11, and adjust the shutter speed back and forth.. Not all shots are going to be dead on, but B&W should come out ok when the exposure is somewhere in between...

Good advise & that is what I will do. & have done to a degree. I just let the in cameras meter intimidate me. i'll shoot a few shots under different light conditions, taking a few reference notes to view after I develop the film.

 

[kokoshawnuff]

Also Arista (Tri-x) has enough latitude where your exposure won't need to be perfect to get a good scan

 

[John Bragg]

Error on the side of overexposure is better than underexposure with a film like Tri-X. I habbitually rate mine at Ei200 and actually prefer it that way. As said above, meter for scenes in full sun and shadow and adjust shutter speed keeping depth of focus preset. A wide lens works great that way.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I've never really found that focusing takes that long, especially with a lens having a tab or bump where I can focus by touch as I'm raising the camera to my eye. Simultaneously I'm touching the shutter button to turn on the meter and adjusting either aperture or shutter speed to suit what I guess to be the variation from the last shot. Surprisingly often I'm spot on with both exposure (centre light on meter) and focus (images coinciding) when the camera gets to my eye.

Cheers,

R.

 

[robert blu]

I second the suggestion of a couple of reading (shadow, light) and work according to that, one the other or in between depending on the scene. Important is to learn no to be too much intimidated by the camera meter! Try to ignore it when shooting. Sometimes you'll have good surprises.
robert

 

[Rodchenko]

I'm helped in this by the Olympus 35SP having EV settings (even though my meter doesn't work), so I don't have to remember loads of combinations of settings. I tend to meter (Weston IV with or without Invercone, depending) light & shade, and set accordingly. If I notice the light's changed, I might adjust, or I might re-meter if convenient.

Having had the discipline of using a scale focus camera (Minox 35) extensively, I have tended to set for a hyperfocal distance generally, and 3-5 metres on the street. If I have a break from shooting, I'll glance down and ensure it's in that range. I guess when I get used to the Oly, I'll be able to tell by touch, but, while I'm still using the Yashica, it's a bit hard to relate the lens focus lever position to focus distance. If I shoot close up or a distance shot, I try to remember to return the focus position to the mid range as I wind on.

Having a double wind on the Minox actually helps my observation and thinking about the next shot, though I suppose I might miss the odd one.

I used to shoot a lot from the hip, partly because I liked the TLR viewpoint, but partly because I was scared a big Geordie would choose to beat me up. I've tried it again more recently, and I have to say my aim is nowhere near as good as it was as a young man. Never mind, I'm a bit less inhibited now, and it seems you can get away with quite a lot with a camera these days that everyone has one in their phone, iPad or whatever.

 

[cz23]

I don't usually shoot hyperfocally unless there is enough light for f11 (with 35 FOV). Otherwise, minimum focus is too far. And for street I find a shutter speed of 250 is good enough to stop action. I also like ISO 800.

For metering I find something that is about middle gray and use that for a reading. Sidewalk, grass -- whatever. (I think it's worth getting a gray card, just to learn to quickly recognize 18% gray.) Or, I use the back of my hand, which I've compared to a gray card, and found very close.

John

 

[Rodchenko]

Don't do what I did once when younger, and meter the back of your hand for a highlight, but with your shadow falling across it. 😱 That wasn't a very successful shoot.

 

[sleepyhead]

I kept fiddling around with the shutter speeds because I kept seeing the under over exposure lights in my meter.

I know what you mean. This is one reason I use cameras without built-in meters.

I use a handheld "incident" meter (with a little white dome over the cell), which measures the light falling on the subject (as opposed to a built-in camera meter which measures the light reflected off the subject and is sometimers thrown off by large bright or dark areas in the photo).

So for pretty much all my photography (street or otherwise), I take a meter reading of the light falling on the subject (point the meter at the camera position, or similar). and then I set the camera and forget about it for a while. in one location, the light doesn't change that quickly.

 

[Exdsc]

I take a basic digital P&S. Set it to manual focus and focus to infinity. Set the aperture for that camera to its sharpest, set ISO to auto and just point at anything that interest me and take a photos.

 

[zauhar]

Greg another vote for incident readings, one taken in shade, one in sun. I try to keep the shutter speed fixed and vary the aperture (within reason). Plus, I can generally judge without the meter within a stop, PROVIDED that I stick to my 'benchmark', meaning ISO=400, speed = 1/125.

I usually carry an incident meter with me, always set to ISO 400 and 1/125, and test myself in different lighting situations. If I am using different speed film, I always think in terms of ISO 400 and then adjust the necessary number of stops.

For indoors, I switch to 1/30 of a second as the benchmark, still at ISO 400.

Randy

 

[nightfly]

With my M4-P- sunny 16 and hyperfocus with a 35mm Summicron or CV 28 3.5. Usually tri-x.

Been doing it for years and very rarely lose a shot due to exposure error (tri-x, color print, color slide). Your eyes are very sensitive to light. The more you do it, the more you get to know it.

Otherwise GR1 on aperture priority and snap focus with exposure comp dialed down a bit.

I find with street shooting shooting, you really want to react and shoot and minimize doing much with the camera. I generally do my fiddling while I'm walking if the light changes but when I actually shoot, I only raise the camera, frame and press the shutter. Rarely adjust focus or camera settings. Much rather blow the exposure than miss the shot.

 

[gb hill]

Went back today & had much better results. The camera felt responsive in my hands. Came home & developed a roll already. From what I can see, hanging to dry they look good. Can't wait to scan them in. Just wish I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow. You guys give good advise. I appreciate it.

 

[sleepyhead]

Greg, good one, glad to hear it. Post some results if you have any you feel like sharing.

 

[noisycheese]

It depends on which camera I'm using. I use my Sekonic L-508 to hand meter when shooting with my Leica bodies, XPAN or Nikon F3 or FM2n.

If I am using my Nikon F100 body, I will use the on-board meter for all emulsions other than E-6 which I also hand meter for.

 

[Monochrom]

Hi, in the streets that´s a main issue....but observing carefully will give you two general exposures during dday time...

One exp in the bright side of the street and another slower in the shadow side..take this into consideration when shooting...since if you use a 400 iso film 5.6 and 8 won´t do in the shadow part of the street using hyperfocal.

TRy to get 1/125 as the slowest speed...

But for sure you´ll have to open aperture when going from light to shadow

Chromogenic films has wider dynamic range XP2 or Kodak CN both rated at 400 iso will perform excellent and will give you a speed gap once you get use to them...

Cheers!

 

[Colin Corneau]

A good incident/reflected meter will get you a reading in sunlight and shadow...that's only 2 speeds to remember.

Find out how you shoot most often - where are your subjects? Then preset the focus to that...adjust as needed. Don't worry, it's not a race.

Most of all, don't over-think it. Just do it.