Street Photography Tips
Street Photography Tips
Hello to all you rangefinder veterans, I joined today after having read some of your interesting posts.
I have a few opinions about street photography. I think it is extremely difficult to do well. Photographing people you know is difficult enough, but taking interesting pictures of strangers, whether they know it or not, just seems to be a question of luck and perserverance. I feel that the more I do it, the better I become. This requires self-confidence, communication skills, different tools for different contexts and a particular mindset, however.
I strongly believe that most people on the streets want to be noticed and acknowledged. By photographing them, I am fulfilling a basic psychological need that they have. I make them feel important, newsworthy or interesting. As you well know, the media is full of pictures of an elite group of celebrities, and I believe that those who do not belong secretly want a piece of that action. They want to be seen, admired and remembered.
If you subscribe to this theory, you will have fewer problems photographing strangers. You will become a giver rather than a taker.
A few have said that fitting into the environment is important for taking good street photographs. I agree. It also helps to have someone with you because you are less likely of being confronted with hostility or suspicion. You also have an extra pair of hands.
Some people do not enjoy being photographed because they think they are ugly, fat, old or simply unphotogenic. A few others might be worried that you will publish a picture without their permission. They want to be informed about who is going to eventually see the pictures.
If someone I photograph demands to know what I am going to do with the pictures, I always explain that my photographs are private and never published. I tell people I am fed up with seeing the same faces in the media and prefer to create my own images to admire at home. I stress this fact - that I am fed up with hollywood and political icons and seek an authentic form of visual imagary. That always works because it is the truth.
As far as lenses go, you should be using a normal or wide-angle and get close to your subjects. A weak smile is fine to start. Point your index and middle fingers of your left hand into your eyes to signal that the strangers should pose for you. If they do, fire a shot, and then two more when they start looking in other directions.
If you have to shoot unnoticed from the hip, try using a Konica Hexar. The silent mode is very quiet, and the focus duration will allow you to "feel" the focus distance while holding it with one hand. A long vibration means the focus is near, a short vibration is far away. You learn to feel the exact distance without looking, much like a violin player.
If you want to frame the composition using the viewfinder, your subject will usually pose. You might want to focus and frame first and then look over your shoulder, firing a shot blindly. If you are lucky, the subject will look there too, giving the impression that the picture was candid and you were invisible.
If you are using a manual focus rangefinder, prefocus on your favorite distance and learn to judge that distance visually. Stop down to f/8 or a smaller aperature and thread a release cable up the camera strap, down the inside of your shirt and into your back pocket. Adjust the strap so that the camera rests high on your chest.
I hope these little tips help a little,
Best,
Kevin
