techniques of street snap shot...?

N

no_doubt_kit

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I'm a newbie, I want to play street snap shot but I always need a long time to adjust the shutter and aperture...then, the target has gone...
may I know more techniques about street snap shot?
 
use 400 speed film, set shutter speed to 125 and f 8 then set close hyper focal distance to 1.5 m and you should be able to shoot most scenes like that. Or if you are going into a place that is very bright or dark then pre meter then you will have most of what you want. The key is to see a scene before it happens so you are ready for it!
 
Excelent advice on technique from Avotius.
Ansel Adams and others emphasized pre-visualization.
As written above, be prepared with enough speed in
your film and shutter/aperture settings adjusted from
time to time, as needed. Then, when the spirit moves
you... when you 'see' a picture, you don't need to fiddle.
You raise the camera and shoot.
Ciao, mike
 
Always try to use a fast film, and a shutter speed that won't blur. So yes, Avotius is absolutely correct.

It may help to practice adjusting to a certain distance, then checking in the viewfinder your guess was accurate. This way hyperfocal/scale focus will yield sharper images if you don't have the chance to raise the camera to your eye because you're training yourself to visualise distance effectively.

Also if you have the time but not the subtlety, focus on something an equal distance away, remove the camera from your face, and point it at the 'real' target - this is useful, say, on a bus where you see a nice shot but it's enclosed and obvious if the camera was to your face pointing at someone.
 
Avotius said:
use 400 speed film, set shutter speed to 125 and f 8 then set close hyper focal distance to 1.5 m and you should be able to shoot most scenes like that. Or if you are going into a place that is very bright or dark then pre meter then you will have most of what you want. The key is to see a scene before it happens so you are ready for it!
Click to expand...

how's about the DOF? if the target is within 1.5m from me, will he/she be blur?
 
Well that's the point of hyperfocal. f/8 will take everything from 1.5m to maybe 20m in focus
 
for speed try using a wide lens like a 28.
with a smaller f stop the dof will usually cover the focus.
set the hyper focal distance first and you're laughing.
 
Using an aperture of around f.8, in combination w/ fast film, is very good advice. This past weekend I did some shooting at an outdoor market. It was rainy and dark, I was using ASA 400 film, and was using hyperfocal focusing. Because I wanted to see how my lens performed at a wider aperture, I shot mostly at 1/500 at f.4 or f.5.6, but paid for it in the results: a lot of foreground and background detail was OOF. In the future, under similar conditions, I'll shoot at 1/125 at f.8. Live and learn...
 
Avotius said:
use 400 speed film, set shutter speed to 125 and f 8 then set close hyper focal distance to 1.5 m and you should be able to shoot most scenes like that. Or if you are going into a place that is very bright or dark then pre meter then you will have most of what you want. The key is to see a scene before it happens so you are ready for it!
Click to expand...

Xmm, sorry, didn't get it.
Can't see how the particular exposure suggested above can suit general lighting situations (even bearing just outside). Doesn't it depends on particular lighting (ambient if we're talking about streets) ? I could understand advising sunny-16 rule for an appropriate conditions or adjusting accordingly as the skys change (clouds, for instance), but just a plain ISO 400, 125/f8 regardless of lighting conditions ?:confused:
Also, just checked the DOF suggested on my Summicron's 50mm/2 hyperfocal scale at f/8 - got only about a meter (three feets) DOF. I guess on wider lens it is somewhat deeper, and probably 28mm will provide 10-20m DOF at f/8, but shall we consider this as a common wisdom for street photography ?

May you guys enlighten me on boh issues ?

Thanks, Alex
 
preset your exposure... most street scenes only have a few basic settings (sunny street, shady street, cloudy street) so you can swap between them with relative speed as you move from one to the other.

I preset my focus at about 10 feet, then I can either shoot when I think someone is about that far away, or I can quickly adjust a bit one way or the other (much faster than starting at infinity, then moving to 5 feet... for example).

My preferred rig is loaded with 400 speed film (metered at 250 in my case), and either a 50 or 35mm lens - the 35 is especially nice, since it's deeper depth of field makes up for some focus difference if I'm in a hurry.
 
I did not read Avotius's post to suggest that 1/125 @ f.8 was a generic, one-size-fits-all exposure setting for street work. I think he was using it as an example. In my case, that exposure would have worked given the specific lighting conditions. I chose to shoot using a wider aperture, however, and noticed the really shallow DOF in the results. I was using a 50mm.
 
1/125" @ f/8 with 400asa may be Ok for some shots in shadows, but a small hand held meter measuring similar lighting will insure you don't blow too many exposures. Use an incident meter, or if using a reflected meter take a reading off the palm of your hand and open one stop. This way you can do your metering in stealth mode without having to bring the camera up to your eye. If you move to brighter or darker conditions, take another reading. Eventually you'll learn how much to open or stop down with out having to consult the meter every time. As others have mentioned, a wide lens set at hyperfocal distance means you don't need to worry too much about accurate focus. The depth of field will cover most errors. Only bring the camera up for the instant you want to make an exposure, then lower it immediately or aim in another direction. If you're not using a honking big noisy SLR the subject will probably never know they've been photographed.
One thing to remember with wide lenses is that you must get quite close to your subject or risk having a tiny figure in the picture. Long lenses are for snipers who prefer to keep a safe distance from their prey. Have FUN and don't forget to smile...
 
On all but the sunniest days, iso400 125/f8 is okay due to the fact that C41 film can handle 4 or 5 stops of over-exposure.

B&W film can handle it too, but printing or scanning will be more troublesome.

Also, it's not mentioned above, but f8 on 35mm is about 20ft @ 10ft. I've used my 50/3.5 Elmar at hyperfocal, but at f16 instead.
 
These comments assume that you want to stick with the R2. If you buy an aperature-priority camera you could just set the aperature and let the camera worry about the shutter speed. For me, AP is the way to go for shooting quickly.
 
The focal length counts too. I have been using the R+35mm with 400 film. I used to set it at f16/f11 and set it to the hyperfocal. the DOF of 35mm is big so usually I get everything in focus. Now I am using a 50mm, with less DOF, i am learning to estimate the distance before I shoot.

Use the sunny 16 rule to estimate the exposure.
 
Some of you guys are talking about hyper-focal distance when I think you're meaning to say zone focus. The hyper-focal distance setting of a lens is the closest focus distance where infinity is still in focus for a given f-stop due to DOF. Street shooting is more about zone focusing where you use an f-stop and focus setting where you know the min and max distance at which an object will be in focus.
 
Frank has a point here.
Using my Canon 1.8/50

Scale focus: if I am set at f8 the area of acceptable sharpness is from about 8 feet to 14 feet when focused at 10 feet.

The hyperfocal distance is 30 something feet and extends from about 17 feet to infinity.


You can get all that from f/distance scale on the lens.
 
i meant hyperfocal distance.
setting the lens so that everything form a certain distance to infinity is in focus.
with a 28 or a 25 it can be set so that everything from a few feet to infinity is nicely sharp in the end photo.

at least, that's what i do.

joe
 
Good Street Photography

Good Street Photography

1.) Bring a camera
2.) Dress appropriately
3.) Be prepared to mix with the crowd at their level
4.) Bring an ice breaker for converation (optional), could be goofy shirt, weird hat, what have you.

It's all about being you, being a sneaky photogapher leads to mistrust and puts people off. The best shots are from people who want to pose for you, or feel that you are one with the time or event. It's not sports photography as others have implied. It may well be action, but generally it's something the photographer can see coming. Street photography goes from the sublime intimate to charged news photography in extremes. It's another form of fishing; bring the right pole and bait, and go to where the fish are.

More minor considerations:
Hand held or camera mounted light meters are better than viewfinder meters for not putting off your subject. Aperature is determined by God (the light situation). Set the camera for the fastest shutter for the light available. Any film speed will do; as mentioned, favor wide angle lenses, they don't need to be focused tightly. Take your time, learn pull your focus 'in' like drawing a bead with no waver, and always keep the camera cocked.
 
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