Street photography has always been and will be the most accessible genre. Actually, for creativity in this case, the photographer’s keen interest in the world around him and compact photographic equipment are needed. Where to find stories? How to catch sincere emotions and remain invisible? What weather is good for a street photographer? Read the answers to these and many other questions in our material. And the photographs of the leading Russian street photographer Dmitry Zverev will serve as an example.​

1. Use an inconspicuous small camera

The legendary, great master of street photography and the father of reportage photography spoke about this. The French photographer was famous for covering the shiny parts of his "watering can" with dark duct tape in order to remain invisible in the crowd.

“People are much more relaxed about mirrorless, plus it allows you to shoot from the waist up without aiming directly at the person. People do not feel your attention on themselves - you never know what you are looking at down there - and some do not even suspect that they are being photographed. At the same time, the touch rotary screen is able to instantly point your finger at any object in the frame field, while releasing the shutter. A qualitatively different principle of street photography has appeared.”

2. Dress so that your appearance does not cause undue attention of others.

If you do not have the goal of capturing the attention of the entire street, do not dress too brightly. It's better if you blend in with the crowd. As for girls, a miniskirt and high heels will certainly attract the attention of the opposite sex, which will prevent you from fully concentrating on the shooting process.

3. Shoot with a silent shutter

Continuing the theme of invisibility - it's ideal if your camera has a silent shooting mode. Passers-by are more likely to notice a loud shutter click, especially if you're using continuous shooting. Thus, you may miss that moment or plot that is important to sneak up on so as not to scare away.

4. Choose light equipment

Weight is a very important parameter for shooting, because you may have to walk around looking for a shot for a very long time. Best of all, if your camera with a couple of additional lenses can fit in an ordinary backpack or handbag. Firstly, thanks to this, again, you will not stand out among passers-by, and secondly, with a light compact set of photographic equipment you will not get tired and will be able to walk much longer.

Dmitry Zverev, Russian photographer:

“I learned about OLYMPUS technology a long time ago, back when there was a film OM system (OM System). I then shot with an OM-1n camera. Since December 2013, I have been working only with OM-D cameras. Along with excellent quality, the camera provides greater efficiency and comfort compared to DSLRs in most genres. Its main trump cards are compactness and light weight, highly developed functionality, and a swivel screen. I often use fixed focal lenses: 17 mm/1.8, 12 mm/2.0, 45 mm/1.8. They are very tiny, weighing just over 100 g, but at the same time they are fast and fast. For long exposures, zooms are also suitable, even the most budget ones. Wait ready to ache in the joints, if, for example, forced to guard the frame in an uncomfortable position. Burst mode is mandatory, especially when the course of the plot is unpredictable, but more often I put not on a fast burst (H), but with a speed limit (L). The shutter of the OLYMPUS E-M1 is capable of hitting 10 frames per second, and then the buffer fills up quickly even with high-speed flash drives. The most versatile lens is the 12-40/2.8. Its contrast and sharpness are exceptional even wide open, and its aperture is enough to take handheld photos in the evening.”

5. Look for unusual angles

Imagine: a beautiful evening light flooded the street, but ... you do not see the frame. Think about how beautiful to show the light? Try to go around the building, see how the composition is built in this case? Maybe the shot will become more interesting when choosing a lower shooting point? Use a camera with a flip screen - "uncomfortable" shooting points will simply disappear for you!

6. Pay attention to reflective surfaces

Shop windows, bus stops, car hoods, banal puddles and even wall tiles of new metro stations - everything that can reflect can make your shot interesting and unusual. Using the flip screen camera, you can easily shoot from the ground or glass walls. You will see how a person "enters" his own reflection, you will be able to divide the frame into two equal parts, fix a person jumping over a puddle, naturally, remembering Bresson, or get a mystical picture where parallel realities are completely intertwined.

7. Use continuous shooting

If you're watching a specific character, action, or waiting for a plot to climax, choose burst mode. With a shooting speed of 9 frames per second, you are guaranteed to capture what you wanted, and only then, when viewing, calmly leave the most successful option.

8. Experiment with long exposures

The street is the environment where the movement does not stop for a second. Cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and against their background - a majestic temple or the silhouette of a motionless stranger talking on the phone. By shooting shots at a slow shutter speed, you can convey the dynamics of the urban rhythm, or you can focus on a stationary object, which will add ambiguity to the frame.

Dmitry Zverev, Russian photographer:

“The metro as a subject of shooting is always, one might say, at hand. In the subway, shooting conditions are quite tolerable: dry, warm, year-round light from 5:30 in the morning until 1:30 at night. A great alternative to shooting outside when it's rainy or dark! The metro is a very curious social environment. You see hundreds of people, interesting both individually, and in groups, and in a crowd that generally behaves in its own way, dozens of scenes unfold in front of you. You can't shoot with a tripod in the subway. I work from my hands or use some kind of emphasis nearby. Instead of a tripod, I can put a bag of cereal on which the camera is well fixed.

9. Alternate between color and black and white

Disputes about color and black and white will exist as long as photography will live. Therefore, now we will not divide the plots into color and monochrome, but simply advise you to bring more diversity to your work. Going for a walk, for example, aim to only notice orange-colored objects or combine shades of a certain color in the frame.

Or vice versa - concentrate on a monochrome black and white drawing, look at the black and white works of the classics and try to choose similar subjects.

10. Use cameras with electronic viewfinders

They will allow you to see the picture immediately in color or in black and white. Don't rely on post-processing. Switching the shooting mode immediately to black and white, you will begin to see differently, and even ordinary scenes in your performance will become more interesting.

11. Use different lenses

This advice will be relevant not only for novice street photographers who are just trying on lenses with different focal lengths and looking for “their own”, but also for professionals who want to bring something new to their work. shoots only with 20mm, Cartier-Bresson was faithful to 35mm, and gets very interesting angles by shooting with 75mm fixes. Using different optics will train the eye and expand vision.

12. Shoot outside of "peak" times

The rule that requires strict compliance, for example, in landscape photography, namely, to photograph at dawn (up to about 11 o'clock) or sunset (after 17 o'clock), in street photography loses its relevance. Snow, blizzard, downpour, fog? It's time to shoot! See how boldly it is violated by the recognized masters of street photography or the same Bruce Gilden who shoots during the day with a flash! Hard light in this genre also looks interesting. Set no limits for yourself, and very soon you will find your own style!

13. Do not deprive the non-tourist areas of the city

Shooting in the historical center of the city is not always comfortable due to heavy human traffic and an abundance of tourists. To catch a curious plot and emotions, it is not at all necessary to go to your favorite center. Sometimes it’s enough just to step outside the apartment. Children swinging on a swing with laughter, or a grandmother feeding pigeons in the backlight of the setting day are wonderful subjects for photographs that capture ordinary and sincere moments from the life of the city.

Dmitry Zverev, Russian photographer:

“Street photography is what I like most about its unpredictability. A documentary photographer never knows what kind of images providence will put in his “basket”. It gives excitement to the work. Shooting a real street (that is, on regular streets, where there are traffic lights, cars, shops, stalls) is very difficult, because the picture, as a rule, is heavily overloaded with details, and at the same time, no scenes really arise. I'm resorting to trickery. My street is the urban environment, but not the streets themselves. I am looking for places that are more stingy with details ... "

13. Always take a spare battery with you

Weather conditions, namely frost, or luck on burst scenes can play a nasty trick on you: the battery will not be enough for the whole walk. So that the camera does not turn off at the most inopportune moment, when you finally saw that very shot, take a spare battery with you.

15. Choose a camera withWi-fi

16. Be patient

Not every walk will be crowned with masterpieces. It depends not only on luck, but also on your mood at the time of shooting and a number of other external circumstances of the life of the city. Take the process of shooting calmly: you do not have the task of making amazing shots, it is much more important to learn to feel the life around you and catch moments.

Nils Jorgenson tries to capture a street moment filled with meaning in his peculiar style. Both color and black-and-white photographs of this photographer evoke in the viewer a feeling of calmness, then surprise.

Charlie Kirk

Information about Charlie Kirk (Charlie Kirk), presented on his website, looks pretty ordinary, which can not be said about his pictures. This is a photographer from Japan. He likes to shoot in public places, with Kirk's increased interest in beautiful girls, umbrellas, drunk people and mirrors. Charlie's photographs were exhibited at the Format Festival Derby and FOAM Netherlands.

Stefano Corso

Stefano Corso's photographs are full of light and wonderful compositions. His work is shown in numerous exhibitions and galleries.

Felix Lupa

The Ukraine-born phenomenal author has been working as a freelance photographer since 1995. Felix Lupa's photographs are strong and eloquent. It is felt that he fell in love with street photography even before he realized that he was shooting in this genre.

Siegfried Hansen

Siegfried Hansen is a professional photographer. In street photography, he is attentive to people or their faces. His work is also characterized by graphic elements.

Marcos Semola

Marcos Semola is a self-taught photographer from Brazil. He has already published several books on street photography and exhibits his work in different countries.

Alex Kog

Alex Coghe is an Italian photojournalist currently based in Mexico. Street photography is his calling. Alex says the street has become both a gym and therapy for him.

Brian Formhals

Bryan Formhals is the founder of LPV magazine and an avid street photographer. At first, carried away by screenplays, he saw himself as a director. But street photography lured him to her.

David Solomons

For David Solomons, it all started with the Magnum exhibition "In Our Time", which made a lasting impression on him. He was an English teacher, but enrolled in a photography course. David is inspired by color photographs of famous authors such as Joel Meyerowitz, Alex Webb and Martin Parr.

Margie Lang

French photographer Marji Lang loves to travel and photograph outdoors. Her images are characterized by rich, vibrant colors and geometric lines. Margie has a great portfolio with great, highly artistic shots. India is her favorite holiday destination and main source of inspiration. Most of all, the photographer focuses on topics: everyday life, pilgrimage, religion, social and cultural issues.

Yanidel

This famous photographer undertook an 80 week trip around the world. Upon his return, Yanidel updated his website with new experiences he had while traveling around the world, as well as showing his best photos. His style is largely influenced by humanistic traditions. And the main motto of the author when shooting on the street is respect for human dignity.

Cramer O'Neil

Kramer O'Neill is an excellent photographer who pays special attention to the details in the frame. Photographing both objects and people, he fills the frames with meaning using lighting.

Sergey Maksimishin

Along with numerous recognitions and awards, Sergey Maksimishin became the winner of the World Press Photo Award. His photographs are phenomenal.

Sagi Kortler

Sagi Kortler stands out for his street photography style. For this author, street photography is more than just a genre. He follows intuition to press the shutter button at a particular moment.

The author does not plan his shots, he allows life to unfold before his eyes, and then photographs it as it appears to him, conveying his feelings. Sagi Kortler contemplates life and observes society, documenting the world in which he lives.

Devin Yalkin

Devin Yalkin creates stunning black and white photographs that convey the mood of the characters in the frame and provide food for thought.

Keith Kirkwood

In her works, Kate Kirkwood idealizes the unfamiliar magic of cities, plunging into which she takes special pleasure.

Ricky Seegers

Ricky Siegers is a photographer from the Netherlands who loves to photograph people and their life on the street. Most of his works are black and white and ironic.

Leonardo Amaro Rodriguez

Leonardo Amaro Rodrigues strives to push the boundaries of his abilities by overcoming internal barriers. His photographs express the inner world of the photographer without words. Using light, he shows everything that he feels and thinks about.

Gaby Ben Abraham

For Israeli photographer Gabi Ben-Avraham, street photography is a favorite way to see the world. Although sometimes he has to stand and wait for a long time until an interesting object appears for shooting. It can be a cyclist, a dancer or a child.

The camera has become an integral part of Gabi. He takes it with him everywhere, waiting for the opportunity to take the best photo of his life. And luck smiled at him more than once, judging by the wonderful works that we see.

Chris Marquardt

In 2011, Chris Marquardt released the first two series of his iPhone shots, an app that aims to give photographers a wide range of shooting options. The images turned out to be very high quality, despite the pocket format of the device. These photos speak for themselves.

Lukas Vasilikos

Lukas Vasilikos became interested in photography in 2006 when he attended a seminar by Manos Lykakis. Since then, he has been enthusiastically filming and multiplying his numerous publications, including on websites.

Eleni Rome

Eleni Rim's color and black-and-white photographs are distinguished by the emphasized framing of frame elements or characters. Her pictures need to be felt.

Konstantin Karaiskos

Bold and dynamic compositions, the contrast between the object in the foreground and the background are typical for the pictures of Kostantine Karaiskos. His work definitely deserves our attention.

Wikipedia says: “Street photography, street photography (English street photography) is a genre of photography taken in a public place: on the street, in a park, on the beach, etc.”
In general, everything is clear. I took the camera, went outside the house, clicked the shutter and ... the street photo is ready. It can be called the most democratic of all types of photography. Here, studios are not required, and highly paid models, and fancy lighting additions.
Only the photographer, the camera and the world around him.

The famous photographer Robert Doisneau once said: "The wonders of everyday life are breathtaking. There is no director who can organize the surprise that awaits you on the street." It's almost magic, a fairy tale.
And the very principle of street photography is best expressed by just a line from a Russian folk tale - "go there, I don't know where, bring something, I don't know what."
Because a street photographer never knows what “catch” the day is preparing. Hence the main advice to a street photographer - take your camera with you wherever you go. ALWAYS. And shoot. As much as possible. In order not to reproach yourself later: “I could have taken that photo, but I didn’t.” After all, every moment is beautiful, and it is unique. And if you choose one or two out of dozens of shots, then you can say that the day was not in vain, that you were lucky.

Street photography is good because it does not require sophisticated photographic equipment. On the contrary, the simpler the better. After all, the photographer should not stand out in the crowd, should not attract attention. He must become part of the street, part of the crowd. Leave long-focus lenses at home, but if you have a wide-angle lens, then you are in luck. It is ideal for shooting in confined spaces.
But, however, the essence is not in it. And the simplest camera, and even a phone, you can take a great picture.
"It's more important for a photographer to have very good shoes than a very good camera," said photographer Sebastiano Salgado.

The best tool for street photography is a small lightweight silent camera in auto mode. But if you are an ardent opponent of shooting in automatic mode, then experienced photographers advise setting the following parameters for shooting in the daytime: aperture f / 16, ISO 400, 1/320 shutter speed. And don't be afraid to use a high ISO. A little graininess is better than muddy shots.

What is good street photography? Briefly, you can answer: "The one that tells the story." When shooting on the street, it is important not only to capture some event, it is important to beat it correctly. Remember that no rules of photography are canceled even in street photography. Believe me, it is unlikely that anyone will be interested in, for example, severed heads.

The biggest problem for aspiring street photographers is fear. What will they think of me? How can I photograph strangers? What if they kick me out of this place? Yes, fear is hard to get rid of. But the more you shoot, the less you will be afraid.

In general, shooting people on the street is a special conversation, one of the stumbling blocks of street photography. You can talk about this topic for a long time, but I will not. For those who are concerned about this issue, I suggest that you read this article: http://www.evbar.ru/forum/legal-aspects/topic1557.html. All legal aspects are described in detail.

But for me (and for most photographers, probably) in the street photography of strangers, the well-known principle is the main thing: "Do not do to your neighbor anything that you do not want for yourself."

But if you do run into people who are unhappy about being photographed, just smile, apologize, and, if requested, delete the photo.

The next question that arises for beginner street photographers is: “Do I need to ask permission from people to shoot them?”. This is a personal matter for every photographer. If you enjoy talking to strangers, why not talk, promise to send him a picture. But it must be remembered that if a person knows that he will be photographed, then the immediacy and spontaneity of photography will disappear. And, as a result, you will get a street portrait, and not a street photo, which we are talking about now.

Every street photographer has their own way of working on the street. Over time, you will develop them for yourself and you will choose those that are more acceptable. And now I will talk about some.

1. Get lost in the crowd
To get rid of fear, you can start taking pictures in the most crowded places in your city, at various festivities, events where people are busy watching the spectacle, and not looking for someone who photographs them.

2. Come closer
The closer you get to your subject, the more interesting photos you will get as a result.
But if for some reason you cannot do this, call ZOOM for help.

3. Know how to wait
Choose an interesting object, sit (or stand) in front of it and wait for a colorful character to appear. Well, then - do not get lost.

Dmitry Stepanenko

4. Look into the windows
Shooting reflections in windows, shop windows is one of the favorite tricks of street photographers. After all, you must admit, they have their own world, their own life.

5. Get on your knee
Interesting results can be obtained using the lower angle. The results can be amazing. And you just look at the world from a different point of view.

6. Ride public transport
Public transport is a gold mine for street photography. What kind of types and funny cases you will not see there.

7. See what others don't
To see the extraordinary in the ordinary is not a gift, it is a constant training of observation. Seek and you will surely find.

Antonangelo Loddo

8. catch shadows
Light and shadows are fundamental not only in street photography. But how interesting and unusual they can be.

9. Forget Paris
You don't have to be in Paris to take great street photos. Your backyard is nice and interesting too.

10. Look for obstacles
If you haven't overcome your fear of shooting outdoors, try shooting around a corner, behind a column, pole, etc.

11. Don't forget about our little brothers
The street is not only people. Photographing animals is no less interesting and entertaining.

12. Make up a story
Strive to ensure that your photographs tell a story. Pictures without history are of no interest to anyone. And everything on the street has its own history. The main thing is to present it correctly.

Massimo Pietralunga

13. play theater
Pretend you're filming a landmark, a friend, a leaf on a tree. In the meantime, turn your lens on people. And no one will understand that you are a real street photographer, and not an idle tourist with a camera.

Konstantin Bik

14. Seize the moment
Remember that nothing in the world is repeated twice. What you do not have time to shoot now will never happen again. Don't miss your chance.

15. Learn from the greats
Remember, you are not the first person to take a camera outside. Look, study the works of generally recognized masters of street photography. Take inspiration from other photos, but don't steal them. It won't work anyway.

Henri Cartier Bresson

16. Take off, take off, take off
And this is the main point. Street photography is a lot like swimming. You must first enter the water (go outside) to learn.

Bruce Gilden once said, "If you can smell the street when you look at a photo, it's street photography."
Good luck in this unusually interesting and exciting business!

Street photography (or street photography), as a direction, appeared relatively long ago - about 130 years ago. As soon as cameras became portable, and the process of developing and printing was simplified, photography broke out of cramped studios into the streets. Photographers began to document the world around them. In particular, they filmed in urban areas where life moves fast. The desire to capture the changes taking place around was instinctive at first.

The pioneers of street photography can be considered such famous authors as Eugene Atget, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Harry Winogrand, Martin Parr.
They laid the foundations of the street photography movement and their work certainly deserves your attention.

A century later, not much has changed in the street photo genre: yes, cameras have become even more compact, and developing and printing have been replaced by graphic editors. Scientific and technological progress has greatly simplified the path of the author's street photo to the viewer. But the idea of ​​this direction remained unchanged.

So what is street photography?

The subject of street photography is mostly people in public places. More accurately, street photography can be described as a genre free from posing and staging, in which the photographer explores and captures contemporary society and the relationship between characters and their environment.

The main elements of street photography are: spontaneity, careful observation and "eyes wide open", the willingness to capture everything that appears in the viewfinder and seems meaningful, exciting, interesting.

Another key aspect of street photography is the feeling that the shot was taken unplanned, without prior agreement. Therefore, photographs taken at public events differ in sensation from random ones - in the first case, it is rarely possible to take a spontaneous shot. However, they can also be classified as street photography - there is always room for flexibility and experimentation within the genre.

"Okay, where do I start?" you probably ask. In principle, for starters, all you need is a camera, city streets and free time. Discreet clothes and a good mood will not hurt.
“Do I need a special camera or lens?” — absolutely not.

Technical equipment of a street photographer- this is exactly the camera that you have now, and which you can always carry with you. "SLR", "soap box" or even a mobile phone camera - any device that takes photos is worthy of attention.

Of course, "terry" street photographers prefer rangefinders, especially Leica (analogue M7 or digital M9). Mirrorless digital cameras of the micro 4/3 standard are now widely used - especially in combination with the old "film" optics, you can get very interesting results. In any case, for shooting "street" the size of the camera is primarily important, and the smaller it is, the better.

It's time to give you some practical advice.

Digital is everything

Let's say you are a beginner and you don't have a camera yet, but you are very confident in your abilities and want to start your journey with "film". This is a normal desire and I do not undertake to dissuade you in any way. However, there is a saying by Henri Cartier Bresson “your first ten thousand shots will be the worst”, against which you can’t argue. Note also that the quote is from the era of analog cameras, so... if you don't feel like you've crossed the line of at least 10,000 frames a long time ago, look towards digital cameras. Over time, you will understand if you need an analog camera.

Pause

The city is like a living organism, the people in it are in constant motion, it is like a big anthill. And the photographer is also in this stream. But moving and filming at the same time is not always the best option. It is worth pausing periodically, stopping (for example, at each intersection) for a few minutes and waiting, “scanning” the environment with your eyes. You can, for example, stand facing the human stream and "catch a fish." Surely you will be rewarded with an interesting story at the very first stop - and all you had to do was pause during the walk.

(ss) Mario Mancuso

Focus on the look

Emotion can be hidden, it can be faked, but the eyes will tell the whole truth. If you are shooting a portrait in the street photo genre, you will not find a better way than to focus on the eyes of a person.

(ss) Dipayan Bhattacharjee

Details

Street photography is not limited to capturing a subject with a set of variables such as geometric, contrast, color or semantic rhythms. Sometimes it’s worth paying attention to details: hands, faces, wardrobe details or a lonely object - shot close-up, they can “play” and tell something that simply cannot be seen in the general frame.

(cc) Liz Kasameyer

High sensitivity

If you're using a digital camera, don't limit yourself to low ISO settings. Of course, in the daytime and in clear weather, using ISO 1600 or higher is pointless, but in low light conditions, chasing the minimum amount of noise will not be very reasonable, especially since even strong noise can be “beaten” in street photography - convert to b/w, for example. Another tangible plus from raising the sensitivity is the ability to shoot with a short shutter speed. Sometimes you don't get a second chance, and a blurry image due to shaking can be an annoying misunderstanding.

(cc) takato marui

Long exposure

All street photo subjects are different and require an individual approach. And if in the previous paragraph I suggested increasing the sensitivity so that the shutter speed is shorter, now I will suggest the opposite. It is with the help of a slow shutter speed (for example, 1/30 sec) that you can convey movement in the frame, sometimes this is the only correct option. Even on a sunny day, you can achieve a slow shutter speed - closing the aperture and lowering the ISO will help you. In particularly difficult cases, gray filters can be used.

(cc) Gary H. Spielvogel

Shooting with "wiring"

Do not forget also about shooting "with wiring". Together with a slow shutter speed, it is a great way to show movement in the frame and focus on a moving object, naturally blurring the environment (the amount of blur depends on the shutter speed and speed of the object). Not the easiest way, it requires certain skills and practice.

(cc) Juan José Aza

Closed diaphragm

The "fathers" of the genre made all their famous shots small rangefinders. Have you tried sharpening them? If not, I assure you, it's not for the faint of heart to rotate the lens until the two images blend into one. Considering that many scenes were shot not just quickly - “from the hip”, I’ll tell you how the focusing problem was solved: the aperture was closed and hyperfocal sharpness was set. So if you want to get an old school street photo, it's not enough to make it black and white, you need hyperfocal sharpness and aperture values ​​​​of 5.6 and higher.

(cc) Bärenger ZYLA

The plot without a person in the frame

Street photography does not require the presence of a person in the frame. It is not so much about people, but about human nature itself, so you can not get hung up on the presence of people in the frame. It happens that the urban environment itself gives us food for thought and offers excellent stories in which people, by the way, can also be present: on posters, posters, posters. Also, a photo of the city without the presence of a person in the frame will help to better reveal the urban spirit, and the presence of a person will be somehow traced in such works.

(cc) Chuck Cocker

Of course, these recommendations cannot cover such a multifaceted and vast world of street photography. I hope I will have the opportunity to return to this exciting topic and continue our conversation. And that's all for today. Run to the streets, shoot!

Street photography today has become a full-fledged genre of photography, and maybe even art. One can argue with the last statement, but you must admit that this is precisely the art - to be able to get a frame that will please not only the author of the photo, but also tens or even thousands of people.

So hundreds of people wander around cities and countries, armed with cameras of varying degrees of advancement. Someone has an ordinary soap dish, and someone carries a camera with them, the cost is comparable to a quite good car. They look like hunters stalking their prey. The booty of a street photographer is a freeze frame of your life, your emotions, an important or not so important event. It is possible that those who were photographed by the photographer will already forget about the fleeting fact in his life in minutes, but everything will remain in the picture.

Tip one: Street photography is democratic and absolutely undemanding to technology. It doesn't matter what camera you have. The main thing is what and how you shoot. You can do street photography without having a camera at all. Modern smartphones allow you to take good pictures.

What does a street photographer shoot and what is the street photo genre about

If you do not talk for a long time, then street photography is about people's lives and people themselves, with their joys and sorrows, with their thoughts and experiences. These are streets, but the streets are not empty, but filled with people, movement. About movement - when we say the word "movement", we most often imagine someone walking or something that is riding, flying. In fact, movement is a broader concept. Thought is also movement. Only inanimate objects are static in themselves. Like death, it is also static.

In the last century, there was such a fashion - to photograph deceased relatives, giving them living poses. Such photographs look creepy - this is an imitation of life and it is unnatural. Death does not move - it is the end, a complete stop. Every life is dynamic. Any living object is in dynamics, even if it just stands and smokes:

Street photography - Moscow 2016

Sometimes street photography refers to any pictures of the city. This is not true. There is a very clear division between urban landscape and street photography. The urban landscape, which I will talk about in the next article, is a separate genre of photography, where the hero is the city itself, its architecture, landscape. Street photography is all about people. It does not matter whether a person is walking, riding a bicycle or a car, just standing there, thinking - the person is the main character of street photography. There is a difference, as you can see. In one case, the main plot is the creation of man, in the other - the man himself.

Moscow - May 2016

The main feature of street photography

Street photography is a complete lack of staging. You don't prepare the stage, you don't force your models to stand there, take such and such a position, smile or cry. You don't even know who will be your model and what he or she will do in a second. Maybe he will cry, or maybe he will laugh, or maybe he will notice you and send you to hell, and even chase you with very bad desires.

Tip two: When shooting outdoors, use telephoto lenses or compact cameras with high magnification. The main thing in street photography is naturalness, and what naturalness when you know that you are being photographed. You are always waiting for a bird to fly out. This is at best, and at worst, people may be vehemently opposed to being filmed. Therefore, it is better to shoot from afar, armed with good optics.

Victory Park - May 2016

Who to shoot and what events to capture

Who to film? A complex and at the same time simple question that can be answered unequivocally - people. People, person, woman or man, children or one child. It doesn't matter who. What matters is how and when. So we come to the most important thing - at the time of shooting. When to push the button and when not to. Here the question is not only in the shooting technique, but there are also aesthetic and ethical aspects. There are a lot of questions, and most of them do not have a clear answer. Each photographer decides for himself. Whether to shoot people at the funeral, heartbroken or not, whether to shoot the expression of feelings of love, rage, aggression or not to shoot. What all street photographers agree on is that you can capture moments of joy and happiness. Is it worth filming the joy of an alcoholic who has bought a bottle or just got drunk, or the satisfaction from a job well done by a hostess who has just slaughtered a chicken for dinner? Hard. I repeat once again - each photographer decides for himself what is acceptable and what is not.

Tip three: If you want to get a strong shot, then it is best to shoot at holidays or some kind of event. People in such moments are more emotional and hold themselves back less. Watch people at street parties - they are liberated, they think less about how they look. More emotions - better photography.

Hermitage Garden - a feast of food

When to shoot

Any time of the day. You are limited only by the technical parameters of your equipment. You can shoot during the day, morning or night. It does not matter. The main thing is that you can see what you want to shoot. But in general, it is better when there is good lighting - it can be the sun, street lights. Otherwise noise can ruin your photo. Although, sometimes noise is added on purpose. But, still, it is worth remembering that the less light, the longer your shutter speed and higher ISO. And also remember that the less light, the more noisy or blurry your picture will be, and maybe both will turn the picture into an incomprehensible mess, a mess. You can, of course, later say that this is such an idea, and they say this is how I see the world. But we are not talking about painting, but about photography, which captures the event. An event, not your state of mind.

Evening Arbat - July 2016

Color or black and white photography - which is better?

Different photographers have very different ideas about color. Someone thinks that street photography should only be black and white, someone admits that street photography can be in color. Actually, the color doesn't matter. Color is not an end in itself and not a canon. What matters is the plot and what you want to emphasize. Let's talk about what color is. Color is our subjective perception of the reflection of the light flux from objects. For a person, there are no identical colors - everyone perceives colors differently. Pink or red - this is understandable, but there are details. Are the details important or not? The devil knows. There are only two colors that we perceive in the same way - black and white. Even color blind people do not confuse these colors. That is, if you want all people to see the same picture in color, then a black and white photograph is preferable. But it's not even about how we perceive color, but about the plot and what we want to convey. I'll give you an example. We film a weightlifter during a push or hold. The veins tense up, the face turns red, the eyes pop out of their sockets, the whole face is tense. What do you want to convey? If only emotional tension, then a black and white version is better. The viewer's eye will not be distracted by the complexion or hands of the athlete. And if you want to convey physical tension, then a color picture would be more appropriate - the color perfectly conveys our physical state.

Street basketball - tension is conveyed not only in movement and emotions, but also in color

I noticed that strong open emotions are better conveyed by color photography. A black and white photo, on the other hand, reveals what people sometimes want to hide. It is possible that this is an erroneous impression, but there is something in it, in my opinion.

Tip #4: Shoot in color. Then, when processing a photo, you will figure out which is better. When you take pictures on the street, you can’t immediately understand what you shot. But when processing a photo, there is already time to consider and think.

About composition in street photography

When we shoot in a studio or take a family photo, we create, build reality and cram people into it. That is, we create reality according to our ideas about how it should look. Street photography is different. We do not create the world around us, but we only observe it and record events in the real environment, which does not depend on our idea of ​​it. A street photographer is not a builder, he is an observer. Attentive, endowed with imagination, but an observer. I note that when thinking about the plot, we can choose a place, a shooting point, adjust the focus - sit in an ambush.

There are two categories of photographers. Some can be compared to an ordinary hunter who wanders through the forest and looks out for game on the branches. It is possible that he will come across only a couple of crows, or a valuable fur-bearing animal may also come across. The main thing is not to fox. Others are snipers, carefully choosing the place from which the shot will be fired. In the first case, a successful composition is a matter of chance, in the second, sooner or later someone will fall into the chosen framework.

And what is better - wandering around the city in search of a plot or choosing a place and time, and waiting? It is hard to say. It all depends on what is happening around. Let me explain. You have decided to replenish your portfolio with photographs of the newlyweds, and everyone does not invite you to the wedding. Fine. We think, where are these newlyweds found? There are several places in Moscow where you will definitely catch a couple of weddings at the weekend - the Patriarchal Bridge and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior itself, Tsaritsino, Kolomenskoye, GUM. Now we decide what kind of environment we need. Then it's a matter of technique - we arrive at the place and choose a shooting point - sooner or later, but the young will fall into our frame. The photographer will only have to press a button when a couple of newlyweds or a whole fun wedding approaches the point that we have chosen for shooting.

Patriarchal bridge - Moscow - 2011
The work of a wedding photographer - 2011, Moscow

What is better for shooting - open space, highway or brick walls around. It doesn't matter at all.

Some people think that street photography is zero processing and no cropping. In my opinion, this is wrong. You can crop a photo, and sometimes you need to. Good street photography has a story. Let not invented and not directed, but the plot is present all the same. Life itself gives subjects for our pictures. And there is nothing wrong with the fact that we cut off the excess that does not fit into our plot. The main thing is not to cut off something important that will emasculate our photo and make it faceless.

Street photography - good luck with your shots

That's all for today. Thoughts are over. But this is not the end, but only the beginning and to be continued.