How to Become the Best Street Photographer
I have been working as a professional photographer for almost ten years, but I still get a little nervous every time I go to take street shots.
It’s good that street photography is getting easier in a way. New technologies like the iPhone allow you to take great candid photos with as little attention as possible.
Here are some tips that have helped me capture better city streets.
Get closer
There is an old expression in photojournalism: if your photos are not good enough, then you are not close enough. This is especially true if you are shooting with a smartphone, which loses quality a lot if you zoom in or crop too much.
Take this shot, for example. By getting closer, you can see details such as lines on the subject’s face.
I took the picture below while covering the Trump Tower protests after the election. I saw a demonstrator shouting into a megaphone. I got out of the middle of the march and pushed my way right in front of him.
You will also have to overcome shyness when talking to strangers. I saw Albert walking through the French Quarter in New Orleans. I walked up to him with my phone and casually explained how I photograph the city, and I loved it. People will notice your enthusiasm. If you feel like you are excited about what you are doing, strangers are more likely to reflect this back to you.
We chatted for a few minutes and I learned a little about his history before asking for a portrait of him. I explained that it was for my Instagram feed and showed him a few of my other pictures so he could understand my work. Then I took some pictures while still talking to him, so he eventually stopped paying attention to my phone and became less careful.
To wait for him
Another tried and true strategy is to pre-crop the photo and then wait until the desired element appears in the field of view. I was recently walking around downtown Manhattan and noticed a bright mural reflected in a dark puddle.
It could be interesting enough, but I also wanted to show some movement, so I knelt down and waited about five minutes for a man in all black to walk by, which created more action and contrast with the scene. People can usually tell that I am photographing, so they are not overly concerned (not that New Yorkers are not used to seeing others behaving strangely without giving any reason …). But I often have to let them know that it’s okay to go ahead of me.
In the photo below, I was waiting for someone to walk by, who bumped into a green wall, and was able to insert a frame into a rectangle with peeled tape. I thought this woman stood out and showed some movement too.
Keep your finger on the trigger
I try to hold the phone in my hand and be aware of what surrounds me. If you are in a hectic city like New York, you never know when something unusual will suddenly appear and then disappear just as quickly.
One trick, if you’re using an iPhone, is that you can access the camera without even unlocking the phone by swiping up from the bottom and then pressing the camera button in the bottom right corner.
This guy (pictured below) walked by me on a rainy afternoon in Midtown. If I missed, his image would not leave me. Fortunately, I had time to see him approach from another intersection, so I had time to get my phone and get closer to him. Looks like he noticed me, which actually made the photo a little more interesting. If you are on a crowded street, people are usually too busy to notice you, and if they do, they are often too rushed to stop and ask what you are filming.
And if I go with another camera, I keep it on my shoulder, on the sides. This way, you can also shoot literally from the hip if you don’t have time to look through the viewfinder or want to go unnoticed. It takes some practice to figure out what will be in the frame depending on how your lens is positioned. It may be best to start with a wide-angle lens, if you have one, so you have a better chance of capturing your subject. You can always crop.
Another tip if you are using a camera is to shoot at f8 so that more of the foreground and background is in focus. This increases your chances of being shot.
Decisive moment
Keep your phone or camera close at hand to capture the most vivid emotions or actions. I was in a cafe when this couple next to me started kissing hard.
I quickly figured it out and captured it. Creepy? Maybe. But you will have to overcome these fears if you want to capture real-life human interaction. Sometimes I show someone a photo I got, but if it’s for your Instagram feed and documenting the environment you’re in, then you don’t need to show every object in your shot, especially if it’s a very public place.
Chasing light
Nothing can spoil an interestingly composed photo than poor lighting. Try to go outside just after sunrise or about an hour before sunset to catch the golden hour when the light is softer and warmer.
On cloudy days, diffused light is created, so you won’t have harsh shadows. This is a plus if you’re shooting portraits, as the light will hit your subject more evenly. Late autumn and winter are also great times for shooting when the sun is below the horizon. This will create harsh long shadows and add drama to your scene.
For example, I was able to get these shadows while walking around Midtown last February.
Also remember where the sun is if you are shooting on a clear day. For example, if you are going to shoot someone’s portrait, you can make sure the sun is behind them so they are not backlit – unless of course you want them to be in their silhouette.
Here’s an example of a backlit object. You can see how blurry the street is, and it might look good if you are trying to show that it is a hot summer day.
Think about composition
Street photography may not give you the same amount of time to compose a photograph, but it’s still important to think about where you place your subjects.
One rule of thumb to live by is to try not always to hit someone the right blow in the middle of the frame. You can vary your shots using techniques, usually the rule of thirds , which simply means that you split the frame into thirds and place the subject or objects one third from the middle or at the point where two lines intersect.
Here’s a fairly literal example of this.
Using this technique can better ensure that people looking at your photographs pay attention not only to your subject, but also to their surroundings.
You can also think about how lines running horizontally or vertically in a frame will naturally draw someone’s eye through the frame.
In the photo below, s-shaped lines on the sidewalk draw you from the foreground to the person holding the cross in the background, which, again, is not directly in the middle.
It’s all about the details
It’s not just people and amazing prospects. Think of those little details that tell us something about time and place.
When I stumbled upon this, I thought it would be a funny still life of the once iconic New York City coffee cup.
I’m not sure what I was trying to capture here, but, you know, things can get pretty nasty on the subway.
We often have fairly universal feelings about things that we find funny or inappropriate. So if you see something interesting, chances are, others will see it too.
Think about signatures
A good caption should complement the photograph, not just tell us what we are already seeing. If you’re shooting someone’s portrait, why not find out their name and some details about who they are? This will create more context for your viewers, who will appreciate the opportunity to get a little more story out of your feed.
I think the quote in this grammar allows the subject to talk about the state of affairs of our veterans and the economic problems that millions of people face in this country.
If you want to increase your visibility and followers on social media, consider what hashtags can attract new viewers. Instagram now lets you see how many people have already used the tag, so you can get a sense of how many extra eyeballs you can reach.
Just don’t overdo it. I think using three or four hashtags is good. More than that, people will be annoyed. But if you want to use tags as aggressively as possible, some people will put one period on multiple lines and then place their tags multiple spaces below the headings so their viewers don’t bump into a block of text.
My colleague Anthony DelMundo is pretty good at this.
Use a photo app
There are apps like Camera + that allow you to better control your phone’s camera functions. Sometimes, for example, you may want to focus on a subject, but then set the exposure for another part of the frame.
I was traveling the California coast with my wife when we stopped to walk the cliffs of Big Sur. In this shot, I focused on my wife, who was walking in front of me through the tunnel. Then I exposed the ocean in the background so that it became a silhouette and the tunnel completely black.
We hope that some of these tips will help you take better pictures, but keep in mind that photographic refinement takes a lot of patience. We are constantly learning new techniques and going out of our comfort zone, and the only way to get better is to just go out and do it!