Candid, urban, and fine art are all part of street photography. One of the most challenging genres of photography but rewarding. Street photography requires patience, dedication, bravery, and hard work. Street photography documents people in their environment, and also can include landscape and cities (with or without people). Wikipedia defines street photography as “photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents.” In other words street photography is capturing or documenting life in public places.

Street photography can be done anywhere, it is taken mainly in a public area. It doesn’t have to be in the street . For example you can go to beaches, museums, restaurants, malls, and even public transportation. It doesn’t only have to be candid, you can ask permission from strangers to photograph them. Eric Kim says, “the most important thing in street photography is to capture emotion, humanity, and soul.” 

Tips for Street Photography

Tip number 1- Let the action come to you. Find a location and let things come to you.

Tip number 2- Street Portraits. Street portraits capture the soul and story of a person. Ask permission, let them know why you’re taking the picture (for a class, for a project, or you think they look good) and pay attention to the background.

Tip number 3- Pick the right camera and know your camera. The best camera to use is the one you already have. Most people have a smartphone with a decent camera or any light weight camera. Know and get familiar with your camera settings, know how to focus (manual or auto), the exposure triangle (iso, aperture, and shutter speed), etc.

Tip number 4- Shoot from different angles. Taking the picture from a different angle adds interest. There are many angles like point of view, low/high view, from standing on an object (chair or ladder) to laying on the ground or shooting from the hip.

Street photography or art in general gives us free range to express our creative side, just have fun and enjoy the art you are creating.

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