Finding your comfort zone with Street Photography
- Simon Pugsley
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
I picked Street from the clubs recent “Out of the Hat” assignment! I think the others who also picked out street had the same reaction😱.
Street photography isn’t just for the brave or the cool kids! The approach taken can open up the genre to us shy and reserved photographers.
It is intimidating standing in the middle of a town pointing your camera toward someone approaching you because you like their outfit, look, umbrella, or the backdrop just needs a person to walk past. What if they stop and challenge me?
Having completed the Out of the Hat challenge, I thought I’d share my experience and show that Street Photography can be enjoyable. As with any photography there isn’t a right or wrong (competition judges of course may disagree), it's your photograph and your interpretation. This is my version of street, and it made me feel more comfortable and enjoy the challenge.
What is Street Photography?
The aim of Street photography is to capture candid everyday moments of life in public areas. It does not need to be on the street, it can be on transport, at a beach, inside a coffee shop etc. It also does not need to contain a physical person but should suggest that a person was there, be it a shadow, a reflection, an object left behind. It can even extend to those city pigeons!
Gear and Settings
Be stealthy!
I visited Birmingham and thought it would be a nice idea to use my old film SLR, trying to be cool, lol! That was until I took my first shot, and the sound of the shutter echoed around the city, at least that’s what it sounded like to me. Not discreet enough!
A dslr, mirrorless, or compact camera, on silent mode if you have it, is best. The smaller the better. I tried a few mobile shots and had to rely on digital zoom to get anything decent, which brings me to my next point on lenses.
Anything between 28mm and 60mm full frame equivalent was best for me, some Street photographers sometimes use up to 85mm and most choose prime lenses. However, a kit lens of 24-70mm lens on full frame or 18-55mm on APS-C are ideal. I used a kit lens and a 40mm prime mostly. But I think I preferred using my compact camera.
I found shooting aperture priority between f5.6 - f8 with auto ISO worked well, except when I wanted to emphasize shadows and I manually set the ISO. Alternatively, if you want to ensure freezing the motion then go manual with a speed of 1/200 but with auto ISO. My prime lenses were manual focus so pre focusing to an area that I wanted my subject to be in was essential.
A tripod – the least stealthy piece of gear! You’d think using a tripod would make you stand out! I used this to achieve a slow shutter speed and motion of people, specifically getting on and off a train. From my vantage point I used a longer focal length and so was at a distance from the subjects, so it didn’t matter having the tripod.
I also set up in the middle of Redditch town. Once I’d composed my shot, I didn't need to look at the camera just press the button as people walked past. No one cared, except for a Fuji enthusiast who wanted to chat about all Fuji cameras and lenses.
Planning
As with other photography genres a bit of thought or planning really helps. I already had the idea for capturing people movement beforehand in Redditch and knew where I wanted to set up.
In Birmingham the plan was to have a wander and look for buildings, reflections, light and shadows for my scenes and then capture people walking into them. Going out with some sort of plan, however loose, gives you a focus. Looking for scenes took the people fear away for me, they were just random people in my scene.
Having found a scene, I just observed for a while, seeing how the light falls or how people flow and interact with buildings, before composing my shot and waiting for the right moment.
In this scene by Snow Hill station, I liked the buildings and noticed the pedestrian crossing behind me helped with the predicted flow of people. There were also some concrete blocks that I could stand in front of without fear of anyone bumping into me. I waited around for about 5 mins before this lady with the red coat came into shot.
Similarly at New Street Station it was just waiting for the right moment. This photo may have been better with the cloaked superhero between the e’s, but other people had entered the scene by then.
Light & Shadows
These really simplify a scene and enhance the subjects. I noticed this lady on her phone in the sun as I walked by. Having walked past I could then compose and take my shot. In the edit I increased the contrast to emphasize the light and shadows and cropped in a little.
For the Colour and Shadows shot I noticed the shadow framing the light coming in and leant up against the wall and waited for people to walk by. I really like that the shoppers are silhouetted, and the mannequins are fully lit.
As a note of caution; be aware that when on private land e.g. in shopping centres you may be asked not to photograph. You might want to avoid these to reduce chances of confrontation.
Reflections
These are a great way to capture something different and not be pointing the camera at anyone directly. In the edit I’ve slightly adjusted the hue of the sky to be a bit more in tune with the delivery person.
People not Faces
Facial expressions are great, but they aren’t needed if your scene or compositions is supporting the story. Most of the photos in this blog don’t have full face shots, and as pointed out by one of the guest speakers many people are looking down at their phone anyway.
The Worker shot was taken last year on our Birmingham location shoot, the fact the man has his back to us doesn’t matter (to me anyway) we still know what is going on and where.
Have a coffee and watch the world go by!
Take a rest and sit outside with a coffee, may as well treat yourself to a cake! You’ll feel less conspicuous while you people watch. I was sitting in Costa’s seating area and thought the scene outside was nice so got my phone ready to take some shots. I got lucky with this couple walking by exchanging glances.
Going to busier places is a good tip as it will mean you are less obvious. Everyone is just going about their business and most likely will not have time to notice you there.
Summary
I enjoyed the challenge and changing my focus to the scene and not the people was a big thing for me, it's then all about the composition and light. Finding the right focal length that you feel comfortable will help, 40mm (60mm full frame) seemed to be the sweet spot for me.
Finally, to the question at the start; What if someone challenges me? If someone does ask you what you are doing just tell them about the photography club or what scene you are taking (the building, the tree). There is one guy on YouTube who guilts the person walking into the shot if they ask, like they have spoilt his picture. He then tells them not to worry; he can take another one without them in it!
Happy street snapping everyone!
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