Shooting People: 6 Ways to Improve Your Street Photography

During my photography class last week, one of my students suggested street photography relies heavily on serendipity. He is quite right. Being in the right place at the right time certainly makes a difference to the type and quality of street images you capture.

Apart from the usual tips on traveling light, looking for ‘behind the scenes’ images off the tourist track, seeking out street performers and looking for new angles on familiar subjects, there are several ways in which you can improve your street photography. What follows are six basic techniques which, I hope, will help you capture serendipitous moments in your street photography.

1. Stolen Moments

flickr

One skill worth developing is the ability to anticipate moments between people before they happen. By keeping ours eyes open and getting a feel for the way people interact, we can often capture images with real emotion.

2. In The Background

by tonythemisfit

Sometimes, what’s going on in the background can really make a picture stand out. Look out for billboards, graffiti, street signs and signs in shop windows.  They can all help make a bold statement in a photograph.

3. In Your Face

by thatsplenty

There are times when it pays to go in close. Filling the foreground can add to the impact of an image.

4. Into the Sun

by guynameddave

We usually try not to shoot into the sun and avoid the shadows that direct sunlight can produce. In street photography, breaking these ‘rules’ can sometimes lead to great shots.

5. Frozen Motion

by toddwshaffer

Streets are great places to capture movement. To do this successfully, you will need to use a shutter speed of at least 1/125 of a second. You may also need to increase the ISO to 400. But why not capture movement as a blur. Slow the shutter speed down and experiment with the different effects this gives.

6. Return Visit

by tainted dream

Street photography does not always need to be spontaneous. If you find a place which inspires you, there is no reason why you can’t return again and again until you capture the shots you’re after. Returning to the same place also opens up the opportunity of capturing a sequence of images over a period of time, each of which might have something different to say.

Further Reading:

What tips would you give someone looking to improve their street photography? What has worked well for you? What hasn’t? Share your experience and ideas on capturing street images below.

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