Street Photography Tips! Video Lecture | Capture like a Pro: Digital Photography Tutorial - Professional Skills

today Tony and I are going to be giving
you some Street photography tips some
things to do some things not to do which
gear you should use how to go about
getting the right shots the first thing
I want to get out of the way is the
question I know you're going to ask
which gear should I use
I'm so happy to report that it doesn't
even really matter though some things
you might want to consider is that the
gear that you're using my influence how
you're subject to interacts with you so
if you have a huge lens and a big
professional looking camera you might
attract some attention if you're using a
mirrorless camera something smaller it
might be a bit more inconspicuous
especially it has a tilt screen and you
can shoot from the hip a bit easier you
can be a creep and nobody knows another
thing that I noticed is if you're using
vintage gear I've been out with a
Yashica TLR people are more interested
in what you're doing they think you're
kind of artsy they want to ask you
questions it's easier to interact you
can see an example of this happening in
these pictures of Tony taking shots of a
group of kids with the Mamiya RB 67 with
a Polaroid back the kids were so excited
about the camera that they playfully
posed and laughed as he took their
picture and the parents were really
thankful too
Tony gave each kid a Polaroid picture to
take home so when you're considering
here with school photography there's
some different things to think about not
just the quality of the pictures but how
your subjects will perceive you based on
the gear that you're using oh also focal
length is pretty important 70 to 200 not
really traditional you can get away with
a smaller less expensive lens like a 50
millimeter that's going to work just
fine a common question we get is how do
you know when to ask permission you kind
of have to know in the moments right if
it's completely candid and the person is
somewhat far away you're not in the face
you can snap a quick pit it's a great
idea to know what your rights are as a
photographer so look up the laws
surrounding photography for your country
they vary in the US I can tell you a few
important ones you can take photos of
people in public places you can take
photos of people on private property
unless you're asked not to either
verbally or by sign you can't take
photos of someone if they have a
reasonable expectation of privacy like a
bathroom or shots through windows into a
private space also keep in mind that
you might not be able to sell any of
these pictures depending on the intended
use so again look up the laws look up
your rights and other people's rights as
well if you need to compose the person
are really getting their things it's
nice to just say hey I like your outfit
or I like the way you look you mind if I
take a quick picture some people will
just say yes most of the time people say
yes others will say kind of no get out
of my face and it's nicely just kind of
respect that just see how the masters
work it's good to watch videos on people
like Bill Cunningham and things like
that you can see how they work and how
they interact with each person for
example I saw this woman and all-pink
walking out of a purple building I love
the way that she looked in the color so
I smiled at her and said your outfit is
beautiful would you mind if I took a
picture of you she agreed and was so
flattered that she had an adorable
expression for the photo
conversely while walking the streets of
Havana I came across this woman resting
and looking at her cigar I wanted her
candid expression so I took a shot
quickly as I was walking by the image
isn't perfect but I got an expression I
didn't think I could replicate I don't
typically take photos of street
performers but if you choose to you
should always pay them for being your
muse the same goes for anyone dressed up
in a way that's clearly supposed to
entertain tourists or people walking by
these kids in Peru were in traditional
dress and holding baby goats I asked the
parents standing by if I could take a
photo and once I had permission I took
their picture and compensated them for
their time and for being such great
models had I wanted a candid photo I
would have taken the picture asked if it
was okay and then compensated them one
good tip to use is to a pre composer
shot and then wait so if you see a
beautiful location but nothing really
interesting is happening we until a
subject comes along to fill the frame
for example I like the juxtaposition of
the market with the mosque in the
background but wanted some people on the
shot as well I framed my photo and then
waited for people to walk into my shot
to get the photo that I was after it
also can help to shoot wide you can
always crop after in post
[Music]
once you have all the technical stuff
out of the way get out there shoot and
practice there's no one way to shoot
street photography but it does help to
look at the work of the masters and
study what's so great about their shots
Gary Whitta gran Mary Ellen mark and
honoree Cartier Bresson are some of the
greats the study when you look at their
pictures think about what you like about
them is it the contrast the genuine
expressions the leading lines you're
going to see something different in each
photo that you like great lighting and
genuine expressions and gestures make a
great photo storytelling is also very
important a unique perspective can make
a shot compelling whether it be taken
from an interesting angle or with just a
different idea being conveyed of course
also consider using the standard
photographic compositional techniques by
looking for interesting lines
reflections or shadows if you liked this
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