Street photography for beginners. Street photography and reporting. Recommendations

Publication date: 01.10.2013

Ilya Shtutsa is not just a talented street photographer. Photography for him is a way of interacting with the world, a kind of game, the rules of which he is happy to share.

A few years ago, when I just discovered street photography, and at the same time photography in general (school experiences with Shift 8, apparently, cannot be seriously considered a photographic experience, there was no awareness there, moreover, after I abandoned “ shift”, the break was no less than 20 years), I accidentally found myself among the participants in one of the photo quests in Vladivostok, just at the moment when they were given tasks. The tasks were quite varied, 12, it seems, topics, one of which was “through the looking glass.”

It would seem that nothing could be simpler - open your eyes wider and go to the city, seize the moment and bring back a great photo. But... almost all of these people chose to take a staged shot. Moreover, to do this they had to get wildly perverted - I heard a conversation between participants who were going to buy a frozen chicken, put it in the toilet, light it in red and do several more strange manipulations, I don’t remember the details - and all this instead of just going and looking, that the dear universe will offer an answer to the existing request.

Actually, the main thrill of street photography is precisely that it is an extremely exciting game for two players - the photographer and... the world? Cities? Environment? The easiest way, of course, is to say that the game goes with the world, and goes on an equal footing - if you, with your eyes wide open, go out into the city, as if into an enchanted forest, firmly knowing that unknown miracles await you around the corner, then peace must be with you will show miracles.

It looks like a fairy tale, but the very principle of street photography is best expressed by... a line from Russian folk tale- “go there, I don’t know where, bring something, I don’t know what.” You can, for example, tell the story of a photograph in which a cardboard box on legs is chasing a running girl.

People often ask me if this is a production. No, of course, not a production at all. It happened in Blagoveshchensk-on-Amur, in June, the heat was forty degrees, I was returning home at night and suddenly, near the bus stop, I saw a cardboard box, from the window in which the light of a cigarette was peeking out. Bending down, I discovered a grimy face in the slot, and took a picture - with a flash, because it was very dark. Three guys came running out of the darkness at the flash and said - wait, he’s going to scare the girls, take it off, it’ll look cool. I retreated into the darkness, and a couple of minutes later, when two unsuspecting girls walked past, carelessly chatting about something, the box quietly rose to its feet, ran up to them and began to push them in the butt. The girls turned around, screamed and ran away. Then the situation repeated itself with another passerby. After taking a few photos, I asked the guys - why are you doing this? And I heard in response - what else to do, it’s boring.

Of course, it’s not enough to see something interesting, you also need to be able to show it to others, that is, in fact, take a good photograph. But here I will not discover any America, almost all good photographers advise the same thing - to shoot a lot and select very carefully, mercilessly rejecting 99 percent of what was taken, and look at a lot of other people’s good photographs. Start with the Magnum website, for example. By the way, it’s better not to limit yourself to photographs alone; it’s also useful to go to museums, watch good movies and generally cultivate visual literacy. But these are all truisms.

The above mentioned “go there, I don’t know where” is the ideal instruction for a street photographer. Ideal, but, of course, far from the only possible one. Of course, it's great to just casually wander down the street in search of a unique, impressive moment, relying solely on your nose, but shooting something on a given topic is very useful, if only as an exercise.

For example, I was very lucky three years ago (that is, practically at the very beginning) to find and join the Street Photography Now Project. This project was launched in mid-2010 by the London Photographers Gallery together with Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren, authors of the book Street Photography Now, which almost immediately became something of a Bible for a new generation of street photographers. Over the course of a year, 52 famous photographers, such as Alex Webb and Bruce Gilden from the Magnum agency, Matt Stewart and other members of the In-public team, and others, gave each week some kind of instruction that everyone could try to follow by simply uploading their a photo taken during this week to the appropriate group on the Flickr photo hosting site.

Why do I say I'm lucky? Firstly, it was, in fact, a free one-year course in street photography from the best masters of the genre, and sometimes the authors of the instructions actively commented on the participants’ work - what else could a beginner dream of? It is also important here that since about 500 people took part in the project, their common intention to carry out the next instruction created a flow of enormous power, which greatly facilitated the task. For example, my photograph of women rolling a piece of tree trunk down the street was taken in response to Gary Alexander's Surrealism Today instruction.

I had a particularly busy week at the time; I didn’t have any time to wander around the city with a camera, and I was able to allocate only three hours to complete the instructions. That is, in three hours I had to go and find some surreal scene. The task seemed impossible, but I was sure that something would turn up - and so, after wandering for two hours in vain, I turned into another alley and saw it.

Secondly, a friendly community has been formed from regular project participants. These people did not want to stop playing after the official end of the project - and continued it on their own for the second and then third year! The only difference is that it is now called Street Photography Now Community and instructions are given half as often, which is why the flow has weakened somewhat, but not critically. Side effect The continuation of the project was, in particular, the creation of an international team of street photographers, Observecollective.

Photographers who lived in the pre-digital era never dreamed of this. The Internet offers incredible opportunities for extremely fast learning, but this also has a downside (there are no free cakes - my head of department at the institute liked to repeat). When thousands of pictures flash before your eyes every day, you very quickly begin to understand that most of Of these, a fairly small set of the same dies is used.

This also applies to your own photographs - what recently seemed like a good find suddenly turns out to be another cliche, worn down before you by hundreds, if not thousands of people from all continents. What to do if you hit this wall? There is no definite answer to this question, but I think that you just need to continue shooting, enjoying the process itself (otherwise, what is all this for?), perhaps putting the photos aside for a while in order to return to them later with a fresh look. One of the instructions of the SPNP project mentioned above, given to the participants by the wonderful Indian photographer Raghu Ray, sounded something like this: “Until the supernatural comes into play, a picture remains just information.” It means that Good photo must have some kind of magic.

It's hard to explain, but sometimes something happens, some kind of click, and something passes through you, breaking the tight cage of cliches and mental constructs. Such pictures, strictly speaking, cannot even be called our own; they were presented by some forces that are greater than us, and the one who held the camera in his hands is, at best, a co-author. But they are the only ones who, by and large, matter.

Every time, going on a photo walk with a camera at the ready, the photographer expects to receive photographs that will reflect a kaleidoscope of events, changes in light and shadows, and most importantly, an excellent demonstration of the characters and faces of people, the unprecedented atmosphere that reigns around.

And here lies the catch - how to photograph strangers?

Everyone who went on travel, especially to foreign countries, observed life, people, was faced with the question: how to capture the right moment, capture a unique emotion, and most importantly, is it possible to photograph a person at all. There are, of course, different approaches for shooting outside the studio walls.

U this method several significant shortcomings. The first, of course, is the natural shake of a heavy camera with a lens in hand. Considering the focal length, the weight of the equipment and the shutter speed, most often you will get blurry photographs unless you use a very short shutter speed.

Many people, when going on a photo hunt in the city, prefer to use a wide-angle lens or even a “regular fifty-kopeck lens.” Excellent choice, except human factor. Not everyone and not always want to be photographed. Here the photographer may be faced with the fact that people will spoil the entire frame with their behavior: turning away from the camera, behaving unnaturally, or even threateningly towards you. You can get out of a difficult situation through simple negotiations - ask permission before shooting, or have Have a stock of business cards on which it says that you are a photographer, you shoot a genre, and you can even promise to send the person the photo you got by email, unless of course it’s a Bedouin in the desert - it’s better to tell them about the photo magazine.

• Never stop honing your skills. No amount of communication will help if the photographer spends a lot of time thinking about what decisions to make about the use of focal length, shooting angle and aperture size. Before you can almost accurately and almost intuitively set the exposure pair, practice... on still lifes or flowers. This is someone who doesn’t need to ask permission and establish human contacts.

• Confidence-inspiring appearance, a thorough knowledge of your own camera, a respectful attitude towards those you photograph - these are the three cornerstones that will help you create beautiful story sketches, capture and remember special moments of life with the help of a camera, and create the most incredible portraits of people in terms of emotionality and depth.

Yes! Don't forget to relax and enjoy the process!

Somespecific advice for beginning genre writers

Where to take photos?

• Roadsides- pay attention to parked cars with open hoods. The emotions that their owners may experience are quite worthy of attention.

• Meeting placesthat cannot be undone - train stations, city monuments and airports. People meet, people say goodbye, go on dates! And here you are!

• Slums and garbage dumps - no comments!

When to take photos?

And about patience...

Wait, wait, wait... wait patiently for your decisive moment, and it will surely come.

“The essence of street photography is to capture daily life and society on the streets. Opportunities to practice this type of photography are everywhere, and you don't have to travel to distant lands to take a great photo. Photos in this genre are usually taken secretly, without permission, and the person you're shooting doesn't even know about it. And yet street photography does not exclude staged shots. You may come across interesting characters that you want to capture, you can approach and ask permission to photograph them: this is a great way to get more personal portraits in the person's familiar environment.

The most important thing in street photography is to have fun with the camera. Remember, your goal is to capture a person’s emotions, inner content, and character. It will take time to learn this, but practice and patience will pay off.

Choose the best lens

Lens choice is one of the most important factors street photography. You may want to use a telephoto lens, but it will likely do more harm than good. It’s unlikely that people will like a suspicious guy who films them from afar with a huge camera. If you want to become invisible, you need to come closer and participate in what is happening yourself. Take a wide-angle lens and get lost in the crowd. Many street photographers prefer to use a compact camera rather than a large DSLR - compacts are smaller, lighter and more discreet.

Camera settings

The fastest and easiest way to adjust your settings for street photography is to switch to Av (aperture priority) mode and manually select your aperture and ISO. The camera will choose the shutter speed itself. On a clear sunny day, you can set f/16 and ISO from 200 to 400. If the camera shows a shutter speed of more than 1/200 second, you can shoot. If the shutter speed is less than 1/80, there is a risk that the photo will be blurry - although this can give an interesting effect. If you don't need it, then simply raise the ISO or choose a larger aperture.

If you are a beginner, you can always put the camera in P (program) mode and let the device choose correct settings. In this mode, you can adjust the EV if you want to get an overexposed or underexposed shot. This is useful when you're shooting on the go without worrying about how your photos will turn out, but you don't have full control over what the camera does. Therefore it is not always the best option. Program mode is fine, but in low light conditions there is a high chance that the shutter speed will not be enough to get a clear image.

Get closer to your characters

Using a wide-angle lens allows you to get closer to the people you're photographing. A wide angle gives the viewer the feeling of being present in the moment captured in the photograph. In addition, such a lens will allow you to blend into the crowd, become part of the world around you, and not stand on the sidelines with long optics.

Many successful street photographs were taken just a few meters from the scene, sometimes just a few centimeters. Walk through full of people a street, market or park can yield some great shots if you are observant enough and look for interesting characters. And if the pictures you take don't look the way you visualized them, it might be worth taking a closer look. Let your feet be your zoom and guide you into Right place and at the right time.

Always keep your camera handy

Street photography is a spontaneous thing, it won’t wait. You must memorize this. The camera is an extension of yourself, a tool with which you show your vision to the world; and you won't want to miss a great shot just because you didn't have your camera handy. If you're serious about street photography, you should always have a camera with you.
This is called the “decisive moment” - when you only have a split second to photograph something that will disappear forever in the next moment. There may not be a second chance, so be prepared.

Some people are very worried about street photography - they worry that people will get angry because they are being photographed; They are worried that they might use force or call the police. These are common fears that can be overcome with practice and more practice. Here are some tips on how you can overcome anxiety.
Find interesting place and settle down there with your camera. When traveling, I spend a lot of time in cafes and restaurants with my camera at the ready. Observing your surroundings in a comfortable environment, you can relax and wait for the shot to find you. People will pay much less attention to you if you sit with a camera at a table in a street cafe than if you stand with a camera in the middle of the street.

Turn on your player and go for a walk. Music helps you to distract yourself, relax, and at the same time stimulates creativity. It may sound counterintuitive, but it works, so if you know the places you'll be walking are safe, put on your headphones and go. Of course, this does not apply to walking at night in unfamiliar areas. Never let your guard down.

Shoot from the hip

The general rule of street photography is that if you can shoot while holding the camera at eye level, the shot will turn out better. But sometimes there are cases when it cannot be raised. Therefore, shooting, so to speak, from the hip - useful method, helping to capture the decisive moment. When I first started doing street photography, I found it very difficult to raise my camera to eye level and point it at strangers. So I started shooting from the hip to get more natural, unstaged images where the subjects don't know they're being filmed. The shots weren't great at first, but as I practiced photography this way and learned how to choose the right focal length, I was able to capture some great moments.

Shoot at night

Shooting a city at night is a great chance to get unique shots. Yes, shooting in the dark is more difficult than in daylight; you need to remember about the shutter speed so that the image does not turn out blurry, set the correct ISO and aperture settings to compensate for the lack of lighting.

If you plan to shoot with long exposures, take a tripod with you. Or use a fast lens. When shooting at night, try to find interesting lines, shadows, and compositions that will give the frame bold visual images. Silhouette photography gives an interesting effect - shadows in the foreground can look very good.

Think bigger

Strong ideas and emotions can be conveyed through the simplest scenes. Most people mistakenly associate street photography only with people and their portraits on the street. But it is not at all necessary that there be a person in the frame. On crowded streets, it's difficult to avoid people in your camera, so turn into a quiet alley or alley and look for new interesting subjects and subjects for your photos. In Vietnam, I spent a lot of time on the street photographing bicycles - then these shots became a small series called “Transport”, which enjoyed good success in the photographic community. I didn't intend all this initially, but it turned out that I needed to do something unusual to get an interesting series.

Image quality isn't everything

Some photographers may disagree with me, but personally, when shooting street photography, I do not pay as much attention to image quality as, for example, when shooting landscapes or commercial commissions. No, of course, you should strive for quality whenever possible, but for street photography it is not so important. Composition, lighting, idea, story are much more important. And if your shots combine these four points, then you are on the right track.
Sharpness, lack of noise, perfect image quality - all this is useless if the photo has no composition and atmosphere, and poor lighting. Focus on what's really important first and you'll get great street shots.

The main thing is pleasure

As with any other genre of photography, the important thing here is to do what brings you joy and enjoy what you do. If street photography doesn't speak to your heart, it's highly likely that your photos will be mediocre. Creativity is where the passion is, so do only what makes you feel happy, not what others expect from you. I love street photography because it allows me to roam the streets freely, meet interesting people and see everyday life from a new perspective. This inspires me.

Conclusion

Street photography takes practice. The more you do it, the more trained your look becomes, the more confident you feel. This genre is simpler than others; post-processing is not required, and if it is required, it is minimal. Perception and intuition are much more important. Perception requires a creative eye for detail and close attention to it. Intuition is something sudden, not subject to any reasoning. Both of these factors together create that decisive moment. This amazing process, which outputs images to new level. Thanks to him, street photography appears.

Street photography has always been and will be the most accessible genre. Actually, for creativity in in this case The photographer needs a keen interest in the world around him and compact photographic equipment. Where to look for stories? How to catch sincere emotions and remain invisible? What weather is good for a street photographer? Read the answers to these and many other questions in our material. An example will be the photographs of the leading Russian street photographer Dmitry Zverev.​

1. Use a discreet small camera

The legendary, great master of street photography and the father of reportage photography spoke about this. The French photographer was known for covering the shiny parts of his Leica with dark tape to remain invisible in crowds.

“People around us react much more calmly to a mirrorless camera, and it also allows you to shoot from the waist up without aiming directly at a person. People don't feel your attention - you never know what you're looking at down there - and some don't even suspect that they're being photographed. At the same time, the rotating touch screen is capable of instantly pointing your finger at any object in the frame, while simultaneously releasing the shutter. A qualitatively different principle of street photography has emerged.”

2. Dress so that your appearance does not cause undue attention from others

If you don't want to attract the attention of the entire street, don't dress too brightly. It's better if you blend in with the crowd. As for girls, a miniskirt and high heels will certainly attract the attention of the opposite sex, which will prevent you from fully concentrating on the shooting process.

3. Shoot with a silent shutter

Continuing the theme of stealth, it is ideal if your camera has a silent shooting mode. Passersby are likely to notice the loud click of the shutter, especially if you use continuous shooting. Thus, you may miss that moment or plot that is important to sneak up on so as not to scare you away.

4. Choose lightweight equipment

Weight - very important parameter for shooting, because you may have to walk around looking for a shot for a very long time. It's best if your camera with a couple of additional lenses can fit into an ordinary backpack or handbag. Firstly, thanks to this, you, again, will not stand out among passers-by, and secondly, with a light, compact set of photographic equipment you will not get tired and will be able to walk much longer.

Dmitry Zverev, Russian photographer:

“I learned about OLYMPUS technology a long time ago, back when there was a film OM System. I was shooting with an OM-1n camera then. Since December 2013, I have been working only with cameras from the OM-D line. Along with excellent quality, the camera provides greater efficiency and comfort when working in most genres compared to DSLRs. Its main advantages are compactness and light weight, very developed functionality, and a rotating screen. I often use fixed focal lenses: 17 mm/1.8, 12 mm/2.0, 45 mm/1.8. They are very tiny, weighing just over 100 g, but they are bright and fast. Zooms, even the most budget ones, are also suitable for long exposures. I am ready to wait until my joints ache if, for example, I am forced to guard the frame in an uncomfortable position. The burst mode is a must, especially when the course of the plot is unpredictable, but more often I don’t use the fast burst (H), but with the speed limit (L). The OLYMPUS E-M1 shutter is capable of shooting 10 frames per second, and then the buffer fills up quickly even with high-speed flash drives. The most versatile of the lenses is 12-40/2.8. Its contrast and sharpness are exceptional even wide open, and the aperture is sufficient for handheld photography even in the evening.”

5. Look for unusual angles

Imagine: beautiful evening light flooded the street, but... you don’t see the frame. Think about how to show the light beautifully? Try to walk around the building, see how the composition is built in this case? Maybe the frame will become more interesting if you select the lower shooting point? Use a camera with a folding screen - “inconvenient” shooting points will simply disappear for you!

6. Pay attention to reflective surfaces

Shop windows, bus stops, car hoods, banal puddles and even wall tiles of new metro stations - anything that can reflect can make your shot interesting and unusual. Using a camera with a flip screen, you can easily shoot from the ground or from glass walls. You will see how a person “enters” his own reflection, you will be able to divide the frame into two equal parts, capture someone jumping through a puddle, naturally, remembering Bresson, or get a mystical photo where parallel realities are completely intertwined.

7. Use burst shooting

If you're watching a specific character, action, or waiting for the climax of a story, choose burst mode. With a shooting speed of 9 frames per second, you are guaranteed to capture what you wanted, and only then, when viewing, calmly leave the most successful option.

8. Experiment with long shutter speeds

The street is an environment where movement does not stop for a second. Cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and against their background - a majestic temple or the silhouette of a motionless stranger talking on the phone. By shooting shots at a long shutter speed, you can convey the dynamics of the urban rhythm or focus on a stationary object, which will add ambiguity to the frame.

Dmitry Zverev, Russian photographer:

“The metro as a subject of photography is always, one might say, at hand. The subway has quite tolerable filming conditions: dry, warm, all year round light from 5:30 am to 1:30 am. A great alternative to shooting outside if it's rainy or dark! The metro is a very interesting social environment. You see hundreds of people, interesting individually, in groups, and in crowds that generally behave in their own way; dozens of scenes unfold in front of you. You can't take pictures in the subway with a tripod. I work by hand or use some kind of support nearby. Instead of a tripod, I can put a bag of cereal on which the camera is well fixed.”

9. Alternate color and black and white modes

The debate about color and black and white will exist as long as photography lasts. Therefore, now we will not divide the plots into color and monochrome, but will simply advise bringing more variety into creativity. When going for a walk, for example, make a point to notice only objects in orange tones or combine shades of a certain color in the frame.

Or vice versa - concentrate on a monochrome light and shadow drawing, look at black and white works of classics and try to choose similar subjects.

10. Use cameras with electronic viewfinders

They will allow you to see the picture immediately in color or black and white. Don't rely on post-processing. By switching the shooting mode directly to black and white, you will begin to see differently, and even ordinary scenes in your execution will become more interesting.

11. Use different lenses

This advice will be relevant not only for beginning street photographers who are just trying out lenses with different focal lengths and looking for “their one,” but also for professionals who want to bring something new to their creativity. He shoots only with 20 mm, Cartier-Bresson was faithful to 35 mm, and gets very interesting angles by shooting with 75 mm primes. Using different optics will train the eye and expand vision.

12. Shoot not only during “regime” time

The rule that requires strict adherence, for example, in landscape photography, namely, to photograph at dawn (before about 11 a.m.) or sunset (after 5 p.m.), loses its relevance in street photography. Snow, blizzard, rain, fog? It's time to shoot! Look how boldly the recognized masters of street photography or the same Bruce Gilden, who takes pictures during the day with a flash, violate it! Hard light also looks interesting in this genre. Don't set limits for yourself, and very soon you will find your own style!

13. Don’t neglect the non-tourist areas of the city

Filming in the historical center of the city is not always comfortable due to the dense human traffic and the abundance of tourists. To catch an interesting story and emotions, you don’t have to go to your favorite center. Sometimes it’s enough just to step outside your apartment. Children laughingly swinging on a swing, or a grandmother feeding pigeons in the backlight of a setting day are wonderful subjects for photographs that capture ordinary and sincere moments from the life of the city.

Dmitry Zverev, Russian photographer:

“What I like most about street photography is its unpredictability. A documentary photographer never knows what kind of images providence will put in his “basket”. It adds excitement to the work. Shooting a real street (that is, on regular streets, where there are traffic lights, cars, shops, stalls) is very difficult, because the picture, as a rule, is very overloaded with details, and no scenes really emerge. I resort to cunning. My street is an urban environment, but not the streets themselves. I'm looking for places that are more stingy with details..."

13. Always carry a spare battery with you

Weather conditions, namely frost, or luck with subjects for serial shooting can play an unpleasant joke on you: the battery will not be enough for the entire walk. To prevent the camera from turning off at the most inopportune moment when you finally see that very shot, take a spare battery with you.

15. Choose a camera withWi-Fi

16. Be patient

Not every walk will be crowned with masterpieces. It depends not only on luck, but also on your mood at the time of shooting and a number of other external circumstances of city life. Treat the shooting process calmly: your goal is not to make amazing shots, it is much more important to learn to feel the life around you and capture moments.

Street photography opens up interesting and bright world everyday life. Street and reportage photographers capture the most vivid and emotional moments of our lives; they shoot on the streets and in shops, in the subway and public transport, these photographers, putting their safety at risk, depict the everyday as it is. Our article will discuss how to take original reportage photographs and interest viewers in your work.

Wide angle lens

For street photography, it is common to use shorter lenses. A street photographer with a long telescopic lens will attract the attention of passersby, and people will resist taking the photo. A small, standard lens that offers a focal length somewhere between 24-50mm won't be too noticeable, and you'll be able to take beautiful wide-angle photos with it.

Camera settings

You shouldn’t look through the viewfinder all the time and try to photograph everyone you meet, otherwise you will not only be conspicuous, but you may miss all the most interesting scenes. Some masters are even capable of doing interesting photos. You can hold the camera in your hands and take photos discreetly. Set to continuous shooting mode, the aperture should not be too large, otherwise in case of focus error the photo will be blurred, set it to f/8 or so.

Best Places for Street Photography

Look for the perfect shapes

If you shoot in the city where you live, you probably know places with interesting compositional forms. Perfectly straight lines and shapes look beautiful in the frame. Find such a place and wait for people to pass by. Note the staircases, gratings and beautiful bridges. You can photograph shadows on the wall, they can serve as a strong visual addition.

Shooting from the hip

Author: Fabio Costa

Practice shooting at hip level without looking through the viewfinder. We already said that this is practiced by experienced street photographers, and it really works. This way you will be completely invisible, people passing by you will not even suspect that you are photographing them. The photos will be unsuccessful at first, but practice will lead to amazing results.

Noticing interesting person, or an interesting subject to shoot, follow it. We are not talking about following someone, disturbing or bothering passers-by. This will not end well, but be careful, try not to lose sight of interesting images. You may be interested in unusual passers-by, people walking a dog, lovers, etc.

Creative moment

Look for ways to show interesting comparisons, combinations and associative stories. Don't shoot with templates, look interesting shapes and take shots that make your viewers’ imagination work. You can look for scenes where a billboard interacts interestingly with a passerby, or how statues and architectural compositions combine with people.

Paparazzi

This type of shooting is one of the most difficult for beginning photographers. Paparazzi are not always liked by passers-by, since few of them like unexpected photographs. Typically, paparazzi choose a large telescopic lens; with its help, experts can get as close to a person as necessary. Remember that with a large lens you will attract attention, but usually the paparazzi won't be bothered by this. If a person enjoys taking photographs, then show him the resulting photographs and send them by email.

Blurred people in the crowd

Use a slow shutter speed when shooting on the street to help take blurry photos of crowds. It is advisable to focus on one person or interesting object - he will be clear, and all other people in motion will be blurred. When shooting with long exposures, you will need a tripod, as without it, the photos will be blurry. If you don't have a tripod, you can mount the camera on a stable support. Successful exposure can only be determined experimentally. Start with 1/4 sec., see what happens and, depending on the result, change the shutter speed value.

Bright accents in street photography

City streets are filled with gray shades and gloomy scenes; it is not easy to find bright accents and beautiful colors here, especially when it comes to industrial or residential areas. Try to find something expressive, beautiful, catchy, but not vulgar - it could be a beautiful car or vehicle, a well-groomed flowerbed or a themed restaurant. Include such elements in your photos, so they will look more interesting and attractive. You can try shooting in black and white, or by making a photo in black and white, use software, leave one bright object. In some compact cameras Partial black-and-white shooting is provided, when one element retains color and the rest of the frame is black and white.