Helpful Insight to Street Photography

<p>I've never tried street photography, but would like try my hand at it in the next couple of weeks when I take a trip to New Orleans. We usually go with family and friends, but many of the pictures I take are simply candid, fun snaps of people I love. On this trip, however, it will just be me and the hubby. There are so many delightful sights and interesting people, I'd like to capture it from a looker's point of view. I'd be interested to know of any helpful hints you can offer. I'm especially hopeful someone will tell me what lens to use and what general setting to use (do you shoot with an open or tight aperture). I have a Nikon D50 and Nikon D80 and these lenses:</p>

<ul>

<li>Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G EDII</li>

<li>Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor</li>

<li>Nikkor AF 85mm 1:1.8D</li>

<li>Nikkor AF 80-200mm f/2.8 ED</li>

<li>Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300 f/4.5-5.6G IF ED</li>

</ul>

<p>I appreciate any and all hints ... do you chat with the people or stake a place and just catch the comings and goings ... any loosely kept secrets will be very much appreciated. Thanks.</p>

<p>1) you might first view the critique forum, street photos. then you might go to and view some members portfolio's, such as Tom Mestrom's or Brad's maybe. This will give you an idea. I think everyone has their own opinon about what lens works best for them. My favorite is my Nikon 80-400 VR AF lens. I also use my 18-200 Nikon lens. Your 70-300 would do quite well I think. Think of the subjects you might wish to shoot, then start walking and shooting. the longer you are out there the more comfortable you will become. You may find more comfort in shooting what you see at a distance, then as you get more confidence you will move in closer, natural.<br>

Focus, you stay focused, do not get distracted, you will miss that one opportunity. I love street portraits of people being themselves much more than posed portraits. This is why I love my black and white street portraits. However, to achieve this I must stay focused all the time, even while talking with someone I may suddenly just raise my camera and start shooting in the middle of a conversation because that one shot appeared.<br>

Be comfortable, relaxed, go with the flow, you may be cautious at first, but then you will be comfortable and fluid. You will find what part of street photography you like and are most comfortable with.<br>

2) and the MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL OF THEM.... HAVE FUN! Shooting street photography is all about having fun. Do not make it work, make it a joy!</p>

<p>there are others here on this forum that are great street photographers and they will all be more than happy to advise you. They advised and helped me and and I love it.</p>

<p> Laura, I would take the 18-55 and the D80. Long lenses insulate you from your subject. In the history of SP only a handful of photographers have made work of any significance with long lenses. Do whatever feels comfortable. If you do not have the speed and confidence, by all means ask people. Something like: Hi, I'm visiting from Alabama, can I take your picture? (It's how one of the most famous photographers in the world, William Eggleston, does it, so does Alec Soth). Pose them if you want to, but sometimes it's good to let them settle in their own way. Feel free to direct a little, moving your subjects over to a particular wall or better light. Offer to send them a print, and if they agree, take names and addresses and send'em a 4x6 or email. Take a small pad of paper, and two pens.</p>

<p>Take at least 10 pics of each subject, wear them down a little, and they'll often drop the Kodak smile/mask.</p>

<p>SP often requires fast shutter speeds, so you want to stay towards the upper ISOs that work well image-quality wise. It's good to draw down around 1/1000th sec shutter speed to make sure you can work fast and get ultra sharp pics. Of course, when there's less light you'll have to make do.</p>

<p> Remember, relax, don't hide or act furtively. People will detect your anxiety and it will make them nervous. Go about this like you've been doing it your whole life. </p>

<p> Have a wonderful time in NOLA.</p>

 

<p>18-55. Forget the others, they're too long for street photography.</p>

<p>Laura,I agree with Luis and Ray take the 18-55 lens do not load yourself down with to much gear(unless hubby will schlepp it!) or options,keep it simple. Very few have produced work of merit with long lenses IMOP. Keep your lens at about the 18mm end. Set to Aperture Priority of 5.6 or 8.This will insure a great depth of field and the camera becomes basically a point and shoot.Move in close be part of the scene.If your are hesitant to bring your camera to your eye with this setup you can shoot from the hip.Shoot RAW,metering can be all over the place with this technique. Of course this all depends on what style of street photography you wish to emulate.Which street photogs work do you admire?</p>

<p>Laura,<br>

I'm by no means much good at streeet photography, so take this for what it is worth. I'd use the 18-55. In NOLA there should be plenty of street musicians. So, you can start by taking shots of street musicians and then their environment too - the people and things around them. It should be pretty natural to do this in NO - kind of break the ice if you feel nervous about shooting pics of people you don't know or haaven't talked to. I tried a little street with my Canon XSI and an 85. It was way too tight on the crop sensor body for much of anything that I found interesting.<br>

DS Meador</p>

<p >‘18-55. Forget the others, they're too long for street photography.’</p>

<p >The general consesus among street photographers is the closer you are to the subject the better. A remote street photo from a distance, well, looks like a remote photo from a distance…the feel is you are not part of the street but a distant observer. Lack of soul in the photo, for want of a better word comes to mind.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >However, there is not a book of rules for street photography, although some might imply otherwise. To my mind it’s about capturing, recognising, the fleeting image and you do what it takes….which might be a long lens, a tilting screen, or, holding the cam above your head and whistling a tune.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Bottom line it’s about getting there little else matters.</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p > Of, course the journey is also an important part of the fun and should not be forgotten.</p>

<p>It's true: getting closer to your subject(s) with a wider lens has the potential to create the liveliest street photos, with the feeling that the shooter -- and later on, the viewer -- is right there, in on the action. However, especially at the outset, not everyone is comfortable moving in close.</p>

<p>So I'm in agreement with Allen when he talks about the bottom line: <em>"getting out there"</em> ... taking photos. I suspect Allen left out the "out" by accident. :)</p>

<p>For starters, then, while I agree that your 18 - 55mm should certainly be with you, and on your camera, and will very likely ultimately be capable of producing your best street shots, I'd probably not limit myself to that lens. If I'm not mistaken, your 80 - 200 f/2.8, while very high quality, is a big honking lens. I'd find it too cumbersome and heavy for the way I shoot (but that's me). But at a fraction of the size and weight, the 75 - 300mm, used in decent light, may embolden you at the beginning.</p>

<p>At the long end, that lens will give you some results that more nearly resemble surveillance photos -- typically not as pleasing for street photography, in my opinion. But nearer to the wide end (75mm) that won't be the case at all.</p>

<p>If you head out at night, consider using the 50 f/1.8 -- you'll need to use your feet to frame the shot the way you want it, but it's small, light in weight, and an excellent available light lens. I know because it's one of my favorites on my Nikon D70 -- an older 'cousin' of your cameras.</p>

<p>Last thought: For street photography, the gear really isn't the main thing; it isn't even a big thing. Many of my favorite street snaps have been taken with compact digital cameras.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The 18-55.</p>

<p>Ha, Master S, it is a fine pen you do scribe with.</p>

<p>take the 50 and the 18-55 with the d80. you'll get a higher keeper rate for quick snaps with a fairly deep aperture like f/8-f/9, light permitting. try to engage your subject if at all possible, not just for their sake, but for yours as well. interacting with folks emboldens you as a photographer and helps your comfort level.</p>

<p>Laura:<br>

See, I told you all of these photographers are terrific. Everyone here is just great and will provide you with a lot of good valuable advise. Experiment and use it and you will ENJOY A VERY GOOD TIME.</p>

<p>I think right now it's out of print, but if you can find a copy of "Bystander: A History of Street Photography" by Meyerowitz and Westerbeck before you go to New Orleans, it would give you a wealth of info about how different photographers of note did street. It''s a wonderful read regardless on the subject.</p>

<p>The 18-55 and the 50mm are far your best choices. On those cameras try setting the focal length on the 18-55mm to 24mm. That's a great perspective for close up street. And when I say close up, I mean 7-12 feet from your main subject(s). It will make them predominent in the frame but show a sense of where they are all at the same time.</p>

<p>Now, I realize for a total beginner in street, 7 feet is heart poundingly close. I know....been there. If you can't quite raise your camera to your eye to look thru the finder, try hanging it around your neck around chest or stomach level and shoot from there. It's chancey but if you practice it at home for a few hundred times, you'll get the feel for how to hold the camera at the right angle to frame the pic half way decently....I "shoot from the hip" a lot....as I described just now, and also with the strap wrapped around my wrist and arm at belt level and shoot from there. That takes a whole lot of practice, but it can be done</p>

<p>If you're not able to master this by N.O. time....then just raise it to your eye. And do it all as if you are suppose to be doing it. If you show a subject that you appear to belong there doing what you're doing, they will believe it also, if you show them you're afraid to.....well, they pick up on that also. 90% of shooting people at 7 feet away is your attitude....if you look like you should be doing it, they respond in like.</p>

<p>Regardless............have fun. That really is what Street is all about. Just having fun recording human beings in the urban enviroment.....the wealth of style, expression, joy, fear, depression, anxiety, interaction with others, etc is something to experience and record. Get good enough at it and you will amaze yourself at the images you capture </p>

<p>Shoot a lot.....a whole lot. I'm not implying that machine gun style shooting will yield more keepers. Street is fast. It's not like nature shootin where things hold somewhat still for you. Street is like shootin three 4 year olds, they never stop, constantly moving, facial expressions constantly changing, Also, like 4 yo kids, if you wait until you see exactly what you want, by the time u press the button, that moment has passed. You have to learn how to anticipate people's very next moment's look. Take a quick 3 burst shot. anymore is a waste. If you ARE good at reading what people are going to do, what expression they will have on their face...........they by all means, take just the one shot.</p>

<p>To ask them or not.............there's arguement for both approaches. I actually do both depending on the subject. Some people will never be natural in front of a camera. You gotta catch them unawares if you want to get what you see them doing when they don't know the camera is on them. otherr people will eventually relax.....so you can ask them. It takes awhile to read who's who. After 8 yrs of shooting street I think I'm finally getting the hang of this one........heh.</p>

<p>Thank you for the wonderful and HELPFUL responses. I feel emboldened already ... we'll see how it holds up when I get to "Nawlins". We lived there for several years and there are several old haunts I'd like to visit, so I'm excited about delving into this genre. I hope I'll have a couple of "keepers" to share. Thanks again everyone. I'll be thinking of you when I'm having beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde or a muffalatta at Cafe Maspero. :-p))</p>

<p>Personally, I'd recommend doing like Cartier-Bresson, and getting a 35mm rangefinder. But hey, each to their own. I'm jealous, and good luck.</p>

<p>Laura, I was in New Orleans and did some street shooting back in April. Probably your 18-55mm would be used the most, but you might also think about taking the 70-300mm because it could be useful sometimes too. The 80-200mm is too big. By the way, if you want to see my photos check out my Louisiana gallery:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bakubo.com">http://www.bakubo.com</a></p>

<p>Laura,</p>

<p>I carry a D300 with grip and a 17-55 f/2.8 everywhere I go with very few negative reactions. I'm not strictly a street photographer as I take pictures in restaurants, hardware stores, local events, etc. I've taken a fair number of what I consider decent shots. I live near a very small town in SE Ohio where people are really not accustomed to 'big professional' cameras. I take the picture, mainly from 5 to 10 ft way. I always offer to show the result. The result is usually, 'Wow, that's really neat.' I expect the folks in NO are much more used to cameras and street photographers.<br>

Thomas S - I have a copy of "Bystander: A History of Street Photography" by Meyerowitz and Westerbeck I purchased new from Amazon 7 or 8 years ago. It's an excellent book. After looking at the current prices for used copies, I'm going to start taking much better care of it<g>.</p>

<p>Mark</p>