Simple 15 moves to open a new world of street photography

Why? Because the deeper you go, the more likely you are to make good works.

The change of the background, the eye contact of the characters, even the difference of a gesture, all make the photos have subtle differences in detail.

Or you can make an analogy with hitting. The more you swing, the more likely you are to hit home runs.

“In depth scenario”

A common mistake, I have seen many street photographers take one or two pictures in the scene and then walk away, no matter whether they are shy, afraid or impatient.

In other words, you should shoot more than one scene. 10-20 pictures are not too much.

Why? Because the deeper you go, the more likely you are to make good works.

The change of the background, the eye contact of the characters, even the difference of a gesture, all make the photos have subtle differences in detail. Or you can make an analogy with hitting. The more you swing, the more likely you are to hit home runs.

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『 Use flash 』

If you are also a bit lazy and can’t always take pictures when the light conditions are good (after sunrise and before sunset), then use flash to make your subject “stand out” in the background at noon, in the big backlight, or in the room where the light is bad.

So when the light is strong, you just shoot in the backlight, or stay in the room with low light, and turn on the fuselage. However, it is recommended to use flash light to fill the light in the daytime (people will not care too much), and try to avoid it in the evening (blinking and easily scaring others).

Eye contact

It is said that “the eyes are the windows of the mind”. Eye contact can be reflected in the photos, and the audience will feel more connected with the photos, just like the characters in the pictures directly look at the audience.

Generally speaking, the deeper the eye contact, the stronger the emotional transmission, the more impressive.

But do you know how to get good eye contact in the shooting?

It is recommended to keep shooting when approaching people until they find you, make eye contact with you and the camera, and your shutter will not miss the moment when they look directly at you.

『 Lowering angle 』

Many people are used to shooting from the head up angle, but the shortcomings are also obvious. The observation angle is the same in peacetime, which seems boring and ordinary. So lower the angle to break the convention.

Knee bending and crouching to get a low angle overhead shot, the characters look taller than usual. The background content at the edge of the picture will also be more exaggerated because of the angle perspective, which has more impact.

And squatting down makes you look shorter and less offensive.

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“Capture without defense”

All day long, they say “decisive moment” to record interesting pictures, but they can capture people’s “unguarded” moments – when they turn their attention from you to other places, and don’t realize that you are still shooting, and when they put down their guard – shooting has more unexpected effects.

I like to ask for advice before shooting, but I want to avoid the client staring at you all the time. I can only play the V hand. How can I shoot an unprepared moment?

You can have an opening remark “What are you going to do today? Where are you from?”. When people start the “chattering mode”, you are likely to get a real look beyond the POSE.

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“Guiding figure”

If you can get people’s permission to shoot, remember that you can also guide them in the shooting. Generally, ask them to step in front of a relatively simple background and try to make some interesting gestures.

How to guide? Talk about their modeling accessories, such as sunglasses, hairstyles, watches, and then ask them “where did they buy them?” When they open the conversation box, they will naturally bring their hands with them. This is the time for you to take pictures. You can even make some physical contact, put down your guard in the interaction, and find better shooting opportunities.

Do you think it is contrary to the “realism” attribute in street photos? But street photography should create your unique vision, not just strive for objectivity (leave it to journalists and documentary photographers).

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“One more time”

Sometimes, when you observe some interesting gestures, movements or movements but can’t catch them for the first time, you can ask politely: “Could you do that again just now?”

For example, when shooting this man, his girlfriend happened to wipe sweat for him, which was very interesting. She asked, “Can you do it again?” She did so, and then took the ideal picture.

Pay attention to polite inquiry, and do not be unwilling or forced to make others difficult.

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“Good at” fishing “

It can be said that it is the most classic skill in street shooting: find the potential background and wait for the subject to enter the frame in front. Trap type pre composition, willing to go fishing.

Select the background (curtain wall, billboard, etc.) and keep it parallel, and wait for the characters or other suitable subjects to pass in the middle.

Why is it called “fishing” technology? I think it’s just like fishing. It’s possible to lay off a long line and wait for an hour without harvest, but it may also catch a lot. Never guess, the only secret is patience.

Shoot the front

Another misunderstanding is that many photographers will not or will not shoot the front of the characters. They prefer to shoot from the side.

But if you want to make the core of the work more attractive and powerful – don’t hesitate to shoot it in the front. You are likely to bump into the crowd during the shooting, but especially the wide-angle banner, it is more necessary to shoot like this. The wide angle front side makes the audience feel more engaged, just like being on the spot.

On the premise of ensuring safety and traffic, stand in the middle of the road on the pedestrian street, wait for the crowd to come to you, take a picture head-on, and then change the position to continue the next head-on encounter.

“Creation depth”

To make the photos more in-depth and thought-provoking, try to organize the foreground elements.

It is recommended to manually select the focus, control the distance, focus on the background in advance, and then bring in people and object elements in space to make foreground, middle ground and background levels.

“Look for patterns”

If you are not interested in taking photos, you can try to play with concept street photography and focus on lines, styles and materials.

In the theme of “urban scenery”, you can give full play to it and aim at the old buildings and old areas to find elements to make your works more emotional.

『 Remaining blank 』

Sometimes it is also good to start from a minimalist perspective. In addition to providing a “breathing” space for the theme, white space is used in photos to allow the audience to focus on a single subject.

When should I leave blank? It is very intuitive. As long as you feel that the picture is crowded, you can use framing to try to leave blank.

On this basis, you can actually add more changes to the blank areas, such as taking shadows as the constituent elements of blank areas. For example, when shooting sunrise and sunset, control the exposure to moderate underexposure, increase the proportion of dark parts of the picture, and use the sun and illuminated scenes more prominently.

『 Control exposure area 』

This is a more advanced technique. Compared with the above mentioned use of shadows as a blank, here it is the opposite. The main body is close to the light source, and after metering, it is subject to 1-3 levels of light reduction processing to control the part that receives light. In the strong contrast between light and dark, the subject is highlighted as if it is illuminated by a spotlight.

『 Guide line 』

Line elements can be seen everywhere indoors and outdoors, including streets and alleys, electric fence and park avenue.

With the previous “fishing” shot, find the angle in front of the background of the line element and wait for the main body to enter the mirror.

[Subtraction from view]

Finally, deciding what to move out of the viewfinder is more critical than deciding what to put in the progressive viewfinder.

When shooting, the mind should be conscious: What is redundant in the picture, and what is disturbing in it? What to stay and what to go?

Keep removing elements from the viewfinder until they can no longer be reduced, and the rest is the soul of your photo.

Good movies can’t be made at once

Good movies can not be achieved according to one rule

Take more shots and try more

Break the rules and open a new world of street photography