10 skills any Street Photographer should learn

When it comes to Street Photography there are too many codes and rules that have become commonplace, to the point that many photographers, after reading them on many posts on the internet, repeat them, considering them acquired truths to be respected. For Street Photography skills in my opinion means to count with a deeply interiorized mindset that allows you to count with a solid knowledge basis, gained from experience, from the sensitivity of questioning yourself and trying everything to be able to come up with a certain technique at the right time, without foreclosures or constraints of rules dictated by others.

PLEASE NOTE: this post contains explicit words. If you are not comfortable with this way of speaking maybe it is better that you leave, because here we do street photography, not photos of watches and mushrooms. If you are politically correct sincerely I don’t know why you are interested to Street Photography and pretending to be a Street Photographer.

Generalized beliefs are what we must avoid following. Rather, it is important to rely on our personal experience. To do this it is necessary to study, but above all we have to act empirically to see if and how a certain thing works for our photography. In my experience as a street photographer in all these years I have learned a lot from direct experience, to try also things that I saw difficult or that I felt absolutely did not belong to me. In this list I included things that i consider fundamental to become a better Street Photographer. So, here we go:

1 - You should learn how to fill the frame

One of the first obvious problems I see in beginners is this thing. The frame shows useless parts that do not help the image. If many suggest taking a closer look, I argue that, rather, we must learn to fill the frame with only the things we need and this also involves knowing how to recognize all those secondary elements that serve to provide context and that although they are not essential, however they offer context, dynamism, in short, they work well. The photos can be of near or distant subjects, but filling the frame must always be a priority to have winning photographs.

2 - You should learn how to listen to your instincts

Street Photography is the surf of photography. You need to know how and when to catch the wave. Constant attention and feeling in the element become essential. Henri Cartier- Bresson said: Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. The difference between a Street Photographer and a Geek Photographer is essentially this.

A Street Photographer can't afford to think too long before shooting: if yoy waste time, you will have lost the photo. And as street photographers we don't have to be overly fussy about looking for the perfect photo to tweak the settings. Rather, you have to be quick to find the best solution in fractions of a second: this involves knowing how to quickly change settings, then previewing a certain action that will soon take place.

When it comes to having the camera ready I mean it is a congenial way to get the photo you wanted. There are no universal recipes. You must know yourself as a photographer and know what is best for you, respecting many factors and coefficients that can vary over time: from the type of camera used to your approach, from what you want to achieve to the situation of a particular place. Me and no one else can get to tell you what to do. There are no universal rules. That is internet bullshit and inexpensive workshops.

3 - You should learn how to shoot from the hip

Speaking of bullshit, I read too much about shooting from the hip. Most of the time it refers to the fact that this technique would be some kind of last resort and rely on chance and luck. Bullshit. This is the classic consideration by those who have read too many people writing not knowing what they are talking about. Shooting from the hip is a different technique, which is no less noble than photographing through the viewfinder.

In fact, it is a technique that allows you to take photographs that would otherwise be impossible to take. Let's say that shooting while aiming through the viewfinder and doing it without bringing the camera to your eye are two completely different ways of doing photography. And a really good photographer, one with real talent, shoots from every angle without even looking at the LCD but rather composes with his eye, which has really become a viewfinder.

I can only tell you about my experience. I started with a shooting from the hip with the equivalent 24mm of my Panasonic Lumix LX3, then i continued with the 28mm of my Ricoh. And despite someone says that this way of shooting is only possible with a 35mm focal lenght equivalent and that even the 28mm can be difficult I argue that it all depends on how good you are and how much experience you have in doing it. I am convinced that there are photographers who are inclined to do it and others who are totally denied. And for this they will never succeed. Simply as in all things you can also learn certain techniques but to master them and make them yours you must also have a minimum of talent. You have to be inclined to do it.

With that said I shot from the hip also with my film point & shoots cameras (35mm focal lenght) and I am currently photography with a 37.5mm focal lenght. Accept it, baby, there are those who can and those who can't.

4 - You should learn how to shoot with flash

I know what many say about using flash on the street. They watched Bruce Gilden in a famous YouTube video and they associated the use of flash with being an asshole. Now anytime a guy uses flash hatersgonnahate come to say: stop trying to be Bruce Gilden, As if New york photographer were the only one using the flash. He wasn't the first either.

But using the flash can also be done without having to be a bully. It certainly exposes you more to confrontations, but is not so obvious. I personally learned a lot using the flash on the street. And sometimes it's fun to do it too, although I prefer natural light. The flash can be used very creatively and the results can also be truly spectacular. Again it depends on the photographer because many have made this technical solution boring as well.

But a priori denial is always wrong. Never say you don't want to shoot with a flash. He tries. It can really add something to your skills portfolio.

5 - You should learn how to shoot behind the windows

A shot from behind glass requires certain knowledge and cannot be left to chance. The composition should be done thinking like in a double exposure. You have to worry that the reflections allow you to achieve results that work, perhaps providing surreal elements to the scene. If you learn well to use glass to your advantage, you can get high-impact photos.

6 - You should learn how to shoot people from their back

If some argue that shots with people from behind are boring, it is because they have no idea how to get interesting photos.

7 - You should learn how to photograph non-spontaneous situations with a street aesthetic

I have news for you. Not all street has to be done on the street or in situations where you have no control whatsoever. Rather, the street is an attitude and a particular mindset. This goes back to the eye as a viewfinder and being able to see certain scenes even where it is apparently not possible to do street photography becomes vital to keep the interest of your vision high.

8 - You should learn how to photograph pets

Animals can be photographed in such a way that it will not be a simple animal photo but a street photo. Forget taking the cute photo. And this brings us to the next points.

9 - You should learn about anti-composition

Photos with the fucking rule of thirds are a pain in the ass. What do you want to be, yet another methodical and orthodox photographer? There are billions out of here, and they bore us with their precise, faded, clean photos that crowd the photographic competitions around the world. Let's face it: if you like street photography it's because the photography of the jocks makes you shit. Work it out and cut off that head.

10 - You should stop to be a pussy

There is only one thing worse than a nerdy photographer: the one without balls. If you think of photographs with funny stories and only go to quiet places, you are irrecoverable. If you are afraid you are not made for street photography, maybe you better go back to photographing insects, assuming you have stopped.

And if you are one of those who only goes to nice places to photograph because you want to feel yourself safe then you are a street photographer to laugh.

Conclusion

Guys, I hope you can take these 10 you should with the right spirit, good irony and that you can get my intention to push away certain excessively do-good mentality. We see too much goodism that often hides the true negativity. I want to suggest not to act as street photographers: be a street photographer. You don't have to be interested in street photography because it's cool, but because you feel the need to document the street. Be yourself and listen to your heart. Street Photography is the most exciting thing in the photography world. And we know why.