A small guide to Street Photography PT. 9
Operations when you are on the street with your camera
Reforma Av., Mexico City (2021)
First of all, let me clarify a thing: in photography there is NEVER a universal recipe. The way we work changes from photographer to photographer, from a camera to another one. There is not a unique approach and I don’t have just one. I think anyone of us needs to be smart and choosing the best solution from a certain situation.
On the other hand, however, I consider photography to be substantially simple and in over a century of its history it has changed very little if we leave aside the various technological implementations: it is still a combination of times and apertures and sensitivity.
When I thought to write this guide I would realize a sort of compendium for beginners. And with this focus on my mind I am here to share some basic notions to assimilate to start with Street Photography. This makes possible to have the basic settings to have a enjoyable and fruitful experience on the street:
Turn off any assist light and all sounds.
Turn off the immediate photo review.
Set your camera manual focus mode.
In a typical sunny day start with an aperture of around f8/f11 and a shutter speed of 1/500th second in order to freeze the movement and counting with a good depth of field.
Use auto ISO. On my Fujifilm cameras usually I set it: default ISO 200, max. ISO 6400, min. shutter speed 1/500.
For digital lenses of the manufacturer you can go with the back button that will allow you to focus with your thumb and re-focus anytime the situation requires it. For manual lenses you need to learn how to set your lens considering the hyperfocal distance drawn on the lens. On my Fujifilm cameras I find particularly comfortable to work with the focus peak function highlighting the parts in focus with red lines.
Use lenses between 28mm and 35mm equivalent in FF. I recommend you to go with fixed focal lens: it is always the best solution no matters if you are a beginner or advanced.
Go light. One camera, one lens. One or two spare batteries. A 64GB memory is sufficient, especially if you shoot in jpg.
If you are using a film camera, it would be good to have an extra roll. Or going with 2 cameras with a roll inserted into each.
Wear clothes that make you feel comfortable and that allow you to move around unhindered.
Wear comfortable shoes. I find particularly good for walking the futuristic ones proposed by Adidas like Futurecraft 4D , Ultraboost 21, shoes builded for running that make you feel like you're walking on foam and don't tire your foot.
Wear a hat.
In the small bag you can put your mobile or tablet.
It is good to have your business cards.
I carry with me also a small photo album as a show of my work.
A pen with a moleskine can be always useful to take notes.
Always keep a watchful eye but don't forget to smile.
Observe everywhere and don't forget from time to time to observe behind you that there may be a photograph waiting for you.
Traffic lights are an opportunity to wait and look in front of you, behind you, to the side.
Slow down your pace. Remember that you are on the street taking pictures and not going shopping.
Observe the asphalt, the sidewalk, observe the buildings that dominate above.
Street Photography is about people but not only.
Look and stay at the corners.
Observe how the light settles on surfaces, both on the floor and on the walls.
Don't hesitate to cross the street or change direction to the one planned if there is potential in a certain scene.
Increase your pace if you need to get a certain sprint, but do it discreetly.
Let me advise you not to listen to music with headphones. I know that several street photographers are used that way, but but being with headphones isolates you from the surrounding world and this is not good for returning a genuine portrait of the experience on the street. Also in some places it can even be dangerous not making you realize that someone can approach you, perhaps from behind, with bad intentions.
I think now you have the basic settings for a positive experience on the street. The guide is not still concluded but we are arriving to the end of this series on this blog. Soon there will be another chapter here, so stay tuned!
