Street photography is the most flexible, fun, yet complicated and thoughtful style of photography.
Photography is an art that takes years to master. You work over your camera handling skills, and camera settings skills and you find out ways to work with various props, lights, and subjects, and you also stretch your boundaries when more things like new digital camera brands and accessories hit the market.
There’s no full stop if you ask the question of what it takes to be a professional street photographer.
Today in this article, we will be focusing particularly on street photography and the tips that you can use to become a professional street photographer.
What is good Street Photography?
Good street photography is the ability to capture not just the subject, but the story that is making the ‘subject’ its subject.
Street photography is not just a fling but a genre that is sweeping the photographers and the viewers off their feet. To become a professional street photographer – the rule of thirds, frames and margins, and proper utilization of idle space are all the basic rules a beginner and a professional need to follow.
These rules are also something that should be implicated no matter what kind of professional photography style you are adopting.
The aim of professional street photographers is always to capture the moment that conveys the same story that took place at that time.
When you capture a group of friends being a professional street photographer – you are not capturing the people but you are capturing their expressions, their emotions, and the bonding that they are sharing. That’s the beauty of street photography!
Consider street photography as a movie shot in one single frame that needs no movements, but something that captures authentic moments. This is contradictory to photography done in the studio where you capture the images in a more controlled surrounding.
Types of Street Photography Candid street photography
This is the kind of street photography where you capture the subject without their knowledge and without their consent. Here the expressions and the actions of the subject are more real and authentic.
You are not required to instruct anything or make changes. The photo captured is more natural.
Intrusive street photography
By the name, you must have figured that it is another kind of street photography that is carried out without the onset of the subject. However, it’s more of an aggressive kind!
It is taken too close to the face in order to capture the startled or natural expressions of the subject’s face.
Geometric street photography
This kind of street photography is one of the most creative and thoughtful styles of photography. Here, the professional street photographers make use of patterns and shapes of buildings, stairs, poles, doors, etc, and wait for the main subject to be in it.
Nightlife street photography
Night changes the behavior and the mood of the people and their surroundings. Professional street photographers use the night as an entirely different world to capture photos.
The lights, the reflections, the darkness, and the environment are all mingled to convey a different kind of story that the place was telling during the day with the same surroundings.
Lifestyle street photography
This is the most basic style of street photography that lights up the professional street photographer in you.
This style literally allows you to roam around the places and click the photos of your surroundings just as they are. There is no particular subject to focus on, but every bit of matter that can be captured in the lens is clicked that shows the lifestyle of the people involved.
The rush, the peace, the romance, the traffic, the fun, and much that a surrounding has to offer are captured in lifestyle street photography.
Portrait street photography
In this style, a subject is defined and is conscious of being shot by professional street photographers.
You can ask your subject to pose in the desired manner and use the environment as its background.
Fine art street photography
The style mixes the love for art and photography in one single frame. Here the shape, lighting, and colors matter a lot to capture something so wonderful that looks like a painted artwork.
Tips for Professional Street Photographers Demolish the walls and experiment
Street photography is a passion for those who love experimenting. There is a very low chance that you will fail with your experiments in street photography.
Most photographers abide by the rules and follow the books, but I would suggest that you come out of your comfort zone, conquer the style, and don’t try to be a perfectionist all the time!
Do not be scared of experimenting, changing the focus, or even missing the subject. Many times professional street photographers end up with masterpieces just because their camera missed the focus!
Use a prime lens, a wide-angle lens with an aperture priority
Using a prime lens with the correct focus can bring you the golden achievements that you’ve been longing for.
You might consider clicking the photos at the highest aperture to get a more sharp and detailed shot. You may capture your subject the way you wanted, but if the environment of the background is smudged (not blurred) then the photo completely loses the story.
Use the lens that blurs your surroundings only to the desired point so that the viewer can identify where you shot the image. Whether it was during the sunset near skyscrapers or in the morning near the beach.
When you use the wide-angle lens, you get the advantage of shooting the subject from a very close distance but still managing to capture a whole lot of surrounding in the frame.
Keep a backup battery and storage
Even though most professional photographers are used to keeping an extra battery and storage backup, still, I would recommend that you add an extra with what you usually keep in case of street photography.
Unlike the other styles of photography where your subject and location are defined and you might have to take extra shots for ‘just in case’, that is not the case with professional street photography.
If you are a professional street photographer, you might get a perfect shot around the corner at any point in time that you would not want to miss. Even if you have wrapped up your day, you can never be sure if you would not encounter any great shots after that.
The people, the light, or the situation can become ‘just perfect’ at any time. Therefore, just so you do not miss the opportunity, it is better to have an ‘extra’ extra battery with you.
Take permission before clicking the pictures of the children
Though the idea of street photography is to capture the photos being unseen by the subject, it is better to ask for permission before you click the photos of children as their parents may get a bit concerned.
Some people simply don’t like strangers taking photos of their children and might get aggressive. Being a professional street photographer is the first illegal line you should avoid crossing.
Play with the contrast of dark and bright lights
Professional street photographers would do this when they want their subject to be in the bright light against the dark light of the surroundings.
The effect creates a vintage, mesmerizing effect that has a mix of natural and artificial lighting.
Pick locations according to their weather and light conditions
You would choose New York City for street photography for its high-rise buildings that absorb the light and reflect it back that providing natural soft light, or you may choose Ghana for its dewy, and bluish light.
It is better to choose the location based on what environment they possess to get the best stories to shoot.
Do not underestimate the photo editing
Most professional street photographers neglect the importance of post-production activities. Mainly due to the time, or they remain under the impression that the raw images work just fine.
But let me tell you, what you see with your naked eyes on the street is captured very differently from your lens. When you get your photos edited by professionals, it enhances their quality, and their look, and gets you the final product that could be above your imagination.
Photo editing software is another level of experimenting with your street photography than what you originally have. Professional photo editing services get your work done exactly in the desired manner that you and your photos demand to bring out the most of it.
Be it the colors, subject, sharpness, or the details – editing can take your artwork to a next level.
Wrapping up the professional street photography.
Street photography is the most flexible, fun, yet complicated and thoughtful style of photography.
It can be tricky as there are no defined parameters to master but it rather demands the photographers’ ideology and perception to bring out something that is acceptable, likable, and inspiring.
To master street photography, professional photographers should be ready to leave the boundaries and experiment without hurting any sentiments and feel of the story that the environment conveys.
When you follow the tips that expand your working style makes it appropriate for your imagination and effort to create something astonishing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chetan Menaria is Partnership & Collaboration Manager at PixelPhant, an eCommerce & fashion photo editing service provider.
