5 Street Photography Tips & Tricks

We all love some great street photographs, don’t we?

They have a great aesthetic feeling to them and can tell a lot of stories. Be a stray cat or an old man sitting on the bench.

What a street photographer does is that he pretty much “freezes” the moment of someone’s daily life.

For you guys that are into street photography, and in order to keep providing us with great content of what people around the world do, I have compiled some tips that will be useful to you in your journey.

Without further a doo, let’s get started.

Know Your Limits

Before I start, I really want to touch on this topic. When you shoot street photography or let’s say street portraits there are a few things you need to keep in mind many street photographers are well aware of knowing their limit and how far they can go.

You should already know that street photographers don’t use telephoto lenses and capture images from afar and unnoticed. Most of the time people will notice you capturing images of them and when that happens, things can get serious.

Some of them might actually like the idea and be grateful some, of them might cause some “pointless” drama.

Whatever the case, if someone asks for its picture to be deleted do it and politely apologize.

Another important thing is capturing photos of little kids.

As much as we like a cute little baby in the frame, we hate arguing with angry parents.

Before taking a picture of a kid, always make sure you politely ask their guardian if you can carry on.

If someone doesn’t like the idea of being part of your frame, no worries!

Someone else will come along for sure, there’s “plenty of fish in the sea”

So make sure you stay positive and cheerful, smiling at random people is key in street photography.

Tips That Will Help You on Street Photography:

There are a few things you need to know when taking street shots.

Know Your Own Camera

The foremost tip obviously is for you to know your own camera.

Being familiar with cameras, in general, is good, but mastering your own camera is even better. You should know how to maneuver around camera settings, knowing how to set up the right shutter speed, and all those things that come with it.

Famous street photographers didn’t become famous just because they captured a really spontaneous street photo but also for mastering their camera.

Just make sure you know at least the primary features, its capabilities, and its downsides.

Bring the Right Tools

By this, I don’t mean that you have to bring your whole studio with you.

Just the main things you will be using, like the lens, a camera strap, also you might need your lens cleaner, etc.

In general, you want things that won’t weigh you down, since street photography is all about moving around and exploring.

No one is stopping you from bringing your tripod, but it will ruin the point of street photography since street photography is all about being discreet and taking unnoticed shots.

Use a Prime Lens

When it comes to focal length, both Prime and Zoom lenses have their advantages and disadvantages.

A prime lens is used and recommended among many photographers as the ideal choice for street photography.

The aperture advantage it has to offer is enormous, it totally beat that of a zoom lens; what’s more, the quality of the glass is also dominant on prime lenses. It will limit you on the focal range since it comes in a fixed one but the sharpness and low-light performance it offers is unbeatable.

However, this doesn’t mean that a zoom lens won’t work for street photography, just the prime ones are better in general.

Focus

People on the streets mostly will move around and that’s what makes focusing a really important feature of street photography.

You can try to play around with the AutoFocus points and see how much you set up, I think 1 should be enough but you can still test on your own. Another thing would be autofocus tracking, which is a must on moving subjects.

I would also advise using the selective focus technique since you can get some great street photos in return, If you don’t know how no worries, I wrote regarding selective focus and how to use it.

Capture the Everyday

Shooting street photography is all about capturing, the daily lives of people in the street, and in a way, it turns them into art.

What I mean by this tip, is that you don’t have to force yourself on getting something unique. You just have to relax and get what you find pleasing in your frame

Also, when you shoot street photos try to act normal and don’t draw attention, especially from your target you want them to be as neutral as possible for the best results. Some of them might try to pose when they notice you, which is fine but still a neutral and unaware person would be much better.

Closing Words:

This is it, folks, you did the right thing for choosing street photography, It is a really fun and joyful field.

Again, please just try to avoid any un-wanting conflict or arguing from people who want their photo deleted, or don’t want to be in your frame, be polite, smile and move on.