Street Photography is So HARD - 7 points to make it EASIER!

[@Maine_Focus]

I live just outside of a small community and find myself envious of big city opportunities and happy for the opportunity to find beauty in the mundane. The biggest problem I have is missing some epic shots because they happened while I was driving around looking for a parking place. Love the genre.

[@wilfs1196]

Thanks Peter, excellent commentary on the social aspects of photography. Personally, I do not photograph the homeless & unfortunate. It doesn't give me a reason to do it or the satisfaction of a good photograph. "Your mileage may vary .....'

[@richardpriestley477]

As always a video full of good tips / ideas .I enjoy trying to do street photography but I still find photographing people difficult sometimes from the privacy perspective and frequently shoot from the back which is a bit limiting . So perseverance is needed - onwards and upwards !.

[@GregoryLopez1]

Your highlighting of the missed opportunity of the leg and pigeon early in the video was really enlightening for me as a new hobbyist photographer, and the tip about splitting walks between waiting for opportunities and looking for spontaneity was very helpful. Thank you!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Glad it was helpful!

[@suzannecondon4030]

So pleased you covered a video on this! I've been wanting to try this style for some time now. Very helpful on the camera settings and Stella photos ❤

[@ForsgardPeter]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nigelalexander1594]

Thanks Peter, very useful information. I’ve started my street photography journey, photography from the back will be particularly useful in building my street photography confidence.

[@ForsgardPeter]

It is a good way to start and those image can also be very good.

[@mart872uk]

Thank you Peter

[@michaelajoseph6856]

Thank you Peter! Lovely images from Sofia.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Many thanks!

[@zacharyschmidt9771]

Thanks Peter! I hope you are well.

[@ForsgardPeter]

All good, thanks!

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

One thing I do to get images with emotion is attend street festivals events tourist areas anywhere large groups are gathering its makes the day go easier and I get plenty of keepers saying that on a normal day I could walk miles for hours on end and find nothing of interest then out of the blue something happens I take the shot if I’ve done my job well that shot will be worth far more to me. I don’t personally shoot folk from behind I really don’t see the point but that’s what makes street photography so interesting everyone has a different approach.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Street Festivals are great palces to photograph. Usually people are very open to being photographed and as you said there are a lot more opportunities.

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

@@ForsgardPeter cheers mate always great places to find interesting pictures 📷

[@simonatterbury]

Had 3 sets of meeting in London this week and brought in different day camera kit for each day, (full weather sealed set up for the rainy day). I basically power walked and took reaction shots rather than waiting for things to happen. Found this more fun. Most successful day was with a very touristy white PL10 with the kit ens. Most people just ignored me so got some decent shots, and a tilt screen really helps here.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Yes that reacting style is good when there is not much time or when one wants see as much as possible.

[@stephenjones9246]

Some excellent tips and images, thanks for sharing. I agree with you about the ethical considerations of street photography and which images should be published; legal doesn't always mean acceptable.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Yes, that is true, law and ethics are not the same.

[@walterxplinge3867]

Interesting point about beggars. I remember from years ago a short conversation about street photographs. "What did you give the old man sitting in the gutter?" Photographer replies "1/250th at f8".

[@FootballFinn]

Great content!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you very much!

[@lorenschwiderski]

I like the man with the balloons shot. Many good shots were taken by you on this venture. I take walks without a bag. Never liked the bulk. In smaller cities America the guys with bags is quite rare, thus I would stand-out even more. Not that I worry about people noticing me, as I believe once a camera enters a scene instead of a cell phone, people now wonder what's up. You end up trying to be a bit like a tourist, or simply like the photographer, snapping away - the photographer. Being older now, I guess I look harmless. As for gear, be sure the camera can be set to minimum sheet speed in setting, or choose shutter priority. Looks for tilt only monitor. The focusing speed, as I prefer auto-focus, of the camera is critical. Small is nice, lightweight really helps in choosing a camera. In MFT the Lumix GX9 with a 15mm Leica lens is a natural, or a 25mm Olympus. In full frame cameras, the Nikon Z5 + 40mm is very good, and has the extra dynamic range to it. Both cameras work wonders. In the least expensive, I do like a walk with the little Olympus Pen PL-8 with a Lumix 14mm on it --- both a bargain. One thing to keep in mind is to have an answer should someone ask what you are doing. If a person has a hat you like, or simply has a great smile or looks, compliment them on it, should they ask, and never frown. If you look down, they will look down on you and see you as suspicious. I sometimes give people a card with my site URL or tell them to use my name in a Google to find me. Always try to help out your camera, because a camera image sees the world in the simplest of ways. You cannot ask too much of a camera image, as in subtle light glow, or flutter of leaves. It is something of recording in your mind, while the variances of light to the eye is so much more than a camera to record. When possible zone focus with the auto-focus by way of half-press of the shutter button at an object of the approximate distance which your subject will be at so that the camera lens focus is closer to the targeted distance. Peter, thanks for the video, Loren

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks Loren for your comment. I totally agree with you. The contact info is a good thing to have. I used to carry small cards too when I was making street portraits way back in early 2000s.

[@alvaro5162]

Due to the angle and height of the photos you show, they are all taken while looking through the viewfinder, it is impossible to go unnoticed having a camera in your face. Regarding privacy, in general I prefer to ask permission before taking the photos. If doing so would lose the "charm" of that moment, I take it but then I approach the person, show the photo and offer to delete them if they don't like it. Luckily until now they have never asked me to delete a one and no one get angry because I took it.

[@ForsgardPeter]

No i did not make them looking at the EVF. Most of them are made using the LCD. Asking after making the image is a good practise.

[@graphstyle]

Hard to do it with 35 mm film…

[@blindsouris]

It's only hard in dull and dead cities, go to Italy go to Asia... and it will be easy ( if you know what topic interest you, a camera is not made to photograph brick wall but life, a moment that disappears in the blink of an eye and will never appear again ) Your photo represent your life, your memory, for 99.99% of the amateurs nobody is interested in your photos. People are interested mainly in the photos you take of them, especially if they look better than they actually are. :-)

[@supergeodotca]

Ugly and obscene graffiti can also make it challenging to capture beautiful street scenes.

[@ForsgardPeter]

You are right.

[@lorenschwiderski]

Depending on what you are willing to take in within the moments on the street. It is real, and it is saying something about the space and people, thus it might be something of interest. You are in the street and it vibrates in all so many ways. There is always the crop. Well not always. At times we just take the thorns with the rose, for better or worse.

[@AlessandroColaci]

I avoid photographing people from behind, very seldom you will get awesome pictures. Faces and expressions are much more interesting.

[@ForsgardPeter]

I agree that it is a lot better.

[@jerry2357]

I was looking back at some photos I took in Venice when I first got a digital camera 20 years ago (a compact). One picture I particularly like is a rear view of two people walking along holding hands by the canal. You get the emotion from their actions, not from their faces. So you don't necessarily have to take people from the front to get emotions in an image.

[@AlessandroColaci]

@@jerry2357 "very seldom" is different than "never" 😀look at this picture, this has so much impact - it's not street photography though wehco.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2013/02/25/5APope225_t800.jpg?90232451fbcadccc64a17de7521d859a8f88077d

[@AlessandroColaci]

But most of the times, people from behind in street photography isn't interesting to my eyes - personal taste, of course.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Both of you have good points. Yes there can be emotion in a photograph like jerry2357 explained. It is also true that in the face is shown the possibilty of a emotion is more likely.

[@josebrivera1716]

I don’t agree about not photographing beggars, homeless. They are in the public domain. I don’t see what’s unethical. It’s just what is.

[@ForsgardPeter]

I think photographing people in trouble is not ethical. I always try to show people with respect. Social Documentary and a goal to show the inequality and an aim to fix that is another approach. Also in photojournalism is the same. I am doing mostly classical street photography so I think that it is not ethical. I do see your point and idea.

[@WilliamCruzing4photos]

Than you are missing out on the reality and truth of life. People can't be shy about photographing the reality of life.

[@SmallKerfuffle]

@@ForsgardPeter I agree with you, Peter. There is a place and time for it, but poverty porn is a no go.

[@SmallKerfuffle]

Well, the homeless are in the public domain because they have nowhere to go. So look at it that way, and you are photographing them in what can be their private space.

[@josebrivera1716]

@@SmallKerfuffle Nope I don't see it that way. I document what is. I can't make belief it's not there.

[@EveryDayHeroes89]

U are master sir i hope to be at your level one day, greetings from italy my 13k subscribers will surely apreciate your advices when il put them into an act in one of my videos thank you very much you are soo diferent than other youtubers that share knowledge on photography ❤❤

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you very much.

[@greeceinfocus]

My approach to street photography is different.You won`t see sharp people in my photos, only blurry or from the back. I think it`s outrageous to shoot people without asking them and on the top to publish these photos on social media. There are so many other option to make good street photos without showing people. But therefore you need creativity

[@ProbablyAnAmateur]

be a bit boring without people. then it's just buildings and things.

[@greeceinfocus]

@@ProbablyAnAmateur No, be creative and don`t show people sharp. Good street photographers never shoot people

[@vgee3926]

​@greeceinfocus you're obviously just trolling

[@ProbablyAnAmateur]

@@greeceinfocus by that logic that means many street photographers are bad and you are the best? 🤔

[@bamsemh1]

Street photography isn't hard, unless you focus on portraits 😉 I like to see the streets, environment, surroundings, places to visit and sights to see. Humans are everywhere, so nobody actually care about them 😊 photography needs to change and move away from the cliché. We need to focus on showing what is different from the viewers home. I'm going to copenhagen for a whole day street photography tomorrow 😊 my feet, knees and back already hates me 😂🤣

[@ForsgardPeter]

Have a good trip to Copenhagen. It is a really nice city!