Street Photography guidelines

Street photography is a form of photography that involves capturing candid and unposed moments of people and life on the streets. Here are some tips to help you get started with street photography:

A Village in Nagaland, photographed by Munish Khanna

Move out

Yes, unless you move out and explore the streets, it's not possible to get the shots, You can't get any shots sitting at home. Photography is all about practically exploring the options of getting a great photograph. You need to make an effort.

Let it Flow

Once you come across a subject, shoot it te way you percieve it. Let your instincts take over in terms of the way your frame and compose the shots. There is an opportunity, simpy grab it and exhaiust it to the best of your capabilities.

Learn from your mistakes

The subject and the environment you are shooting in is entirely unpredictable but with practice and experience, you will learn and improve.

If you missed out a shot last time. let's say, you missed out on focusing it right, when you spotted a great moment, it will only help you be careful with your focusing skills in the future. ou jets need to keep in mind your mistakes, learn from them and try to overcome the same. These limitations may sometimes be also due to the kind of equipment you are using. If you are not using a good enough camera or lens, its obvious that you may not achieve very good focusing in the split seconds that the moment lasts. Its time to upgrade. If your photography involves a lot of low light situations, you may prefer a camera with better performance with higher ISO settings and also move on to the lenses with openned apertures. So, base your choice of equipment on the kind of photography you like to do.

Know your camera:

You need to be familiar with the technical aspects of your camera, such as shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, so you can quickly adjust settings on the fly as you capture moments on the street. Even though i have always rated Creativity much higher than mere technical knowhow, very basic technical knowledge is a must without any doubt. You cant be fumbling with your camera when you shot requires your complete attention in terms of the creative aspects involved. There are many small little decisions that need to be taken besides the simple camera settings, which should anyways be a part of your second nature. You should be setting those sub consciously without any effort. This of the content and how you can compose and frame it better and the way you want it to appear to your audience.

Be prepared:

Street photography can be unpredictable, so make sure you have your camera with you at all times with quick access to all the required lenses. Ofcourse, keep your batteries charged and memory cards empty and ready to be exposed. Be aware of your surroundings and be ready to capture moments as they happen. With experience, you get to know of the kind of lenses you may need in a particular situation and its always a good idea to switch over to your desired focal length instead of waiting till the last moment.

Be discreet

As a Photographer, even though it's a bit difficult to avoid but do try to be discreet and mixup and blend with the crown as much as possible.

Pragyan Bezbaruah

Explore shooting in black and white:

Black and white photos can create a timeless, classic feel and can also help to simplify a busy scene, making it easier to focus on the subjects. If you are shooting on RAW, which is always recommended, you can restore back to the colour in your RAW converting software. You can convert to Black and White later also from colour but shooting in BW straight out of the camera helps you visualise your shots better as you shoot and view them on your camera's LCD screen

Ozan çulha

João Cabral

Olga Shenderova

Be respectful:

While street photography often involves capturing strangers, it's important to be respectful and not invade anyone's privacy. If someone asks you not to take their photo or simply wants to check them out, respect their wishes and do oblige them.

Brett Sayles

Look for interesting subjects and moments:

Street photography is all about capturing interesting moments and people in everyday life. Look for interesting subjects, unique backgrounds, and candid moments that tell a story.

Experiment with different angles and perspectives:

Try shooting from different angles and perspectives to add visual interest and variety to your shots.

Evaluate the Opportunity:

As you move around or one can say walk around, looking for something to shoot, do not waste you time if you see nothing. Rather, move on. On the other hand, if you see a situation which has a potential of an existing opportunity or where events may turn interesting, spend your time here. You need to understand where you will get these opportunities.

Look around

Keep your eyes open and explore around once you are at the location, where you are expecting the action. You will be lucky to have the action happening around you but a bit of exploring a bit helps you spot the real action.

Shantanu Goyal

Shoot alone

There are several photo walks and workshops which may be good to learn street photography and are not really the right way to go for some great shots on the street. with so many photographers, the subjects are alert and on the guard that leads to no candid and spontaneous photographs.

Los Muertos Crew

Sami Abdullah

Be independent

You don't know how far and where all you may walk around. Keep everything that you may require for your photography and this includes the essentials like water, rain cover and something eat. Of course, it goes without saying, keep all the required lenses, cards and accessories. Keep it light as you would be carrying it around on your own for a long time. Backpacks work well for street photography but these do not allow quick access, so I usually carry a small V shaped bag as well or wear a Photographers jacket which can accommodate an extra lens which you may want to quickly switch over to.

Pnw Production

Carry a Flash

If you are planning to shoot towards the dusk or into the night, its a great idea to keep a small portable flash with you which you may attach, keep somewhere on the side a bit high or simply bounce it off to add some illumination is the situation demands.

Bruno Salvadori

Practice, practice, practice:

The more you practice street photography, the more comfortable you'll become with it. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things. Remember, the best street photographers are those who are able to capture the beauty and spontaneity of everyday life and their shots are quite simple but caught in an interesting and unusual manner.