There are a lot of myths and secrets in street photography.
I will uncover some of the secrets/myths, and debunk them– to empower you to make better street pictures.
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1. The ‘decisive moment’ is a myth
We might have all heard the phrase ‘The Decisive Moment‘ from Henri Cartier-Bresson (the godfather of street photography).
I think a lot of people misunderstand the concept of ‘the decisive moment.’ A lot of street photographers think the decisive moment is just 1 moment– and you are only allowed to shoot 1 picture of the scene.
In reality– to capture the decisive moment, you must shoot many pictures. And in a scene, there might be many decisive moments.
Case Study 1: Henri Cartier-Bresson in Seville, Spain, 1933
You don’t get a great street photograph by just shooting 1 picture. No, you must ‘work the scene’ to get a good street photograph.
Even as Henri Cartier-Bresson said:
“Sometimes you need to milk the cow a lot to get a little bit of cheese.”
DOWNLOAD PDF LECTURE: Why it is important to work the scene in street photography – eric kim
Lesson 1: ‘Work the scene’ and shoot many pictures of the same scene
If you see a good scene in street photography, shoot MANY pictures of the same scene. Often your presence will evoke a good reaction out of the subject.
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2. There is no such thing as the ‘invisible’ street photographer
Your presence is what makes a good street photograph. Don’t try to be a ‘hidden observer’, or some sort of stealth street photography ninja.
Even Henri Cartier-Bresson (who preferred to stay more low-key) often interacted with his subjects.
Case Study 2: Alicante, Spain, 1933 by Henri Cartier-Bresson
For example, note this picture that HCB shot of three people. I love the composition of all of their hands connecting and making a nice diagonal through the frame, and the elegance of the expressions:
Alicante, Spain
1933
Also note the triangle compositions:
Anyways, one might have thought:
Henri Cartier-Bresson saw the scene, walked over, just shot 1 picture, and moved on.
In reality, he engaged and interacted with them:
Lesson 2: Engage with your subjects
Don’t try to be this ‘detached’ street photographer who doesn’t interact with their subjects.
A lot of street photographs are ‘lies.’ For example this picture I shot in Istanbul, the man looks angry at me. In reality, he first started off laughing, and then I told him to “look serious.”
Assignment 2: Get your subjects to pose for you
When shooting street photography, try to engage with your subject to get a more interesting expression. Some ideas:
Assignment A: Ask your subject to stand against an interesting background, or billboard.
Assignment B: Like William Klein did with his ‘kid with gun’ picture, tell the kid: ‘Look tough!’
Assignment C: Tell your subject, “Pretend like I’m not here.”
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For more tactics on how to engage with your subjects and be more stealth, read: 15 Street Photography Tips and Techniques.
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HAPTIC presents the Ultimate Beginner’s Guide for Street Photography Series — visualizations of essential photography lessons and tips by ANNETTE KIM. Annette researched, synthesized, and visualized the key parts of this series to present to you a fun, easy to read VISUALIZATION of photography fundamentals.
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If you’re new to street photography, start here:
- 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
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