5 practical street photography compositions you can integrate into your photography today!
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5 Tips
- Crouch down low (low angle perspective)
- Get your subjects legs in a “V” (triangle composition)
- Negative space between your subjects head and the background
- Let the photos come to you!
- Use the “fishing technique”: compose the scene then wait for your subjects to enter the frame!
Video Lecture: 5 Simple Street Photography Composition Tips
1. Fishing technique
Establish your composition, then wait for your subject to enter the frame. Similar technique to Henri Cartier-Bresson:
2. Crouch down low
Crouch down low with a wide-angle lens (24mm, 28mm, 35mm), and crouch down from a low perspective to make a more dynamic composition:
3. Leading-lines / Subject’s legs in a “V” / triangle shape
When you’re out shooting, have fun and look for nice leading lines (like escalators, alley-ways, etc). This is a photo I shot at the mall close to my old workplace (shoot more street photography during your lunch breaks!)
Get your subject’s legs in a “V” shape// because it is more dynamic (looks like a triangle).
4. Negative space between your subject’s head and the background
5. Let the photos come to you
I am a big fan of coffee shop street photography (more info in STREET HUNT).
The way I made this photo:
- I was drinking a coffee at a coffee shop in Hanoi
- I noticed a silhouette of people as they entered/exited the door next to me.
- I took out my RICOH GR II, and waited for the subject to enter again.
- The subject entered again, and I got a beautiful silhouette of the subject.
- I shot in P (program) mode in RAW, and processed with ERIC KIM MONOCHROME preset.
Conclusion
Ultimately I want you to also follow your gut in composition. You don’t need to follow composition tips line-by-line. Rather, study the master photographers, and study their compositions. Figure out which compositions you like, and integrate them into your photography!
Also another tip: study composition by watching great cinema. Don’t just look at photos; analyze them, and integrate the lessons into your own photos!
BE BOLD,
ERIC
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LEARN FROM THE MASTERS Volume 1: Mobile Edition
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STREET NOTES: Mobile Edition
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Composition 101
Everything you need to know about photography composition.
Photography Composition Tips
- Depth Perception
- Golden Angle Composition in Street Photography
- Photographer as an “Arranging Artist”
- Dynamic Off-Center Street Photography Compositions
- 5 Essential Composition Tips in Photography
Color Theory
- Red and Green Composition Color Theory For Photographers
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Color Photography
- Opponent Process Color Theory For Photographers
- Color Theory For Photographers
- Color Manual
- How to Shoot Color Street Photography
Learn From the Masters of Composition
- 10 Lessons Matisse Can Teach You About Art and Life
- Henri Cartier-Bresson Composition
- 10 Timeless Lessons Edward Weston Can Teach You About Photography
- 10 Inspirational Sergio Larrain Compositions
- 5 Henri Cartier-Bresson Photography Composition Lessons
Dynamic Photography Composition 101
- Introduction to Dynamic Photography Composition
- How to Visually Analyze Your Photography Compositions
- Dynamic Tension: Opponent Based Theory For Photography
- Opponent Process Color Theory For Photographers
- Dynamic Photography Composition 101: Figure to Ground
Painting Compositions
Dynamic Photography Composition Tips
- 7 Simple Photography Composition Tips
- How to Make Aggressive Photography Compositions
- 10 Dynamic Photography Composition Tips
- How to Make More Dynamic Picture Compositions
- Unorthodox Photography Composition Techniques
- Deconstructed: Saigon Eric Kim Photos
Composition Theory
Take your composition to the next level:
- Gestalt Theory
- Juxtaposition
- Center Eye
- Low-Angle
- Dutch Angle
- Deep Depth
- Spacing
- Silhouette
- Leading Lines
- Figure to Ground
- Fibonacci Spiral
- Cropping
- Emotion
- Composition by Eric Kim
Street Photography Composition 101
For distilled lessons on composition, read the free ebook: “The Street Photography Composition Manual.”
Further articles to improve your compositions in photography:
- Composition Lesson #1: Triangles
- Composition Lesson #2: Figure-to-ground
- Composition Lesson #3: Diagonals
- Composition Lesson #4: Leading Lines
- Composition Lesson #5: Depth
- Composition Lesson #6: Framing
- Composition Lesson #7: Perspective
- Composition Lesson #8: Curves
- Composition Lesson #9: Self-Portraits
- Composition Lesson #10: Urban Landscapes
- Composition Lesson #11: “Spot the not”
- Composition Lesson #12: Color Theory
- Composition Lesson #13: Multiple-Subjects
- Composition Lesson #14: Square Format
Composition Theory
Learn compositional theory:
- Why is Composition Important?
- Don’t Think About Composition When You’re Shooting Street Photography
- How to Use Negative Space
- Street Photography Composition 101
- The Theory of Composition in Street Photography: 7 Lessons from Henri Cartier-Bresson
Compositional lessons from the masters of art
Composition lectures
Composition pictures/grids
Golden Diagonal Composition
ERIC KIM WORKSHOPS
Unleash your creative potential:
2021:
- April 10-11th, 2021: BOSTON / Discover Your Unique Voice in Photography Workshop [Register Intent Here]
- May 1-2nd, 2021: CHICAGO / Street Photography Composition Masterclass [Register Intent Here]
- May 22-22nd, 2021: NEW YORK CITY / STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS by ERIC KIM [Register Intent Here]
Be notified of when new workshops are live here.
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