Dear fellow streettogs,
If you ever find street photography difficult, scary, or hard– don’t fret. It is precisely the difficulty of street photography which makes it fun and rewarding.
Let me explain:
Why I stopped shooting landscape photography
When I started photography, like any good photographer– I photographed the usual suspects (landscape, flowers, etc). Yet– I got bored easily. Why? There wasn’t enough challenge!
Thus my first idea:
Boredom manifests when we aren’t being challenged (when things are too easy, and not hard enough!)
I experimented with lots of different forms of photography, and I found in 2009 that street photography was my passion. Why? Because it was hard, interesting, challenging– and fun!
Why I love street photography
The more I think about street photography, the more I love it.
Consider–
- Most people get depressed because they don’t leave the house, they don’t walk enough, and they don’t interact enough with other people and strangers. Street photography addresses this. When I go through depressive moods, street photography helps me.
- Most people live in cities now. We cannot always drive to the mountains to shoot some sunrise at 3am. But we can walk around our cities and suburbs, and just take photos in our urban environments (a small camera/phone camera suffices).
- Street photography is the ultimate democratic photography-art form: Anyone can do it, and you can use any camera (yes, the phone camera is legitimate). You don’t need fancy equipment (like studio-fashion photography, landscape photography, etc).
- Composition in street photography is endlessly fascinating, difficult, and new. We haven’t discovered all of the possible compositions in street photography. I’m constantly surprised by seeing new and novel ways of seeing– new compositions, and new ways of seeing the world!
- Street photography is difficult and scary: Honestly, 90% of shooting street photography is just having the guts and the huevos to do so. Thus if you have the courage and bravery to shoot street photography, I honor you. Most of us don’t face any real threats anymore (consider the modern office worker vs Spartan hoplite in ancient times).
Hard is good.
Street photography is great — it hardens us.
Street photography makes us more courageous. It makes us less risk-averse (street photography makes us risk-hungry!)
Conclusion:
Simple conclusion:
Street photography is enjoyable, fun, and interesting precisely because it is hard!
Embrace the hardness, and become harder yourself!
ERIC
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Street Photography 101
If you’re new to street photography, start here:
- Street Photography 101 Tutorial
- 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
- How to Shoot Street Photography
Master Street Photography
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Street Photography Ideas
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- Street Photography Techniques: The 3D Scan/360 Degree Technique (Shooting Head-on) and Holding Your Camera High in the Air and Point Downwards (and Use Your LCD Screen to Frame the Scene)
- The Walking Alongside Someone and Shooting Until They Notice You Street Photography Technique
- SUPER INNOVATIVE NEW GOPRO STREET PHOTOGRAPHY POV EXPERIENCE: Cutoff Technique, Shooting Head-on with Flash, and Slow-Motion on RICOH GR II at 28mm
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- The Cutoff Technique in Street Photography
- THE CUTOFF TECHNIQUE IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: GOPRO POV KYOTO ERIC KIM
JUST SHOOT IT. HENRI NECK STRAP by ERIC KIM
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Street Photography Articles
- Street Photography is Like Fishing
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- Street Photography Philosophy
- Everyday Street Photography
- Why Street Photography?
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- 5 Dynamic Off-Center Street Photography Compositions
- 5 Night Street Photography Composition Tips
- How to Talk to Strangers
- How to Overcome Fear in Street Photography
- Street Photography Empowerment
- Eric Kim’s Top 30 Street Photography Tips
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- 7 Tips How to Conquer Your Fears of Shooting Street Photography
- Street Photography Lifestyle
- How to Use Tactful Flattery in Street Photography
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- Street Photography Secrets Debunked
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- The Street Photography Manifesto
- My Experience Shooting Digital Medium Format in Street Photography
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- Improvise in Street Photography
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Street Photography Composition Techniques
- 10 Inspirational Sergio Larrain Compositions
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STREET NOTES.
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LEARN FROM THE MASTERS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
Timeless wisdom from the masters of street photography.
FUNDAMENTALS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
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- NEO STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
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- CLOSER.
- CLEAN BACKGROUND
Street Photography Inspiration
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Beginner Street Photography Articles
Get started in street photography:
Definitions in Street Photography
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- Why Street Photography?
- What is Street Photography?
- Why Shoot Street Photography?
- The History of Street Photography
How to Shoot Street Photography
- How to Shoot Street Photography
- Street Portraits 101 by ERIC KIM
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Street Photography
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- A Letter to My 18 Year Old Self: If I Started Street Photography All Over Again
Street Photography Equipment
- What is the Best Camera for Street Photography?
- What is the Best Lens for Street Photography?
- What to Consider When Buying a Camera
How to Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography
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Intermediate Street Photography Articles
Take your street photography to the next level:
- How to Become a Stoic Street Photographer
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- “Taking” vs “Making” Photos in Street Photography
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Advanced Street Photography Articles
Find deeper meaning in your street photography:
- How to Master Street Photography
- How to Be a Zen Street Photographer
- Personal Street Photography
- The “Bookend” Technique in Street Photography
- Street Photography is Self-Therapy
- Zen in the Art of Street Photography
- Taoism and Street Photography
- How to Find Your Style in Street Photography
- Follow Your Gut in Street Photography
Street Photography Tips & Technique
Learn how to shoot on the streets:
- 70 Street Photography Tips for Beginners
- 15 Street Photography Techniques and Tips
- Flash Street Photography Guide
- Take More Risks
- Don’t Think About Composition When You’re Shooting Street Photography
- 7 Tips How to Capture “The Decisive Moment” in Street Photography
- 7 Tips How to Make a Great Street Photograph
- Tokyo Street Photography Contact Sheets
- Video: Why it is Important to “Work the Scene” in Street Photography
- Shoot Less, Better
- Make Shitty Photos
- Shoot Effortlessly
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See all street photography tips and techniques >
Street Photography Guides
In-depth guides on street photography:
- How to Shoot Candid Street Photography
- How to Shoot Street Portraits with Permission
- How to Shoot Black and White Street Photography
- How to Shoot Color Street Photography
- How to Shoot Street Portraits with Permission
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Street Photography Equipment
The best equipment for street photography:
- What is the Best Camera for Street Photography?
- What is the Best Lens for Street Photography?
- Why I Love Cameras with Non-Interchangeable Lenses
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide for Cameras in Street Photography
- What to Consider When Buying a Camera for Street Photography
- In Street Photography, The Smaller the Camera, the Better
- Why Sharpness is Overrated in Street Photography
- How to Shoot Street Photography on a DSLR
Street Photography Editing and Workflow
- Video: Introduction to Editing, Processing, and Workflow in Lightroom
- How to Edit (Choose Your Best Photos) in Street Photography
- How Studying Contact Sheets Can Make You a Better Street Photographer
- Debunking the “Myth of the Decisive Moment”
How to Start a Street Photography Project
- Free E-Book: The Street Photography Project Manual
- How to Start Your Own Street Photography Project
- How to Come Up With a Personal Photography Project Idea
Learn From the Masters of Street Photography
“He without a past has no future.”
Start here:
- Why Study the Masters of Photography?
- Great Female Master Photographers
- Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography
- 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
- Beginner’s Guide to the Masters of Street Photography
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The Masters of Photography
Classics never die:
- Alfred Stieglitz
- Alec Soth
- Alex Webb
- Alexey Brodovitch
- Anders Petersen
- Andre Kertesz
- Ansel Adams
- Araki
- Blake Andrews
- Bruce Davidson
- Bruce Gilden
- Constantine Manos
- Daido Moriyama
- Dan Winters
- David Alan Harvey
- David Hurn
- Diane Arbus
- Dorothea Lange
- Elliott Erwitt
- Eugene Atget
- Eugene Smith
- Fan Ho
- Garry Winogrand
- Gordon Parks
- Helen Levitt
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Irving Penn
- Jacob Aue Sobol
- Jeff Mermelstein
- Joel Meyerowitz
- Joel Sternfeld
- Josef Koudelka / Part 2
- Josh White
- Lee Friedlander
- Lisette Model
- Magnum Contact Sheets
- Magnum Photographers
- Mark Cohen
- Martin Parr
- Martine Franck
- Mary Ellen Mark
- Rene Burri
- Richard Avedon
- Richard Kalvar
- Robert Capa
- Robert Frank
- Saul Leiter
- Sergio Larrain
- Sebastião Salgado
- Shomei Tomatsu
- Stephen Shore
- The History of Street Photography
- Todd Hido
- Tony Ray-Jones
- Trent Parke
- Vivian Maier
- Walker Evans
- Weegee
- William Eggleston
- William Klein
- Zoe Strauss
Free Downloads
Free Street Photography Books
Distilled information on street photography:
- STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL by ERIC KIM
- The Art of Street Photography
- 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
- Street Photography Contact Sheets
- Street Photography 101
- Street Photography 102
- Film Street Photography Manual
- The Street Photography Composition Manual
- The Street Portrait Manual
- 31 Days to Overcome Your Fear in Street Photography
- Zen in the Art of Street Photography
For more resources on photography, Start Here >