Thoughts on what makes a dynamic street photograph —

PDF Layers

Sketch to understand and learn

Made with iPad and Procreate app:

---

Eye contact, leg gesture, body gesture

• 

• 

• 

If we look closer, see how he is looking at me, his hand gesture:

Also look at his legs pressing against the wall — it adds dynamic force.

• 

• 

Mix of shapes

Also note this curve:

Then on the right side, see the wall:

See the empty stage:

Then the subject added:

Then the fun random details in the background:

Bringing back the original image:

• 

• 

Simplified:

Also when seeing the original image, noticing the lines in the wall:

Bringing back some original detail:

Noticing interesting details after the fact.

The devil is in the details. For example, the mirroring of the legs of the stool and his legs:

• 

• 

Note the leading lines:

Then note the diagonal tilt of the boy:

Summed up

All the small details add a dynamic street photo.

Seeing the composition before, during, or after?

Composition is fun because sometimes we see the composition before we shoot, sometimes we see it while we shoot, and sometimes we see it after we’ve shot the scene.

For this scene, I was walking around in Mexico City with RICOH GR III, 28mm, and didn’t really think much. I saw the scene and shot it while walking.

I feel this is important:

Intention doesn’t matter too much in photography. Even if you made a good photo “on accident”, it is still legitimate!

Arabesque (curve) composition

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•