street photography tips

Photos in this article are part of my on-going “Somewhere in America” Urban Landscape series.

I recently finished a book titled: “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less”, which made me think a lot about my life, the blog, and street photography. To sum up the book, the author praises the “less is more” ethos, and encourages us to do “less, but better”.

I got inspired to write this article on how being an “essentialist” can help us in our street photography. Below are some ideas you can apply to your work and approach:

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This article was originally posted on Digital Photography School.

Over the years, I have learned a lot of lessons about street photography. Below is a compilation of some quotes, thoughts, and philosophies which have influenced me and my street photography. None of my ideas are original – some are based on personal experiences and others are based on ideas I heard from books, lectures, and on the internet. And of course, this is not a definitive list of what you “have to do” in street photography – rather it is some of my personal thoughts:

[Read more…] about 103 Things I’ve Learned About Street Photography

(Above image: Garry Winogrand, World’s Fair, New York City, 1964. All photographs in this article copyrighted by the estate of Garry Winogrand)

Garry Winogrand is one of my favorite street photographers that I have gained much photographic insight and wisdom from. He was in-arguably one of the most prolific street photographers of his time (he shot over 5 million photographs in his career) and one of the most passionate. However, he hated the term “street photographer” and simply saw himself as a “photographer”. It is an idea I later understood and respected very dearly, as Winogrand was more interested in making photographs than classifying himself for art historians.

I never understood a lot of the things that he said about photography like why you should wait a year or two before developing your shots, why photographs don’t tell stories, and how photographers mistake emotion for what makes great photographs. Although I didn’t really get what he was saying, I was intrigued.

After having done a ton of research on Winogrand and finding out more about his philosophy in photography, I found a treasure chest. Although I am not an expert on Garry Winogrand, he has influenced my street photography profoundly. I wish through this article to illustrate some things that Winogrand taught to his former students (the bulk of the quotes are from “Class Time with Garry Winogrand by O.C. Garza” [PDF] as well as “Coffee and Workprints: A Workshop With Garry Winogrand” by Mason Resnick).

If you want to learn more about what you can learn from Garry Winogrand, read on!

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It now has been around 5 years that I have been shooting street photography- and I have learned an incredible amount through trial and failure. I made this recent list of things I have learned while shooting street photography– and some of my personal opinions. Remember, take everything in this list with a grain of salt! I simply made this list as both a way for me to self-reflect, and hopefully you can find some of these tips helpful.

You can also see my old posts, “101 Things I Have Learned About Street Photography” and “100 Things I Have Learned About Street Photography“. As you can see, many of my opinions have changed over the course of 2 years. Keep reading- I hope you enjoy!

1. A photograph is like a sentence. Aim to write a book.
2. Always smile and say “thank you” when shooting on the streets
3. Shoot with your heart, not with your eyes
4. Shooting with friends will make you feel much more comfortable on the streets
5. The most versatile focal length is 35mm
6. Don’t rely on autofocus – use zone focusing
7. Have a drink to loosen yourself up before shooting on the streets
8. Have at least 3 backups of all your photographs (hard drives all eventually fail)
9. If you shoot film, keep your images organized
10. The best critique is never online—always in-person
11. Don’t ask people what they like about your photographs, ask them what they don’t like
12. Having one camera and lens is bliss
13. Buy books, not gear

1. Style isn’t something aesthetic
2. “Shoot who you are” – Bruce Gilden
3. Harness the power of groups/collectives to spread your photography
4. Don’t focus on aesthetics in your photos—but rather the message
5. Shooting film is magical
6. Never upload your photographs immediately—let them marinate for at least a week before sharing them
7. Good projects often take at least a year to complete
8. Post-processing your images digitally should never take more than a minute
9. Printing your photographs out large is immensely satisfying
10. Share your knowledge & technique with others – never hoard it yourself
11. It is better to shoot everyday for 10 minutes than to shoot once a week for 10 hours
12. Only show your best work

1. Photo-sets with over 25 images are exhausting to look through
2. It is great to constantly experiment with your technique and gear—but once you find something that works reasonably well stop and stick with it
3. When in doubt, ask for permission
4. People love to be complimented while on the streets
5. Don’t take photos of people who look pissed off or walk extremely quickly. These are the people who often get upset when you take their photograph
6. If shooting digital, always shoot in RAW
7. Look at other forms of art for inspiration
8. Take photos of people’s faces, not their backs
9. Eyes are the windows to the soul. Get photos with eye-contact in your images.
10. Your photos are only as good as the photos you look at. Avoid the internet and look at photo-books for inspiration
11. Giving helpful critique to others will make you a better judge of your own work
12. “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough” – Robert Capa

1. After a whole day of shooting, I am lucky if I get 1-2 good photographs
2. The more time you spend on online forums, the less you will shoot
3. Don’t think too much while taking photographs. Avoid “paralysis by analysis”
4. Don’t chimp while shooting on the streets (checking your LCD screen). You will lose many decisive moments
5. “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity” – Seneca
6. You can get luckier in street photography by spending more time out shooting in the streets
7. Don’t crop. Get it right in-camera
8. Look for the light
9. You will take the best photographs in the least-likely places
10. Always carry your camera with you everywhere you go. Everywhere
11. The smaller your camera is the less intimidating you will look
12. Don’t shoot from the hip if you have a camera with a viewfinder. Use the viewfinder—that’s why it’s there
13. Good composition alone doesn’t make a good photograph. A great photograph needs soul.

1. Don’t let inspiration be your main source of motivation for shooting. Go out and shoot even when you don’t feel like it—and the streets will re-inspire you
2. Street photography doesn’t have to have people in it
3. “Creepiness is proportional to focal length”. Don’t shoot street photography with a telephoto/zoom lens
4. The best place to shoot street photography is your own backyard
5. Crouch often when shooting to get at least eye-level (or lower) to get a natural (or unusual perspective)
6. The lighter your camera bag, the more you will enjoy shooting
7. Don’t forget to look down and up when shooting
8. When in doubt, click
9. Don’t try to just take photos of interesting people, but try to take photos of interesting gestures
10. It is better to take an extraordinary photo of something ordinary, rather than taking an ordinary photo of something extraordinary
11. The way people react to street photography (all around the world) is often more similar than dissimilar

1. There is no perfect camera for street photography. Every camera has its own strengths/limitations
2. Learn to memorize a focal length so you can frame your shots before even bringing up your camera to your eye
3. The best combo: one camera and one lens
4. Focus on hands – they communicate strong messages to the viewer
5. Contrary to popular belief, most people don’t get pissed off when you take photos of them (most people actually quite like it)
6. Street photographs are well-balanced with an odd-number of subjects (1 person, 3 people, 5 people, etc)
7. “Realize that most of your photographs are crap” – Charlie Kirk
8. Shoot to please yourself, not others
9. The best response to internet trolls who criticize your work (without helpful critique) is to ignore them completely
10. If you have the opportunity, don’t just settle for one photograph. Take multiple photographs if possible. “Killers shoot twice” – Thomas Leuthard
11. If you don’t ask for critiques, nobody will ever give it to you
12. If you are going to ask someone for permission for a photograph, always preface your question with, “I know this may sound weird, but…”. Works like a charm.
13. If you don’t make time to go out and shoot, you will never go out and shoot.
14. Learn to judge distances well- so you can prefocus before you anticipate the shot (1.2 meters is roughly two arms-lengths, and 3 meters is roughly half the distance of a room)

76. Spend less time arguing over the definition of street photography, and go out and shoot more
77. You only remember 5-10 photographs from some of the most famous street photographers who have ever lived. Aim to take 5-10 great photographs before you die.
78. Photography is incredibly difficult
79. If people notice you taking a photograph of you, tell them, “Ignore me—pretend like you don’t see me” and most people will laugh it off and continue doing what they were doing
80. If confronted by a person on why you took their photograph, take a step toward them and be open and honest about your intentions. Stand your ground and know your rights.
81. Simplify your photographs. Less is more.
82. Don’t put watermarks on your photographs. It cheapens your work.
83. Street photographs don’t sell
84. Travel as often as you can to open up your views to the rest of the world and society
85. Always carry an extra memory card and battery (in war two is one and one is none)

1. Don’t always hunt for shots—if you are patient enough, they will come to you
2. Shoot at ISO 1600 or above (keep your shutter above 250ths/second)
3. f/8 and be there
4. Black cameras draw less attention to you
5. It is more interesting to take photos of rich people than poor people
6. Never delete any of your photographs (you can rediscover hidden gems later in the future)
7. Silver Efex Pro 2 is the best black and white conversion software for digital
8. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretsky
9. Don’t aim to take pretty photographs, aim to take meaningful photographs
10. Don’t be sneaky when shooting—you will get in twice as much trouble if you get caught
11. A great street photograph both has strong composition and story
12. When it comes down to it, composition isn’t as important as the story
13. 99.9% of the photographs online are crap
14. Love your critics
    100.Offer to email your subjects their photographs (they love it)
    101.Break the rules
    102.Make your own list

(Above image by Magnum Photographer Elliott Erwitt)

I consider myself first a sociologist, then a photographer. If anything, being a street photographer allows me to synthesize these two loves. On top of that, I am a lover of knowledge, theory, experimentation, as well as teaching. Fortunately being able to teach street photography for a living makes my life fulfilled.

I am currently reading an essay by Howard Becker (a famous sociologist) who also happened to be interested in art worlds (and especially photography). He is the author in which most of the sociological backbone of my upcoming UC Riverside Online course is coming from when teaching some of the theory behind street photography.

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(Above image “Untitled” by Christos Kapatos)

I just finished reading “The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, where he discusses many misconceptions and fallacies that we face as humans. He talks from a scientific-philosophical viewpoint, and has many fascinating insights.

One of them was about knowledge—and that it isn’t necessarily additive—rather something subtractive. For example, a good stock-broker won’t tell you what to do, but rather what not to do.

Therefore for this blog post I will share some of my insights and experiences in street photography in terms of what not to do. Hopefully this will help you get more compelling images when out on the streets!

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