{"id":73346,"date":"2017-12-15T06:45:59","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T14:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=73346"},"modified":"2017-12-15T06:45:59","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T14:45:59","slug":"25-essential-street-photography-tips-and-techniques","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/15\/25-essential-street-photography-tips-and-techniques\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Essential Street Photography Tips and Techniques"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

1. Long distance flash<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Shoot from a longer distance, around 5 meters, and use a flash.<\/p>\n

Some of these shots with film LEICA MP+ 35mm, at f8, Leica SF20, Kodak Portra 400, with flash on full power.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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2. URBAN LANDSCAPES: Street photography without people<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Show humanity, without including people.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

3. Hand gestures<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Show emotions via hand gestures.<\/p>\n

\"Jazz
Jazz hands. Hollywood, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

4. Eye contact<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Eyes are the windows to the soul.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

5. Street portraits with permission<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Engage with your subject, and ask them to make a portrait of them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

6. Decapitation Technique<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chop off the heads or eyes of your subject, to add more mystery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

7. Photograph kids<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

8. Make happy photos of people smiling<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think all your photos need to be super serious. Smile.<\/p>\n

\"Lady
Lady with hat. Santa Monica, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Woman
Woman in elevator. Chicago. 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Woman in elevator. Chicago. 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

9. Shoot head on<\/h2>\n
\"How
How to shoot head on, from my friend Charlie Kirk. The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cut off technique\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Start as red in bottom left, and walk in front of people (white star) when you shoot. And keep moving. Your incoming subject outlined in yellow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Use a wide-angle lens like a 28mm<\/a> and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t shoot from the side. Rather, shoot head on.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Shot head on with the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cutoff technique\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

10. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The cherry on top\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h2>\n
\"Girl
Girl with pigeon shadow. Paris, 2011. The cherry on top is the pigeon shadow in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Find one detail in your photo that makes the photo more interesting to look at.<\/p>\n

\"Superman
Superman mural. Superman posing is the cherry on top.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Red
Red dot on the suit in London metro. Cherry on top is the red dot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

11. Shooting from the side (oblique angle)<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

These photos aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t shot head on, but a little from the side. Crouch down while shooting these photos, to be less intrusive.<\/p>\n

\"Hong
Hong Kong man with phone. 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

12. Shoot indoors<\/h2>\n
\"Dancing
Dancing drunk suits at bar. Tokyo, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t limit yourself to the streets. Shoot coffee shops, restaurants, or stores.<\/p>\n

\"Man
Man and woman having dinner with orange wall. NYC, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Man
Man taking a nap inside Hong Kong mall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Man
Man and woman inside restaurant. Kyoto. 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Suit
Suit and urinal. Bathroom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Kissing
Kissing couple, from inside Hong Kong mall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

13. Shoot subways or public transportation<\/h2>\n
\"Suits
Suits in Tokyo metro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Blurry
Blurry man in Tokyo, in subway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

14. Shoot through glass with a flash<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This will reduce reflections, and cause your subject to pop out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Or don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t use a flash, just shoot through the glass and see what happens.<\/p>\n

\"Suit
Suit eating sandwich, Chicago. No flash.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

15. Shoot hotel lobbies<\/h2>\n
\"Man
Man in suit in San Diego hotel lobby. He owned the hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You will find interesting scenes in hotel lobbies.<\/p>\n

\"Hotel
Hotel room lobby. Istanbul, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

16. Make social\/political\/economic critique and commentary through your photos<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Be opinionated about politics, social inequality, wealth, or your economic views with your photos.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"eric
Man selling flowers in Los Angeles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

17. Layers and depth<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Suits depth. Bookend in far left, and man in center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just shoot one subject. Get very close, fill the frame, and have a foreground, middle ground, and background.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Downtown LA, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Layers
Layers of people in elevator. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Depth
Depth New York street photo, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Downtown LA, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

18. Weird juxtapositions<\/h2>\n
\"Why
Why is there a security camera in the desert?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Create a weird image, comparing different uncanny, or uncommon combinations of stuff next to one another.<\/p>\n

\"Backdoor
Backdoor to the universe?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Why
Why does the mannequin on the left look so real?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Julian
Julian Assange and kim Jung il. Where do the legs come from? Zurich.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Taxi
Taxi cab in Mumbai.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

19. Atmosphere\/mood<\/h2>\n
\"Smoke
Smoke with flash. The smoke adds to the mood.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Transport your viewer into a new atmosphere or mood. Use flash, smoke, fog.<\/p>\n

\"Fog.
Fog. Sapa, Vietnam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Or shoot a photo in color, that looks like a scene from a film. Shoot at the beach.<\/p>\n

\"Marseille
Marseille man at beach. Mood of the azure blue ocean. Kodak Portra 400 Film adds the mood.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

20. Dodging and burning<\/h2>\n
\"Dramatic
Dramatic picture of Hanoi woman. Background darkened, and her face and eyes brightened for dramatic effect.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dodge (brighten) and burn (darken) parts of your frame using the adjustment brush in Lightroom, and reduce and increase exposure on certain parts of your frame to add more drama to the scene.<\/p>\n

\"NYC,
NYC, 2016. I darkened (burned) the left of the frame, to add more attention to her face.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Hands.
Hands. Paris, 2015. Shot with a flash, and background darkened with burning adjustment brush.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Hands
Hands of a 92 year old woman. Hanoi, 2017. Shot with flash. Background darkened more, with adjustment brush in Lightroom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

21. Minus exposure compensation<\/h2>\n
\"Street
Street portrait with -1 2\/3 exposure compensation. To make his face more dramatic and pop from the background. By using minus exposure compensation, the background turns totally black.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For dramatic effect with dark shadows, and better exposure, shoot with -1 or -2 exposure compensation.<\/p>\n

\"contact
Note how I worked the scene, to get the man to have the dramatic light on his face.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Red
Red shirt and green background. Low perspective shot. New Orleans, woman and deer. Shot at -1 exposure compensation on RICOH GR II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

22. Blur\/movement<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Either shoot with a flash with a slow flash (1\/15th of a second), or shoot without flash.<\/p>\n

\"Man
Man with face mask in Seoul. Shot with flash at 1\/15th of a second<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Grimace
Grimace dog. Paris, 2011, shot without a flash, blur.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Jazz
Jazz man with trumpet and light trails. Shot with flash at 1\/15th of a second<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Woman
Woman with pink leggings. Shot with flash with slow sync speed (1\/15th second)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More movement will add more dynamism to your photos.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Blurred woman photograph in Tokyo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

23. The decisive moment<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Kissing Paris couple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A wonderful moment, like a kiss, embrace, or something tender between two people.<\/p>\n

\"Old
Old couple peck on cheek. Paris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Decisive moment means to see a good moment, and be fast enough to capture it.<\/p>\n

24. Shoot your subjects as silhouettes<\/h2>\n
\"Silhouette
Silhouette of man, rooftop bar in Hanoi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shoot with the light behind your subject, or use -1 or -2 exposure compensation to create mystery with the silhouette of your subject.<\/p>\n

\"Silhouette
Silhouette of woman behind door. Hanoi, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Silhouette
Silhouette suit man. Street photograph in Tokyo, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Simple
Simple figure to ground composition. Man in silhouette in black in top left of frame against white sky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The conductor. Silhouette at Walt Disney hall at fountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

25. Show your own soul in your own street photographs<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ultimately, your street photos are about you \u00e2\u20ac\u201d not your subject. Reveal your own soul through your photos, by engaging with your subjects, talking with them, and also choosing subject matter which reveals who you are.<\/p>\n

\"Eric
Eric Rivera with cigar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

\"Laughing
Laughing man in Paris. 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Girl
Girl laughing with blue sunglasss. Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Woman
Woman laughing, NYC 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Laughing<\/p>\n

\"Laughing
Laughing old people. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

\"Mad<\/p>\n

Define street photography for you, never stop exploring. Shoot with joy and fun, like a child.<\/p>\n

No rules, no regulations. Only tips, and different techniques for exploring the streets with your camera.<\/p>\n

ERIC<\/p>\n

\n

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\"Eric<\/a><\/p>\n

SEE UPCOMING WORKSHOPS ><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

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\"ERIC<\/a><\/p>\n

Never miss the decisive moment, ever again.<\/p>\n

Learn more about HENRI NECK STRAP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Buy HENRI NECK STRAP ON AMAZON ><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

HENRI WRIST STRAP<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"HENRI<\/a><\/p>\n

The timeless wrist strap for street photographers.<\/p>\n

Learn more about HENRI WRIST STRAP ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Buy Henri Wrist Strap on Amazon ><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

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\"Henri<\/a><\/p>\n

For the bold and brave.<\/p>\n

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\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

LEARN MORE ><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
LEARN FROM THE MASTERS by HAPTIC<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Timeless wisdom from the masters of street photography.<\/p>\n

Learn more about MASTERS ><\/a><\/p>\n

Buy MASTERS on Amazon ><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101<\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":73314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ek_photo_artist_note":"","_ek_photo_thesis":"","_ek_photo_camera":"","_ek_photo_place":"","_ek_photo_human_moment":"","_ek_photo_sequence":"","_ek_photo_question":"","_ek_photo_canonical_claim":"","_ek_photo_ai_summary":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/8108240F-8891-492C-AFE1-EB459C82E9F3.jpeg?fit=3087%2C2048&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73346"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73364,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73346\/revisions\/73364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}