CHRISTER JENSEN - AUGUST 22, 2022
Street photo. Anything goes
Introduction
How did I start street photography? Where did I start and what did I do? Maybe you also want to start street photography and you are looking for answers on how to get started? Or maybe you have already started and now you are looking for inspiration or even new challenges? Either way you might get some inspiration below or just a nice anecdote.
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Urban inspiration
I decided to explore street photography because it is a very broad category with many different styles. I also live in the middle of a fairly large city, which makes it a quite easy choice and excellent for trying out.
To me this niche is about taking photos of everything in an urban environment at a specific moment of time. Morning. Afternoon. Night. Summer. Spring. Winter. Autumn. The possibilities are endless and you can get a variety of different shots in the very same places due to different moments. The urban scenery changes all the time, which is a natural part of living in a city; people everywhere and sometimes nowhere, traffic in and out - up and down, new buildings popping up, old ones taken down, streetlight, sunlight, neons, shadows. You have got so many different artifacts for getting into this niche and find your own style.
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Speaking about style
There is no such thing as the only way of doing street photography! I would say that there are no rules when it comes to street photography. Anything goes! Every street photographer has his/her own style and it will most likely change several times along the way.
Hence, there are many different styles within street photography ranging from black and white captures to very clean almost art kind of stuff. You can create your very own unique style in terms of light, shadows, contrasts, composition, tones and colors and with the great tools for editing you might also give it an extra personalized edge.
It is only up to you to decide on how you want your style to be. This might take some time and effort to figure out. However, if you just start and try out one type of style and keep on doing it, most likely with some adjustments along the way, but you continue to repeat it, you will soon figure out what you like and how you want your style to be. Most importantly - do what you wanna do!
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What does it take to get started?
Actually, it does not require a lot to get started. Getting the right gear to start with street photography is not that important. You can easily get a long way by just using your phone. I have taken lots of photos with my iPhone. You do not really need an expensive camera. A compact camera or any other point-and-shoot camera will work great for urban shots.
Personally, I have bought an entry-level full frame camera. I have found that the 35 and 50 primes are really good. I also appreciate my zoom lens, 24-105, to get a bit closer. Regarding zoom and prime lenses, I find both equally good to use, but they just serve different purposes.
Check out my gear here.
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If it is not about the gear, then what?
It might be frustrating to hear that the gear will not make you a good street photographer, but it is the truth. Even the most expensive equipment will not do the thing - at best it will only make you confused and you might lose the interest even before you get started.
Instead you shall spend time on practicing composition. Try to visualize the end result and try out various ways to frame your photo and the object/subject(s) that you are photographing. Look for leading lines to get the attention towards wherever you want it to be. Consider different angles and the effect it might bring. Also remember to look around you and see if the surroundings can be used differently.
Composition is a topic that deserves its own guide. This was only to demystify how to get started. So go out, try it and practice.
«Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right» (Henry Ford)