STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IS EASY!
Before I begin, let me preface this by saying, I’m not here talking to y’all as if I’m a professional photographer. I’m not trying to undermine those who have spent their entire lives and went above and beyond to capture amazing stories with their photos. I’ve only been doing street/urban photography (on a serious level) for about a month. Ever since we got the Sony ZV-e10 mirrorless camera and the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 Lens, I’ve been taking them with me, everywhere I go, and taking photos any chance I get. The goal is to learn the ins and outs of this camera and get better at photography. I may have some of the tools… I may have an eye for photography… but I’ve still got a LONG way to go to be truly considered a pro and hang with the big boys and girls.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the point of this piece… why I feel Street Photography is easy!
Any time you step outside, there is an unlimited amount of stories you can tell. Things we probably pay ZERO attention to as we walk to and from work. Light posts, mailboxes, buildings, houses… Hell, even literal piles of shit. Honestly, all you have to do is open your eyes and take that second glance at the world that you might normally not have taken, and you’ll see there’s a “story” to tell. Whether you’ve caught something that will live on in history or something that you simply thought looked “nice”, as a street/urban photography, the possibilities knows no bounds.
Sure, there are complexities and nuances to who, what, where, when, why and how you captured something, but there’s really no right or wrong way to do it… as is with pretty much all mediums of art. It boils down to, “go out and do it”. Unlike portrait/wedding photography. Unlike action/sports photography. Street/Urban Photography gives you more freedom and flexibility to just take the shot and move on, and even lends a hand in learning other forms of photography like portrait, wedding, sports and action photography.
Granted, you’d probably want to get yourself familiar with your camera and lenses, because that will surely make your photos stand out. There are definitely certain lenses and camera settings that will help you captures particular scenes and subjects, but don’t get caught up in trying to have the most expensive equipment for the sake of having the most expensive equipment. If you can afford it, and you’re willing to learn the intricacies of your equipment and put that money you spent to work, go for it. Manual settings can be scary as all fuck and if I’m being honest, they still scare me a bit. But if you’re just going to drop $1,000+ to shoot using auto settings, you’re better off using your phone’s camera, which probably takes amazing photos right out the box. Speaking from experience, I’ve used my iPhone 11 Pro Max and Kayla’s 12 Pro Max for the better part of 2… almost 3 years to take most of the photos that I’ve posted on Instagram and here, on the [SF.] website and they looked amazing.
Now, I’m still learning so much every single day, so I’m probably the last one to go to for advice. However, one tip I would give, is try not to always take the picture “head on” or “straight forward”. Sometimes you’ll find that your shot is missing something or just doesn’t look as good as you’d like it to look, so shooting it from a different angle really can make a huge difference and give your photo some life. This applies to people using their phone cameras AND to people using actual cameras.
With a lot of huge trips on the horizon, I’m excited to take this journey and bring y’all along with me. I hope you guys enjoy the images and stories I capture and hopefully that sparks something within you to go out and tell stories of your own.
You can check out photos from my 365 Day Photo Challenge here!