Photography News Issue 59

Photography News | Issue 59 | photographynews.co.uk

Technique

Shoot projects

3 Street photographers often struggle to find sufficiently interesting subject matter and so resort to randomness. We’ve all seen the many thousands of street shots on the web which are of random people, in random places, doing random things. There is no sense of narrative, no theme and no connection between the images. So, to add real impact to your work, organise your shooting around projects. A project is a collection of images – a distinct body of work – which is generated around a specific theme. It allows you to build a strong narrative, using images to tell a story. There are three good reasons why you should develop the project mindset. Projects give you focus and direction. On days when you can

Left Storytelling is paramount to successful street photography, allowing viewers to create their own narrative. Does this tough looking character own the small yapping dogs?

find little inspiration, or when there is nothing happening, they will give you the impetus to go out and shoot pictures in an organised manner. They can provide you with a clear endgame – whether in the form of a photo book, set of prints, exhibition, web gallery or blog – which will spur you on to produce a tangible, worthy body of work. They allow you to tell a story. While it is perfectly possible to do this using just a single image, think about how much more powerful that story can be if told using a cohesive set of images, edited and sequenced in a logical order. One of the most satisfying outcomes of a project is to share your work and there’s a real sense of achievement when you see your images in a gallery, on a website or in the pages of a book.

Where are they going and why?

Be invisible!

Set it and forget it

5 Street photography shouldn’t be complicated. In fact, from a technical perspective, things couldn’t be simpler. So that you’re in a state of constant readiness and able to react quickly to scenes evolving around you, set your camera up at the start of the day and don’t touch those settings until the light changes. Here’s an approach that works: • Set ISO 1600, an aperture of f/8 and aperture-priorityAEmode. • Using a relatively high ISO will give you a fast shutter speed (aim for at least 1/200sec)whichwill helpminimise subject blur or camera shake (either of which will ruin your shot – the tiny amount of extra noise won’t). An aperture of f/8 or smaller is recommended so that you get enough depth-of-field to record context in a scene. These settings are a good ‘walk-around’ compromise, making sure you get the shot.

Any fine-tuning can easily be done using the exposure compensation dial – to retain detail in the highlights, for example. With certain cameras, like the Fujifilm X Series, you can see all the settings – the full exposure triangle – on the top of the camera without needing to delve intomenus tomake changes on the fly. However, if you find a nice background or scene and you have time, always change your settings to suit the conditions. Preset focus. AF is quick but manual means not missing an opportunity which might happen because of the fractional delay or the camera focusing on something other than your subject. Setting a distance of, say, 3m, with a wide-angle lens and an aperture of f/8 means youhave enoughdepth-of-field fromtwometres to 10metres and beyond. Working like this will allow you to put all your mental energy into finding the subjects, composition and timing.

Above Blend in to capture light moments, enhanced here by the surreal background.

4 We tend to be more effective when we blend into the background and not identified as photographers. If people see you with a big camera and long lens round your neck, the chances are they’ll stop what they were doing, turn away or just walk off – and you’ll miss your shot. Here are a few tips to help you remain invisible on the streets: • Wear dark clothing and walk slowly – both will help you blend in more. • Try shooting from the hip (much easier if your camera has an articulated screen). Avoid eye contact with your subjects.

backpack and tripod; a messenger- type shoulder bag will allow you to access your gear more quickly than a backpackwill. A smaller bag is always better than a big one; it will look less obtrusive and there is a tendency to overfill big bags with loads of gear you shouldn’t need. Use a small camera/lens whenever possible to do so. Try standing on the same spot for a while – people will start to ignore you. Make yourself unapproachable by wearing sunglasses and earphones. Shoot ‘past’ people – you can aim a wide-angle lens into the distance beyond your subjects while still getting them perfectly positioned in your frame.

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Work quickly and quietly.

Travel light – avoid the giveaway signs of a photographer like a big

Above Shadows and silhouettes make a strong image while ISO 1250 and f/8 give flexibility.