For some of us, street photography is a way to meditate. We’re in love with the thrill of capturing moments as they happen. It requires being in tune with everything happening around you. But for lots of us, we don’t know how to be present. Thankfully, we’ve got a few original cheat sheets and infographics here that you’ll be able to learn a lot from.
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Zone Focus a Lens
“There are loads of reasons why you should zone focus instead of using autofocus. For starters, cameras are still machines. Even though they have face detection, they only do what you tell them to. With zone focusing, you’re telling the lens to focus a certain distance away. All you need to do is move closer to or further from the action. With zone focusing, you always know what you’re going to get. Despite how good autofocus has become, it’s still not perfect.”
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The 28mm Lens: The Best for Street Photography?
“With a 28mm lens, you’re getting more of a scene in focus at a given aperture than you would a 35mm or 50mm lens. Be warned, this means you might have to get over fears of getting close to subjects. You could crop in using the resolution of a camera like the Leica M10R, of course. Otherwise, you can aim to frame your scenes a bit wider. If you do that, just be careful of distracting elements.”
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Be Present
“Now here’s the biggest thing: be present. Don’t get stuck in your own mind. Instead, be in your emotions with what’s around you. Be vulnerable. Let things happen. As soon as something elicits emotion from you, photograph it. It takes time to build that trigger, but once you do, you’ll have images and stories to tell about so many different moments. Lots of folks use street photography as a way to escape from the stress of their own lives. It’s of course very therapeutic. If you’re standing on a busy street of some sort, just start out people watching. Observe folks as they go by and be receptive to three things that happen. Once you’re emotionally incited three times, then start shooting. Think of it as starting a motor, you need to get into the mindset and know that you’re paying attention.”
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Use Your Phone for Street Photography
“Always remember to silence your phone before you start shooting street photography with it. Most smartphones will play a simulated shutter sound when taking photos. This sound is a dead giveaway to anyone nearby. Disabling it will make you even more inconspicuous. Combine this with shooting from the hip, and most people won’t even realize you’re photographing.”
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