taking it to the street
I have long been inspired by the masters of street photography, with their ability to capture the beauty and fleeting opportunities in everyday life that others rarely see. Embarking on a trip to New York I was filled with excitement for the endless opportunities this vibrant location had to offer. How can anyone visit such a city and fail to be inspired, whether it be by the architecture, the diverse culture or simply the spirited nature of its inhabitants.
The prospect of spending quality time experimenting with street photography, capturing the masses in their daily hustle, simply fueled my enthusiasm. For while I had dabbled with street photography back in my hometown, the limited chances of success left me craving the vast potential that New York promised.
In preparation, I revisited the inspirational works of my favorite masters like Saul Leiter and Ernst Haas. However, after arriving and hitting the streets of NYC I encountered immediate challenges, of course it was not as easy as the masters had made out.
Unlike many genres, street photography doesn't afford time for careful composition or adjustments. It's about seizing opportunities and timing, catching those fleeting moments that Cartier-Bresson famously called 'the decisive moment.' Despite the hurdles however, time to experiment was definitely on my side. Here's a chronicle of how my attempts and techniques evolved, and what I learned as I became more comfortable with the process.
Keeping your distance - the street portrait
Whether a primary subject or not it is difficult to shoot on the streets of New York without coming into close proximity to the public. Concerned about the possibility of aggressive responses I began my journey using a longer lens, hoping to catch gestures and interest in the crowds whilst remaining somewhat hidden withing the masses. This did allow for a certain level of anonymity and with the long focal length well suited to the street portraiture style of shooting. While results were on the whole acceptable I felt they were a little too familiar and failed to capture the dynamic vibe of the city I was looking for.
A longer lens distances the subject and allows a level of anonymity
Widening up - the candid shot
Becoming more comfortable wielding a camera in public, I then pursued images taken at a much wider angle. This produced an elevated sense of nervousness as to achieve the effect I was after, the camera had to be much closer to the subject. This closeness invariably drew attention from the subject, resulting in anxiety on my behalf and all spontaneity withing the subject being lost.
To be fair, for the most part, such interactions were well received, especially after returning respectful words and/or a thumbs up. However, this general lack of spontaneity resulted in images that I feel have limited interest.
That said, with incidents being positive on the whole, I did become more and more comfortable lifting my camera and taking quick shots. The fact that there were a number of other photographers doing the same made doing so even easier.
Most New-Yorkers are accustomed to photographers and have no issue with their image being respectfully captured
Shooting from the hip
Research before my travels had led to many street photographers recommending ‘shooting from the hip’. This essentially involves carrying the camera at waist level and shooting as subjects enter a predetermined frame. I say predetermined because this takes a lot of trial and error to get to a point where you have a broad idea of the area that will be captured as the shutter is released.
I found that after a fair amount of practice, I was able to attempt some shots, but there are so many variables involved that results were very hit and miss. Forget about composition, exposure settings or framing - all are left to chance in the hope that something unique will make it onto the sensor.
One thing I did find helpful in this respect was to prefocus and set the lens to manual. The last thing you need when trying to catch a perfect moment is the lens hunting to find focus.
As stated earlier, this technique is extremely hit or miss, but I have to admit that I do enjoy the dynamic nature of the results. For all the missed shots and failures encountered, the few successes have produced some of my favorite shots from my trip.
Shooting with a wide-angle lens ‘blindly’ at hip level can result in spontaneous and interesting outcomes.
Lessons learned
Street photography is a genre that may not receive the respect it deserves. Although easy to lift a camera and take pictures on the street, capturing those that provide genuine interest requires skill, an untold amount of time and a sprinkling element of luck. If content shooting architecture or documenting street scenes, then life is certainly easier, but those wishing to capture those ‘moments’ certainly do have additional layers of challenges to conquer.
While I do enjoy the intimate portraits a long lens produces I have to admit a preference to the more dynamic shots coming from a much wider lens. I feel the many of those shot from the hip produce the most interest, with their unfamiliar viewing angle and increased depth created by the wider angle.
Observant readers may have noticed a conversion of some images to black and white. This was done intentionally and purely on a case by case basis. Some images I feel are stronger with the distraction of color removed, allowing a greater emphasis on form and light. In other cases color elements play a significant role in the mood or composition of the image, helping to convey a mood or story. This is all down to personal preferences.
I will likely continue to experiment with street photography and take advantages of opportunities as they arise. I’d love to hear back from other photographers and discover the journey others have followed, what they have learned and who provides the inspiration that drives them.
Feel free to comment or ask questions below or get in touch via the contact tab should you wish a conversation that is a bit more private.
Be sure to check my blog at a later date, where I am planning on selecting some appropriate images that deserve a greater level of review.
For now I will leave you with some of my favorite results. As always, they are best viewed by selecting to open and viewing full-frame.
