“I love photography blogs” blog published an article which presents a compilation of some tips provided by great modern street photographer. Read the article “19 killer photography tips” (Thanks for the time saving!)
Garry Winogrand shot hundreds of thousands of photographs during his short lifetime. Most were taken on the streets of New York City and are characterized by off-kilter angles, unorthodox framing, and images that feature active figures. As evidence of his prolific nature, Winogrand left behind nearly 300,000 unedited images, and more than 2,500 undeveloped rolls of film. The anchorwoman in the video teases him about the fair amount of film he has to develop every day (and he can’t catch up the work to be done). We clearly see that it was not Garry’s preferred activity. I am sure he would have been very happy to possess a digital camera…
This video is dated 1981, just 3 years before his death.
Many thanks to Mister Hoveeto who proposed this video!
In the following closer documentary, Garry Winogrand delivers some insights about Street photography. We see him in the street, very stealthy actually. Also we see him manipulating his huge amount of films and contact sheets resulting from his compulsive work.
“Frame in terms of what you want to have in a picture, not about how making a nice picture, that anybody can do”
Copyright Weegee / International Center of Photography / Getty Images
In an interesting timeline presenting the inventions related to photography, the henry new media gallery locates the inception of street photography in the 1950′s. The start of the genre is due on the one hand to the improvement of technologies, allowing the photographer to capture the characters more spontaneously with lighter equipments, and also to depict society in an objective manner.
On the other hand, street photography was greatly influenced by post war social reforms, and photographers started to challenged long-established models of social justice, formalism, and personal expression.
Another great classic of street photography is to compose with the giant billboards used for advertising to create unique pictures, micro comedies or dramas. Very often, the desired effect is obtained when a billboard either presents a feature that supports a character action, or, on the contrary, presents an element totally opposing it. In some cases, a scale effect between a character and the picture displayed in a background creates a fantastic impact on the viewer.
Picture (c) FaniKanawati
Picture (c) Fani Kanawati
The easiest approach is to find a great poster having a high photogenic potential (pictorial, funny, or dramatic), and to wait before it. Then to patiently watch the moment when an atypical person comes and pass-by or make an action before the billboard. It requires a lot of luck but also a lot of time and patience, and the result is not guaranteed. Also you can lose precious time waiting that could be dedicated to other better catches.
So the most rewarding experience remains the typical street photographer approach : capturing this very fortuitous moment resulting from a combination of three major elements: 1) A billboard with a high potential, 2) a subject in complete match (or mismatch) with this billboard, and 3) the presence of a street photographer at this precise moment to observe the scene and freeze this moment, that will never happen again.
A street photograph relying exclusively on the wording on a commercial might not have the same impact : the wording might not be seen, at first glance, not understood, or totally ignored by the viewer if it is not supported by pictorial elements.
Picture (c) William Darhy
This effect is created when a giant picture, seems to interact with a character, creating a fantastical effect.
Pictures (c) Matt Stuart, Richard Bram
Picture (c) Matt Stuart
Picture (c) Richard Bram
A character in front of a billboard is provided with an unexpected accessory. This case is self explanatory, a good picture is worth a thousand words:
Pictures (c) Richard Bram
Picture (c) Richard Bram
Probably the easiest effect to obtain, when a character imitates the posture or the gesture of a character on a billboard in the background.
Pictures (c) Richard Bram, Amani Willett
Picture (c) Richard Bram
Picture (c) Amani Willett
Of course beyond the impact of the picture, the street photographer is always looking for this unique moment, this magic instant that will only happen once and only once.
Picture (c) FaniKanawati
Picture (c) Fani Kanawati
The billboard technic is really easy to obtain, very difficult to master, and you will see a lot of street photographs using it all over the web. It is very tempting to publish a photograph where a character more or less have the same pose than a character on a billboard. So be smart, and inventive, think twice (or more) as suggested by Nick Turpin, and just publish the shots that really worth it. More importantly, a good street photograph should present something unique, meaning : the moment captured can only happen once, and only once, and you were smart (or lucky) enough to capture it. Also, don’t forget to have fun.
Among the big names of street photography, many are those who have used this effect, which consequently becomes a classic. However the “bigs” distinguish themselves by the boldness of the shots, the impact on the viewer (fantastic, dramatic or comic) and more importantly, the incredible impression of unicity.
Picture (c) FaniKanawati, Richard Bram, Amani Willett, Matt Stuart, Nils Jorgensen, Ronya Galka, Gonzale, Carmen Amato
If you have a picture that you think could illustrate this article, don’t hesitate to contact me or you can submit the picture directly here: Submit a picture.
Nick Turpin, London based photographer, and founder of in-public, provides a series of videos on his street photography blog sevensevennine.
A first video, titled “Nick Turpin on Street Photography”, provides his definition of street photography. In the video it is very interesting to see how he captured his most famous shots in the street of London, especially for the ones who already know Nick Turpin’s work.
Nick Turpin on Street Photography from Nick Turpin on Vimeo.
In a series of 3 videos, titled “Anatomy of a Street Photograph”, Nick provides some comments on his own famous photographs, explaining the conditions under which he took the pictures, and the intents of the artist.
sevensevennine.com : Anatomy of a Street Photograph #1 from Nick Turpin on Vimeo.
sevensevennine.com : Anatomy of a Street Photograph #2 from Nick Turpin on Vimeo.
sevensevennine.com : Anatomy of a Street Photograph #3 from Nick Turpin on Vimeo.
Here is an old post dated Sept 2009 I found on Nick Turpin’s blog, sevensevennine, titled “edit edit edit” (edit : another interesting development of this post here on B:streetwise) that we should all meditate as aspiring street photographers. As per Nick Turpin :
Less than 1% of the ‘street photography’ I see on the web is worth seeing
99% of street photography on the web is crap
It is probably true, I would even say less. If you just look on flickr the tremendous amount of pictures that are posted each day, and that are flagged as street photographs, how many are good street photographs? How many are not a theme already captured, interpreted, transformed millions time already by others? How many are not a flat and dull snapshot of a character over a billboard, how many are intense, how many just look so candid and so genuine at the same time that they look fantastic? Probably a few, a very few actually.
I am also participating at this giant mess about street photos, so I wouldn’t blame anyone doing so. (although my intents are pure 
) However effectively, difficult to find good pictures in these high volumes of low quality pictures generated each day. The issue is that it slowly decreases the overall quality of street photography, and the judgments people have on this branch of photography. For an external viewer, many pictures qualified as “street photography”, made quickly with quick black and white editing, look more or less all the same like standard and unplanned snapshots.
It is important to remember that the Street Photographer, more than any other kind of photographer, is just an editor….an editor of time and space, using the camera frame and shutter to cut out a single poignant juncture of the two.
[......]
Instead of editing a days shooting and posting your best image of the day…..edit your years shooting and post your best ten images of the year….now that will be a set worth looking at.
So I will apply the advice to myself, however a year is very long, so I’ll start with a week. An other way to interpret this, is, on 100 pictures you have published so far, only select one and only one… hmmm. In these conditions, I start from scratch, which gives a lot of room for progress!
However, this buzz around street photography can be interpreted as a good sign : it means that street photography is in good health, more and more people are practicing it, more and more people are publishing their artwork, and even if only a percent is correct and can be considered as quality street photography at the end, it provides a fair amount of chances to get a lot of artwork at the end of the year, it’s just statistics. So, it’s an overall benefit for the genre, and allows development and diversity of the discipline.
Anyway, I stay confident in the relative quality of websites such as 1x.com which provide a systematic screening of pictures, offering a giant quality check before releasing anything on the web. So… let’s try not to disappoint mr. Turpin, and the overall street photography community, right?
The shadows can be a great source of inspiration for street photographers when they participate actively in the composition, becoming a key element of the picture. Shadows can be very striking and demand the viewer’s attention as soon as they look.
They can complement, distort, or extend body parts of the characters to an exaggerated way, or they can accidentally add accessories not necessarily desired by the subjects. In other cases, the shadow (of a character) will be the main subject of the photo, disclosing, or rather casting a human presence on the urban scenery.
Obviously, shadow effects are a photography classic, however it makes a lot of sense for street photography. The shadowing effects are most easily obtained in the early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low and stretches the silhouette that are projected on vertical surfaces, on the ground or onto the characters themselves. However one can imagine that the shadows cast by artificial lights at night or in dark places may also be prone to catch.
Picture (c) William Darhy
The human shadow projected on the walls, floor or any surface, are stretching ludicrously some body parts, or are adding some unwanted accessories to a character. The different vertical planes, formed by the walls and corners, angles, or any item of sets are expanding, compressing and deforming the shadow that is projected. This new element of the photo, creates a caricature, fantastic or dramatic effect. The highlight of the photo is the contrast between the subject, which will be perceived as normal, and attracts the first look, and the shadow, seen in a second place, which will create a surprise, because totally not in synch with the subject.
Pictures (c) Matt Stuart, (c) Ronya Galka, (c) Shuki Laufer
Picture (c) Shuki Laufer
Picture (c) Matt Stuart
Picture (c) Ronya Galka
As opposed to the first case, here the shadow of an external element is cast on the character of the picture. The shadow can fictitiously add some accessories, unwanted body parts, or complement the wardrobe of any individual passing by under the shadow. Also the shadow can mask some elements of the character, which can add some dramatic effects to the picture.
Pictures (c) Matt Stuart, (c) Markus Hartel
Picture (c) Matt Stuart
Picture (c) Markus Hartel
In this style of photograph, the shadow becomes the main element of the picture. The picture is even more striking when this shadow takes a supernatural form or stretches exaggeratedly, suggesting the human presence and actions. More figurative and dramatic, these pictures will give way to imagination, creating subjective situations or striking pictorial effects.
Since the shadow only provides a very dark silhouette, it’s always better to shoot these shadows when they are cast on special materials, with high textural effects which will enhance the picture. Shadows that angle in toward the camera are also great for catching attention and creating interest.
The subject should be easily identifiable by the viewer. For street photography you are more likely to look for human shadows, but you can look for other subjects like birds, people, buildings, shapes, flowers, trees, or whatever you can think of. The viewer should be able to tell what the picture is as soon as they look at it, not just a black blob of a shadow on a page.
Pictures (c) Nick Turpin, (c) Pavel Medvedev
Picture (c) Nick Turpin
Picture (c) Pavel Medvedev
You can use the long shadows produced by the low angled sun to lead the viewer’s eye in a certain path through the photograph.
Pictures (c) Ronya Galka,
Picture (c) Ronya Galka
Picture (c) Ronya Galka
Turn your photo upside down so the subject takes the place of the shadow and the shadow takes the place of the subject. The viewer will not immediately understand what’s going on in the picture at start. However it will be a good surprise when the trick is revealed.
Pictures (c) Antonio Grambone, (c) Amanaria
Picture (c) Antonio Grambone
Picture (c) Amanaria
Picture (c) Antonio Grambone
Look for grids, fences, columns, poles, mesh, nets, … that create repetitive elements when cast on the ground and walls. The shadow can also envelop the characters, literally dressing the subjects with shadows.
Pictures (c) Nick Turpin, (c) Sandra Mösinger
Picture (c) Sandra Mösinger
Picture (c) Nick Turpin
Pictures (c) Matt Stuart, Picture (c) Antonio Grambone, Pictures (c) Amanaria, Picture (c) Ricky Montalbano, Picture (c) Ronya Galka, Picture (c) Kishor Ksharma, Picture (c) Markus Hartel, Picture (c) Arnold Pouteau, Picture (c) Stryker66, Picture (c) Pavel Medvedev, Picture (c) Shuki Laufer, Picture (c) Nick Turpin, Picture (c) Ricky Siegers, Picture (c) Matt Weber
5 Tips for Using Shadows – Associated Content – associatedcontent.com
Eight Great Ways To Include Shadows In Your Pictures
Digital Photography - Using Shadows to Create Dynamic Photos
Showcase Of Beautiful Shadow Photography – Smashing Magazine
Photography Tips: Using Shadows to Your Advantage
If you have a picture that you think could illustrate this article, don’t hesitate to contact me or you can submit the picture directly here: Submit a picture.
Picture (c) Matt Stuart
“Fantastic street photographs are readily available in every public space, but over-familiarity with our environment means we often miss out on special moments and scenes unfolding in front of us. These tips will help you see those decisive moments and learn to trust your instincts. Once you’ve picked up the confidence to get close to your subjects and you’ll be able to use your camera as a mirror of society and come away with unreal, witty and dramatic-looking shots – don’t forget to post your images in the galleries or let us know how you get on!”
Read more: 21 street photography tips from the professionals (by PhotoRadar)
Chris Weeks, already known for his pdf manifesto published on deviantArt “Street photography for the purists” and “What’s in the bag of a street photographer“, now proposes a video titled “Street photography – Documenting the Human Condition”.
In this video you’ll see his work and other street photographers’ work : Severin Koller, Frank Jackson and Mario Anzuoni, all with different perspectives for shooting street photography.
Besides the (very insistent) commercial for Leica rangefinders, some good thoughts are developed on street photography (better in video 2 and 3). Also, it’s always interesting to see street photographers while they are shooting in the street. Pros, amateurs, in LA, NYC, London, Paris or any city street, I guess we more or less all look the same.
photo by Leon Levinstein
AMID the fussy grandeur of the Metropolitan Museum of Art sits an unexpected show of photographs. “Hipsters, Hustlers, and Handball Players” is a collection of Leon Levinstein’s black-and-white pictures of New York City from 1950 to 1980. They are raw and energetic, with rubbish-strewn streets, stooped old men, fat painted ladies and posturing youths in tight jeans. One photograph features a woman in a white party dress curled up on the beach, asleep and mysterious. Another sees two handball players snapped from behind, aloft and balletic.
Full article here : Cheap perfume and fried chicken (The economist)
Mets exhibit description there : Hipsters, Hustlers, and Handball Players: Leon Levinstein’s New York Photographs, 1950–1980
