Tips on taking street photos

Street photography is filled with many challenges. You have absolutely no control over your environment but the pay-off is also immense. The subjects you can focus on is virtually limitless, you

can play around with so many things with your camera to produce stunning photos and a great street photo is truly a work of art. If you want to try street photography here are some things that will help

you.

* You should go out with the lens that are perfect for street photography. Usually these are telephoto and wide angle lenses. A telephoto lens is perfect for taking pictures of people and of street life. Try to get an 18 – 200 mm lens because it is a versatile walkabout lens. This lens allows you to do closeups but still be at a distance that won’t invade people’s personal space. A wide-angle lens is perfect for shooting architecture or structures. For example, it will allow you to take a picture of the whole span of a bridge. Lens within the 11 to 22 mm range are perfect lenses.

* Try to choose the time of day when you’ll want to take photos. Although you can stay outside on the streets the whole day, in theory, it is still a better idea to just go out at the time of day when you’ll want to take pictures. Prioritize first what kind of street photos you want to concentrate on. Daylight and nighttime street photography have their own pros and cons. It’s up to you to decide which one would be a good time to start with.

* Always be prepared when taking street photos. This means bringing the equipment that you think you’ll need as you walk around the streets. This includes bringing a tripod, which is almost indispensable if you want to take time-lapse or fast action photos. Get a lightweight tripod so it won’t burden you when you carry it around for extended periods of time.

* A good practice for those who are just starting with street photography is to go out when there is an important event that is happening in public. For example, parades, festivals or fireworks displays are great opportunities to take photos of different subjects.

* Be familiar with your camera before you go out. Street photography will mostly rely on natural lighting and to take stunning photos you have to know the correct settings in order to get proper exposures or be creative with the exposure.

Read more on taking good action photos and food photos.

Photo from auto.howstuffworks.com