There are so many different types of photography and it's really best to pick one and get really good at it. Actually all types of photography relate to each other because the skill sets are the same or very similar. You still need to have a strong knowledge of composition, light and shutter speed and know what kind of depth of field you would like to have in your image. Every image is like that, right, and we want to make those decisions for ourselves, not let the camera make it for you, right? Right!
A really good street photographer will be able to create a story from a picture, not just present a static image. The other essential tool you need to be good on the street is to not be afraid to go up to people and ask to take their picture. What's the worst they can say, no? So you move on and find someone else to photograph.
This girl, I'll call Wanda (for some reason), clearly is not a wall flower. She obviously wants people to notice her, and she was very agreeable to have me take her picture. I was able to get her backlit with the sun behind her, giving her interesting locks a glow.
This story was a father and son out together at a local pizzeria. They were sitting behind a screen, so I got this sort of haziness to the picture. They were quite agreeable as well, the father looked so proud of his little boy. Street photography is about connecting with people and showing a little slice of their life. (Get the pizza reference, slice of life?)
Check out these images from my friend Nancy Lehrer, a talented street photographer. These are images she took in Cuba and every picture tells a story. She waits until the story unfolds before she takes the picture, and time after time, she gets these amazing images. Enjoy!
Holly Higbee-Jansen has been exploring her fascination with light through photography since she was a young child. Holly teaches digital photography, is a personal guide for Jansen Photo Expeditions, and runs a successful glamour photography business, Natural Light Photography.
