Getting started with street photography.

[anj273]

Hi everybody.

New guy in town here, be nice ;)

I've been shooting for a couple of years now, and I prefer shooting people. There's just something about photographing people, which is incredibly appealing to me. And so I would like to do some street photography. There are a few problems though:

First of all, I live in a small (10-15k inhabitants) town in Denmark, so there's actually not a lot of street life going on, no markets to visit, no street artists, no nothing! But I'm thinking that shooting "street portraits" of random shoppers, on the main street might be a way to go.

Secondly, I'm having a really tough time walking up to strangers and ask to take their photo. I'm thinking that their initial reply would be something along the lines of: "What for??" - How do I respond to that, without coming of as some kind of weirdo?

Guess I'm looking for some kind of "Begginer's guide to street photography, in sleepy small towns."

Any ideas or thoughts will be greatly appreciated :)

/edit
I don't want to use a tele for this, I'm not into candid shots.

[zeddik]

First of all.. Check out this guy: http://vimeo.com/2992544

Second.. Nice to hear from someone else from Denmark ;)

I don't do a whole lot of street photography, but the part about asking strangers to take their photos is something I've dealt with.

I've found out that I need an excuse before I'm able to ask strangers to take their photograph. Lately, I've convinced myself that I need to expand my portfolio, and therefore I have to ask strangers if I can photograph them. I tell them the same thing if they ask me "What are they for???".

I sensed a hint of a gear question in the end? If you don't want to do candid photos, I'll suggest you go with a 30mm prime (if you're on an APS-C sensor, 50mm if you're on Full Frame) that can let in a lot of light. Canon makes a 28mm f/1.8 and Sigma has a 30mm f/1.4. I think you'll be able to do some really nice things with those!

You can do it the Nick Turpin way with a couple of flashes and some radio triggers pretty cheap as well. You'll need old manual flashes and cheap eBay triggers, and a DIY snoot. Then you're set ;)

[jeyaganesh]

Hi, For the street photography tips, please read this thread - http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=155169 Probably you might have seen that sticky thread.

Please also read this link http://www.photoradar.com/techniques/tips/21-street-photography-tips-from-the-professionals
Biggest street photographers David Solomons, Matt Stuart, and Nick Turpin were offered their advice regarding street photography there.

[anj273]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Nice with another dane - It seems there's quite a few us of here... :)

Actually found the sticky, right after posting this one, hehe. But thanks for the heads up :) - Only problem with the sticky thread is that there isn't much advice with regards to small town photography. Most of the tips only work in crowded cities, with a lot of life going on in the streets.

I like the gear recommendations too, actually bought a 5D yesterday, and ordered a 50 mm 1.4 as well, so I'm hoping I'll be set for next week!

[Tcon]

First of all.. Check out this guy: http://vimeo.com/2992544


It's easy to get people to pose when you say you represent men's health :D

[pistacie]

I'm from Denmark too and also live in a suburban town (about 50.000 people). I'd be very interested to know how photographers approach total strangers too. I think at least here, a lot of people would have a BIG problem with having their pictures taken for no real reason, so how do others go about taking pictures of people they don't already know?

[anj273]

I did it!
I went out this wednesday and got these two shots. The father and son came sat down next to me on a bench, and I asked if I could take their picture, they agreed no problem, and posed for me. Too bad the son isn't in focus...

The other one I got by pretending to be shooting something else, and when the guy walked in front of me, I snapped this shot.

[pistacie]

Awesome shots man. Especially like the bottom one, it looks really natural when people aren't aware that they're being photographed. Good job, I hope I'll be able to do the same!