Intro
It’s okay, you’re on the right foot. You are ready to embark on the adventure of street photography. You are armed with your best gear, determined to take the best photos of the city you are in. You swell with courage and off you go … but … it’s a cold shower! You are embarrassed in certain situations, you hesitate a lot, you don’t really know if what you are doing is right, or if you are doing it well … you have yet seen these POV videos on youtube, it looked so simple, but now that you are there, billions of questions overlap in your head and inhibit your creativity! This article is presented as a guide that will allow you to identify the lines that it is common not to cross in street photography … this may seem to limit, but the limits can thus border our creative freedom to multiply it tenfold. Street photography brings up ethical and moral questions that it is good to have asked yourself before in order to be able to get rid of them once in the street. This guide is based on respect for others and their environment, because I think it is the best way to do it, even if there are other methods that I support less but which can also give good results.
Table of Contents
Don’t be creepy
When you start, you try to photograph without being spotted. As a result, we try to escape the gaze of the other because we are uncomfortable with the practice of photography. We often have the fear of being a voyeur, at least of being perceived as such by the people we photograph … but all this is false, it is our own fears that we project onto the other, our way of judging ourselves which is reflected in the gaze of the other. This is why, as we will see later, it is essential to clarify the reason why you are photographing. The concern is that in wanting to avoid being worried for the other, our attitude changes and we appear exactly as we do not want to be: we hide, we dress in discreet colors, we hold the camera a little hidden as if we were spies, we look away, we get agitated. By wanting to avoid being spotted, we send back all the signs of a person who, by his bizarre behavior, draws all eyes to him.
Do explain why you are taking pictures
The truth is quite different: not everyone cares about you and your camera. We live in a world where everyone is in their little bubble, too busy creating illusory links on social networks. Go out into the street, stay 5 minutes, and look at the number of people hunched over their phones around you. We spend our life taking pictures of ourselves, everyone is aware of the culture of the image. At the time, whoever had a camera was the star of the neighborhood. Now, the cheap alternatives make it possible for everyone to get a camera, everyone has one in their pocket. As I have already said in previous articles, some people spontaneously ask me to be photographed. Go to a crowded place and you will find that people don’t have time to procrastinate around why you are taking pictures. And if so, what is the problem? You are an adult who can explain that you photograph because it is your passion, right?
Don’t procrastinate
Very quickly, you will feel that street photography exposes you to a form of anxiety. This is completely normal, I even think that it is part of street photography. It’s a form of adrenaline that allows you to go ahead, “earn” your photo, and reap the rewards of your hard work. All great photographers will tell you, they never really get rid of that anxiety when photographing strangers, even after decades of practice. To put it in perspective because this anxiety can inhibit your desire to continue the practice of photography. You will develop a “gear acquisition” syndrome which will give you the perfect alibi for not photographing: “I miss this, I miss that … etc”, and thus push back the most important thing: practicing, again and again!
Do look for regularity
Consistency is the key to success. You will quickly tell me that you don’t have time, but this is wrong! Subtract all that time you spend on social media or on your phone, and you’ll see that you can free up some time to practice photography. No need to go far: get off at the bottom of your house. See each outing as an opportunity to photograph: when you go shopping, on the road to work, when you go to the fitness center or when you have an evening planned with friends … etc. Create a little routine: for example, every day, after work to go home, I take a short walk of 30 minutes 100% focused on photography. By dint of regularity, you will feel more and more comfortable in the streets, as if you were at home. You will get into the habit of going beyond your fears, but also using your camera and training your eye to compose and capture the “moment”.
Don’t over post process your pictures
That’s it, it’s in the box, you’ve captured your best photos and you’re going home. You’ve watched the best photo tutorials on the net for styling photographs. You open the lightroom and you have a heavy hand: photos become unnatural, colors are too saturated, dynamic range is too wide … etc. It is very easy to overdo the editing, it is much easier to do it with subtlety. Street photography allows above all to capture a moment, to archive a part of reality. Why do you want to distort it? In my opinion, the retouching should make it possible to better highlight what you intended to show. So, you should use lightroom as a visual enhancer in order to match your image with the memory you had of it.
Do make a balanced editing
In order for the post process to appear as natural as possible, you have to do balanced editing. I will certainly do a tutorial around one of the ways of looking at post-processing. A few keys that seem important to me, however, when viewing your photos: directly draw up a list of things that are wrong: white balance? Overexposure or rather an underexposure? Imperfect framing. Let’s be clear: no retouching will allow you to take a beautiful photo if it was not taken as soon as you took the shot. Touch-ups should be done in just a few minutes: Move the exposure slider if needed. Make sure the horizon line is straight. Select the mood you want to convey with the white balance slider. Play with contrasts with the tone curve. Make local corrections with radial masks to correct under or overexposure. Full stop !!
Don’t come back home with frustration
You are at the bend of a street, a scene worthy of a photo of Doisneau appears in front of you, your heart is pounding because all the elements are there, you are attracted by the scene: The light is magnificent, the people are colorful, the action is unusual, you already have the photo in mind before you even press the shutter button… for sure this photo will be perfect … but… one of the protagonists is turning his head towards you, and you are paralyzed, you dare not trigger and you go your way… The worst impression, in my opinion, that a street photographer can have is to go home with the frustration of not being able to take the photo he wanted. Do not do it!
Do ask for the picture you don’t wanna miss
In the situation described above I have an unstoppable solution: don’t miss any opportunity and, if attention comes to you, just ask if you can shoot. At best, the person will agree and you are free to take whatever you want. At worst, the person will refuse, and you will leave without frustration because you will at least have asked. That is to say that you will have missed the photo, not because you did not dare to take it but because you will have respected the wishes of the person. So NO REGRETS, at least you will have tried, which is already a small victory!
Don’t take pictures that hurts dignity
By dint of photographing, you will acquire a certain experience, greater ease but also a greater detachment with the content of your image. You will go to the front of any situation, without hesitation (or almost). You will photograph people in funny, comical, innocuous, extraordinary situations, but also the opposite: photograph people who will be in huge distress, or in situations where the image can affect the physical dignity of the person. So for the love of the god of photography, stop photographing homeless people! Or do it in such a way that dignity is respected. In France, the law authorizes the practice of photographing strangers in the street, without authorization, as long as the image does not compromise the dignity of the person or that it does not cause collateral damage.
Do wonder if you would like to be shown in this situation
The question is both simple and complicated: If I can do it if the Law allows me to do it, does that mean I have to do it? The practice of photography questions our morality. In order not to cross the line, I always ask myself a question when taking the photo, then when viewing at home: Would I like this photo to be taken of myself? Putting yourself in the other’s shoes, showing empathy, can act as a filter that allows us to be respectful of the other and more comfortable with what we do. If life led you to beg money on your knees, would you like to be shown in this situation without consent?
Don’t rush
Armed with your camera, you are like an animal in the street, looking for new prey to hunt. Except that, unlike a feline, you move much too fast !! Your step is rapid, you swallow kilometers of streets in search of the perfect moment but by doing so, you miss what you are looking for. Things go by fast, you’re never in the right place at the right time. You will have to learn to be patient! The truth is, you rush because you are anxious …. So calm down!
Do wait for the right moment
Slow down, stroll quietly in the streets, like a flâneur. Take the time to observe, become one with your surroundings, not as if you are an intruder but as if you are part of the street. Stop at a street corner, let people pass, study the incidence of light, the possibilities of composition, turn around the subject, look for elements of narration … etc. You will see, this solution will be more rewarding than searching everywhere with agitation.
Don’t go against culture and local legislation
You take your camera and photograph everything that passes in front of your lens. People reject you, they shout at you, they ask you to delete the images … etc. They call the police, you photograph them too, and you end up in police custody (an extreme case of course). Your problem: you did not find out about the culture of the country in which you are photographing, on the way people perceive photography, but also on the laws which govern the practice … you are an outlaw and people are right to yell at you!
Do take informations about places you intend to visit
Yes, each country is different, each culture too. The Mediterranean countries are for example more famous for being “photo-friendly” than the Nordic countries for example. Even if these are obviously generalities that can be false, know the legislation around the practice of street photography in the country in which you are located, but also how it influences the way people see the photo, can save you a lot of awkward situations. Even better, this information will allow you to know more about your surroundings, which will be greatly appreciated by the subjects you will meet and will provide better photographic opportunities. So, go to the nearest library and inquire about having an “informed” approach.
Don’t spend too much time changing your gear and settings
You’ve spent the last three months amassing a ton of gear and satisfying your GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). You are over-equipped: two cameras, 4 lenses fill your camera bag. You are ready for any eventuality. However, the fact that you have too many choices seems to distract you. You spend your time trying to figure out which goal is best for the situation. You open and close your camera bag about 50 times, so you miss the moment that is unfolding in front of you. Another possibility: you are undecided as to the choice of isos, shutter speed, aperture. You get stuck in manual mode and are too slow to capture the moment.
Do set it for once and focus on your environment
One camera, one lens. That’s all you need for your next photo trip. Set your camera once and for all and go for it. Your camera is a tool that should allow you, if used correctly, to never miss a moment (or almost). You have the best zoom and the best wide-angle in the world: these are your feet! Having minimalist equipment means having the possibility of not being distracted by your tool and of being more connected with those around you. It is also the possibility of mastering your equipment, your focal length, and therefore sharpening your sense of composition. Take it as a game: one day you go out with your 50mm, the next month with your 35mm, then your 85mm… etc… challenge yourself. For the settings, use the automatic or semi-automatic mode of your device!
Don’t be a bastard
You are sure of yourself, you take to the streets as if it belonged to you. Armed with your ultra-wide-angle lens and cocky face, you place your camera in front of people, press the shutter button, and walk away without paying attention to the person’s reaction. You have a closed face, headphones in your ears, a furrowed brow, you are a very serious person that no one wants to talk to. And yet, you allow yourself to be intrusive and photograph everything you see. This kind of person destroys the image people have of street photographers, making them suspicious. You believe yourself elusive behind this haughty image that betrays your anguish. So please stop being a bastard!
Do be comprehensive, open-minded and smiling
Be smiling, outgoing, sociable. Look people in the eye, exchange a few words, make a little joke. Ask them for information, take an interest in them before photographing them. Ask them to take their picture, or make a gesture that might suggest it. Whatever you bring with you, people will give you back. The street acts as a mirror of who we are deep inside us. If someone refuses, no problem, go your way with a smile. If someone asks you to delete the photo, no problem. Show people the photos you take of them if the opportunity arises, exchange email addresses, send the photo… Better! Get in the habit of coming into contact with strangers, leaving your camera at home…
Don’t shoot without any plan/purpose
Don’t take street photography if you don’t know why you are doing it. The best way to fail in this practice is not to have taken the time to define why you are photographing… In addition, people will ask you why you want to take their portrait, and the lack of prior elaboration around this question will put you in great disarray! The person will then have doubts about your honesty and may ask you to delete your photo. You will miss great opportunities.
Do set a goal and a reason to go down the streets
What prompts you to go to the streets instead of doing studio portraits? What do you want to convey through your photos? Are your photographs for humanist purposes? Social? History for archival purposes for example? Only you can define your goal which will guide your photography practice. Do you want to document a specific topic? Life in your neighborhood? The ecological transition of your city? The way people are living in 2021? There are thousands of answers to this question! Defining a goal is also to be more comfortable when people ask you what is the project behind it all (hearing “what is the project” or “what does the other want from me” which is one of the most worrying questions in the history of mankind). Don’t make up fake lives for yourself, be honest and people will feel that you are not a threat.
Conclusion:
Here are for me, the essential rules, the bases, which make it possible to consolidate the practice of street photography serenely and in the respect of the other. Some will say that the rules are made to be circumvented, so I leave you the freedom to explore them on your own, but to have authentic photos, I strongly advise you to be authentic with those around you. There is only one thing left for you to do: take the first lens that passes you by, put on your best smile, and go down to the city center!
