Five Tips for Street Photography Newbies

Street photography might loosely be defined as a style of photography that aims to capture chance encounters and random happenings. While there are no set rules, it helps to follow some basic guidelines when you're just starting out. It can be quite intimidating — after all, it's a big world out there — but once you get the hang of it, you'll discover a new found love for the fascinating faces and places you meet in cobbled-city streets. To get you ready for the road ahead, here are the some tips all street shooters should have under their belt.

1. Take Your Time

You can always spot a wide-eyed newbie out and about, nervously capturing anything and everything they see. It can indeed be tempting to keep snapping photos every time a shiny object catches your eye, but being patient and observant will undoubtedly pay many more creative dividends in the long-run! If there's a nearby coffee shop with a good view of the street, set up camp there, relax with a cup of coffee, and wait for the right time to seize the moment. You’ll be street-wise before you know it.

Credits: kanrapee, faaabii & outlierimagery

2. Be Discreet

Your equipment plays a big part, too. Big and bulky cameras may be too distracting if you're aiming to shoot candid subjects. Consider the weight of your gear too, if you plan to walk around. But even if you're just planning to stay still and watch the world go by, you'll find that a small, compact camera and lens attachment will help siginifcantly. The Minitar-1 Art Lens is slim and compact enough for swift snaps and it won't cramp your style either

Credits: koduckgirl, dop & antoniocampofreddo

3. Capture Emotions

Every person you encounter has their own secrets to keep and stories to tell. And even if you don't actually talk with them, their feelings are written all over their face. Are you brave enough to take their portrait?

Credits: kanrapee, funiku & outlierimagery

4. Catch “The Decisive Moment”

Take a cue from the father of street photography himself, Henri Cartier-Bresson. “The Decisive Moment”, Cartier-Bresson suggests, "is the perfect moment when everything falls into place". Capturing such a lucky moment requires a quick eye and shutter finger. For super speedy street snaps, the Minitar-1 Art Lens comes with quick zone focusing, so you’ll never miss a moment.

Credits: kanrapee & juniardigiugno

5. Feast On Eye Candy

Urban scenes are bustling with all kinds of colors and characters, so keep your eyes peeled for things that are unique and charming like a youth caring an old lady’s shopping bags, or a tall, muscly man walking a tiny chihuahua.

Graphical elements and artistic angles, shadows and highlights, and other visually pleasing details in a well-composed shot will help to make your photos even more striking. If you love the punchy colors and moody vingetting of the Lomo LC-A, the Minitar-1 Art Lens works with a variety of digital and analogue cameras to give you the same effect it's analogue predecessor isfamous for.

Credits: faaabii, taking, kanrapee, nural, alienmeatsack & mcgloin

2018-07-22

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