Street photography tips and tricks

When you look back at photos of your travels, do you find yourself quickly flipping past the famous landmarks to the smaller, intimate moments?  That’s what street photography is all about, capturing those slices of life.

The team at DigitalRev TV produced a video titled Street Photography Do’s and Don’ts.  DigitalRev is a Hong Kong-based photography site.  They run an active YouTube channel that has camera reviews, lens reviews, and comparisons of popular DSLRs.  The host, Kai, has a sense of humor (e.g. at 7:31 he says “That’s me in 50 years”).  The videos are fun to watch, if only to explore Hong Kong vicariously. For any pixel-peepers, every photo Kai takes has the f-stop, ISO and related details in the lower right corner of the screen.

Some of Kai’s tips:

  • Turn off auto-focus assist lamp, beeps and flash.
  • Use a 50mm prime lens.  This works better on DSLRs with full-frame sensors.  Entry-level DSLRs have cropped sensors, so a wider focal length like 35mm or 28mm would be more suitable.
  • Get close to your subjects.

 

Some of my best people-watching photos have been in Malaysia, due to its colorful mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian population.  A fair amount of Malays and Indians wore traditional clothing, which was naturally eye-catching.  I probably took more photos of people than buildings.

Do you like to do street photography?  What were some of the most memorable pictures you’ve taken?  Where are your favorite places for taking pictures?  Please share your stories in the comments.

Posted by | Comments (1)  | April 2, 2012
Category: General


One Response to “Street photography tips and tricks”

  1. Doug Stewart Says:

    OK – so I invested in the highest end (at the time) point and shoot I could afford – A Canon S90. I’ve just started recently digging into what this tiny camera can do (previously just used AUTO everything). It overwhelms me!! Are there a few tips for the point-and-shoot crowd??