[Photography] 39 Street Photography Images That Have Common Threads

Street photography is a popular genre which many photographers enjoy, just for the sake of doing photography. You can find many articles on it here on dPS. Let’s look at a few street photography images from around the world and see if we can’t find similarities, as well as differences between them all.

I got carried away selecting images for this collection because I found the inter-connections intriguing and it inspired me. I hope you can see it too.

Photographers shooting other photographers

Working the Scene by Shamas Malik on 500px

He is nikon photographer. How long have you been doing photography? by Zachary Voo on 500px

The spy by Alexander Dragunov on 500px

Strike Back by Vichaya Pop on 500px

Violinist And Photographer by Juha Roisko on 500px

fellow photographer by Nico Ouburg on 500px

spring frame… by Konstantin Vodolazov on 500px

Subways, taxis, and transportation

 

Don’t Forget to Smile by Liz Leeb on 500px

Subway In Lisboa by Damien Dohmen on 500px

Munich Subway in Yelow by Darío Sastre on 500px

Waiting by Fabio Vittorelli on 500px

some day, the man of your dreams… by laurent aublé on 500px

Youth by Olga Bekker on 500px

Taxi by Steffen Richter on 500px

Paris Taxi by Manuel Orero on 500px

Trinidad Cuba – The Green Taxi by John Barclay on 500px

tuk tuk by Eo NaYa on 500px

Tuk Tuk by Drew Hopper on 500px

Pedicab by Kent Atwell on 500px

rickshaw by avenish jain on 500px

Markets and vendors

Enlightened Colours by Daniel Bosma on 500px

Under the Bridge by Michael Steverson on 500px

Crab Steam ! by Mardy Suong Photography on 500px

Ducky by Michael Steverson on 500px

Date Seller by William Selviz on 500px

Scottish Cheeseshop /Monger by Benedikt D-rner on 500px

Morning time by Dikye Darling on 500px

market by Omid Farrokh on 500px

Taladromhub , Samutsongkham , Thailand by Atipan Khantalee (Thailand) on 500px

A Piece of Lokbaintan by Fauzan Maududdin on 500px

Buskers or musicians

sax player by Daniel Antunes on 500px

The Accordionist by Joanna Lemanska on 500px

Musicians by Gazali © on 500px

The street musician by Alina Voitkov? on 500px

Clarinetist by Hai Hua on 500px

The Moroccan Street Crooner by Blindman shooting on 500px

Prague by Eduardo González on 500px

Busker by Marc Apers on 500px

Street Musician in Cienfuegos by Nevzat Gökmen on 500px

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[Photography] 3 Downsides to Scouting New Photography Locations Online

Do you scout for potential photography locations online through sites like Flickr, Panoramio or 500px?

Of course you do! It’s easy, you get hundreds of photographs to look at of any given location, and you might even get some great ideas that you hadn’t thought about for subject matter or composition. So why am I asking you this question?

Well here’s another question for you…

Have you ever thought about the downsides of online photo scouting?

I’m going to venture a guess that it probably hasn’t even crossed your mind before today. What downsides could there possibility be with these rich resources, filled with information about where, and how a photograph was taken? Read on to find out.

1. You’re seeing hundreds, if not thousands of photographs

When it comes to sites like Flickr or Panoramio, or even apps like Stuck on Earth (which pulls its photographs from these sites) you’re able to see many years worth of photographs taken by dozens, if not hundreds, or even thousands of photographers. At first glance this might seem like a great resource, and to some extent it is, but there’s also a downside – namely you might get lost trying to mimic and forget to create.

Because you’re able to see so many photographs of a given location you may become so focused on a specific angle or idea from these photographs, that you forget to look for your own unique way to express the scene in question – and as a result your image may lose some originality.

2. The things a photo can’t tell you

A photograph on a website will give you some great ideas and insight into a location, but at the same time, it doesn’t tell you a lot of important things too. For example, you’ll have no idea how many attempts it took the photographer to find the right lighting conditions. You won’t know much about how difficult the location is to reach, or if that particular image required camping out to achieve the desired result.

3. You’re drawn to the best photography

Not only are you naturally going to be drawn to the best photography on these sites, but they tend to push the best photography higher in searches and ranking, making it even more likely that’s what you’re going to see. Again, on the surface this might sound like a great thing because you’re able to see all the great possibilities that a given location has to offer – but there may be a downside here as well.

Think about this… how likely is it that these great photographs you’re seeing are from people who have visited a location just once? Most great photographs are planned, iterated upon, and purposefully shot. When you find a photograph on a site like this you’re looking at the best of the best, and as a result you’re seeing the best possible lighting conditions a scene might offer, which might not occur while your there.

In an article I’ve previously written for DPS titled Start feeling GOOD about YOUR photography I noted that it’s important that you don’t compare your work to someone else’s. This is particularly true for those who have more experience behind a camera than you, as it will only lead to disappointment.

I think that this advice can be extended to scouting for locations and inspiration as well. Setting the bar too high will only lead to stress and anxiety if you’re unable to produce results that live up to your expectations. This experience could leave you disappointed about your trip to a fantastic location – which had you gone in blind, may not have happened.

Final thoughts

I don’t want you to completely write off these resources, after all they do provide you with great inspiration and ideas. This isn’t an article designed to get you to stop using these sites, or even this technique for finding locations, but rather, to use it smarter. I hope this has given you something to think about. Please feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments section below.

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[Photography] 7 Step to Create Street Photography Silhouettes

For the street photographer, shooting a perfect silhouette is a very gratifying moment. Just like anything else in street photography, not every subject makes for an interesting silhouette photograph. Here are a few tips to help you capture an interesting silhouette on your next photo walk.

Some elements, such as bicycles, make for more interesting silhouettes.

1. Set your camera for success

To shoot a silhouette you have to take control of your camera first. Your flash needs to be turned off. Ideally your exposure is set for the highlights (background). If you set your exposure on your subject, your camera will try to expose your subject properly. The result would reveal too much detail in the subject and blow out the highlights in the background. Exposing for the highlights is easily done if your camera is set to spot metering. You can also use average metering and trick your camera by stopping down your exposure compensation so that your subject remains dark.

Focussing can be tricky. You can spot meter for the highlights and manually focus on your subject. Or, if you shoot in Aperture Priority, set your aperture to a large number (small aperture) to allow for most of the scene to be in focus (large depth of field)

It is important not to blow out the highlights in sunrise and sunset silhouettes.

2. Don’t be afraid to blow out the highlights

Okay, I just told you to expose properly to avoid blowing out the highlights. That is certainly a good thing to keep in mind if you are shooting against the sunset, sunrise or the moon light for example. The rest of the time, unless the details in the background add to your story, you’re better off blowing out the highlights and going for a more dramatic effect. Your silhouette will stand out more on a white and unobtrusive background.

Details in the background should not distract from your silhouette.

3. Learn to recognize a good silhouette

Now you know the basic technique to shoot a silhouette, that was the easy part. The most important piece is to be able to see a potentially strong subject, so be discerning!  Many elements come into play. The body being well defined is important, you should be able to recognize the shape right away. If the subject is facing you or his/her back is turned to you, there should be space between the arms and the body, the legs should be well defined as well. If you are photographing a person looking sideways, the features of their face should be quite clear.

Capturing the right gesture or step is a key element for a successful silhouette in street photography.

4. Avoid obstructions

Avoid obstructions in front of, and behind your subject. Timing is important. Silhouettes of posts or other obstructions can ruin the shot. Position yourself accordingly for the best possible shot.

Timing is everything, especially in a cluttered environment.

5. Try some added effects

A sunburst can be an added bonus to a silhouette photograph, and a welcome added challenge for you, the photographer.

Add to the challenge with a sunburst effect.

6. Try a minimalist approach

Find an interesting architecture or urban landscape and wait for someone to enter your frame. Even small, the human element becomes the focal point.

A minimalist approach to photographing a silhouette can make for a strong image.

7. Tweak in post-processing

If you use Lightroom, you can easily tweak your photograph by using the contrast, highlights, shadows and black sliders for the final touches and the look you envision.

Now grab your camera and hit the streets!

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[Photography] The Most Under-Valued Editing Tool for Architectural Photos

Nothing catches the eye of a potential home buyer or design client quite like a beautiful set of photos. Whether it’s for real estate agents, designers, or homeowners, expectations are high, and restrictions are often many. It’s not uncommon to have to deal with extremely short notice, very short windows of time in which to work, or to be asked for almost immediate turnaround. We, as photographers, become torn between meeting all the needs while still producing work we are proud of… and all while still making a profit! In real estate, especially, this often leads to photos that are “good enough”. But does it have to be this way?

While most are aware of the basics of editing images for interior spaces, there is one tool that is often undervalued – the Gradient Filter. This can be a tremendous tool for helping to balance out fading light on the edges of a frame when you are limited on gear and are not able to balance out the light on location. Adding a few Gradient Filters onto an image can make your mundane interior photos go from acceptable to impressive, with minimal time invested. The Gradient tool is also excellent in helping to sharpen up towards the edges of the frame, helping to compensate slightly for lens distortion.

The Gradient Gilter can be found just below the histogram in Lightroom. Once applied, you can move it around by grabbing the central node, you can change the angle of it by placing cursor over center line and clicking to spin it, and you can also spread or tighten the gradient by grabbing the outermost line and moving it inward or outward. The flexibility of positioning alone is a great benefit when trying to keep editing time to a minimum.

Gradient filter tool can be found under the histogram in Lightroom

Another great quality about the gradient filter is that, unlike the lens vignetting correction (under the Lens Correction module) or the post-crop vignetting effect, the Gradient Filter can adjust many factors of the image. You can adjust exposure, temperature, tint, sharpness, clarity, and several others. This makes it a very handy tool for making subtle adjustments that would otherwise be tougher to blend in with a brush filter. In this before-and-after example, the gradient filter has been used to adjust for the blue tint in the shadows on the floor due to the bed cover. It’s a subtle adjustment that helps to elevate the quality of work.

Let’s look at a few more before and after photos so you can see the effect of the gradient filter. In the series below, the only change that has been done to the After photos is the addition of Gradient Filters. While the Before photos are acceptable to most, adding the Gradient Filters helps to add extra polish to the photos. It helps to bring it up another notch, and will help to impress your clients even more than usual!

Note that in most cases, you will want to add several gradient filters, not just one. Each space will be a bit different, but the need tends to toward adding a bit of subtle light onto the sides of the frame, along with some clarity and possible slight temperature adjustments depending on light sources.

Exterior photos can benefit just as much from the Gradient Filter as interiors! Not all scenes will need this type of adjustment, but below is an example of a common setup that benefitted greatly from gradient filter adjustments. The shadows in the lower left corner of the frame are too dark, and a gradient filter adjusting the brightness of shadows is ideal for balancing them out.

As a final point, it’s worth noting that the Gradient Filter tool is one that should finish off your editing, and should not be the main editing technique used on an image. In nearly all cases, it will be a perfect tool for some finessing of highlights/shadows or temperature so that your image will have that extra bit of polish. Before exporting your final files and sharing with your client, be sure to consider if a Gradient Filter should be added into your arsenal of editing tools.

Do you have a different tool that you feel is undervalued for photo editing? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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[Photography] Your Guide to Understanding Program Mode on Your Camera

Almost every DSLR or Mirrorless camera has a mode dial with a variety of letters and icons on it, some of which might seem cryptic or confusing. Usually you’ll find a green icon for Full Auto mode (usually a green A or rectangle), Full Manual mode (M), as well as Aperture Priority (A or Av) and Shutter Priority (S or Tv). Your camera might also feature scene modes such as portrait, night, or macro, and even some user-configurable modes indicated with a U1 or U2 (or C1/C2, etc.).

Somewhere on that dial is a letter that’s often left neglected, and unused by many people, even though it can be quite powerful – Program Auto (P). In my experience most people don’t use it because they don’t understand it. Is it Auto? Is it Manual? What can it do that the other modes can’t? The answer is a bit strange at first, but once you wrap your head around what the humble little P mode can do, you might find yourself using it much more than you thought.

The camera mode dial operates on somewhat of a continuum. On one end you have Full Manual mode, which gives you complete control over the three elements of exposure: shutter speed, lens aperture, and ISO sensitivity. On the other end you have Full Auto mode which gives you almost no control over exposure except whether the flash turns on or not (and on some cameras, not even that much). On most cameras Full Auto will not even let you choose basic parameters like white balance and focus mode, which is fine if you just want to shoot some pictures and not worry about all the technical aspects of photography.

The other modes exist in the middle of the spectrum and give you some degree of control, while your camera handles the rest. For instance, in Aperture Priority you control the aperture and ISO, and let your camera figure out what shutter speed to use for a good overall exposure. In Shutter Priority things are reversed; you control the shutter speed and ISO, while your camera figures out what aperture to use.

Program mode exists on the same continuum somewhere between Aperture/Shutter Priority and Full Automatic. When you initially put your camera in P mode you might notice that things look similar to Full Auto; your camera sets the aperture and shutter speed in order to get a proper exposure. One benefit you might not immediately realize is that you can set the ISO which will then remain unchanged by the camera. This is quite useful in situations where you want to intentionally use a lower ISO, such as outdoors or in bright light, or a high ISO when things are a bit darker and you prefer to not activate the flash. If nothing else, think of the Program Auto mode as an ISO Priority mode; you set the ISO and your camera figures out the shutter speed and the aperture. If that’s all you want to do, you’re set. Change the ISO (or not) and worry only about composing and framing your shots, then let your camera figure out the rest.

Program Auto gave me a well-exposed picture but the result was not what I was hoping for. I wanted a smoother look for the fountain…

…so I quickly adjusted my shutter speed to 1/20 using the dial on my camera. Program mode kept a nice exposure while giving me the motion blur I was looking for.

If you’re willing to dig a little deeper you will find many more useful features to unlock in Program mode – far more than just giving you the ability to control the ISO. It’s kind of like the familiar Auto mode on steroids. There are many options available to you in Program that you won’t get in Full Auto, and many of these can help you get the shot you want, instead of the shot your camera thinks you want. However, as you start changing settings your camera will do its best to maintain a proper exposure. In this way Program is like the late-night infomercial version of Auto; it handles all the nitty-gritty complicated stuff for you…but wait, there’s more!

For example: if you are using Program mode while taking pictures at an indoor birthday party you can set a high ISO so you don’t need to use the flash, and your camera will choose a combination of aperture and shutter speed to get a properly-exposed photo. You can then rotate the command dial (on some cameras it might be pressing a button) to change these values if you decide you want a wider aperture or slower shutter. Essentially your camera says “Here’s what I think will be good,” and then you take over and say “Thanks bro, I’ll take it from here” as you shift the values of your shutter and aperture using the dial on your camera.

I shot this using Program Auto mode which was a great way to tweak my exposure settings on the fly with very little time to waste.

Or you might be outdoors doing some nature photography but aren’t quite sure what settings to use. So, you put your camera in Program and set the ISO to 100 in order to get as little noise as possible. Soon you might notice that your camera has selected a small aperture, and you’d like to get a bit of background blur so you quickly rotate the dial on your camera until your aperture is much wider. Your camera then automatically adjusts the shutter speed accordingly, in order to maintain a good exposure.

You can also set parameters within Program like white balance, metering mode (full/center/spot), select which focus point to use, and even tell your camera to use the flash or not. Contrast this to the Full Auto mode and you start to see the usefulness of the humble little P marker on your camera’s mode dial. At this point you might be wondering why you would want to use Program Auto instead of Aperture or Shutter Priority because those will also allow you to set the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Program Auto sort of functions like the best of all worlds: you can change various options if you want to, or you can just leave everything alone and let your camera figure it all out.

Shooting in Program mode gave me a good overall exposure but I was not happy with the results…

…so I switched to spot metering, re-took the shot, and got what I wanted. Program allows for this flexibility, whereas Full Auto does not.

I must admit that even though Program mode can be quite useful I spend most of my time in Shutter or Aperture Priority along with Manual. For me Program is great to have in a pinch, but I generally prefer to make more of the decisions when shooting, instead of having my camera do the heavy lifting.

Still, it’s good to be aware of what it is, and what it can do, in case you find yourself in a situation where you don’t want to give up all control to your camera but also don’t want to do everything yourself. What’s your preferred method of shooting, and what do you like (or dislike) about using the Program Auto mode? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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