Chapter 3

Techniques

One of the reasons so many photographers decide to try their hand at street photography is because it is—or at least it appears to be—so easy. If you’re using one of today’s fully automatic cameras, you simply point, frame, and shoot. More often than not the result will be a decently exposed, properly focused, but if truth be told, mediocre image.

The real challenge lies in producing photographs that, aside from meeting basic technical requirements, are actually interesting, fascinating, wondrous, humorous, poignant, or amazing. This requires a degree of artistry and creativity, an interest in human behavior, and a feel for timing, light and shadow, and color and composition. I can point you in the right direction, but only you can decide how deeply you want to explore this craft. Keep in mind that the primary objective of any technique you use should be to capture what street photography master Henri Cartier-Bresson called “the decisive moment”—the split second when a significant, spontaneous event combines with a pleasing composition of elements to produce a satisfying photograph.

This, of course, implies that you are taking candid photos and that your subject is not waiting patiently for you to focus, zoom, and release the shutter. When you’re shooting on impulse, you will need to reduce or eliminate anything that might delay you from being able to produce a reasonably sharp, well-exposed photograph in as little time as possible. In this chapter, I’ll describe proven techniques for how to do just that.

I will also provide tips on how to capture such events without attracting negative attention. Keep in mind that unless you are literally invisible or hiding, you will be standing in plain sight with a camera in your hands. With the right technique, few people, if any, will notice or care if you’re taking pictures of them. Of those who do, practically none will be annoyed enough to confront you. In the 40 years I’ve been practicing street photography, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that someone asked me to stop taking pictures. I compare this to the dozens of times someone on the street has asked or even playfully demanded that I photograph them. I have been only too happy to comply. There is no rule that says all street photographs have to be candid, which is why this chapter will conclude with tips for how to improve your street photos when your subjects are aware that you are photographing them and cooperative with the process.

Reduce the Lag

As should be obvious from looking at some of the best examples of street photography, the difference between a great image and a mildly interesting one may be only a matter of seconds. Expressions are fleeting. The lighting can change in an instant. Your subject can change position. Someone can step in front of your camera. The less time it takes you to raise your camera to your eye and shoot, the greater the odds are that you will capture that once-in-a-lifetime shot.

This isn’t quite as simple as it might sound. For example, if your camera is battery dependent, you will need to make sure it’s switched on. If it has a power-saving feature, it will automatically go to sleep after a few minutes of no activity. Some cameras awake from sleep the instant you tap the shutter button; others may take a second or two. Others refuse to let you release the shutter unless and until the image is in focus, which can introduce unexpected delays. The good news is that you can overcome almost all of these delays, as long as you’re aware of them and know how to set your camera to avoid them.

Power Management

If your camera needs a battery to power anything other than the exposure meter, you won’t be able to take a photograph unless the camera is switched on. Some cameras have the power switch located next to the shutter button, which makes it easy to switch on with your index finger without having to change your grip, but others have a less conveniently placed switch.

One answer to this problem is to simply leave the power switch set to On. Unfortunately, leaving the power on while you’re wandering about presents problems of its own, especially if your camera has a high current draw. (Cameras with totally electronic viewfinders fall into this category.) Not only will this increase the drain on battery power, it will cause the battery to heat up, which can noticeably increase image noise. A solution for this is to carry several backup batteries. If the one you’re using gets hot or depleted, you can swap it for another.

To reduce current draw, most cameras will conserve battery power by automatically and temporarily shutting themselves down after a few minutes of inactivity. If you have a camera that takes a second or two to rouse itself from slumber, you’ll need to develop the habit of waking it up the instant you even suspect you might want to take a photograph. Keep in mind, however, that this will never be as fast as a camera that is always on.

Shutter Lag

Shutter lag is the time difference between the point when you trigger the shutter and the point when the photo is actually taken. The lag may be due to the time it takes your camera to focus, meter, set white balance, charge the built-in flash, etc. Some cameras, such as the Leica M7 film rangefinder, have a lag of only 12 milliseconds. Others, such as low-end cell phone cameras or digital point-and-shoots, have delays of a half-second or more. When reviewing your pictures, if you find that you’re always capturing the gesture or expression after the one you wanted, your camera has too much shutter lag. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to reduce it, so it’s always a good idea to use a camera with as little shutter lag as possible.

Viewfinder Lag

Many digital cameras these days have no optical viewfinder. Instead, they offer the electronic equivalent of an eye-level view-finder as well as the normal Live View LCD option. A built-in sensor detects when you are raising the camera to your eye and automatically switches from the Live View LCD to the eye-level electronic viewfinder. The longer the lag between however long it takes you to raise the camera to your eye and when the camera switches from one viewfinder to the other, the greater the chance that neither one will be on and you’ll be shooting blind. One solution, if your camera has this option, is to switch off one of these two viewfinders; that way, the one you choose to use will always be on and ready to shoot.

Another, more subtle form of electronic viewfinder lag is when the image you see in the viewfinder is a few milliseconds delayed from the actual scene. If you don’t notice any delay in your photographs, however, then it’s not a problem.

Depth-of-field scales are rare and vestigial these days. This example is from a 50mm f/1.8 AIS Nikkor, produced in the early 1980s. The color-coded lines on the lens-mounting ring correspond to the colors of the f/stops below f/8 on the aperture ring. For example, f/11 is yellow and f/16 is blue. The line to the left of the focus index indicates the furthest point of acceptable focus. The line on the right indicates the nearest. With the focusing ring set to 3 meters (10 feet) and the aperture set to f/11, the range of acceptable focus would therefore be 2–5 meters (6–18 feet).

Keep in mind that acceptable focus is relative to the degree of enlargement, viewing distance, focal length, sensor size, and other variables. On the other hand, you will find it’s far better to have a fascinating image in acceptable focus than a boring image in perfect focus.

Zooming

Zoom lenses can be a great convenience. They can also result in lost shots if, instead of releasing the shutter, you are zooming in or out. It’s much faster to simply preset a suitable focal length for the environment you’re in and leave it at that. Some of the most acclaimed street photographers avoid zooms altogether, in favor of fixed focal length lenses. With practice, you can become so familiar with the fixed angle of view that you know what you’ll see before you even raise the camera to your eyes. You lose framing flexibility, but you gain speed and the ability to previsualize.

Focusing

The autofocus systems in today’s cameras are so good that most can snap into focus in a split-second. DSLRs with sports-tuned continuous focus systems can even maintain focus as your subject walks toward or away from you. Unfortunately, this does not mean that autofocus is infallible. In real-world street photography, your compositions will often include groups of people standing at different distances from your camera. Your camera’s autofocus system has no way of knowing exactly where to focus unless you position the focus point over your intended subject. That’s fine if you have the time to do so, but it results in missed shots if you don’t.

There are two easy ways around this, assuming you have the right equipment. The first requires an autofocus camera that has a preset snap focus option. This allows you to set the camera to focus at a preselected distance—3 meters (10 feet), for example. With a medium-to-wide focal length and a small enough aperture, such as f/11, you will have enough depth of field that objects as close as 2 meters (6 feet) and as far away as 5 meters (16 feet) will still be in reasonably sharp focus.

Your second option is to use basically the same technique by prefocusing manually. If the lens you’re using has a manual focusing ring and a focusing scale, just set the ring to your distance of choice (refer to the image on the opposite page). If it also has a depth-of-field scale, you will be able to estimate the nearest and furthest distances at which the image will be in acceptable focus. If it doesn’t have these features, you can prefocus visually; for example, by focusing on an object that’s approximately 3 meters away. If you’re using an autofocus lens, make sure it’s set to manual focus; otherwise the focus may shift when you press the shutter button. If you’re using a zoom, make sure to not move the zoom ring either, because that will also shift the point of focus.

Exposure

The automatic exposure metering systems in today’s cameras are accurate enough to handle most, if not all, lighting situations you’re likely to encounter on the street. With experience, you will discover which situations your camera’s meter has trouble with and how to compensate. You might, for example, dial in +1 stop of exposure compensation if your subject is brighter than average or -1 stop if your subject is darker than average. This requires actively monitoring your exposure settings. Otherwise you run the risk of accidentally over- or underexposing an image beyond retrieval.

One of the most effective (but least used) ways to avoid this is to set your exposure manually, based on the ambient light conditions for wherever you happen to be shooting. Ambient light is the amount of light falling onto a subject or scene, independent of the subject’s reflectance. Setting your camera to a fixed shutter speed and aperture based on the ambient light level will therefore prevent exposure variations caused by reflections from your subjects. For example, based on the “Sunny f/16” rule of thumb, the normal exposure setting at ISO 100 for a bright sunny day is roughly 1/100 at f/16 or the equivalent (meaning 1/125 at f/16, 1/250 at f/11, 1/500 at f/8, 1/1000 at f/5.6, etc.). On a heavily overcast day or in the concrete canyons of a major city, you would reduce the shutter speed (that is, use a longer shutter speed) or increase (widen) the aperture by two stops.

Your Camera is Ready,
Now What About You?

It goes without saying that your camera won’t take pictures on its own. At minimum, it needs you to aim, focus, and release the shutter. This is not likely to happen on a crowded street if you have fundamental issues with the act of taking candid photographs of strangers in public places. You must have the desire and the motivation to practice street photography. If you do, you’ll soon find which of the following approaches you’re most comfortable with, and which yields the most positive results for you.

Mindset

Unlike studio photography, where you can control lighting, framing, color, subject matter, and composition, street photography is completely impromptu. You venture out in public with some idea of where you’re going and what you might see, but you have no control over what might happen. The best opportunities for interesting photographs often appear and disappear in a matter of seconds. If you don’t capture those moments, you will never have the same chance again. Because of this reality, successful street photography requires the mindset of a hunter or fisherman: you need to be calm yet alert; open to whatever good fortune happens to send your way; and ready to focus your attention the instant you see the potential for a memorable image. It’s important to be aware of your surroundings. You don’t want to become so focused on the photograph you’re trying to capture that you step off a curb into the path of an oncoming car, walk into a pole, or trip over a crack in the sidewalk.

You will also need to be at peace with the idea of taking photographs of people without their knowledge or permission. Some photographers find this immoral or unethical; others don’t. As I mentioned, I have no interest in trying to persuade people who believe street photography is wrong to change their minds. This book is meant to provide information to help those who want to improve their street photography skills. The first step, if you have jittery nerves, is simply to practice overcoming your nervousness. The more candid shooting you do and the more open and casual you are about it, the more comfortable you’ll become.

Locations

The best locations for street photography will be covered in chapter 4: Locations and Events. For the purposes of general technique, however, you can either walk around looking for appealing locations and subjects, or stick to one location you like and wait for appealing subjects to appear. As long as you and your camera are ready, either option has equal odds of success. I personally don’t take pains to hide my camera or bag. Most people either don’t notice or care, even when I’m holding the camera in my hands in plain sight. That being said, the larger your camera and lens are, the more attention you’re likely to attract. One exception to this is if you’re one among many other photographers. This is common when you’re shooting at popular tourist locations, where everyone is so busy snapping pictures and taking videos that no one will pay you any particular attention.

Clothing and Attitude

Given that you will be standing in plain sight with a camera in your hands, there is no point in trying to hide the fact that you’re a photographer. On the other hand, there’s no need to draw extra attention to yourself, either. The tactic I find most successful is to hide in plain sight. This means you should:

Wear nondescript clothing that is consistent with your surroundings. (Avoid bright colors or bold patterns, if they will stand out.)

Maintain a calm, relaxed, yet alert demeanor.

Avoid any actions that make you look nervous or furtive. If people perceive that you’re acting as if you have something to hide, they will naturally assume you do, and will view you with suspicion.

I take a few pictures when the opportunity presents itself, then return to my relaxed, watchful attitude. Curious onlookers will occasionally ask me what I’m doing and why. My response is always short and honest, yet positive. For example: “I’m a photographer, it’s a nice day, and I like to walk around and photograph the people that make this such a great city.” Many people who see me wandering around will actually invite me to take their picture—which, of course, I am only too happy to do.

There are, of course, locations and situations where it’s normal and well justified for people to be suspicious of photographers. For example, photographers should be cautious about taking pictures of children other than their own unless they have been invited to do so by the parents. Photographers should also be careful about photographing in front of high-security buildings, on private property, or in high-crime locations. Aside from the slight risk of having your equipment stolen, people who have good reason not to want to be photographed can get very upset when they see a photographer lurking around. Even if you have the legal right to photograph in such locations, life is too short to waste it in arguments with overzealous security personnel or paranoid subjects.

First-Shot Response

Your first-shot response is simply the time it takes you to raise your camera, frame, and shoot. If you’ve taken the trouble to minimize all the potential lag sources, you should be able to get a reasonably sharp and well-exposed shot in less than a second. Some of the best street photographers are so quick they can raise and lower their camera in less than a second. This is faster than many subjects can react, particularly if they didn’t notice you to begin with. It’s also fast enough that some will doubt whether you actually took a photo at all, especially if you avoid eye contact.

Avoiding Eye Contact

Although there is nothing wrong with a subject being aware that you have photographed them, you don’t necessarily have to announce the fact. To add some ambiguity to the situation, consider looking beyond the person you intend to photograph, as if your interest is in something behind them. If someone does make eye contact, you can simply smile, nod, and keep shooting whatever it was that was “behind” them. This is particularly effective if you’re using a wide-angle lens in a location packed with people: because the field of view is wider than someone might expect, subjects will assume they aren’t in the frame when in fact, they are.

Keep in mind that this approach is less effective if, for example, your subject is seated across from you in a subway train and she is the only person you could possibly be photographing. If that’s the case, then you might want to try an equally effective option: shooting from the hip.

Shooting From the Hip

If you’re fortunate enough to own a camera that has a rear LCD that you can flip upward to convert into a waist-level viewfinder, you’ll find that shooting from the hip is an excellent way to shoot discreetly. While you are actually focusing and framing a shot, it will appear to your subject that you’re just another shutterbug who’s looking down and fumbling with your camera. Even this subterfuge may not be necessary if you’re shooting with a small, nondescript digital camera that has no eye-level viewfinder. As long as you extend the camera at arm’s length to view and shoot, you’ll look like just another amateur snapping away with a cheap camera. Some street shooters take this approach one step further—they point the camera at their subjects, finger on the shutter button, without using any viewfinder at all. I have tried this myself and can confirm that, as you might imagine, it takes a lot of practice (and yes, luck) to get consistently good results. On the other hand, the results you do get will have a distinctive perspective and manner of framing that you don’t often get with typical eye-level shots.

Swimming Upstream

A popular technique for photographers shooting on crowded sidewalks or boardwalks is to position yourself opposite the flow of foot traffic, so your subjects are moving toward you. This allows plenty of opportunities to observe people as they approach, and to photograph them as they pass by. If they notice you at all, they will often be in such a hurry or so indifferent that they would rather continue on their way than pause to ask why you photographed them.

Keep in mind that if you use this approach, the people you are photographing will often be in motion. If your camera has an effective continuous focus feature, you can use this to lock and maintain focus as your subject moves toward you. Lacking such a feature, I find I can get equally good results by prefocusing on a spot that is at the distance I expect the subject to be when I release the shutter.

Wait and See

Another technique that works well for many photographers is to find a promising setting—a billboard, a bus stop, a street performer gathering an audience—and wait for the right subject or composition to appear. Aesthetically speaking, the right subject can be someone wearing clothing that contrasts or complements the background, someone who stands in the perfect spot, or someone who has the perfect expression. You have to be careful, though, that the resulting images don’t become clichéd or formulaic. Even if you have a particular composition or moment in mind, you should always be open and ready for serendipity; sometimes those unexpected moments turn out far better then anything you might have planned.

Keep Your Distance

There is no rule that says you have to be within a few feet of your subjects to produce good street photos. You could be across the street or even half a block away. Assuming there is nothing but open space between you and your subject, you could even use a short telephoto or zoom lens to make up for the distance. Aside from reducing your anxiety level or that of your subjects, distance allows you to include more of the environment, which can be an important documentary element in your photographs. You may notice from my photos that, although I don’t use this approach exclusively, I use it often enough that it’s a key element of my style. Feel free to do the same.

Mom and Son, Marina del Rey, CA 1998

I was waiting for my car to exit a car wash when this mother and son sat directly opposite me. I liked the way their arms were intertwined but didn’t want to disturb the mood. My camera was already resting in my lap, so without raising it to my eye I simply pointed the lens at them and released the shutter.

Take a Closer Look, Philadelphia, PA 2012

This is generally as close as I would be to someone who wasn’t aware I was photographing him or her. He was focusing so intently on the piece of paper he was reading and my camera was so quiet that he never noticed me.

And Now a Word for the Direct Approach...

There is also no rule that says your subjects have to be unaware that you’re photographing them. In fact, the closer you are to someone, the more likely they are to notice you, especially if you point a camera in their direction. Some of the best street photos feature people looking directly at the camera, either because the photographer asked before taking their picture or because they gave their tacit approval by smiling, laughing, or simply continuing to do whatever it was they were doing.

The benefit of the direct—as opposed to a purely candid—approach is that it eliminates the concern that you may be intruding on someone or photographing them without permission. It also allows for the possibility of asking for a model release, which may be essential if you plan to sell the resulting photos commercially (as opposed to selling them as fine art prints). What you lose in total spontaneity and serendipity, you gain in having time to interact with your subject and take multiple images without fear of offense.

Be careful to maintain the candid, spontaneous aesthetic of street shooters, though. If you start posing or directing your subjects too much you may get fine portraits, but you’ll lose a lot of the go-with-the-flow feeling that characterizes the street photography genre.

So, how do you ask permission to take a photograph of someone you don’t know? In some cases it can be as easy as gesturing at your camera and pantomiming the act of taking a picture. If your subject is willing, he or she will respond with a smile or a shrug. If not, they will shake their head, turn away, or keep walking. In most cases I find the best approach is just to ask politely. There’s no need for a labored explanation. In fact, the more simple your request, the better. “Excuse me, would you mind if I took your picture?” is all it takes. Most people are flattered to be the subject of someone else’s attention and will rarely refuse.

Of course, it’s only natural for a subject to ask why you want to photograph them. The best answer is always short, observant, and flattering. For example:

“I love photographing life in the city. You caught my eye because you look so happy.”

“You look stunning in that blue dress. I could never forgive myself if I didn’t ask to take your picture.”

“I believe that every picture tells a story. To be honest, I’m curious as to what yours might be.”

...or whatever else seems appropriate to the situation. Your compliment could just as easily be about their hairstyle, work attire, or anything else that makes your subject feel relaxed and comfortable.

You may also encounter subjects who are in a friendly, chatty mood and want to engage in small talk. By all means, do so: even if you’re the shy type, it would be rude to photograph someone and then refuse to spend a few minutes conversing with them. If they express an interest in your work you can direct them to your website. If they want a copy of the photo(s) you took, you can arrange to email them, or whatever other method they prefer. You may discover that talking to your subjects is one of the more enjoyable parts of your day. Not only will you be doing yourself a favor by making your subjects feel comfortable, you will also help spread the notion that street photographers are rather decent folk who are pursuing a harmless, or even occasionally beneficial, pastime.

Only rarely will you encounter someone who gets angry or abusive about being politely approached for a photograph. It’s never fun when that happens, but if and when it does, it will almost always be because of their issues, not you. Apologize, be on your way, and send them prayers for a better day. As long as your heart is in the right place, there will be plenty of people who not only say yes, but who will be delighted you asked.

Scowler, Cambridge, MA 1973

Security Guard, Boston, MA 1974

Charming Gent, Atlanta, GA 1972

Sax Appeal, Philadelphia, PA 2012

All-American, Philadelphia, PA 2013