My experience with street photography

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Street photography is a very interesting form of photography. It captures life on the street and shows people in their everyday lives. I tell you about my first experiences with this type of photography.

Photographing people going about their daily lives in the city can produce very special images. I also find it a very difficult type of photography, especially because you capture these people when they are unaware. This is very different from photographing someone who is posing or is consciously aware of being photographed.

This very unguarded moment can lead to unwanted situations. People may become angry and react aggressively. Especially these days, that chance seems quite high. You can keep your distance and photograph with a telephoto lens. But that has another disadvantage. That is voyeurism.

It is not all negative. Your own attitude influences the way people react. Being open and friendly produces a different reaction than being closed and introverted. I have also noticed that the type of camera you use can generate interest, curiosity and openness.

I get the impression that you can photograph street photography, and people on the street in particular, better with a small compact camera. A large DSLR or mirrorless camera combined with a substantial zoom lens is too confrontational.

That small camera quickly gives you the opportunity to photograph from close by. And that can produce very intimate and personal images. You become part of what is happening. Keeping your distance with a telephoto lens gives off a sense of detachment, as if you are not part of it.

The nice thing is that with a camera such as the Fujifilm X100t or a Nikon Z fc, many passers-by think you are shooting on film. That produces very nice and interesting reactions. People become curious, which immediately creates opportunities.

Recently, I was in London for the presentation of the SWPA 2023 awards. In the few spare hours I had, I walked through part of the city. The people in a truly large city like that are different from what I have experienced in smaller cities. Photographing was more fun and more exciting.

I think that knowing a city well makes it easier to create beautiful and especially unusual images. If you know the city, you know the attractive and photogenic places. You know how the light falls and when it looks its best.

I do not have the illusion that my images are special. I do not do this often enough to be good at it. But I am pleased with some of the results, and that makes me want to do more.

These are my experiences with street photography. I find it difficult to do, especially in the cities close to where I live. At the same time, that also provides a challenge. Oh, and choosing black and white is perfect for this type of photography. Although I think colour can work well sometimes too.

Do you have any tips or advice for this type of photography? I am not talking about equipment, but about how to create images, which places to visit or which angles to use. Let me know in a comment below this post.

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