Mastering Street Photography

[Robert Watcher]

Mastering Street Photography

Over the past 4 years my wife and I have been documenting out adventures in Costa Rica and just recently Nicaragua - where we get involved with photographing and telling stories of the people we come across, traveling on their local buses, eating their foods, and at times putting ourselves in uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations. Our online Journal has been active at Travel Virgins : Travel Adventure Stories of Rob and Anne Watcher . . . .

. . . during these times, I have successfully been able to generate 1000's upon 1000's of stock images of our travels. Of course, this was nothing new or unique as there are 10's of thousands of websites dedicated to personal photography from trips people have made to such exotic locations and even to Costa Rica or Nicaragua themselves. Most images however - particularly the case with Costa Rica - are of beautiful vistas, vibrant foliage and wildlife, and captures of all of the popular attractions and tourism sites featured in the endless commercial books and websites selling vacationing in this beautiful area of the world.

Don't get me wrong - - - I shoot my share of those images also. But the truth is that birds, animals, landscape and scenic vistas and tourist locations hold far less interest to me. I like looking at them, but my love when it comes to photography, is "CAPTURING THE PERSONALITIES AND EXPRESSIONS AND LIVES OF PEOPLE".

I particularly love it because while the same bird and scene can be captured in almost an identical way by any capable photographer and most locations have been photographed to death where it is virtually impossible to provide a new or original photographic perspective - - - that is not the case with people. Every image taken, is only a momentary slice of the persons life and expressions at that time. Another photographer taking a photo of the same person from a different angle or perspective or moment in time, will have a completely different image and story behind that image.

Hopefully some of the tips that I have used to successfully thousands of captivating people images during my time in Central America - where I had minimal equipment available and had no knowledge of the language of the people I came upon so that I was incapable of communicating with them verbally - - - will find value to some.

I will provide some of my methodology and technique that I have Mastered with my Street Photography. Hopefully it inspires you to make the best use of your photographic skills in capturing the essence of people - whether on the streets of in more controlled situations.

[Robert Watcher]

EQUIPMENT

I am a photographer who prefers "light, compact and simple" as far as my gear is concerned. One Camera - One Lens, if at all possible. If the variety of scenarios that I come across and that I want to capture were not so broad a spectrum - - - and if I were only shooting one style at a time, I would be able to specialize even further by having the most compact camera with the single focal length, fastest and sharpest lens possible. As an example if I were only shooting from the hip on the street, I may use a small body that almost hides in my hands - with a small fixed focal length wide angle large aperture lens attached. Or if all of my photography were outdoors peeping in on my subjects without their knowledge, I would want a long reach lens.

However that is not the case for much of the way that I have to shoot - - - the specific projects I am doing as well as the interest in so many things that I have. And so I have to compromise. I am documenting all that is around me and when I am traveling to different parts of the countries - I seldom get the chance to return to the same location to find differing content. Frequently when shooting, I am generally on an agenda where I don't have the time to stop and analyze and look for the best way to shoot something - along with the fact that all of our travel is by bus and walking and many times in what are considered dangerous areas where discretion is needed. In fact dangling 2 or 3 cameras with different specifications and lenses around my neck, is many times out of the question. In order to successfully capture everything that I see that interests me in the most versatile way . . .

. . . my preference and what I have used in the past, was a single small bodied digital slr with a single zoom lens attached that allowed for wide angle shooting as well as reaching in from longer distances. My ideal multipurpose lens for that type of shooting, was the Nikon 18-200 VR that I used for much of my shooting in Costa Rica. That provided me with an effective 28mm to 300mm and with the Vibration Reduction I could successfully shoot at shutter speeds down to 1/20'th second and less.

Nikon D40 with 18-200 VR lens at 20mm (35mm equiv) setting



Nikon D40 with 18-200 VR lens at 200mm (300mm equiv) setting


I have also used smaller Olympus dslr bodies like my (now outdated) E-510 matched with the excellent 12-60 SWD with great f2.8-f4 wide open shooting and fast auto focus. While I do not have the longer reach to benefit varying circumstances, this lens does provide the advantage of a wider 24mm equivalent setting and is a great portrait length lens. For days when I knew that I would be using longer focal lengths, I replaced my 12-60 with my Olympus 70-300 for a 140mm to a 600mm equiv range for incredible reach with the Image Stabilized body feature. The other area where I benefited with my Olympus 4/3 cameras, was the extended Depth of Field that that format provides. For my wide angle street photography shot at f5.6 to f8, it was hard to miss focus.

Olympus E-510 with 12-60mm Zuiko at 12mm (24mm equiv) setting - f6.3 @ 1/640'th 400ISO[/B]

[Robert Watcher]

This year I welcomed the small, light weight and compact Olympus E-PL1 - which sports the same high image quality as my large bodies and has the capability of 720P movie footage if I come across something that needs to be recorded. Most importantly for me, is that people just don't tend to look at this camera as a serious camera and so I could blend in like a tourist and get the shots I wanted.


Me and My E-PL1



Olympus E-PL1 - f9 @ 1/200'th : 200 ISO - camera held at my side


E-PL1 : 14-42mm kit lens @ 14mm : 1/320'th @ f8 : 250 ISO


E-PL1 : 14-42mm @ 19mm : f4 @ 1/320'th : 400 ISO


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My standard camera settings are VIVID for maximum visual impact - sharpening cut back so that I can choose my own sharpening settings in Photoshop or Lightroom. Exposure is always either Program Mode letting the camera decide on the combination of shutter speed and aperture to use - or Aperture priority when I need control over the aperture - particularly with my long 70-300 lens. Focus is Auto Focus, generally with the AF in the middle unless I have time to set it to one of the side ones when there is no content in the middle of my frame.


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[Robert Watcher]

While on our travels, I had a couple of DISTINCT DISADVANTAGES

Firstly, I am not an aggressive kind of guy and even in my professional work prefer to shoot from the sidelines in an attempt to not be noticed. I have had wedding brides comment to me after the wedding day, that they had friends or family ask if "they had a professional photographer at their wedding" as they didn't notice one.

Of course, I take that as a compliment being that I have captured and provided my client with an incredible number and variety of images with great natural and relaxed expressions - photographs that document their day fully and that they are proud of.

In actual fact, while I have no problem taking charge when needed at a wedding or with a portrait and am a natural performer when the "lights are on me and it is camera and action" - - - I do not like confronting people or even really conversing much with them, and am more or less afraid to approach strangers.

This became a real issue, when I was presented with photographic situations that took place right in front of me, where I felt awkward and was sometimes afraid to ask to take the shot or afraid to pull out my camera and point at what was going on. In one particular case, when Anne and I were in a rain storm on the streets of a remote town that we were a little uncomfortable being in - - - the rain was gushing from the store rooftops, being directed out into the middle of the street with a long trough. 2 men suddenly took their shirts off and started bathing in the middle of the street, laughing and singing and scrubbing down. The sun started to backlight them. We were in amongst the locals huddled under the store overhang trying to keep out of the rain and I really had issues as to how they would take it if I were to start shooting. That image or series would have been my "National Geographic" prizes - - - but they got away and are the one shot out of the 17,000 shots that I have taken in Costa Rica, that I wished I had the courage to take.

Secondly, as I mentioned - I do not speak Spanish and don't know anything about the language (although we were a little more educated and got along better this year). Being the areas we frequented were virtually 100% unilingual (Spanish), I relied on smiles and pointing my camera at people I came across, to "imply that I would like to take their picture if it was OK".


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But I did have a Strong Suit - - - and that is my natural ability to get people to react favorably to me and look at me as non threatening. In my professional work, I am able to get my subjects to relax very quickly, almost forget that I have a camera or look through it to me, and provide me with relaxed and natural expressions. I personally know few of my clients and have this success - and so was confident (and hoped) that the Costa Rican strangers would react the same way.




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[Robert Watcher]

Walking the Crowded and Noisy Streets of the capital city San Jose while walking to and from banks, eating establishments, museums, bus stations, etc - was a favourite opportunity that I took advantage of to "SHOOT FROM THE HIP"; (kind of) and get some great photography of people on the move and carrying on their daily activities.

Even though I disguised what I was doing quite well, I would always be surprised at the end of the day when editing my images - how many people were aware that my camera was there and were looking directly in to it as they passed by.




I would hold my camera cupped about waist high, with my hand wrapped around the front of the body with my thumb on the shutter - - making it look like I was holding the lens and not in a shooting position. I did not just fire randomly, but was always looking for developing content in front of me AS I WAS MOVING ALONG, and then would direct my camera that way as they passed me or as I passed them. Particularly of interest to me were people with children, couples walking arm in arm, people sitting and talking on benches, etc.

[Robert Watcher]

With this image - of just as much interest to me as the mother and little girl weaving back and forth when shooting this image, were the 2 sitting talking on the bench under the tree. I was aware of them when shooting and framed this one pretty good in camera, to include both parts of the composition - and have burned and dodged in processing, to highlight both.

[Robert Watcher]

Sometimes when I wanted to shoot interesting content that was going on to the side of me while I was walking the boulevard, I would wrap my camera strap around my arm and just hang my camera to my side of me - with my finger on the trigger, lens aiming to the side shooting vertically. Because of the panning involved in this technique, there quite often was some movement - especially when the subject was moving also - - - but even then the effect worked.

I saw these animated fellows standing along retainer wall of the central park, and fired off about 3 shots as I walked by. All were interesting, but I like this one best.


What caught my interest with this man coming at me diagonally, were all of the "bums" lined up in the window behind him. I walked toward him on an angle so that I would be sure to include them in the frame. My camera was in the vertical hanging position, but swung a little more to the front resting on my thigh.

[Robert Watcher]

MY FAVOURITE TIMES THOUGH WERE WHEN I ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO TAKE THEIR PICTURE

I passed by this fellow reading his paper and smoking in front of a Soda in the Market - and although I found his character (face etc) very interesting, I did not want to be obvious in shooting without asking, was a little afraid to approach him and disturb him. And so I passed him by. When Anne and I returned from getting our meat from the Meat Vendor, In noticed that he was still there and could not resist asking if I could take his picture. He couldn't understand why I would want to, but obliged me. I showed him the shot on the back of the camera, and the woman cooking in the soda had to come over and take a peak too and give him a little "ribbing" in the process. I left with them both smiling and talking about it.



I had noticed while walking along, that this man with his guitar, had walked up to some of the "elders" sitting on the benches in the street. I wasn't sure whether he was harassing them or if he was an aquaintence and either showing them his prize or trying to sell it to them. At any rate, I approached and asked if I could take a picture as they all looked on to him and to me. While I was shooting, I kind of think that he figured I'd buy his guitar from him - but I just thanked them and left graciously.

[Robert Watcher]

COMPOSITION IS AS VITALLY IMPORTANT in street photography as it is in Professional Portrait Photography

I found that shooting from the hip and shooting quickly in scenarios that I had little control over, created a great challenge when it came to composition and framing. Even though I was moving when shooting for the most part, I still had to be consciously aware of what was in front of me and attempting to get the best framing by moving at a specific angle towards the subject or moving slightly one way or the other. Many of my images are cropped which allowed for fine tuning of the composition - - - but the elements to work with, still had to be there in the raw image to me to create the successful dynamics in the final image and print.

The same composition guidelines come in to play to make documentary images with impact and that people will want to look at and study. Many of my shots were taken with subjects offset to the sides of the frame and good diagonal lines and triangles of composition are evident when viewing many of my shots. Even though many times I was working with wide angle lenses and lots of Depth of Field and so backgrounds can be more confusing than you'd like them to be - - - the eye nevertheless always has to be drawn to a specific point in the picture for it to be enjoyable to look at. Of course there are always exceptions - - - and sometimes just having the picture or photographing the content is more important than whether it is technically or asthetically pleasing or not.

[Robert Watcher]

Posed Street Shots - - - well in the sense that I asked to take the picture and then directed them or allowed them to carry on what they were doing. That method was common for me when Anne and I were documenting series of images of workers practicing their craft - - - however it worked well with people carrying on their daily lives also.

These locals playing dominos had no interest in breaking their concentration so that I could get a shot of them - but had no problem with me taking a picture of them. I preferred this type of shot anyway.




As I walked along a street in a small town on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica early in the morning, these men were putting out their wares (furniture) onto the street for display. I hollered across the street "foto foto" and they agreed and went to the doorway, leaning on the wall and looked at me. I signaled to them to look at each other and to move more to the center of the doorway for this shot.



This fellow nodded his head in agreement to take his picture, but would not look at me. I noticed his bicycle in behind as I was taking 3 or 4 shots of him - and framed it for an interesting composition.