There's a lot that goes into successful street photography. I'll try to open up a few subjects, for your consideration.

Awareness and Focus

I'm in a zone when I street shoot. I'm looking for slices of life, expressive moments, odd juxtapositions, funny scenes, interesting people. I'm totally focused on the scene, I'm part of it as I'm walking through it. Constantly watching, looking, peering, seeing. In my opinion, you cannot "street shoot" in 15 minutes. For me, it takes me a while to get "in the zone," and then once there, I hope for the best - I've said it before that we make our own luck by being there. Others have said "f/8 and be there!" -- same concept. So when I'm in the zone, I hope that I find some of the above criteria met - and I usually do, but some days I have to look harder than others. make mental note as you ply your streets... there's a shot I'd been wanting for months, but i was never near this "standpipe" when someone was sitting on it... well, patience paid off and I got it.

What makes this shot for me, is the indifference of the subject (hey, i'm just sittin' here, reading my newspaper...), his reflection, and the reflection of the cab. And of course, the irony of the "sitting" on the "stand" pipe....

People in Context

People shots are great, and I live for my street portraits. I really try to put people in context. So, rather than tight up to the cab driver, I waited weeks to find the right cabby (facial and other "attitude" character), the right light, and the right scene (again, I had this shot in my mental inventory before i even took it.

What works for me here is the fairly wide angle view of the street, the cab and the Waldorf-Astoria... and the absolute cooperation of the subject. I simply told him "hey, you look great, may I take your photograph? This was a one-shot-shoot, I popped in a little fill flash to get some twinkle, chatted him up a bit, asked him his name (Henri), shot, smiled, thanked him, gave him my card and was on my way all in less than a minute or two.

More "in context" and one of my favorite street portraits, is the "suit seller" who actually approached me first trying to lure me inside the men's store to buy a suit... I stopped, did a button-hook, and went right up to him... "hey, you look great here, in front of your store like this, may I take your photograph?"

Again, what works for me here is the absolute clarity of subject/environment, it's clear that he's in front of men's clothes for sale. I adore his expression, and his eyes. This shot is on my wall. In this gallery you'll find many more examples of people in context. Take a look at the chess players, for an example of some street people that i spent quite a bit of time with, they became comfortable with me, and i shot them up without disturbing their games.

Confidence

Street shooting requires confidence.. *you* are doing nothing wrong, so don't sneak around! Put away that tele, and stick a fifty or thirty-five on your DSLR, or set your digicam's zoom to the wider end of things, and see the scene "normally," up close and personaly. This may be strange for some of you, but I assure you it gets easier after your initial trepidation wears off. The worst that can happen is people say "no, I don't want my photo taken," and so you smile and move on! The wider angles offer so much more to the viewer in my opinion, that they're worth the extra effort in becoming more comfortable ...

Readiness

Learn your camera's controls, shoot in a way that let's you shoot quickly! I'm always pre-set for the most part (choice of iso, aperture) and I typically shoot in aperture priority mode. I also learn the hyperfocal distances of my lenses, so that I can shoot comfortable within a distance range. Watch the lighting, which can change by 8 or 9 stops just by turning a corner! It's really important to have all your senses focused on the job at hand. Maybe that's why i have to stop for food and starbucks so much :)
Attitude
If you have a confident attitude, learn your camera inside and out, focus on the lighting, the scenes, have a mental inventory of shots you want, put people in context, show an interest in your subjects, and work swiftly and politely, you'll be rewarded with good people shots and street photos.

Enjoy Street Photography.

Nice tutorial. I've always wanted to do this but been put off. You hit it on the nail with "slice of life". Definitely time to get out there and shoot.

GREAT stuff... Very inspiring!
What about model releases though...do you need them?
Thanks!

Originally Posted by Andy There's a lot that goes into successful street photography.

Well put, Andy!

You've effectively (and eloquently) categorised 90% of the 'street photography' images posted here as being little more than snapshots, and unworthy of critical inclusion within the genre!

Amateurs walking along footpaths (sidewalks) waving cameras about are not street photographers per se, IMHO, even if they present the resulting images in monochrome!

Thanks for the advice, I frequently take photo walks but I'm fairly sensitive to photographing strangers as I wouldn't feel comfortable having strangers taking pictures of me doing my everyday things (I wouldn't be upset, just uncomfortable). How do you approach strangers to photograph them? Do you just shoot until they object? Do you ask first/after? Wave look friendly? Thanks

Originally Posted by Claudia J GREAT stuff... Very inspiring! What about model releases though...do you need them? Thanks!

As I understand it, you should have a release or consent form for any images of recognizable individuals you intend for commercial release. It gets a little "gray area" if you cannot recognize the individual.

All of the agencies (Corbis, Getty, etc.) that I am aware of require a signed release form for the individual, signed by the individual or signed by a legal guardian.

Posting and selling images of minors is especially sensitive and you should be twice as careful and respectful of images of minors.

Originally Posted by W.W. Webster Amateurs walking along footpaths (sidewalks) waving cameras about are not street photographers per se, IMHO, even if they present the resulting images in monochrome!

Surely it's what comes out of the box that matters, rather than the status of the operator and the exact technique(s) used?

pp

Originally Posted by puzzledpaul Surely it's what comes out of the box that matters, rather than the status of the operator and the exact technique(s) used?

Absolutely!

However, it's said that if you put enough monkeys at enough typewriters, one of them will type the Bible! In the same way, if you wave a camera (any camera) around enough while walking down the street, a good street photograph could, theoretically, result. However, if you go about the process in a planned and deliberate way, the odds improve dramatically!

Originally Posted by W.W. Webster ... However, if you go about the process in a planned and deliberate way, the odds improve dramatically!

Think it was the generalised way 'amateur' was used in the original post that implied all members of this group used something other than an organised / thought through approach ... that caught my eye :)

pp

Originally Posted by puzzledpaul Think it was the generalised way 'amateur' was used in the original post that implied all members of this group used something other than an organised / thought through approach ... that caught my eye :)

Fair point!

Thanks for sharing this!

Thank you Andy for this post. I am learning so much from all of the great people on this site.

Hey andy, you have taken so good shots. And I also read this tutorial about street photography. That's great for me to learn about more in photography. Thanks buddy.

Originally Posted by hnjngo Thanks for the advice, I frequently take photo walks but I'm fairly sensitive to photographing strangers as I wouldn't feel comfortable having strangers taking pictures of me doing my everyday things (I wouldn't be upset, just uncomfortable). How do you approach strangers to photograph them? Do you just shoot until they object? Do you ask first/after? Wave look friendly? Thanks

Thank you for your wise advices, as hnjngo, I suffer the same "problem", I love the street photography side of things, but I find my self, many times, inhibiting my self of thanking that, very wanted, photo, "afraid" of the subject reaction, so my question to you is in line with hnjngo.

Once again, thank you very much for your collaboration!


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What lens do you use for your street shots?

Originally Posted by stphotography What lens do you use for your street shots?

In the text, he says 50mm or 35mm.

Great shots Andy, you have great eye for street photography, thanks for sharing these tips!