Street Photography

Street photography is an act of attention — of moving through public spaces with your eyes open and your camera ready for the moment that crystallizes something true about how people live. It's also a practice with real ethical dimensions, especially as surveillance technology and public awareness of cameras have changed the dynamics of the street. This section covers technique, gear, the legal landscape, and the photographers who have defined the genre.

Walking the Streets of Havana, Cuba With the 35mm Film Canon AE-1 Program

Back in April, I ventured on a trip to Havana, Cuba with the lofty goal of capturing the culture and people there within with my favorite little 35mm film camera. With the recent news that President Trump plans on buckling down on all travel and trade to Cuba, I'm all the more grateful than ever to have made the trip when I did.

Could Your Next Street Photography Camera Be a Volvo?

New cars have cameras everywhere – in addition to the almost-ubiquitous backup cameras that will be required standard equipment on all new cars next year, newer cars have front-facing cameras that enable a host of safey-related features. But what if you could use that camera for photography? Turns out that you can, with a little bit of ingenuity and some hacking from Volvo engineers.

Tips for Better Street Photography

It applies to life as well, but if you want to get out there and take some great images, don't be a d*#k. Eduardo Pavez Goye takes us through how he gets his street photography shots on film. It's a great challenge these days, the streets are filled to the brim in the cities, which is great for taking multiple shots, but it's not as easy when shooting film.

Taken Back in Time With 'One Night in New York'

I'm a sucker for simple videos like this and can really appreciate what goes into making them. As I strive to jump more into video, it is interesting to stay tuned and watch what other people create to help give me ideas for future work. The coolest thing to me about a video or even a photo is the mood or feel it can convey.

Madrid's Five Best Photo Locations

Once again in a series of articles for my frequently visited cities, I have compiled a list of locations for first time photographers to Madrid. The list is open to interpretation and I encourage you to go off the beaten path. It is a rough guide to get lost with a purpose.

Tokyo's Five Best Photography Locations

Tokyo is one of my favorite cities and I lived there for many years. While the crazy volume of traffic and crowds can be overwhelming at times, it's always an inspiring and surprising place to explore with a camera. So, where should you go if you only have a few days or less to shoot this incredible city?

Street Photographers Get 'eXposed'

Work of many talented street photographers in San Francisco is being recognized at The Harvey Milk Photo Center. The exhibition includes 52 works of 28 street photographers, with all images captured within San Francisco, California. The exhibition was the brainchild of David Christensen, the Director of the Harvey Milk Photo Center.

Tips for Run-and-Gun Photography and Working with Natural Light

In this episode of The Slanted Lens, Jay P. Morgan is running around downtown Los Angeles capturing some product photography. He demonstrates how he is able to create interesting compositions and work with natural light to get the most usable shots possible with just a camera and a reflector. 

Can Iconic Photography Be Passed From Father To Son?

Can iconic photography be passed from father to son? This was the question that caught my attention at the beginning of this short film. Los Angeles-based street photographer Estevan Oriol’s style is intense. It’s raw and it’s edgy. It depicts a side of street culture that isn’t always positive, yet within the images a captivating reflection of humanity can be witnessed. 

Photographing a Stranger Is Easy: Here's How

Shooting someone's portrait can be a very personal experience. Even in a controlled environment such as a studio, the success of an image often depends on a photographer's ability to establish a rapport with their subject.

Grant Legassick Does Multiple Exposures Differently

We've all attempted multiple exposures. We do it when we want to create a specific feeling when shooting portraits, and we do it when we want to expose correctly for an architectural photograph client, to correct in post. We use a tripod, to make sure the images are identical, and we either use the camera's automatic stop metering to compensate and expose all the needed information correctly.

Sean Lotman Photographs the Sunlanders of Kyoto

Sean Lotman photographs the people of Japan's streets and beaches. One of the main reasons he shoots film is because he shares a darkroom with his wife, Ariko Inaoka. For him the advantages of physically printing the images has it's advantages, he can lay them out on the floor, rearrange them and figure out what the project is about and where to take it.

Guy Goes Around NYC Chopping Selfie Sticks in This (Hopefully Staged) Video

In case you haven’t seen this video pop up yet in your social media feeds, check out Comedian Buddy Bolton sneaking up on unsuspecting pedestrians who have stopped to take a selfie. Instead of photobombing though, he had a different plan: cutting their selfie stick in half with gardening shears. 

Collaborating With Chance: A B&H Street Photography Podcast

Producing an interesting audio-only podcast about a visual-only medium is one task I wouldn't want to take on. Over the past few years, I've downloaded, listened to, and deleted countless photography podcasts that were too dull or boring to justify more than a few minutes of my time.  

Let It Go: Why One Photographer is Giving Away His Images for Free

Sam Zeller is giving it all away. It began with releasing 184 photos for creative commons use on stock photo site Unsplash. From there the Swiss photographer and FujiFilm ambassador has decided to unload an entire archive of his images taken across Europe for free use to anyone with the aptitude to find them.

Mauritian Photographers: Khatleen Minerve and Her Streets Project

There is a tiny island in the Indian Ocean called Mauritius that reminds me of heaven. When my husband and I got a job offer to work there some years ago, I had no idea I would meet this amazing soul that was Khatleen Minerve. Eventually, she turned into a very talented and requested photographer. 

Tribute to Celebrated Photographer Fan Ho: 1931-2016

Let’s be honest, it is very rare we come across photographers who shake us instantly, make us believe in the magic of photography at its very rawest again; photographers who get engraved in our hearts from the first sight to their work. Fan Ho was that kind of artist for me.

23 Street Photography Tips For Your Next Photo Walk

The Cooperative of Photography​ (COOPH) teamed up with Switzerland-based Street Photographer Thomas Leuthard as he hits the streets of Salzburg to demonstrate some of the techniques he uses to be a true ninja street photographer.

Do You Really Need a Small Camera for Street Photography?

We are living in an era that everyone complains about their bulky camera gear and how hard it is to carry it all day. Many photographers are now switching to mirrorless cameras for this reason. But hey, there is another solution for that: You can minimize your lenses and other gear, rather than changing your main camera body.

'Counterflow' Is a Photo Series Showing the Impact of Composition

Composition is something that can be slightly overlooked in digital photography. With the ability to take hundreds or thousands of images on a single memory card and cropping achieved so simply in Lightroom, photographers have become lazy. There are certain situations, however, where composition can make or break a photo.

Street Photography in Hong Kong with the Pen-F by Olympus

Let me tell you: there’s nothing quite like a new camera and a change of scenery to recharge the old creative batteries, especially after a long British winter. I just came back last Sunday from a fantastic three-week trip to Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand and therefore, had plenty of time to intensively test the new Pen-F by Olympus, which I've had since mid-February

Watch This Amazing Video Portrait About Fashion and Street Photographer Jimmy on the Run

Jianmin Huang is a fashion and street photographer born in village in China. He can now be found chasing moments throughout the streets of Amsterdam, which has earned him the nickname of Jimmy on the Run. In this seven minute video portrait, we learn how he got his start, what his aspiration as a photographer are, and about his struggles to earn the respect of his family. 

Street Photography: Wandering While Observing Both City and Society

Some of my best street photography was shot while wandering the city with no apparent aim. Street photography is a genre in which you have little to no control of what your subject does, the light you’re working with, or the setting. You cannot force anything, and you cannot stage life in the streets or predict what’s about to happen before your very eyes.

How to Create That Urban High Contrast Desaturated Look in Lightroom

One of the more popular styles on Instagram is urban photography that sports a high contrast look with some desaturated colors. When trying to reproduce this look though, a lot of people run into problems. When adding contrast to an image, oftentimes the colors become more saturated, which is the opposite of what is needed for this look.

The Gorgeous, Otherworldly Nighttime Street Photography of Satoki Nagata

Satoki Nagata came to Chicago in 1992 with a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, a field in which he worked for a decade, before turning his attention to photography, studying with Damaso Reyes. In experimenting with flash and slow shutter speeds, he created the series, "Lights in Chicago," which elegantly captures the winter months in the Windy City. 

New York Photographer’s Mistake Works Out to His Advantage and Goes Viral

When an opportunity presents itself, be prepared. That’s what Syracuse photographer, Jody Grenier, found himself in three weeks ago. Every morning Grenier stops by one of the iconic locations in Syracuse, Clinton Sqaure; always looking for a photo op if it arises. At 5:30 AM on November 30, he had his camera at his side for a special capture. 

Photographer Captures People's Reactions When Told They Are Beautiful

What's your response when you're told that you're beautiful? Eighteen year-old photographer and student, Shea Glover, decided to "film what I thought was beautiful." Without intending to, she has conducted an amazing social experiment on the effect of simple positivity and a compliment. The reactions are perfect! 

How to Improve Your Photography by Shooting Black and White

It is understandable that many beginners new to taking photos often get impatient when learning photography. Learning this craft is a process and involves the gradual addition of techniques that will eventually turn into second nature. We all get “the bug” and want to learn anything and everything as soon as possible, it’s natural.

'Urbexing' With Social Media Photographer Vic Invades

If you have been on Instagram lately, there is a good chance you have seen "urbex" photography. Urbex, short for urban exploration, is where people venture deep into cities, exploring areas such as the tops of skyscrapers and depths of subway tunnels where the public isn't allowed to go.