David (shot taken – Brooklands Race Track, Surrey ):
Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A. A footballer.
Q. Where would you like to be right now?
A. Menorca, on a beach where its warm and sunny.
Q. If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be?
A. President of the United States of America.
Danny Santos and his friend FleeCircus have been out and about shooting portraits on Orchard Road in Singapore. We love their simple style, confident approach and human images. We’d love to know the stories behind a few of the people they met. There are lots of great images on their site to check out.
Gabrielle (shot taken – Clerkenwell, London on a Panasonic GF2 with Olympus 12mm lens):
Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A. Secretary General of the United Nations
Q. Where would you like to be right now?
A. Watching the sunrise over Wellington harbour from my parent’s house in New Zealand.
Q. Who would you like to be for a day?
A. Jacque Cousteau
Stephen (shot taken – Chesham, UK):
Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A. Chef or policeman.
Q. Where would you like to be right now?
A. Showgirls.
Q. If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be?
A. Someone who is just about to die, then I could come back and tell everyone what really happens!
When you ask someone to sit for your portrait they may be a bit nervous. There are lots of things you can do to help put them at ease.
– Jump up and down
– Spin on the spot
– Look down then up.
Austin (shot taken – Chesham, UK):
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. Olympic cyclist.
Q. Where would you like to be right now?
A. Legoland.
Q. If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be?
A. Myself.
Hamish (shot taken – Auckland, NZ):
Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A. An Illustrator.
Q. Where would you like to be right now?
A. Te Muri, NZ
Q. If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be?
A. Me; on a good day 🙂
You are going to ask each of your 50 faces three questions so that you can convey a sense of their story to the viewer.
When I first bought an SLR I took lots of pictures of leaves (with a very shallow depth of field) but eventually I realised that the point of good photography is to tell a story.
So we’ve created 50 Faces as a place for photographers to share tips and tricks on the journey to taking 50 portraits of their friends, family and community.
We’ve got lots of ideas for future photo challenges:
Street photography is fun but shooting a good portrait is even harder.
When we travel, our eyes are a opened a little bit wider. This is the perfect time to shoot street photography. Good street photography is all about people. But, photographing people in a new culture isn’t always easy. I’ve just returned from shooting in Uganda and Tanzania. Africa is a wonderful place to shoot street photography but you need to keep your wits about you.
You can get close if you smile and put your subject at ease
So, how can use the techniques from street photography to make your travel photography better?
I’ve been asked a number of times what presets I use for processing street photography in Adobe Lightroom. Even with digital cameras, street photography is a style that seems to benefit form very simple black and white processing. Black and white lets you focus in on the details, the light in the city and on the story of the people you are shooting. I process my images in Adobe Lightroom, looking for a gentle film look that puts all the attention on the subject and their story.
It’s hard to find a consistent look for your black and white images.
I shoot street photos to tell a story with the image. I want viewers to say to themselves; “I wonder where that woman is going?” and not “I wonder whether he used Instagram for that photo?” So I’ve created a Lightroom 4 Preset that is specifically designed for street photographers who want the images themselves to do the talking.
My GF2 came with the Panasonic 14mm lens as part of the kit so I never realised how many street photographers haven’t tried this powerful little lens. Recently I’ve met more and more micro four thirds street shooters and I’m still shocked at how many of you haven’t tried the pocket rocket.
The 14mm handles bright lights fine. There’s a bit of flare but it’s part of the charm.
Put simply, the 14mm is the best value lens for micro four thirds. If you’re building a kit for street photography then the 14m is an important part of your toolkit.
On the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Rd today I stumbled across a photographer using a hand-held flash to grab street portraits. It was a moment of serendipity because I was wandering along, thinking about how “asked” stranger portraits like the Extra Day Project are different to candid street photography. I stopped to chat for a moment.
Using a flash for street photography changes the social interaction with your subject.
He’d been spit at, chased and attacked. But said that most people react very positively. In fact, many play up for the camera.
Abtin Eshraghi is a self taught photographer from London. He was born in Iran, raised in the UK and lived briefly in the US. I first noticed Abtin’s work through Google Plus, which has a great network of street photographers. His photos have a gritty energy that jumps off the screen.
Getting out on the street frequently increases your chances of capturing that spontaneous moment. (Photo by A. Eshraghi)
I enjoy Abtin’s photos because he’s using a GF3 to get spontaneous and slice-of-life photos from around London. He also shoots film and a DSLR but I’ve chosen a few of his micro-four-thirds photos because they showcase the extra freedom you get from a smaller camera. Continue reading
Each month we’ll be profiling a local street photographer from around London. Not all of the photographers will be pure street photographers, but there is something about street photography that we can learn from all of them. This month we’re profiling Anthony Stonehouse, a Design Director who’s worked in Australia, Japan, the UAE and the UK.
Anthony and I met while we were both trying out the Panasonic GX1. He told me that “Most of my images are taken for their composition or light, rather than for a particular subject or candid moment.” I think this brings a bit more depth to his composition than many of my own run-and-gun candid street photos. I’ve picked five of Anthony’s photos that helped remind me to explore composition and light.
1. Do you prefer wide angle or zoom for street photography and why?
I prefer wide angle as I generally like to capture a scene, rather than just a crop of a particular subject. I quite like the challenge of shooting with a longer focal length though, and think it makes you look for subjects of interest rather than being as concerned with composition.
Conveying a message or sense of place and culture, even if only subtly gives your street photos depth. (Photo by A. Stonehouse)
2. Do you interact with your subjects?
Never, unless I know them. Continue reading
Kai and the Digital Rev team have put together a series of street photography tips with some “Dos” and “Donts”.
Most of them are common sense, but it’s great to see the team out and about on the streets of Hong Kong. The team have made other videos about street photography and they’re always interesting.
Digital Rev are an online camera store and have been producing YouTube videos for a few years now as part of their marketing. They are amongst the world’s best because they’ve managed to put their personalities into the videos. You can learn alot from how they come across on camera while talking about a potentially dry subject.
And Kai’s street photos may be patchy, but some of them are damn good.
London Street Photo 