Tips

Oct 24 2017

Quotes For The Streets: Saul Leiter – The Positive Is Also Profound

“Some photographers think that by taking pictures of human misery, they are addressing a serious problem. I do not think that misery is more profound than happiness.”

― Saul Leiter

How Does it Relate to Photography?

This quote speaks to something I’ve felt ever since I got into photography. For many people, there’s an idea that human misery, despair and other negative feelings make for a more powerful and important photograph.

This is understandable considering these types of photos usually attract the most attention and awards, but does that mean they’re more important?

Open the newspaper or turn on the news, it’s all about tragedy and crime. Negativity taps into emotions more easily. This can be a good thing when it’s bringing needed attention to something important, but in photography, sometimes it can be captured just for the sake of grabbing attention. When looking at a photo like this, are we reacting to real human emotions or is much of it just shock?

Emotion or Shock

Shock is the easiest way to get a reaction or interest in anything, not just news and photography. From jokes to television to facebook comments, add some shock value and you have something that grabs attention. This doesn’t make it truly more powerful, though, in my opinion. Capturing something positive probably won’t gain you many awards, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be just as powerful.

For me, I don’t always want to see the negative side of life. While this world and life is full of negativity, it’s also full of positivity. Even in the darkest places, there’s happiness, laughter and joy.

hare-island-shooter-files-26 — Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Day-to-day life brings us those day-to-day things that bring us all happiness. Much of the time, we take it for granted until we don’t have it. Capturing those gifts of daily life can be just as important as the negative stuff.

Is Negativity Easier to Capture?

Many times, when capturing negative situations and emotions, it can be easier to make a photo that people respond to. A person crying, an angry expression, conflict, war, etc. If a scene includes any of these situations or subjects, by just aiming and clicking, you’re bound to capture a photo that gets viewers reacting.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have laughter, joy, smiles, scenes of happiness, etc. Aim and snap a photo of this and you might get comments like “cliche,” “boring,” or “cute.” It’s difficult to capture positivity without going into those categories. There’s a fine line when dealing with positive situations.

Negativity can give a feeling of hard reality, while positivity can come off as fake. So you have to really capture it authentically.

How to Apply it to Your Photography

When capturing negativity, there are things you have to worry about, like a feeling of exploitation. With a photo capturing positivity, you have to worry about even more things, though.

You want it to look genuine and authentic. A smile or laughter can easily bring feelings of posed or “cute” if it’s not captured well, and at the right moment. Even if you capture the moment completely candid, it has to feel that way too. We’re accustomed to equating smiles with posing because that’s what most people do when they know a photo is being taken. Even if a person isn’t happy, they’re going to act like it for the camera. Positive situations and emotions can easily come off like a magazine ad or family photo. You have to overcome this.

One way is to make it as candid as possible. Catch the scene at its most authentic. Real laughs and smiles have a different look than fake ones because the person isn’t being self-conscious about it. You can try to capture a real scene, with different elements spaced apart and people in natural, or even awkward, positions. Maybe someone in motion or doing something. All of these things go against the look of posing together, and can make the scene feel more real.

You also have to be careful that the photo doesn’t come off as too cute. Photos of puppies, kittens and babies might get “likes” on flickr, but most won’t be taken seriously in photography. Positivity and happiness doesn’t have to look cute. It has to look like real life.

Timing is usually the most important part of capturing a positive moment. It has to be at its most authentic. Feeling the scene and atmosphere, spending time within it, and trusting your instincts can help you accomplish this.

Happiness is Found Everywhere

One thing I’ve noticed from traveling is that simple happiness is found everywhere, in seemingly equal parts. Outside of the absolute worst conditions, you don’t notice more happiness in a “nicer” place than you do in a worse one. To me, this is a beautiful part of life and something that connects us all. We adapt to our conditions and experience the same basic emotions. Sometimes happiness seems even more abundant in areas with less. When you don’t have much, you tend not to want much. And many times find joy out of the simple things in life. Or in the most important things in life, like family, friends and relationships.

Where to look?

On the plus side, while it might be more difficult to capture positivity well, you can usually find it more easily. Happiness happens everywhere. You can look for parks, squares, or any events going on. These places bring people together, which tends to bring happiness and positive scenes. You can look in neighborhoods that bring you closer to the locals. Places where people are more comfortable and at ease, where life is away from work, and where children play outside. Explore and look for people together, talking and hanging out. Positive scenes are just waiting to unfold.

The positive can be cool too

I’ve caught myself not taking a photo because it doesn’t feel edgy enough. Being turned off because a scene might be too positive seems to be common among street photographers. But do we only want to see photos on the darker side? As Leiter said, “I don’t thing misery is more profound than happiness.” Capturing positivity well might be a challenge, but it’s a challenge worth taking.

What do you think about capturing happiness and positivity in photograph? Is it less important than the negative and what difficulties do you find with it? Tell me in the comments below. And if you have any favorite quotes for photography, be sure to comment them too!

Click Here for More from the “Quotes for the Streets” Series

fitness street photos-1-2 — Chefchaouen, Morocco

Aug 03 2017

7 Tips on Capturing Shadow in Street Photography

For this blog, I have set up a Readers’ Requests Page for anyone to comment requests for posts, topics, changes or additions they’d like to see here on Shooter Files. I’m also starting a Reader’s Requests post series from these suggestions. If I write a post from your suggestion, I’ll credit you and include any link of your choice in the post as a thank you.

This Readers’ Requests Series post comes thanks to Sajid Shaikh:

Sajid Shaikh’s Request: Can you share some ideas on how to work with shadow in street photography?

Sajid Shaikh’s Link: instagram.com/shaikh.sajid92

*And before reading, I always emphasize there is no magic formula for photography. There is no formula at all. So I don’t want this requests series to read like that, which is why I was hesitant with tip requests in the past. There are ways to help you improve and see, though, so hopefully these can help others for that reason.

7 Tips on Capturing Shadow in Street Photography

Capturing shadow is a popular aesthetic in street photography, maybe now more than ever. For some photographers, the use of light and shadow has such a strong presence in their work that it becomes their known style. Other photographers don’t make it the whole aesthetic, but capture shadow as a way to add interest, mood and effect to a scene.

From small details to dramatic effects, there’s a variety of ways shadow can be captured and included in a photo. Shadow is found everywhere, but not all shadow is the same and there are ways you can effect how it looks when photographed. How do you want shadow to effect what you photograph? There are no rules in photography, but here are some tips that might be able to help improve your photos if you’re trying to focus on capturing shadow.

1. Don’t be afraid of the dark

If you want the shadows to become a strong focus of the photo, exposing for them will take away from their effect. I’d recommend shooting manually and exposing for the highlights instead to really bring out the contrast. If you expose for the shadows, not only will they not stand out, but the rest of the scene will likely be over exposed. If you shoot auto, it well expose for the whole scene, which will still expose for the shadows some. But if you expose for the highlights, the elements in the light will be exposed perfectly, while the shadows will be a nice contrasty black.

This of course is in cases where you have a decent amount of light creating the contrast between light and shadow. Many photographers feel a need to expose for the whole scene so every detail can be seen. The extreme of this would be seen in the popularity of HDR. The viewer doesn’t need to see every detail, though. Sometimes the details in the shadows aren’t important, sometimes the added mystery of shadow can create interest and if you’re wanting to capture shadows in your photography, exposing for the highlights can bring this effect to life.

2. What time is it and how do you want to use it?

The time of the day effects shadow as much as anything, and in different ways. As the angle of the sun changes, so do the shadows. The lower the sun, the longer the shadows will be, making it easier to play with them in a frame. The contrast and harshness of the light and shadow will be at its greatest in the middle of the day, when the sun is directly overhead. This is usually a time to avoid in general for photography, but especially for shadows. Once the sun is closer to the horizon, you’ll get more pleasing, softer light, along with strong shadows. If you want to work in shadows against a wall or other elements, the lower angle of the sun works perfect for this. The same goes for using background shadow to help subjects in the light really stand out by being fully lit up.

You should also decide how you want to use the shadows, though. Do you want the effect to be subtle or more dramatic? If you do want harsh shadows, then shooting in the middle of the day might actually appeal to you. If you want softer light with the shadow or extra long shadows, then you want to shoot closer to the sunrise or sunset. Personally, if the skies are clear, I prefer the last 2 hours before sunset.

Also, if you’re familiar with the area you want to shoot in, you’ll know the direction the light hits depending on the time of the day. When is the sun facing the scene/background and when is it backlit? Or when is it hitting at a certain angle in-between. If backlit, the shadow will fall towards you, which also it means you might have to deal with lens flare directed from the sun. The time of the day is as important as anything when it comes to shadow.

3. Be Creative. Use shadows in uncommon ways & create a new perspective

Shadows don’t only have to be a black background or a subject’s matching figure on a wall. They can be used to create a new perspective, add geometry, bring mystery, provide juxtaposition, make illusions and more. An example would be a person dressed in black in the light with a background of shadow blending into the subject, creating an illusion from the elements that aren’t black.

Another example would be a shape or line of shadow connecting with an element in the scene to form one. There’s an endless number of ways, these are just to give you an idea of what I mean, while it’s up to you to be creative and find you’re own way to use shadow.

And remember, shadows can be different tones and even be in color. If you want the shadow to be more than black darkness, you can have slight exposure for them to bring out some detail, while still having the presence of shadow. You can also find colored light in a scene and the shadow they cast will possess tones of some of the color if exposed for correctly. It can be fun seeing shadow and light in new, less basic ways.

4. Shadows and Silhouettes

Technically, Shadows and Silhouettes are two different things, but they can work together seamlessly. And beautifully. I’m sure you already know, but shadows are created separately from another subject blocking the light, while silhouettes are the subject blocked from the light, creating what looks similar to a black shadow when in front of a lit background. There are more possibilities working with shadow, but they both can reveal form and add another subject in similar ways, while keeping some mystery or abstract quality.

For silhouettes to look like shadows, you need to make sure you have strong light behind them, while they are completely blocked from the light. Like a building casting a shadow just past the subject, but not against the background. One strength of silhouettes can be in how defined they can look. While shadows can be distorted with soft edges depending on the angle of the light, subject and surface, silhouettes can show a perfect image of the subject cast in black shadow because it actually is the subject. Using them together, you can mix different forms of subjects, all in black shadow, creating some interesting effects.

You could look for a subject in light next to a silhouette that at first looks like their shadow, but with a different form. Or if you’re lucky, capture a mixture of silhouettes, shadows and subjects in the light to create a complex and interesting scene. Or maybe you even want the silhouette to show partial detail of the subject. There’s many ways to capture interest through shadow and silhouettes.

5. Add Contrast, Details, and Texture

Shadow can also be used with an artistic vision, like a paintbrush using light and shadow to capture a mixture of tones, texture, contrast and other details. A photographer like Gueorgui Pinkhassov is a master of this. He’s not looking to just have a solid shadow or two as subjects, he’s looking for shadow and light to play together in the whole scene.

Shadows can reveal texture, especially if the sun is at a low angle, casting shadows within the texture and creating contrast. The grittiness of old architecture, the rockiness of the ground, or even the wrinkles in a person’s face.

The contrasts created by shadows can be subtle and other times they can be more dramatic. A blend of shadow across the scene can reveal some aspects, while bringing mystery to others, creating a more abstract quality to the photo. Different textures and contrasts can be added through light and shadow to emphasize this effect even more. Shadows can add depth and shape to the scene too.

Sometimes it also helps to look at a scene with an abstract eye, not only focused on what is happening. Then you can see what the mix of light, shadow, tones, and colors are doing to what you see.

6. Capture Drama, Mood and Emotion

In addition to creating an artistic or abstract scene, shadow can also be used to bring drama, mood and emotion to a photo. This can be captured in similar ways as contrast, texture, and details.

Contrast can create drama. People’s attention are drawn to the contrast, which can emphasize what they’re looking at. This in turn dramatizes and amplifies what we see. Think of a scary movie or a towering building. Without the shadow and contrast, the effects wouldn’t be as dramatic.

In addition to grabbing attention, shadow can also affect mood. With shadow covering parts of the scene in different ways, the mood and emotion can form in a variety of ways. Clouds casting partial shadows over a scene, strong contrasts of bright light and dark shadow mixed together, or a dimly lit room of shadow with one light shining on a man, these are all creating mood through the use of shadow and light.

7. Direct Attention & Bring Focus

Shadow can be used to direct attention and bring focus in a number of ways.

It can be a focal point, frame a focal point or lead the eyes to a focal point. If the subject is exposed, the shadow behind or around it brings even more attention to it. Shadows can also be shapes or lines that can be captured in a way that might point to a subject or frame it. Sometimes even having a shadow partially cover a subject can bring attention to it or direct focus to a specific part of the subject, like their eye.

Shadow can also help the viewer focus on certain elements by removing distractions or detail from the unimportant parts of the scene. There are many possibilities where shadows can direct the viewer’s attention and strengthen the center of interest in a photo. So try to notice different types of geometry and ways shadows involve themselves into your surroundings. Sometimes they can bring focus to a subject just as much, or more, as the subject does itself.

Another thank you to Sajid Shaikh for his request on shadows. Hopefully, some of these tips can help you improve how you capture and use shadows, or expand your possibilities when it comes to street photography. Again, there are no rules or magic formula to photography, but there are ways to help capture what you want to see, or see things you never saw before. Including shadow is just another way to do it.

If anyone has their own request for a post, please share it here!

Mar 28 2017

7 Tips on Layering in Street Photography

For this blog, I have set up a Readers’ Requests Page for anyone to comment requests for posts, topics, changes or additions they’d like to see here on Shooter Files. I’m also starting a Reader’s Requests Post Series from these suggestions. If I write a post from your suggestion, I’ll credit you and include any link of your choice in the post as a thank you.

So, the first Reader’s Requests Series post comes thanks to Manthan Patel.

Manthan Patel’s Request: “I would love to see an article on layering techniques used in street photography.”

Manthan Patel’s Link: instagram.com/photosbymanthan

7 Tips on Layering in Street Photography

Layering scenes with multiple subjects across different depths of field across the frame is a popular theme in photography. Alex Webb is one well-known photographer when it comes to this style. Having multiple points of focus can create more interest and draw the viewer in, while forcing them to scan over the whole photo to see everything. Sometimes it can create a more complex story in the viewers mind or give them a more complete feeling of the scene, moment and mood. Layering in itself doesn’t make a good photo, but it can add to a photo to make it better.

There’s much more to it than just putting elements across the frame, though. You still want strength at its core, be that a primary subject, visual feeling or moment. There are no rules in photography, or in layering, but here are some tips that should help improve your photos if you’re trying to focus on layering.

1. Number of Subjects & “Grounds”

A composition is generally divided into three planes. The foreground, middle ground, and background. The foreground appears closest to the viewer, the background appears furthest, while the middle ground is located between them. As the photographer, you’ll be able to see these distances when making the photo, but the viewer of the photo will feel these planes due to scale, depth and how you make the photo. While you can have more layers than this, these 3 primary “grounds” are the minimum you’ll want to include to really get a feeling of layers. They also help divide and organize any additional layers in your scene.

In order for a photo to clearly show all 3 “grounds,” they all need to include an element or subject that brings focus and separation to that plane. This is true for additional layers within each plane too. For many, the more subjects, the better, as long as there’s separation. I don’t believe this is always true, specifically when additional elements don’t really add anything. But generally speaking, layered shots do work well when they can contain many subjects in a well composed frame. It’s one thing that makes layered photos so interesting to look at.

Another way to bring out separation between your “grounds” and layers is to use a wide-angle lens. The longer a lens, the more compressed the elements and layers will show in the photo. A wide-angle lens (<35mm), does the opposite, really making the viewer feel and see the different layers.

2. Look Through Entire Frame

One of the biggest difficulties with layered shots is all the information you have to think about when framing the scene. While true with any photo, it becomes even more important to look through the entire frame when making the photo. You don’t just have a subject and background. You have multiple subjects, “grounds” and a good chance they’re not all static. So look across all of your layers and see how you can put it all together in a timed shot that organizes the chaos into a filled, yet clean frame.

You want to avoid overlaps and mess. You want the layers and subjects to stand out on their own. And you want the scene to come together into layered beauty.

3. Get Close

When working with a multi-layered shot dealing with many subjects and elements, you might feel the need to stay far back to fit it all in. This can remove the intimacy and feeling of being in the layered scene, though. In return, removing most of the effect layers can have on the viewer. Shoot far away and most scenes will have layers in them, you just won’t feel them, as the layers blend together. The closer you get, while containing the layers in the frame, the stronger and more pronounced the layers will look and feel. The scaled size of the layered elements and wide angle’s effect bring focus to the different layers’ distance, bringing the viewer into the scene.

4. Foreground is Important

By getting close, the foreground becomes very important in a layered shot. In my opinion, it’s what makes or breaks the shot as much as anything. Without a strong foreground element, the layered shot usually feels missing. Even if the other layers are strong.

So you first want to make sure you have a strong foreground subject and then make sure you really put it into the foreground. When using a wide lens, it can feel like you were close enough to it, but then when you look at the photo later, it doesn’t really feel like it’s in the foreground. So make sure to get close and put it where it feels like it’s up in front of the viewer.

5. Still Needs Interest

Just because you have tons of layers and subjects all organized nicely into a frame doesn’t guarantee you’ll have a great photo. Like with any photo, you still need to capture interest. Without it, the layers will just feel like a formula.

Examples of things to look for to include interest in your layers:

Look for a primary subject, which the other elements can help support. Maybe you see an interesting character, but instead of just focusing the frame on them, you can include other elements to add to the scene and main subject.
Look for gesture, which can really bring a layered shot to life. Gesture not only creates interest, but brings focus to the different layers.
Look for something happening, an action or moment. Maybe something is going on in the foreground, middle ground and background that can come together yet stay separate.
Gesture, action or moments across different layers can come together to tell a complex story from the scene (at least created in the viewer’s mind).
Look for light, shadow or color. Layers of these elements can paint a beautiful picture when brought together.

Layers are a way to organize interest into a photo, but remember, you still need interest to begin with. Capture interest, not a formula.

6. Wait for another layer to complete the frame

When going for layered scenes, a bunch of layers perfectly organized probably won’t just appear without some thought and patience. Many times you’ll spot a nice scene with some layers, but it won’t feel complete yet. This is when you see what else might complete it.

Maybe just moving or changing the angle can add to another layer. Or Maybe you have the foreground and midground you want, but need something in the background. Look outside the frame and see what might enter. Patience and instincts are very important when it comes to layers.

7. Where to focus?

If you have a layered shot where you need to get up really close to the foreground subject, you might question where to focus the frame. Since you’re putting visual importance on all the layers, do you really want the background to be out of focus just so the foreground is clear. Or do you focus on the middle so it and the background are clear, while the foreground keeps some blur?

This one is really up to you. Some feel the foreground is most important when it comes to focus, while others will sacrifice a little foreground blur to make the rest of the scene clear. I zone focus, but might bring it in a little if I feel the need to get extra close, but I try not to overdo it. The importance you feel for each subject can also help you decide how you want to focus.

Another thank you to Manthan Patel for his request on layering. Hopefully, some of these tips can help you improve your layering or expand your possibilities when it comes to street photography. Again, there are no rules or magic formula to photography, but there are ways to help capture what you want to see, or see things you never saw before. Layering is just another way to do it.

If anyone has their own request for a post, please share it here!

Sep 26 2016

7 Tips for Seeing in Color in Street Photography

seeing-in-color-cover — Pattaya, Thailand

*The “Capture Color Series” covers different tips and lessons on Color Street Photography

For another installment in the Capture Color Series, I’ll cover some tips to help with seeing in color when out shooting in color. Of course, most of us already see in color just fine, but I’m talking about its relation to capturing better color photos. If you’re out shooting black & white photography, you need to see things differently than you do when shooting in color. If you can look around you and really see the colors, know how they can affect a photo, and be able to capture a color photo the way you saw it, then you’ve learned how to see in color with your photography.

Here are 7 tips to, hopefully, help with seeing in color in street photography.

7 Tips for Seeing in Color in Street Photography

1. Look for Color

First you have to find color before you can capture it. Luckily color is all around us, but you do have to keep your eyes open for it. Not all color is created equal, either, so what you’re looking for can depend on your vision and style too. Maybe you like bright colors, light colors, dark colors, or colors that give a certain mood. Maybe you like the light a certain way for your colors, maybe you like multiple combinations of colors in your scene, or maybe you like to use only one color highlighted. If you know what you like, then you don’t have to try to look for it. It will find you.

i-love-color-7-of-12 — Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

So, where to look for color then? Everywhere. City blocks can supply colorful buildings, signs, advertisements, and more. Nature can bring you intense colors too, like the green of the grass or the blue of the sky. Then, of course, you have people, whom can supply colors from what they wear to their hair. Even the light supplies different shades of colors. No matter where you are, the colors are out there. You just have to look.

2. But Don’t Make Color Your Only Focus

Don’t take tip #1 too seriously or you’ll just end up photographing different colors instead of making a good photo. You have to look for more than just a color, while also not focusing too much on the act of looking. You want to be relaxed and free so things can find you.

This brings to mind my all-time least favorite quote by Ted Grant:

“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!”

Without going into detail why I dislike this quote so much, if you’re shooting in color and take this quote to heart then you’re cutting your potential short. If you look to use color as a way to add life to a frame that already holds interest, then you can reach that potential.

Many Black & white street photographers like to look for lines, light, shadows, shapes and tones, but this can also be applied to color work too. Color work doesn’t need to be focused only on style, either. Capturing moments and scenes can be brought alive with the use of color. For the strongest photos, just like with black & white, color can work to enhance the photos interest, not be its only interest.

3. Pay Attention to the Variety of Colors in the Scene

One of the more difficult aspects of color street photography is dealing with the number of colors that can fight for attention in a scene. The world is filled with a variety of colors and shades so you have to pay attention to this. Not all colors work well together. You might want the photo to focus on specific elements/subjects, but then a color in the background steals the focus. Or maybe the scene is a clutter of different colors that looks messy instead of appealing.

i-love-color-2-of-12 — Marrakech, Morocco

On the other side of the spectrum, you can use different colors together to create more interest. Learning Color Theory can teach you how colors work together and what combinations work well for your vision. For example, complementary colors like red and green not only look good together, but they create contrast to make the other stand out. Finding these color combinations in the street can really help capture a beautiful color photo.

4. Feel the Mood of Colors

Color creates mood and can have emotional meaning. We react differently to different colors and they can bring up thoughts and feelings. Some of this comes from our experiences and memories, while others are basic reactions born into us. Think of a red sports car or red lipstick. Compare that to the blue of the ocean or green of the grass. These colors give meaning and mood to a photo.

Photographer Joel Meyerowitz describes color much more articulately than I ever could:

“Color describes more things…I really mean the sensation I get from things – their surface and color – my memory of them in other conditions as well as their connotative qualities. Color plays itself out along a richer band of feelings—more wavelengths, more radiance, more sensation. I wanted to see more and experience more feelings from a photograph….The fact is that color film appears to be responsive to the full spectrum of visible light while black and white reduces the spectrum to a very narrow wavelength. This stimulates in the user of each material a different set of responses. A color photograph gives you a chance to study and remember how things look and feel in color. It enables you to have feelings along the full wavelength of the spectrum, to retrieve emotions that were perhaps bred in you from infancy—from the warmth and pinkness of your mother’s breast, the loving brown of you puppy’s face, and the friendly yellow of your pudding. Color is always part of experience. Grass is green, not gray; flesh is color, not gray. Black and white is a very cultivated response.”

When you look at color in this way, you see how powerfully it can be used in photography.

i-love-color-1-of-1 — Marrakech, Morocco

5. Look at the Light

Light really affects color. It changes the shade, tone, saturation and intensity. You can shoot a scene in bright sunlight and then shoot the same scene seconds later after cloud coverage and the colors and mood completely change. Color doesn’t handle overexposure well at all, it can easily remove much of the color itself, along with any saturation. Shadows or under exposure, however, will darken and flatten much of the color. So you need to look at the light and make sure your exposure settings go along with how you’re looking to capture the color.

i-love-color-9-of-12 — Bangkok, Thailand

Exposure can’t do everything, though. No matter how hard you try, a cloudy day will never look the same as a sunny one. Most of my photos are shot with bright light because of how it brings out the colors when exposed for the highlights. You’ll see many well-known photographers prefer bright light too, like Alex Webb and Constantine Manos. These type of colors can’t be done without the sun. Just like the somber, more depressed colors come out better with grey skies or cover, which some photographers prefer for mood and look. Colors come from light, so it’s as important as anything in color photography.

6. See Like Your Camera

Your camera doesn’t see like your eyes do. Our eyes expose for different parts of the scene at the same time and can give us a very different picture than the actual picture captured. So just as light affects colors, how the camera sees and captures the light differently than our eyes is important to learn. Since your eyes aren’t processing the photo, you need to see like your camera.

This means if you see the sunlight creating a high contrast scene, you’ll know that the shadows will be darker than your eyes see, as long as you expose for the highlights. You can use this to your advantage to create shadows and mood that your eyes wouldn’t create, though. If instead, you want to bring out those shadows, you need to be very careful it doesn’t blowout the highlights. If you see like your camera, you can control the light and create something even better than your eyes could see.

i-love-color-3-of-12 — Chefchaouen, Morocco

Color noise and blur, among others, are a couple of reasons photos can look better in black & white. This is because color can look much worse when not shot ideally, as it brings out these “negatives,” while black & white can hide or make them look more pleasing. If you’re shooting in color, you really need to be aware of how the camera will see and create the image, based on things like light and camera settings.

7. Study the Work of Other Color Photographers

One way of the best ways to learn how to see in color is to study the work of others.

Harry Gruyaert, Martin Parr, Alex Webb, Saul Leiter, Joel Meyerowitz, and William Eggleston are some of the biggest names and pioneers in color photography. Study their work and see how they capture color. Try to think what they saw in real life in order to capture a photo, and its colors, the way they did.

To finish off, below are 10 examples from 10 of the best:

Eggleston - Red Hair — © William Eggleston

58716_9714_green-car-custom-660x430 — © Helen Levitt

If you have any thoughts or tips of your own for seeing in color, please comment below! Cheers and good luck capturing color.

Aug 29 2016

The Street Photographer’s Fitness Plan

After living in Istanbul much of last year, one thing became clear. Street Photography can be a workout. I was constantly hiking up and down the steep streets of Istanbul, but I’m not complaining. It allowed me to eat kebab and drink beer without worry.

Also, after writing many of the Master Profiles on some of the great classic photographers, I kept noticing something. Almost all of them lived, or are living, long lives. Check out these ages: Henri Cartier-Bresson – 95, Helen Levitt – 95, Saul Leiter – 89, Robert Frank – 91 (still shooting), Elliot Erwitt – 88 (still shooting), Joel Meyerowitz – 78 (still shooting), William Eggleston -77 (still shooting), and on (I’m not cherry picking, either).

Obviously, this isn’t proven science, but it got me thinking about the active lifestyle of a non-studio photographer and its positive effect on health. So for fun, here’s my version of the Street Photographer’s Fitness Plan.

Summer isn’t over yet, there’s still time to grab your camera and get beach ready. And yes this post is a joke! But a joke worth following :)

The Street Photographer’s Fitness Plan

Exercises

fitness street photos-5-2 — Marrakech, Morocco 2015

Slow Walking

Most of your workout will likely consist of slow walking. Make sure you are always observing your surroundings and going with the flow of your environment. Running will likely bring too much attention to yourself for Street Photography, but slow walking does add up by constantly burning those calories.

Speed Walking

During times where you need to reach a specific point in time or you see a moment occurring at a distance, you can raise your speed to a faster pace. Speed walking gives you some cardio workout, while mixing up the pace.

Steps

Walking is great, but make sure you give your legs a complete workout by taking steps when possible. Some city terrain offers more steps and incline than others. As with any workout, different courses and obstacles can give different results.

Breaks

To give your body a rest, make sure to take intermittent breaks. Pick a good spot and wait for the scene to form in front of you. Be ready with your camera, while letting your eyes do most of the work. After a successful break, you can return to normal activity.

Hills

Once again, this all depends on the city’s terrain. Cities like San Francisco and Istanbul will give a higher difficulty workout compared to cities like New York and Berlin. Do you want to gain muscle or do you just want to maintain tone? It’s all up to you.

Camera Curls

Each shot attempt equals one camera curl. Try to do at least 50 curls per workout. Heavier SLR users can get away with less. Photographers more selective with their shots will just have weaker arms. And “shooters from the hip” might as well stay home if they’re not going to put any effort into the program. (I’m joking!!!)

Diet

Trolley Banana-1 — Budapest, Hungary 2015

Breakfast:

You have a big day ahead so a solid breakfast is required (do not skip this). Forgetting this will lead to less productivity on the streets and wasted time looking for something to eat.

Eggs (Winogrand preferred his scrambled, while Cartier-Bresson had his over easy. What type of Street Photographer are you?)
Cereal or Toast
Fruit (For Street Photography, citrus fruits help your eyesight, berries help your focus. I googled it.)
Milk or Juice
Coffee (2 cups, or shots, is ideal to jump start a day of Street Photography)

Lunch (Street Meal/Cheat Meal):

You’re out there burning all those calories walking those streets so your street meal should be whatever you damn want.

A place with outdoor seating is always nice, maximizing your street photo opportunities for the day. Choosing a time when the sun is most harsh is also a smart idea so you don’t waste better lighting.

fitness street photos-4-2 — Marrakech, Morocco 2015

Snacks:

For the Street Photographer always on the go, be sure to have snacks on you to keep both your energy and metabolize going.

Dinner:

You’re probably hungry and tired from a long day of shooting. So eat a balanced meal high in fiber to fill you up, but not too heavy so you can get quality rest for another day of shooting.

Routine Tips

Focus on Street Photography, Not on how much you’re walking

Get lost in the streets and your thoughts of the next shot. This will distract you from how much you’re walking, and how hard you’re burning those calories.

Treat Yourself

You know how many calories you just burned walking all day? If you drink, have a beer. If you don’t, have whatever you like. You deserve it.

Download a Steps App to Your Phone

At the end of the day, you can see how far you walked. Odds are you’ll be surprised.

fitness street photos-3-3 — Marrakech, Morocco 2015

To Better Health & Photography

The Street Photography Fitness Plan does come with its side effects. It won’t only gain you better health, but will also bring more photos. And that can only help improve your photography. So grab your camera, get fit and make some photos.

Jun 15 2016

50 Tips I Would Tell My New Photographer Self

I remember my first college photography course years ago. It was taught by a photographer with over 40 years of experience. Unfortunately, those 40 years didn’t seem to teach him much valuable advice to give aspiring photographers.

For perspective, the instructor’s most repeated piece of advice was that “No great photos have been made without a tripod!” Not joking.

Most of what I’ve learned since has come from experience, time, plenty of photos, studying great photographers’ work and finding valuable information on my own (thank you internet). A lot of time could have been saved if I’d been told a few valuable pieces of simple advice at the start, though.

So here’s 50 things I wish that teacher had told me instead, years ago. And feel free to add any of your own tips in the comments below!

50 Tips I Would Tell My New Photographer Self

1. Photos are Images of Light. Learn Light As Much As You Learn Anything.

2. Focus on the Whole Scene, Not Just One Element.

3. Try Everything, Pick Something.

4. Don’t Waste So Much Time Looking at Gear.

5. Listen to Criticism, But Stick to Your Vision.

6. Learn How to Zone Focus.

7. Don’t Just Show What Something Looks Like. See How You Can Capture More.

8. Your Photos You Think are Good Today, You Might Realize Aren’t Tomorrow. That’s OK, You’re Improving.

9. Learn Three Things Inside and Out: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

10. Be a Photographer First, Then You Can Think of a Career.

11. Don’t Compete or Compare With Others. Focus on Your Own Improvement.

12. Always Have a Camera With You.

13. Photo Books are a Visual Teacher. Buy Many.

14. Worry Less About Technology and More About Photography.

15. Take Risks at the Beginning, Don’t Jump into Constraints From the Start.

16. Don’t Spend So Much Time Tweaking Edits and Pre-Sets. Take Your Camera and Go Outside.

17. Force Yourself to Learn How to Shoot Manual from the Start.

18. Don’t Listen to Everyone. A Photo of a Flower Would Get More “likes” than Most of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Work.

19. Do Listen to Someone, Though. Find Honest Photographers to Critique Your Photos With.

20. Curiosity & Instincts Work Well Together in Photography.

21. Shooting Wide Open is Not Mandatory.

22. Shoot Every Day.

23. Don’t Give Up. Most People Stop at the Start.

24. Learn One Focal Length Extremely Well.

25. Do What You Can With What You Have.

26. Shoot RAW.

27. Bokeh Can Look Nice, But Only in Certain Instances.

28. Slow Down. Taking More Shots Doesn’t Equal More Keepers.

29. Don’t Worry About Taking Too Many Shots, Though. Take Another Shot, or five, If You Feel It.

30. If It Doesn’t Say or Show Anything Interesting, Then It’s Not a Good Photo.

31. Just Shoot It. If It Grabs You, Capture It. Hesitating Out of Fear Loses Your Best Shots.

32. Get Closer. But Not as a Rule.

33. Substance Over Polish. Substance Will Last the Test of Time, Amazing Photoshop Won’t.

34. Most Camera Features Just Get in the Way.

35. Study the Work of Great Photographers.

36. Photography Looks Much Better in Print than on Screens. Study Prints.

37. All You Really Need is a Camera.

38. Look Longer at the Things Most People Ignore.

39. Write Things Down. Ideas, Thoughts, Goals, Etc.

40. Stop Waiting and Just Do It. It Won’t Go Perfectly, But You Have to Take the First Step to Go Anywhere.

41. Always Believe in Yourself Sounds Cliche. Don’t Listen to Yourself When You Don’t Believe in Yourself Sounds Realistic.

42. Choose Your Own Life. Don’t Let Others Dictate It.

43. Your Eyes Will Always Be More Important than Your Camera. Train Your Eyes to See.

44. Question Yourself & Your Photography. Push Yourself.

45. Don’t Worry So Much About What Others Think.

46. Fear and Failure Come with Success.

47. Shoot What You Love. Photograph What Interests You, Don’t Force What Doesn’t.

48. Walk Everywhere.

49. Don’t Overthink Photography. Capturing a Great Photo is Difficult, But Overthinking Only Makes it More Difficult.

50. There’s Always More to Learn. And to Capture.

May 23 2016

Finding the Perfect Notebook for Photographers

Notebook. No photographer should be without one! – Ansel Adams

Notebooks for Photographers

I’m a mix of the old and new. I love digital cameras, but I have love for analogs too. My iPhone is filled with music, but I have a collection of vinyl records at home. Technology and electronics are great, but there’s something special about mechanics that work with you without electricity.

Right now I’m writing this post on my Macbook, but many of my posts actually start in my paper bound notebooks.

Even some of my photography starts in a notebook. I love writing any photography related ideas down on paper.

When it comes to creativity, I still connect more with the old school. Putting the pen to paper gets my ideas flowing, while computer screens can put me in a daze. Notebooks also don’t come with internet access, which can be a very good thing when trying to limit distractions. But the best part is how I can take that notebook anywhere and have it when my next idea comes to me at the most random time, which is usually the case.

Plus computers don’t have that ribbon bookmark. I love that thing.

So what Notebook do I use? What is the Perfect Notebook?

Apr 25 2016

Quotes For The Streets: Jack Kerouac – The Best Teacher is Experience

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“The best teacher is experience and not through someone’s distorted point of view.”

― Jack Kerouac

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You’ve heard this sentiment before? Probably. A little cliché? Sure. True? Definitely. Plus, it sounds a little cooler coming from Jack Kerouac.

How Does it Relate to Photography?

Mar 14 2016

How to Shoot a Photo Project with the Same Look : Train Window Portraits

Creating a Photo Project with the Same Look

Thinking of photography in the context of a series or project can be a great way to improve. It gives you a theme and vision to focus on, and then teaches you how to bring that vision to reality.

Afterwards, when you’re out shooting photography without any project in mind, it still helps you learn to be more effective in capturing your personal vision with each shot.

A serious project should take years, not days, but you don’t have to let that intimidate you. Working on smaller, easier projects can be valuable too.

Feb 29 2016

How to Highlight Subjects with Natural Light

*The “Capture Color Series” covers different tips and lessons on Color Street Photography

The Natural Light & Black Shadow Effect

Some people message me asking how to get the effect where subjects are exposed, while the rest of the scene is in black darkness (Like the photo below). Some even ask if it’s photoshopped to get that effect, which it’s not. So I thought I’d make a post to answer those questions and show you how to do yourself.

sunlight shadow-9 — Istanbul, Turkey 2015

This is a popular look in Street Photography today because it adds drama and really makes subjects, colors and contrast pop out at you. It magnifies the intensity of color and contrast too. It also helps your eye focus on specific elements, while taking away any unwanted distractions, like a messy background.

So how difficult is it?

The truth is it’s easy. There’s no Photoshop, flash or complicated tricks needed. It’s all natural light and it’s very simple.

You only need 3 things. The right natural light, the correct camera settings for exposure, and the subjects in the right spot against the light.

sunlight shadow-3-2 — Kiev, Ukraine 2015

So if you want to know how to go out and practice this effect in your Street Photography, I’ll break it down in 5 easy steps.