*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, safety concerns, street tips, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
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
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
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.
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.
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.
33 Street Photography Photos from 3 Days in Hyderabad, India
On my way from Bangalore to Mumbai, I stopped in Hyderabad, India for a few days. From its rich history and culture to its royal architecture and amazing cuisine, there’s plenty to see and experience in Hyderabad. Many streets, especially in the Old City, take you back in time, while the city as a whole is in rapid growth with a booming tech industry. There’s a diverse mix of atmosphere to explore in Hyderabad if you have the time.
Unfortunately, some travel problems forced me to make a shorter stay than planned, so I was only able to spend three full days exploring the city with my camera, but I tried to make the most it. So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my short time in Hyderabad…
City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Chennai, India
*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, safety concerns, street tips, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
Chennai
7 First Impressions of Mumbai, India (From a Street Photography Perspective)
My last stop on my most recent trip to India was Mumbai. It wasn’t my first time in India’s biggest city, but first time really focusing on photography. Mumbai is so full of life and places to shoot that you could spend years here and not see everything, but I gave it some extra time for as much self-exploration as possible to finish off my trip. And luckily, I had some local street photographers to help along the way.
So here are my first impressions of Mumbai, from my personal street photographer perspective…
7 First Impressions of Hyderabad, India (From a Street Photography Perspective)
After Bangalore, I took a short train ride, in India terms, up to Hyderabad. This royal city is famous for its rich history, culture, cuisine, architecture, sites and more. While it’s another one of India’s big cities, it has its own atmosphere and look that distinguishes it. The old architecture really sets it apart, but it also has its booming tech industry that gives it an interesting juxtaposition. It’s a place that takes you back in time as well as any, all within one of the country’s fastest growing cities.
So here are my first impressions of Hyderabad, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Colombo, Sri Lanka
*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, safety concerns, street tips, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
Colombo
33 Street Photography Photos from 5 Days in Bangalore, India
During my recent trip to India, the rapidly growing city of Bangalore was my second stop after Chennai. For an Indian city, Bangalore brings a unique mix of cosmopolitan big city and the colorful, chaotic charm India is famous for. Parts of it are rivaled only by Mumbai for its development and the rapid growth you see and feel is unmatched. For street photography, it gives a variety of places to explore that can differ greatly in atmosphere too.
So here’s 33 street photos that I was able to capture during my time in Bangalore…
7 First Impressions of Bangalore, India (From a Street Photography Perspective)
After Chennai, I took a train over to Bangalore, India. Now, like many of India’s cities, the name has recently been changed. I understand the reasoning, but names like Bombay, Madras, Calcutta and Bangalore were seriously such good names. So since Bangalore’s change is much more recent and I didn’t meet one local that referred to their city with the new name, Bengaluru, we’re still going to refer to it as Bangalore for this article :)
In a country full of rapidly developing cities, Bangalore is at the front. One of India’s more cosmopolitan big cities, it brings comforts to visitors that you don’t find yet in most of India, from hip hangouts to its more temperate climate. There’s still multiple sides to the city, though, if you want to find the more chaotic India of old.
So here are my first impressions of Bangalore, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Casablanca, Morocco
*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, safety concerns, street tips, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
Casablanca
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