5 Misconceptions About Street Photography
Needs to include people
This is by far the biggest misconception because so many people seem to think that in order to do street photography you need to take photos of people. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure having people in your image can better connect the viewer to the photo however it doesn’t mean that the people need to be visible or present in every single image. However there is so much more to photograph within the city. You have building, transport, environment, unique details and even animals. You have so much in a city that there is honestly no need to just shoot people. If you look at my work, although there are many people in my photos, in 90% of cases they are silhouetted or their identity is hidden and they are simple there to add a sense of scale and anchor the image. Equally a lot of my work does not have any people because in my opinion street photography is about showing the city and the environment and not just the people within it. Think of it this way….. if you have just come back from a week’s holiday in let’s say New York, you want to have a collection of photos that together show your viewer the entire city and not just people.
Must tell a story
Let me just start by saying that we all strive for photos that tell stories. Those photos are the best and the ones we keep looking back at for years to come. However I equally enjoy looking at snapshots of a nice street somewhere in Europe that you might find in a travel magazine. I love looking at photos of random things that are lit well and edited well. I love looking at visually pleasing photos that have no story at all but they just look nice. Whenever I’m out and about taking photos I look for nice snapshots to take just as much as a 5 star storytelling photo. So don’t stress over the whole story thing. Just enjoy taking snapshots of your everyday life. You will still actively be looking for the powerful images and you will get them. However at least you will enjoy more simple photography in between.
You need specific gear
I will keep this one short because I have spoken about this before in great detail. You do not need any specific gear for street photography. You do not need a prime lens. You definitely do not need a Leica, a Fuji or a film camera. You can shoot on your phone or you can shoot on a Canon R3. Sure, smaller bodies and lenses are preferred but not essential. Anyone who tells you that you need a specific camera to shoot street is probably on commission. So grab what you have and head out.
You need to be extroverted & get into peoples faces
Another myth is that street photography is for extroverts who are happy to always be surrounded by people and be amongst the crowd, in peoples faces and striking up conversations with everyone. Not true. I am very introverted and tend to keep myself to myself. Although I always chat with everyone who stops me and love the social aspect of photography, i am generally most relaxed when I’m alone. Of course if you want to shoot street portraits, document events get close and personal with your subjects then yes, you do need to have a certain degree of people skills and be more extroverted. However there are many well known street photographers who are incredibly introverted. I won’t name them here but let’s just say almost all of you will know who they are. If you look at their work you will see that it is all from a distance with an almost fly on the wall kind of feel. Why? Well aside from that being their style, their introvertidness is an influence on this. My point here is that you do not need to be an extrovert and always be interacting with other people. Chances are some of your favourite street photographers are the same as you.
It needs to be in a big city
The final misconception is that street photography needs to take place in a giant city like London, Tokyo or New York. Of course those places are known for street photography with millions of amazing cinematic photos already in existence. It’s also true that you will generally find it much easier to shoot in these cities because of the sheer scale and the variety of photo opportunities. Also let’s not kid ourselves, taking photos in London is more interesting than Ipswich. However this doesn’t mean that street photography in smaller towns or villages is not possible. In fact in the right circumstances you can take a photo that will leave others scratching their head wondering where on earth is that. The main obstacle you will face is running out of places to shoot or getting bored quickly. For this I would suggest approaching it as a project. For example if you live in a small seaside town in the UK, then why not create a project around that coastline and document it over a year. You will need to keep visiting the place over and over but that can be an advantage. Find something interesting within your environment and create a project around it. Maybe how the coastline changes of the year or how does a seaside town compare in the summer to the winter. Or maybe the next village has a strong fishing community and you can make a project around that. None of these are groundbreaking projects but it doesn’t mean they are not interesting either.