“Observe, think, shoot”
My last two blogs on street photography both focused on the human element of having people in your image. But let’s now forget about people and think about images where the streets and objects in them are the focus. People can be troublesome, moving elements – let’s get them out the way! Now, I fully accept that most photographers may view “people” as essential elements in true street photography. However, I would like to present a different chain of thought.
There are advantages to having no people, such as removal of the embarrassment factor, less chance of confrontation and your image should be easier to compose and focus. However, there is a big disadvantage as well – how do you replace the interest element that people give to a shot?
Well, the first thing you need to do is “observe”. Look around you – are there interesting objects, interesting colours, areas of symmetry? Is there some element that attracts you to a scene – this requires powers of observation and of imagination.
The next step is to “think” about the scene in front of you. What do you find appealing? Is there an optimal perspective or composition? Is there some sort of minimalist image if you can compose to remove unnecessary distractions? Think creatively!
An example of this observation and thought exercise can be seen at the 4 minute mark on this video (If you find this useful, please do subscribe to the channel - thank you!)
Finally, shoot! Take into account composition, available light, depth of field, shutter speed, ISO – all the usual stuff. Remember, you have time – no annoying people to worry about :-)
Once you’ve taken your shot, check it in camera – does it look as how you’d imagined? If not, you have the luxury of time in terms of shooting again. I have posted some examples of “no people” photography below.
Well, thanks for reading and Happy Shooting!
Taken in the back streets of Little India, Singapore - I like the grittiness, the red/white balance and the yellow elements through the shot - to me, they tie the whole image together…
Another bike image - but with more yellow . :-)