Street photography at its heart is to make documenting everyday life and society from the streets. We can practice Street photography everywhere. That’s why you do not need to travel extensively to capture great shots. But if you are planning to do the most iconic street photography , Traveling to Myanmar is highly recommended where you will experience intact culture , untouched nature and friendly people through your lens . That is the reason Myanmar is known as One of the untouched and virgin country in Asia .
In addition to that, street photography is a candid art form. We can get it done without the permission or knowledge of our subject. This does not mean that pictures cannot be staged. It is because we may spot something that catches our interest; we can wander up to strangers and ask for their permission to take their picture. This is a great way to get an intimate portrait of someone in their environment.
The most important part of street photography is to have fun and enjoy getting out there with our camera. The main goal of street photography is to capture emotion, humanity and depict the depth of a person’s character. It takes time to get the perfect shot but the art can be perfected with patience and practice.
Choosing the best lens
The use of right lens is the most important factory in any form of photography .Generally people often rely on telephoto lens, but it is likely to do more harm than good. If We usually stand on the other side of the street by aiming a huge lens at strangers . In doing so ,It may come off as slightly creepy .Actually Street photography is all about getting up close and personal, looking inconspicuous is essential. Using a wide-angle lens and getting lost in a busy crowd. Many street photographers choose a compact camera that is less confronting than a large DSLR, being smaller, lightweight and discreet.
Camera setting is also crucial to catch the right moment of subjects at the right time and angel as well .So Using AV ( aperture priority mode ) and selecting f-stop and ISO manually is the most easiest way to set up our camera for street photography .
Needless to say that The camera then decides the shutter speed(exposure). Starting at around f/16 on a bright sunny day with an ISO between 200-400 is a good place to start. If the camera displays a shutter speed higher than 1/200th a second you will be good to go.
Adjustments to the aperture and ISO should be made accordingly after considering the shutter speed that is being displayed by the camera. If we run the risk of capturing a blurry picture if the shutter speed falls below 1/80th. This blur can be removed by simply increasing the ISO and/or choosing a wider aperture. Novice photographers set to the camera to P mode(program or auto) and let the camera select the correct settings. You can still adjust the EV if the shot needs to be over or under exposed.
This proves to be useful if you are shooting run and gun (in a hurry with no time to think), but you do not have much control over what the camera is doing. So it is not always the best option. Program mode does an acceptable job but it is not able to freeze the action in low light where the shutter speed is too slow
A wide-angel lens is considered to be the primary lens to get close and personal to our subjects . Particularly the biggest advantage of using the wide-angel lens gives the viewer a feeling of being there in the moment. It helps in blending in with the crowd as a part of the environment, rather than sticking out like a sore thumb with a giant lens.
Most successful street photographs are captured only a few meters away from the action and sometimes only inches away. Wandering through the park, a busy street or market can be highly rewarding, we may come out with some excellent pictures if we have a keen eye for the correct action. Sometimes our pictures may not come out as what you wished for, that is when you use your feet as your zoom and get closer to your subject.
Take your camera everywhere
It is a spontaneous expression of art, it waits for no one. It is an art that needs to be practiced vigorously in order to be perfected. Our camera is an extension of your vision. It is a way of presenting our perspective of the world to everyone. We will definitely regret not having your camera with you if we come across something that draws your attention. If we are serious about street photography, our camera will always be by our side. Street photography is all about the ‘decisive moment’, where you have a split second to capture an image of your subject before it is gone forever. Second chances are extremely rare, so stay strapped.
People often struggle with the idea of street photography. The main concern is about our subjects getting angry about the fact that a big camera is being waved in their face. They may threaten us with physical violence or even call the police. Fear is a common problem that people face, it is possible to overcome this fear by practicing and getting out more with the camera.
Finding an interesting spot to sit in is quite effective. So that we will feel at ease observing the surroundings at a distance. Tune out and listen to music while prowling for pictures. Music is like a distraction that can help us relax and inspire creativity. It makes you comfortable in our surroundings, something to help us tune out from the ambient sound and noise.
Night photography is a great opportunity to get unique images in the city. There is an ocean of opportunities to play around with the lights. It is not as easy as shooting in the day. Several factors need to be kept in mind while clicking pictures at night. Low shutter speeds should be avoided in order to avoid blur and using the ISO and aperture to compensate for the low light situation, are some issues that need to be kept in mind while shooting at night.
Carrying a tripod while shooting at night may help you while clicking long exposures. Using a fast aperture lens on the other hand will help you shoot low-light scenes and still freeze the action. The image can be given a bold statement with the help of interesting lines, shadows and compositions. Silhouetted subjects often make for interesting compositions with the shadow filling the foreground.
Have a fun
It is important to enjoy what we do. It is only if you enjoy your trade that you will be able to shoot unique images. If street shooting is not our forte, then chances are that you will probably end up taking ordinary pictures. Creativity flows where passion lives, so it is essential to do what makes us happy. Creativity cannot be force .
Off course, Above mentioned tips for street photography will be truly helpful to you so as to make the better street photographs . And also We would like to inform you that We , Burma Photo Tour are professional team to organize the cutsomized and private photos tours in Yangon , Mandalay , Bagan , Inle and the best photography playgrounds of Myanmar . If you are in need of expert advice to customize your next photo tour to Myanmar, Why not let us know around the clock .
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