Transcripts
1. INTRODUCTION: Unlike other types
of photography, street photography starts with a complete blank
canvas, and for me, I think that's what makes
it so exciting and such a challenge on one of the most rewarding
genres of photography. Now in most other
types of photography, I generally have a plan or some sort about what I'm
going to be shooting, whereas it's street photography, it's all completely spontaneous. You need to have
quick responses and react intuitively
as you are shooting unplanned chance encounters and random incidences at a
decisive or poignant moments. When you're out with the
camera, you're never, ever in the wrong place, and photo opportunities
are all around you. Once you get tuned
into your environment, it's amazing how those shots
starts to reveal themselves. Street photography takes
real-life and pauses it, caption a tiny piece of daily life that will
never be repeated. The trick is, to
stay curious and switch down to what is
happening all around you. I like to capture images
that make people think more profoundly about the
meanings behind the images. Authentic photographs,
fully realism, that document a tiny piece
of daily social history. Each time I took my
camera into the city, I begin a new adventure and no two days
are ever the same, and I guess that's what makes street photography
such a challenge. Really enjoyed putting
the class together, and it's full of
inspirational shots, and explanations
about the techniques I use to capture each of them. Now each module
will introduce you to new ideas and methods, to help you capture amazing
street photographs. Of course, the class has
a fabulous assignment to allow you to join in and use the techniques featured
in each module, plus you have the opportunity to upload and showcase
your favorite images. Now I'm super excited to be part of your street
photography journey, and I look forward
to you joining me in the first module.
2. MODULE 1: Equipment and Retrospective: Throughout the class, I'm going to be introducing
you to the many tips and techniques to make you a
better street photographer. Of course, at the
end of the class, you can join in
by taking part in the assignments and upload
new favorite photographs because I'd love to see them, and I'm sure other
people would too. But I thought it'd be nice to
start with a little look at small selection of some
of my work just to get you in the right spirit
of street photography. But I guess before we jump in, we should address
the elephant in the room, which is equipment. What equipment do you need
to be a street photographer? Well, of course, you need a camera,
but which camera? Now, here's the thing. It
doesn't really matter. There's an old saying that says, the best camera to use is the camera that
you have with you. It's so true with street
photography because street photography is
all our composition and not about camera settings. You don't need to get hung up on that. It doesn't really matter. You might have a high-end
full-frame mirrorless camera, you might have an
entry-level DSLR camera, or you may be using
your smartphone. All of them are fine
because as I say, it's all about composition. What camera do I use then? Well, I use this Fuji X100V. I like it because it's
nice small form factor, and it's got nice retro style, which doesn't make any
difference honestly. But it puts me in the
right mindset when I grow up with just take
some street photographs. It does have this
flip up screen. A flip up screen is
really, really useful. One of the reasons for
that is because you can raise less attention to yourself when you're
taking a photograph. I will often use this, a chest height with
the screen flipped out and I can look down and compose
my photographs that way. It comes in really useful. Now I do use the
viewfinder as well. But I find myself more often than not using
the screen on the back. A mirrorless camera will
allow you to do that. Now if you've got a DSLR camera, an early one or an older one, it may not have a
flip out screen. By all means, use
the viewfinder. There's no problem doing that. You may have the ability to fit the screen out and put
it into live view mode. But just be aware
that the focusing is sometimes slow on older cameras when
you do it that way. But by all means, have a go. Of course, if you're using your smartphone, it's
great, isn't it? Because you can hold it at chest height and compose
your photograph that way. That's a major plus
for your phone. But I said, I used this X100V. What settings do I use? Now, I don't really
want to talk too much about camera settings
because it isn't above that. As I said, it's all
about composition. But I'm sure some of you
guys are interested. Briefly, here's what
my settings are. I set the aperture size
anywhere between 5.6 and f8. It allows me to
get my subject in focus and the majority of the background. That's
what that does. Shutter speed, anywhere between 250th of a second and 500th of a second because that freezes the action,
which is what I want. I'm not going to
get any motion blur from people walking past. Then I let the camera
determine the ISO. Now if those three things
have confused you, you can pop across to my fundamentals of
photography class, and I'll go into all those
settings in greater detail. That is what I do. Know
other photographers will use different settings. I'm sure they do. It's
a personal choice, and it works for me. If you want to try those
settings by all means, do that. Now if you're using
your smartphone, you don't have to
worry about settings. Just switch on the basic
camera up and away you go. Now as far as lenses
are concerned, because you might be
interested in that. This one has a fixed
23 millimeter lens. Now that equates to 35
millimeter in a film camera. Essentially, this is a 35 millimeter lens
which is not super wide, but wide enough to get subject matter and the
majority of the background in. It's a nice source
of standard lens or focal length that
street photographers use. Zoom lenses, it's
a different thing. If you use a zoom lens for street photography, that's fine. But it's not traditionally what a street
photographer would use. It's more for capturing street
portraits if you'd like, and that's a different thing. That's what I use. Now in your smartphone, what you're going to have is probably settings where you
can adjust the focal length. Generally, a smartphone
is quite wide anyway. Again, it makes it ideal
for street photography. That gets the equipment
out of the way. Let's jump in then
and we'll take a look at some photographs. I said just to get you
into the spirit of photography and street
photography in general. Let's jump in and take a look. I captured this shot in central Liverpool during
a street demonstration. Streets events make really
great subject matter. This one has a really strong
foreground, isn't it? It's interesting subject. It's a bit of social history. But it's also got
interesting detail in the background too. You can see the guy with the stripe suits
standing on one leg and the gentleman next to a ballet dancer style pose.
It's really interesting. Now I've added a bit
of a color splash, which very seldom I do
that type of thing, but it works really
well in this shot. Let's move on to
the next one then. I guess this shot
shows you that you should always have
your camera ready. It's a total fleeting moment. It's the man falling
from the sky. Now obviously he's not
falling from the sky. He's parkour free runner, and I caught him
emits some assault. It does help to know
your camera settings. Now I deviated from
a normal settings, and obviously used a
quicker shutter speed to freeze the action. It's one of those
things if you've got your camera with you, then you're halfway there. You just need to have
it switched on ready, and you just don't know what is around the corner basically. This shot I captured
during my daily walk. Now I live close to the
River Nazi in Liverpool, and you can see the city of
Liverpool in the background. Now I do love the
leading line of the steel rail that runs
off into the distance. Her pose is amazing, she just do pan over to read an inscription
on the park bench. But it just presents itself as a really unusual
shot, doesn't it? The isolation is really good
in the shot. It's just her. There's a couple of
people in the background with the way off
in the distance. She's just taken a moment. I said you've got
your camera with you, and this was just taken
during my daily walk. It's amazing what you can find. In this next shot, I positioned
myself in an alleyway between two buildings
and waited. As we move through the class, you'll learn that one of the
options you have is to wait. In this case, I did awaited
at the end of the alley. Now with no real idea of
who was going to walk past, and I was lucky that this
guy walk past and he's obviously a blind gentleman
and he has his white stick. The chances of that happening,
obviously quite rare. But they call it serendipity. If you don't put yourself
in that position, then you'll never know. It's a blind man at the
end of a blind alley. This shot just captures a small piece of daily
life, doesn't it? He's facing one way, she's facing the other. They both have their
heads in their hands. There's no arguments. What are they discussing? We'll never know. It's
almost cinematic, isn't it? It raises that emotion
and that curiosity. It's an interesting
shot, isn't it? As I said, it's a small
slice of daily life. This shot is a rare shot that I captured with a longer lens. Now we don't often do this. In fact, very rarely.
It's a 300 milli lens. It's the look in the lady's
face on the right-hand side. It's the flipped up sunglasses, and it's just got a certain quality and emotions
to the shot, isn't it? They could be talking
about anything, could be having a gossip or maybe they're talking
about family matters. Who knows? It's just the
looks on the faces, isn't it? One is in mid conversation
and the other one is really taking everything in. Then there's this shot
which I took using my iPhone very early
in the morning, which is one of the
benefits of going into the city early because
there's less people around. I like to think in
this shot there's more than one person because we have the gentleman
walking up the stairs, but we also have the shop and we use the mannequins
in the window. It's like they're all
together in this empty city. On a site, all taken
with an iPhone. What I'm going to do now is play a little selection of
random street shots. Hopefully, they'll get
you into the flavor and the spirit of
street photography. In the next module,
we're going to start looking at techniques. I'll catch up with you then.
3. MODULE 2: Walk or Wait: The physical act of taking history
photograph can be broken down into three methods. You can choose to walk with your camera and just
stay observance, and your camera switched on, settings ready, and just capture
photographs as you walk. You can choose to stay
in one location so you can wait and wait for
the action to come to you, or you can choose
a background and wait for your subject
to come into frame, and then your subjects should complement or react
with the background. For me, they are
the three methods. Now we're going to jump
in and take a look at some examples and also some clips of me actually caption photographs just
to give you an idea. Let's jump in then and
look at some shots. In this first shot, I
remember walking into a really crowded area by the riverside and I could see this lady
coming towards me. She was doing her best to get the whole ice cream
into her mouth, and it did make me laugh. Of course, because
my camera switched on and the settings are correct, I just simply fire the shutter release
button at the right time. It was a case of seeing the photo opportunity
ready to take the shot. The same thing here with
the two gentlemen waiting at the bus stop as I walk past. I was taken by the fact there is a huge advertising and poster sandwiched in between
the two gentlemen advertising a
mayonnaise sandwich. It just works as a photograph, doesn't it? It's
nicely balanced. As I say, walking with your camera and you
observe these things, and you've just got to be
ready to take the shot. This shot is a
typical street shot. You're working with your camera and people are
walking towards you, and they can make really
interesting subjects. This is a smartly dressed, trendy if you like, older lady and all of that confident look she's
given to the camera. Now, of course, you can
always stop with your camera, which is what I did here. Now, I took a number of shots to this gentleman just
taking a break, and this is the one I liked. It took a little bit
longer with this one, and I love the way the
bricks sweep around. I took my time to
take that shot. Although more you can
still stop if you see something that really takes
your eye which this shot did. Let's take a look
at some clips of me walking with the camera. Now just to fill you in, I have my camera on the wrist strap and
it's generally by my side or by chest height, and I'm ready to take the shot. I have the screen flipped out and I just photograph as I walk. In the clips, you're
going to see, I might look a bit awkward, and that's because I'm actually carrying this 360
camera as well. I'm walking around like this, so I could film myself. If I do look a bit odd, that's what that is. Let me just take
this camera off. But you'll get the
idea. Let's jump in and take a look
at those clips. Here I'm then, I'm walking through the city
center and I could see a guy with an Afghan
coat to my left-hand side, so I just quickly reframe
the shot and took it. It was a bit of a surprise
for me to see somebody wearing an Afghan coat in 2022. Quick shot as I walk and
then carry on walking. Always looking to see your
next photo opportunity. Now here I could see a young lady on a telephone
having a cigarette break, and again, just quickly
capture the shot. I liked the look she's
given to camera. I like the architecture in the background and
the shot as well. Then as I say, you walk on and look for your
next photo opportunity, constantly looking all the time and aware of your surroundings. Now here I could see a guy proudly sitting by
his mobility scooter. You can take the time, compose a shot,
and then walk on. As I said, ready
for your next shot. Always look in all the time. This last one, I could see a lady on a telephone
having a coffee, sitting with a dog, and
it's all these shots are just small pieces of
daily life, aren't they? All very simple to do. You just have to
see the shot and react to it as
quickly as you can. Save your cameras on, sun arise, or you
using your cell phone, your mobile phone,
it doesn't matter. You've just got to be aware of your situation all the time. Now worry about then
waiting in one location, and this can be really good. You can find a location, stand and wait, lean against the wall, sit
down, doesn't really matter. Works best if it's
a congested area because of it's a source
of isolated area. Not many people and you could be waiting for a long
time for something you have a photo opportunity
to also materialize. However, if you go in for that type of thing,
isolation, that's okay. If it's an empty area, empty parts of the city
you might just happen, may perhaps want that one person to come into the shot.
Well, that's okay. But generally works
better in a source of area where there's
a lot of foot traffic. Let's jump in then, and I'll
show you some clips then. Here I have waited by
this art installation, and I think they have
similar installations in other cities and surely do with the umbrellas
at high level. All I needed to do was
get a shot of the street, but I needed the subject
matter at the front, just something a
bit interesting. I waited five, 10 minutes and eventually
this gentleman walks into the shot and he's looking down the street
towards the umbrellas, and that's what makes it work. As a said, just by waiting in that one location and this was an easy one to capture
because the guy in blue, he wasn't going to go anywhere. He was a street performer and
his role was to stay still. All I needed was
just someone to walk past with a reaction, and that's exactly what I've got here with the gentleman in the background
with the mic on. The way he is glancing over his shoulder and it works
really well, doesn't it? Again, five-minutes wait
just to get that shot. In this shot I could see a group of children
with their parents. It was obvious to me
that they were going to start to run or walk
through the water, and that's what this
little boy did. He was absolutely soaking
wet and it was freezing. But yet, if you see something that's about to
happen on your walk, you can stop and just wait, and that's exactly what I did, so waiting is a
really good option. In this clip I
actually decided to sit on a small concrete wall, and with my camera I
could turn left or right depending on where the subject
matter was going to be. I have no idea when you wait you don't know what's
going to happen, anything can come into shot. While I was waiting, a group of children
jumped up onto the wall. I honestly thought, well, this is going to spoil the shot. However, things changed
when they started walking towards me and I'm
looking through the viewfinder and I thought this can be a really good shot. I took a number of shots, but this one was the one
that I liked the best. It's great as you know, you've got that youth
coming towards you. I've also got the very famous live or building on
this shot as well. It's a nicely balanced shot. Now it could've been anyone
that come into frame, and that's the beauty of waiting because you just don't know. Enjoying my daily walk, lead by the river mercy, so enjoying my daily walk, I just decided to
sit on a park bench. This gentleman walked
into the frame and I was taken with the clothes he was
wearing, to be honest, very untypical of the
North of England, but he looked quite trendy, quite different, and of course, I captured him and I've
got that Liverpool famous, Liverpool's skyline
in the background. That's just on my daily walk and just sitting down
on a park bench. As I said, when
you wait for shots you just don't know what's
going to come into the frame. It's an exciting
thing to do rarely. The other thing you can do
then is choose a background. Now, choose a background that is going to react with
the subject matter. Let me show you what I mean. In the shot, I've chosen the Family Amusement Arcade and it's closed for the winter. I stood in front of the Amusement Arcade
and I just waited for the subject matter
to come into shot. It could have been anything. It could have been an
old lady or an old man, it could be a lady
pushing a pram. In this case it was a
little girl that is running into the shot and
she glanced over at the Amusement Arcade and is if she was given a
memories of the summer, happy day she spent in
the Amusement Arcade. Now she's glancing straight
towards the advertisement or the poster for the
crane that they have inside that picks
up the teddy bears, and probably
remembering as I say, days during the summer
when she's been in there. I'll put a little color
splash in. It didn't need it. As I say, I've
mentioned this before, very rarely do that but
it does work in the shot. As I say, choose a background that your subject can react to, so there's a reaction
between the two. In this shot, I sat in front of a very famous record
store in Liverpool, and again just waiting to
see who would walk past. In this case, it was
this really stylish lady with her oversize boots on, on a leopard skin bag. I love the way she's
looking up and have no idea what
she's looking at, but it makes the shot all that more
interesting, doesn't it? Again, chose the background, and there's a bit of
a reaction there. Outside of my local
cinema in the window, there's some posters of people wearing 3D glasses and I thought if I can get something
interesting walk in past that could be
quite a good shot, and there would be
that reaction between the background and
the subject matter. I sat on a wall as you can
see and people walk and past, and I'm just waiting
for the right moment or the right subject to
come into the frame. This was the shot that I liked. Now, full disclosure,
I took this on a different day which brings
me to the next point, you can go back to the same
location whenever you like. There's nothing
wrong in doing that. It was worth it in this case because the guy with the
flat cap and the source of attitude on his
face is rarely balanced with the
people in the window, if you'd like, with
the 3D glasses on, where were all
smiling and happy, and it works, doesn't it? There's a reaction between the subject matter
and the background. Lastly, in this shot, I chose this background
with the huge anchor, the architecture in
the background and the handrail assassin
in front of the anchor, and I'm waiting for
the right source of subject matter to come in. Eventually, a little girl
comes to shot on a scooter, and I just waited for the right
moment and took the shot. It's quite a busy shot, isn't. But you've got the new
architecture of the pool, the old architecture
of the pool. But what I like is you've got
the anchor and the angle of the anchor lead you directly
to other little girls, and the angle of the handrail
as well for the steps, all takes you to where she is. We've seen three things then, you can walk with your camera, which I loved to do. But you've got to
be really super observant and ready
to take the shot. The second one is to stay
in one location and wait, wait for the action
to come to you, and that's really cool
thing to do as well. On the third one is choose
a background and make sure your subject is complimenting or reacting with the background. Now I'd like you to
take a photograph using all three methods and
have fun doing it. I must admit my favorite one is to walk around
with the camera, but again honestly when you
do that you find yourself stopping because you've found
an interesting location. I'll see you in the next module.
4. MODULE 3: Use the Light: In most other types
of photography, harsh light can be your enemy, so really bright, sunny day, because it's going
to create shadows. That's the same most types of photography that is
going to spoil things. Whereas street photography is completely different because harsh shadows and areas of strong contrast can
look really good. Let's jump in and I'll
show you some examples. I'm going to start
with this photograph. It's interesting because there's no harsh light in
this photograph. But I'm going to show you
for a specific reason. These are steps in
Liverpool where people sit and just
have their lunch, or have a break or
wherever it is. This is sort of mid day and there's no particular
harsh shadows there, but on a different time of day it can look
completely different. I'm going to show
you a shot that I took early in the morning, and you can see what
the light has done. It's created shadows. The handrail on the
left-hand side of the photograph has cast diagonal shadows which have met the horizontal
lines of the steps. It's quite
interesting, isn't it? The moral of this tale is that, if you find a location
that you really like, then you have to discover
when the light is going to be at its best to give
you the best results. It's a little bit of research
that you have to do, but it's worth it if you
liked this type of shot. Now the inclusion
of the person at the top of the steps
really helps this shot. It gives you that sense
of scale, isn't it? But I guess it would still look a pretty good shot without
that person in it, but it's much better for
having the person in it. It's an early morning
shot, which again, that was when I knew
the light was going to create those harsh shadows. Let's take a look at
another shot then. I captured this shot at Anfield stadium which is
Liverpool's football ground. I could see that when
anybody walked up the steps, they would cast this
exceptionally long shadow. You can see the shadow
from the gentleman. It's actually touched
every single step and also gone beyond
that, and of course, the bright shiny light that's coming and is hitting
the white tiles as well. It looks really
effective, doesn't it? I think this type of shot looks much better in
black and white as well. But have a lot of experiments and see
what you like the best. Now in this shot, you really
have that light and shade. The young lady on the left-hand side is
in the lighter area. You can see the way the
sun has landed in her hair and illuminated her hair and of course the tree in the
background as well. Then the gentleman on
the right-hand side, he sought of walking
out of the shadows. You have that strong
diagonal line, which is the shadow
of the building, just out of shot on
the right-hand side, and she's glancing across. There's that tale of
two halves, isn't it? It's only the harsh light that is going to give
you that result. let's take a look at some more. This shot has a bit of
atmosphere to it, doesn't it? Is a very simple shot. It's just a gentleman
walking down the road on his mobile phone. But the shadow that is
being cast from the sun, it just helps that shot. Now without the shadows, it wouldn't be as effective. Like I say, harsh light
can be your friend. Let's take a look
on another one. Here I've waited at the bottom
of a set of stone steps. I'm waiting for somebody to walk into the light at the top. Remember in an earlier module I said you walk or you wait. Well, this is a typical
example where you would wait, and say, I waited at the
bottom of the stone steps. This lady has walked to the top. She's perfectly illuminated
at the top of the steps, and of course the walls either side and the steps
are in total darkness. You have that strong contrast, and you even have the light
and the spectacles as well. Now she's also
framed at the top. Of course that's
another method that you can use in street
photography framing. But in this case it's all
about that light at the top. Now, I really love the
symmetry in the shot. We have two gentlemen, both looking out across the
river through binoculars. Both casting identical shadows. They both have a cup of
coffee either side of them. It's a really nice shot. You can see that light
coming down from above. You can see almost
shafts of light, and the shadows
are really harsh. Now without those shadows, it would still be a
good shot I think. But the shadows really help. As I say, on a bright sunny day, that is what you're
going to get. In this next one, it's an early morning shot
in the Central Liverpool. The harsh shadows from the bicycle rack and the shine from the glaze
and on the right-hand side, it's really effective, isn't it? As I said, that's
what you're going to get with bright sunlight. You can see at the top
of the Liverpool museum, the sky is just
completely white, and that's obviously
where the sun is. Now in this shot, I included just a lone person who
happened to be walking past. It's quite architectural,
isn't it, quite graphic? That's the sort of thing you can get with the harsh light. This shot is an
alleyway that leads up to the town hall in Liverpool. I was just taken by the shaft
of light that was coming through from the square just
in front of the town hall. It would've been
nice if there would have been a person in that shot, but I thought I'd include it anyway because it's
such a nice shot, and does really show you
what the harsh light can do. Let me show you a clip
then of me capturing a shot using harsh light. I was in Liverpool
close to the river, and I made my way towards
a very famous doorway. I knew it would be in darkness. I could also include
the light as well, which is what I'm doing here, so we can see the doorway. What I'm doing is
I'm waiting for people to come into shot. There's going to be the right person to give me
the right source of results. I waited and eventually
I captured this shot. It's worked really
well, isn't it? You can see the dark area on the left-hand side
where the big doors are. Then you have the
right-hand side, which is a complete opposite
where the light is. As I say, the right person
came into the shot. That's what you do
you just kind of find the area that's going to
give you that nice effect. As I say, if you can include a person in the shot as well, then that's going to
really work for you. As you can see, harsh light can create some really
dramatic photographs. As part of the assignment, I would like you to capture
some shots where you've used the harsh light to create
shadows and areas of contrast. Catch up with you
in the next module.
5. MODULE 4: Don't Forget to Look Up: Don't forget to look up with your camera. Pointing your camera upwards can produce some amazing shots, some great architectural shots. Doesn't always have
to be architecture, but architecture
works really well. Let's jump in, I'll
show you some examples, and then I'll show
you some clips of me capturing some photographs. In this first shot,
I captured this for a client in Manchester, and where the buildings
converge and come together, it's really
interesting, isn't it?. I love the inclusion
of the jet trail, and I was just lucky
that a jet was flying past as I took the shot. I like the lights in the windows in the bottom
right-hand corner as well. Now, interesting shot just captured by pointing
the camera upwards, so try it and you'll be amazed. Let's take a look at
some more examples then. This is a very famous sculpture
in the Central Liverpool. Of course, I could
have taken a wide shot to show you the
sculpture in place, but instead, I got closer to it, and just lifted the camera, and put it at an angle. I love the light in that shot, the way the light is
source of touching the top of each
source of sphere, and the architecture
in the background. That's what you do, look for something interesting, and point your camera up. Trust me, you'll get some
really interesting shots. Let's take a look
at some more then. This is a donut truck,
and in the background, we have the famous
live buildings, and what I decided
to do was just to capture the top of the truck. Of course, I could have
got all the truck in, but for me, it was more interesting just to get
the top of the truck. There's just an idea of
what you could purchase from the truck just at the
very bottom of the image. But you've got the donut sign, and then you've
got the buildings, so you've got the new
buildings in Liverpool, the angular shapes, and then you've got
the old architecture. You've also got the master of a ship as well
coming into you. What looks like bar wire
roll across the shots, are actually colored lights. It's just an electrical wire, but it looks like bar
buyer, doesn't it? It's a really interesting shot. Now, all sorts of by pointing
your camera upwards, that's all you need to do. Let's take a look then at a clip of me capturing
some photographs. I went into the business
area, Liverpool, and just simply pointed
my camera upwards just to capture the buildings where they converge together, and this was one of
the shots that I took that particular day. It's great, isn't it? Now, where the clouds
source will reflect in the windows of the buildings can look really interesting. You could always go on another day when
the sky is clear, and you get a completely
different shot. Now while I was
there, what you do is you walk round and you try different angles because you just don't know what
you're going to get. That's what I did, took me time, and just shot from a number
of different angles. This is another shot that I
captured while I was there. Again, you can see
the clouds working with the reflections
in the windows. Also, I notice that there are architectural panes of glass that protrude from the building, and there's no real reason
for those panes of glass to be there other than
to look pretty, and I thought, what could I do? What unusual shot could I capture and include
those panes of glass. I walked towards
the very base of the building and simply
pointed my camera upwards. I was amazed with the results,
and it just shows you, you take your time and point your camera honestly upwards, and this is what it did, and this was the shot
that I captured, and it's amazing, isn't it? If I hadn't showed you those clips of me
capturing that photograph, you probably perhaps have no idea what that
photograph was, what the subject matter was. Of course, it's those
architectural panes of glass also being reflected
in the building. Now you can go back
to that location a number of times in
different times of the year, and the sky be different, and it'll be a different
photograph every time, just depending on the source of the cloud positions or
whether there was any clouds. As you can see, point
your camera upwards, you can get some
really amazing shots. Of course, as part
of the assignment, I want you to take some photographs where you've pointed your camera upwards, and I'd love to
see your results. I'll see you in the next module.
6. MODULE 5: Framing: Framing your subject
can look really, really interesting in
street photography. We use framing in all
types of photography. But as I say, it can add that little extra piece of interest to your
street photographs. What you're looking for is anything in your
environment that was never intended to be used as a frame for
your photograph. That could be a
tunnel, a bridge, a doorway, a corridor, an alleyway, you name it. If you get your subject framed inside that particular open, it can look really interesting. Let's jump in then, I'll
show you some examples and then some clips of me
taking some photographs. In this first one, it's of a very famous ice cream
truck in Liverpool. I framed the owner in the
opening in the ice cream van. It works really
well, doesn't it? Now the thing is, it
also works well as a bit social history
because as the years go on and you look back
at this photograph, the products that
are on sale and the prices they will
be off their time. It just adds that bit
of extra interest. But in this particular
case anyway, the owner of the ice cream
van is standing very proudly, and he's framed by the opening
in his ice cream truck. Let's move on to
the next one then. In this next shot of a really good friend of mine
and fellow photographer, I have him standing
in this huge doorway, and the doorway, it's
massive, isn't it? I love the graffiti
on the doorway too, and the lighting is really nice. As I say, a simple doorway can just add so much
to your composition. So look for big doorways
and opening that leads somewhere and just
frame your subject inside that particular frame. Let's move on then
and I'll show you some clips of me capturing
some photographs. Close to where I live, there's a Victorian shelter that
has cast iron columns. I decided to sit on a park bench and wait for the subject matter to walk past. The idea was to frame them in-between the
cast iron columns, and a number of people went past and I just simply
took the shots. This is the one that
I liked the best. Now, I love the light
in this shot and love the way the
light has caught her face and the
front of the body. Of course she's a silhouette, and that's because
I'm sitting in a darker area and I'm pointing the camera to
where the light is. That will automatically give you a silhouette-type effect. But in this shot it works
really well, doesn't it? The two columns perfectly
frame the subject matter. That's simple shot to do. As you can see, you can pretty
much use anything to frame your subject as long as it
creates an interesting image. Now in this next shot, I found an alleyway in the central Liverpool and
positioned myself in the alley. I'm just waiting for something
interesting to walk past. I took a number of shots. Eventually this school
girl walked past, and the lights just
caught her perfect. It's great that she is
glancing towards me. It just makes a more interesting
photograph, doesn't it? She's perfectly framed in
the end of the alleyway. Now, I've used
photography license here. What I've done is I've
flipped the image, so there's two identical
images and one's just flipped, which you're allowed to
do as a photographer. But as a standalone
image, it worked anyway, but I just thought that I add something a bit
different where she's walking towards herself as a reflection, if you like. You don't have to do that.
But the main thing is that this alleyway and the light and just waiting for the
right person to pass, it can just create a really, really interesting photograph. So keep your eye out
for things that you can use as frames and just get
your subject to stand, sit, walk, whatever it is, in that frame, and as I say, it produces a really
interesting shot. This will be part
of the assignment and I'd like you to catch your photograph and use
something in your environment, like I said, that was never
intended to be a frame, and create an interesting shot. I'd love to see your results. I'll see you in the next module.
7. MODULE 6: Reflections: Reflections make
great subject matter in street photography, so what you're looking for
is any reflective surface. That could be a pool of water, it could be a body of water, it could be a pane of
glass and I just say anything that gives you
that nice reflection. Let's jump in and I'll
show you some examples. In this first shot, I captured in Madrid. You can see the people have been perfectly reflected
into the water as well as the building. It's like a mirror image almost. You'd be surprised to know
that the depth of that water was probably about 15 millimeters
less than an inch deep. What it was where
the street cleaners have been spraying the
pavements and cleaning it. It left this pool of water. For shot like this or any shot where you use a body
water or a portal, what you need is
nice calm weather, because if there's
movement in the water, then you're not going to get
that fantastic reflection. You need nice calm weather. Wind spoils the shot. But it was a lovely
day in Madrid. As you can see, lovely clear sky and the reflection
works perfect. Let's look at some
more shots then. Just before I do, I'll
just show you this shot here just to show you how
deep that portal was. There is a friend of
mine and he's taking shots and you can see
how deep that water is. It's basically just
a pool of water. Now I know some
photographers take a bottle of water out on location and
basically pour it on the floor in the right
spot to get reflection. That's a little tip that
you can use as well. Let's look at some
more stuff then. This one I used the
reflection in a window. We have the famous
Liver Building. I've walked across
the road and I'm standing by a building
called the India Building. I could see perfect reflection
of the Liver Building. Now I've used a
fisheye lens for this, but any lens would've worked, to be honest, it's all
about the reflection. Very early in the morning,
there's not many people around and it looks great. Use windows. Windows can make
great reflections. Let's take a look then at a little clip of me capturing
this particular shot here. I've actually used a mirror
that is in a shop window. I've waited for the right
subject to come into shot. Let me just show you
how I did that then. Here I am in front of the shop window and I'm
just basically pointing the camera towards
the mirror and just waiting for the right
subject matter to come in. In this case, this
gentleman arrived. Of course he's looking at me curiously because he's
no idea what I'm doing. He doesn't know I'm
taking this photograph. The inclusion of the words
as well made up with your makeup really
works in the shot, especially with the
look on his face. It's quite amusing shot. Look for those reflections, as I said, it can be anywhere. In this case it
was in the mirror. Of course there's always
the obvious place where there's a
reflection and that's in a huge body of water. In this case in the
canal in Liverpool, so I just position
myself in front of a pedestrian bridge
across the canal. I just waited for people
to come across the bridge. In this case there was two
walkers and a cyclist. Now getting back to
our city before, it is always better if the body of water
is nice and calm, so wind or bad weather
can spoil your shot. This shot just
about works because the reflections are not as
crisp as I'd like them to be. But it still works
as a photograph, and it's still a reflection
so for me it still works. That's reflections and as
part of the whole class, I would like you to capture some photographs that
include reflections. Remember it's any shiny
surface, it doesn't matter. It could even be a reflection
on a car, a car window, source of rearview
mirror in the car, it can be anything where you can capture your subject
and include a reflection. Or indeed the whole photograph can just be the reflection. I'll leave it up to you and I'll catch up with you
in the next module.
8. Module 7 Street Activities: Streets activities make really interested
in subject matter. The sort of thing
you're looking for is perhaps an outdoor street
market, street performance, some sporting event, maybe a street demonstration, so anywhere people
gather to watch or take part in a
particular street activity. Let's jump in and I'll show
you some examples then. In this first photograph, we have a limbo dancer about
to go underneath the flame. What I decided to do
is to stand behind the limbo dancer just to photograph the reactions
of the people watching. As we look at the people
in the background, we can see the lady on
the left-hand side. She can't bear to watch
and then the young girl on the right-hand
side sort of bending over to
get a better look. It's really captured the emotion of that street event, hasn't it? That's what you're
looking for, people gathered to watch
a street event, and you can just record all the reactions that
are taking place. Let's look at another
example then. In the central Liverpool,
in the summer, they erect table tennis tables, and I've captured this
guy playing table tennis. He looks the most unsporty
person you can imagine with his big beard and he's taken his spectacles off and popped them down the
front of his t-shirt. But it's a really
nice shot, isn't it? Of course, you can see the
activity going on around. Like I say, an outdoor sporting event where the public take part can make for really
great street photograph. I was lucky enough
to catch the ball in mid-flight in this shot as well. Now, I captured this shot in Barcelona in front of
the Sagrada Familia. It was an easy shot to take. I knew the guy was
going to create a big ball and sweep it around this young woman and all I had to do was wait
to capture the shot. Now I really liked
the inclusion of a friend in the bottom
left-hand corner, who was also taking the shot. As I said, the street performers or something that is obvious
that is going to happen, in this case, it was, and with the previous
shot as well. It was obvious what the limbo
dancer was going to do. Just be ready with your camera and you can get
some great shots. Let's take a look at
another one then. Skateboarders and skaters. They make great subject matter. In this shot, he almost looks like he's
going to come off the skateboard, doesn't he? The clothes he's wearing
are really unusual. They're very 1979, although
it's quite a recent shot, with his bright green hair. But yeah, so look for gatherings of
skateboarders and skaters, and as I said, they make
really great shots. This is a shot of
tourists in Liverpool. Now, I guess it's not a
street activity as such, but it's a gathering of people
all doing the same thing, and it's quite
interesting, isn't it? I just decided to capture
that shot and record them as they were recording some piece of architecture
in Liverpool, perhaps. Look, as a said, for
gatherings of people. If they are taking part in something or doing
something interesting, then be ready with the
camera, like I say. Here I am in Liverpool by the riverfront and it was fantastic weather when
I captured this shot. It's a lovely silhouette. Remember I said earlier, if you are sort of pointing your camera towards
where the light is, that silhouette effect
automatically happens. I love the light on her face. It's even sort of
illuminating her earring, which looks really
unique, doesn't it? As I say, street
performers, skaters, any gathering of
people basically makes for really
great subject matter. Just keep an eye, perhaps in your local paper to see if there's any listings for a local event and just take your camera there
and you can get some really interesting shots. As part of the assignment, capturing a bit of
street activity will be featured and I would love
to see your results. Catch up you in the next module.
9. Module 8 Isolation: Street photographs where you isolate your subject can
look really atmospheric. What you're looking for
is a deserted street or a deserted part of the city
that just has a lone figure or perhaps two figures and
then they're isolated and as I say it almost gives
you a cinematic style look. Let's jump in. I'll
show you some examples. In this first shot two elderly people
sitting on a park bench. I love that leading line of the benches that sneaks
off into the distance. The loan bird that
has flown into the shot really helps as well. They're sitting there and
they're contemplating life perhaps but the isolation just helps to raise the
atmosphere, doesn't it? That's what you're looking for. People in an isolated area. Let's look at some more then. I captured this shot in
my local park when it was snowing and I could
see this lady when she was in her 80s because I spoke to
her later on and I gave her a copy of the photograph
as well the next time I saw her but I just thought it was a great photo opportunity
and it was very early in the morning and she's just
having a walk in the snow. It just presented itself as a great photo opportunity and the isolation works
really well, doesn't it? Of course there's other
photographic techniques used in the shots such as rule of thirds
because she is being positioned on the right-hand
side of the shot. Now, the shot was bigger than that because I had a lake in as well but this is the
thing that you can do when you get your photographs
onto the computer. You can always edit
your shots and I've cropped in a
little bit just to emphasize and put the detail into the
lady on the bench. In this next shot,
which I captured in Spain of an elderly
gentleman with a magnifying glass and I
have no idea what he's reading but it just makes for
a really interesting shot. Now, I really like the tree
on the right hand side. Now, it has no place in the shot really but there's just
something about it. It's as if he's stolen a
little moment and he's found a little place where he can sit and no one's
going to bother him. The isolation is fabulous
in that shot, isn't it? This next shot I captured in the central Liverpool and it's just a lady who's stopped
to have a cigarette. The isolation again works really well because it's
thoughtful, isn't it? It makes you think perhaps about what
they're thinking about. I think it works really well. Let's take a look then at some clips of me caption
some photographs then. Here I could see the
gentleman reading a book, sitting on a park
bench and I thought he would make a great
subject matter. Now, there are other people
in the shot but I've used a slightly bigger aperture just to give it a
bit depth of field. I waited until the right moment to take the shot and he locked up and this was the
result on the shot. I love it because
it just captured a certain mood as in
the look in his face. Plus we've got the
Merseyside sign source of above his head as well which puts him in a particular place at
a particular time. Now there are other people
in the shot but I would say he is isolated
on that bench. Let's take a look at
another clip then. Here I waited just
by the sea front and there's a set of steps that take you up to the seawall. I waited here and people would
be up and down the stairs. What I'm looking for is to isolate someone at
the top of the steps. Eventually this little
boy walked into shot and this is the
shot that I captured. Now I love it because
there's a great sense of scale to it as well
having an isolation. There's that sense of scale with the lighthouse and the
cranes across the river. As I said it works
really well, doesn't it? That's the thing
you're looking for. That bit of isolation. Isolate your subject and as I say you can create a
really atmospheric shot. Again, as part of the
assignment I want you to create a shot that
includes isolation. I'll see you in the next module.
10. Module 9 Create a Collection: Creating a collection can be really interesting. Now it can be a
collection of shots, they have a similar theme. The theme can be absolutely
anything you want. It could be a collection
of street performers. It could be a collection of
people standing in a doorway. It could be a
collection of people standing by a famous road sign. It could be a famous road sign. Collection, it can
be anything you want as long as the
theme is similar. Let's jump in then and I'll
give you some examples. I decided to create
a collection of photographs that included
hairdressers or barbers. It was quite a big collection. I'm only going to show
you a number of shots. This one I really like, and it's in Madrid. I love the juxtaposition of what is going
on in that shot. You have the lady
with the huge hair, then you have the
guy in the barbers and he's going the opposite way and getting all
his hair removed. That combination
works really well. That was part of my collection. Let's take a look at
another one then. In this shot which was
captured in Barcelona, it's a lady having her
hair done and again, shooting through the
window as I walk past. What happened to us? There was a gentleman walking in
the opposite direction and he looked into the window to see what
I was photographing. His reflection has been caught on the back
of the lady's head. It's quite unusual, isn't it? I really liked that and I wasn't particularly
going for that, but that's what happened. Second image in my collection. Then lastly is this one, which is the complete
outside of a barber shop. Again, you can see the
theme running through. I like this one, I like the two barbers
with the huge beards. The actual composition though, is really nice, isn't it? Now it has framing again, because I've used
the door frame to frame what's going on
inside the barbers. It's actually going
a bit dark as well. That really added to the shot, because that whole sensor part of the image is illuminated. That was part of my
little collection of hairdressers
and barber shops. Let's take a look at
another collection then. This collection of
fit to shops and shop fronts and anything to do with clothing
shops basically. This shot, I really like
of this lady walking past this shop in Barcelona. She's quite stylish with
a bright orange pants on. I love the colors in this shot. Let's take a look
at another shot in this collection then. This shop features mannequins, on the left-hand side they're naked and on the
right-hand side, the mannequins were in a
Big Mac and the shopkeeper, you can see him in
the background. I like the two
shots put together. Let's say because
it's a collection, you can do that type of thing. Let's take a look at
another one then, as part of this shop theme. This one is the repair shop. Now again, this is in Barcelona. When you buy a pair of jeans, this young lady will fix them or pin them or
whatever she does. But it forms part of my little collection
of clothes shops. One more collection
to show you then, and it's just a couple from
my restaurant collection. This first one then is
really unusual, isn't it? It's a lady probably
waiting for a friend sitting in the restaurant and etched into the window
are three letters. I think they spell out
sol, I'm not sure. But if they do, the
middle letter is perfectly framing
the lady's face. Now again, it's
serendipity, isn't it? I didn't expect to
take that shot. But that happened and as I say, those letters were
etched into the window. It gives me this
really unusual shot. Again, rule of
thirds in the shot, everything is to the
right-hand side. You could say, why not crop it, but it works for me
anyway, I really like it. Let's take a look at
the next shot then. We have this
gentlemen sitting in the restaurant and he's probably ordered his food
and he's reading his newspaper waiting for his order to be
brought across to him. As I say, it's great
because you can stuff stand outside a restaurant, and wait for something
interesting, or hopefully there
will be something interesting in the window
that takes your eye, say it's a collection, it's a nice thing to do. Last shot, in this
collection is this one where we have two young
people sitting in the window having
a conversation. I love the lights
hanging down in this shot and just loved
the fun in that shot they're obviously
really enjoying each other's company and it works really
well, doesn't it? Nicely framed. As you can see, collections can be
really interesting, especially if you venture
out you're coming, you're not too sure what you're going to
capture that day. You may just decide to do a collection and just stick with that one subject matter that has the same theme
running through it. Have a little go, a caption, a collection, come up
with a suitable theme. Then as I say, create
a number of shots that all feature
that similar theme, it's a really
interesting thing to do. I'll catch up with you. Before I do, don't
forget to include some shots recollection
in your assignments. If you're going to sort or
upload some photographs, I'd love to see what
you come up with. I'll catch-up with you
in the next module.
11. And finally...: Hi. Now before you jump
is the final lesson. I would like to ask if you can leave a review when you've
completed the class. Now you can simply choose one of the four options
provided by Skillshare. Or perhaps if you've
got the time, maybe you could leave
a short review. Now, either would be really appreciated because your inputs rarely will help others have the confidence
to take the class. Okay, Thanks, Best wishes. Now let's go back to the class.
12. Module 10 The Assignment: Time to look at the assignment, and I've set you 10
photographic tasks. Now you can complete them in
any audio like or you can just simply choose
a particular task that interests you the most. Either way it's up to you, but I would love
to see your work, so don't forget when you've completed the
tasks and you're happy with your photographs
simply upload your favorites. Now you can also download
the assignment sheet, that's entirely up to you. You can take mental notes of
each task as I go through it or you can simply download
this PDF. Let's jump in then. Task Number 1, capture a photograph while
walking with your camera. Just simply walk around,
super observant, and quick to react to anything you see that is of interest. If you remember back to the
module where I did that, I just simply had
the screen flipped out and that's what I did. I just looked for
interesting things and you have a second and we were
really quick to react. That is task Number 1. Task Number 2, wait
at one location to capture a number
of interesting shots. Simply wait at one location and wait for the
action to come to you. Now it works best if it's a congested area or
there's a lot for traffic, unless you go for that
isolated type of look. As I just wait, and
honestly you'll be amazed, you'll start seeing
interesting things, so that's task Number 2. Task Number 3, capture a shot where the background reacts
with your subject. Choose a suitable background and your subjects should
compliment that background, or even better react with the background to create
an interesting shot. Task Number 4, capture a photograph that
includes street activities. Look for any street activity. It could be a street
sporting event. It could be a
street performance. It could be a demonstration. It could be an outdoor market. I say look in your local
paper and see if there are any sorts of activities
that are going to be taking place because they
make great photographs. Task Number 5, in harsh light capture a shot with strong contrast
and shadows. Take your camera out on a really bright day and capture shots that
have high contrast, so areas of great brightness
and dark shadows. As I say, they make really
graphic and pleasing shots. It's always better
obviously if it's really bright sunny day. Hunter, hopefully, you live somewhere where
there's some sun. Task Number 6, point your camera upwards and capture
an interesting shot. Take yourself off into
the city and simply point your camera upwards
and you'll be amazed. Obviously, it works
better with architecture, but if you think back to the module where I
covered this subject, there are other ideas that
you can consider as well. Task Number 7, find a suitable frame in your environment to
frame your subject. In this module, I'm looking
for you to find something in the environment that was
never intended to be a frame. You've got many options, it could be a doorway. It could be a bridge [inaudible] the corridor, an alleyway, and as sages way for your
subject to come into that frame and see
what you come up with. Task Number 8,
capture a photograph where your subject
is in isolation. Early morning is the best
time to capture a shot like this unless you find an
isolated part of the city, and you're looking for that
complete isolation where you just have one
person in the shot. As I say, it creates that
tension and atmosphere. Task Number 9, find a reflective surface and capture an interesting
reflection. Look for a reflective surface, and the obvious one is a
body or walls; or isn't it? But it could be a pool of water. It could be the
reflection in the window. It could be the
reflection in a mirror. I'll leave it up to you, but as I say, just look for that
reflective surface. Finally, task Number 10, crazy collection with
a similar theme. There are many themes, too many to list. I'm sure you'll come
up with a good theme, but you want a source
of consistent group of photographs that all
have that similar theme. It's a really
interesting thing to do and it gets you thinking
about things as well. It gives you a bit
of inspiration. Whether you choose to do
all the tasks or just simply dip your toe in
and just do one or two, it's entirely up to you. But the main thing is I would love to see
your photographs, so don't forget to upload them. As I said, you can download this assignment sheet if you think it's
going to help you. What you can do is
you can pop it into your camera bag and just refer to it as you're
out with your camera. I really hope you've
enjoyed the class. I've enjoyed talking to you, and I hope it really improves your street
photography. I'm sure it will. As I say, I've love
to see your work. Take care of yourselves. Thanks for watching, and I'll
see you in the next class.
Frank Minghella, Perfect Photo Company
