Bootneck47:

Welcome to the 'Street Life' Area 

My name is Tim and I've had a gallery with DCM now for about 10 months, also in that time I have made the leap into trying to make it as a professional photographer (www.ambientlife.co.uk) working in the North East of England. I have made many friends through the DCM site and in truth its through the support and help of these people that I have been able to push forward and not loose site of my goals through the many knock backs that this profession holds.

I get a great many mails of people asking about equipment, lighting, and indeed just what are the best things to try and learn or get to grips with when your just starting out. I always write back to people and would point out that we are all learning constantly, including me! so please don't see as the expert here. Currently the main stay of my professional work is Corporate based, much of it around Aston Martin, which is great but when I have some free time I like to indulge mt passion for 'pure' street photography. Street Photography is a dying art in my opinion and one that I would like to try and keep alive. As times change and political correctness is at every turn its not hard to understand why it may have been left in the shadows, however if you look back at some of the greatest photographers you will note a pattern that they all enjoyed this medium of work regardless of social issues. I firmly believe that street photography is not only a great way to get out their and shoot great photography to improve your quality and work-flow, but also its a great way to learn about your camera's capabilities, lighting situations, and how to look beyond the obvious for a great image.

With these things in mind I thought it might be an idea to try and focus all this in one area, and the DCM forums here seem as good a place as any. My proposal is that anybody who wishes to can post 'Street' photography on here for everybody to enjoy. I would like this area to be one of discovery and learning rather than just feedback. Sharing information on techniques and ways of looking at a subject, but most of all and area that we can all enjoy and see the fruits of our hard work.

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I have kicked this new area off with 2 images that were recently shot in the Northern UK town of Scarborough on a afternoon visit. I have also posted the entire series of 17 photographs in my DCM gallery that can be found on the link below along with my Business site that also holds a 'street' area under the portfolio title of 'private projects'.

Over the coming months if this kicks off and people take to it I will be posting on a regular basis in anyway I can to offer thoughts and help as well as any tips or things that I have learned along the way, so that I can share these with you in the hope of helping others to enjoy their photography more.

(Top Tips)

 Here's a few top tips to start things rolling so to speak;

1. Try to stick to one body and one lens or work with as little equipment as possible, a Rangefinder Leica is great, but who can afford one of those! (A favorite with the older professionals of the past in this field)
2. Many people think the best way to capture this type of photography is to use the camera on an automatic setting, this actually is not always the case and I would advise that whenever you can you try to get to grips with the 'manual' settings. Its tough when your just starting out I know but its one of the most valuable lessons that you'll ever learn and is the key to understanding many more things in the future.
3. Take a basic meter reading in the area that you think you might be shooting and stick to that for a roughly correct exposure to work with later, always using the RAW file option to shoot in if its available to you. Don't forget though that if you use an automatic camera exposure setting you many find that the camera will adjust its exposure as you move around, this is another reason for trying to get to grips with 'manual' exposure as this will 'lock' in the settings to shutter speed and aperture that you made earlier.
4. Talk to people! - This is the golden rule to great photography, sometimes its a case of shooting something that you see happening around you, but in many cases its good to just approach people politely and in a friendly manner and tell them what your doing, ask them if its okay if you take a photograph of them. People really struggle with this part of the medium at times but I can honestly say that I have never had a bad reaction from anybody that I have spoken to. It is also polite to give them your e-mail address so that they can contact you if they'd like to be sent one. It won't cost you anything to send them a reply mail with one attached and is better than asking them for their e-mail address when you've just met them, 'so give them yours'!
5. Look for the not so obvious, get a coffee and sit outside a cafe bar. Just sit and watch whats going on in the world around you, you'll be surprised.

Well that's all from me for now, I hope this goes down well and is seen in the right light. I'd really like to do this as a way of saying thanks to those that helped me and as a way of giving something back.

Take good care and good luck with your photography.

okay what?

and why doesn't reply button or quick reply show up in that last post?

Hi guys, have not been in here for a while but I'm really chuffed to see that the thread is so popular still, very glad I started it...lol

Here's one from me for today and please keep posting these great photographs and trying new things out.

Ambient Life Web Site

Great shots by all lots of character

  It's on the street.......but theres no life!

Helen.

YOU'VE GOT THE HADDOCK!

OK so I have got it, street photography. You take your camera and point it at total strangers without permission! What, no, it’s just wrong. This is not easy. I did try at the rugby on Saturday, Just turn around every now and then and shoot before anyone notices.

As you can see from the results I did not exactly think about the shots, I just took them. I now have a new found respect for all the other shots on this thread.

Great photos added all.

bodaso - We all feel the same when taking photos of strangers.

This was taken at the begining of the month, as these lads where going to the town centre.

Just Call Me Angel.

Here's a couple of my latest street shots

HAS SHE GOT THAT KETTLE ON YET?

The last puff before the bus comes.

Great shots post all.

One from today- Alfresco Lunch: