What is Street Photography?

If you can smell the street by looking at the photo, it’s a street photograph. Bruce Gilden Number 1. You have to have a person in a photo to make it a street photograph. I often post my pictures on the google+ site Street Photographers. It is a great site, but insists that there must be a strong human element in the shot. However,…

Ten Shots to Shoot…

…or the importance of a shot list. One thing that can have a positive impact on your street photography is a shot list. Know what you are looking for. Here are 10 things I keep on my list. Wrinkly faces and plain backgrounds Prostitutes Angry animals (but they have to be looking at the camera!) Street food stalls Small bits of people in negative…

The Shanghai Photography Exhibition

Photograph by Robert Capa, Spectators at Longchamp Racecourse. This photo was used for the promotional material for the exhibition. Robert Capa was one of the founding members of Magnum Photography. Three Photographers I learnt from at the Shanghai Photography Exhibition This weekend Shanghai hosted the World Photography Exhibition. This was a wonderful place for inspiration with lots of idea’s to borrow and steal. There…

The Arcanum and Minimisation!

What is the Arcanum and what is Minimisation? Good questions, I am glad you asked! The Arcanum is a learning pathway created by Trey Ratcliff, go look at his website ‘Stuck in Customs‘. First off, you have to apply to join and be ‘selected’ by a master who will help you on your way to photographic nirvarna. For the first ‘sphere’ this is actually…

Manilla Slums and Ethics. Ten things to think about…

In street photography there is a tradition of taking pictures of poverty, this stems from the very beginnings with the work of Henry Cartier-Bresson and Dorothea Lange. Recently I had a break in the Philippines. My first thoughts were to head for the slums of Manilla to take some shots. I did find myself wondering why I was there, after all, I was close…

Street v’s Travel Photography

It has been a while since my last post as I have been fortunate enough to be taking a month out in sunny Thailand. When not relaxing by the pool and catching up on my reading (last book, A Decent Ride, Irvine Welsh) I have been out shooting using the fantastic Ricoh Grii. Anyway, I started to wonder if what I was shooting was…

Alleyways and Street Vendors

The Importance of a great shot list… Making a shot list is a good way to ensure you get more from a photo shoot. It helps give your work a theme and people begin to expect certain things from your photos. Here is a list I keep in my head when I go out shooting.

10 Tips for Candid Street Photography

Yes it sounds like photography dipped in sugar, and it does produce sweet results.

Hongzhen Lu

This weekend I went back to my favourite haunting ground for shooting documentary/ street photography. Another block is being knocked down and there will soon be nothing left of this, once vibrant community. Out of all my photos taken in China, these are my favourite. The people are (generally) warm kind and generous in revealing glimpses of their lives to the camera, and ultimately…

Using Film

Finally received my film back from the new (old) camera. This was using a roll of Fujifilm stock (and yes I chose colour). Would I recommend trying film? Hell yes. It slows you down and really makes you think about pressing the button, knowing it is going to cost you 20p to develop it. What is ultra cool is that you get them back…