Approaching your subject before taking their photograph is still Street Photography, there is no fast and hard rule that says your shot has to be 100% candid for it to qualify as Street Photography.\u00a0 Though some could argue that people who approach their subjects before photographing them are really just Portrait Photographers that take photographs of strangers.\u00a0 Either way, it’s an approach and if it makes you comfortable then I say go for it.<\/p>\n
S<\/span>hooting From The Hip<\/h3>\nIt’s exactly what it sounds like…\u00a0 Well, actually there are a couple of variations.\u00a0 You can hang your camera from your neck strap and subtly snap some shots without lifting the camera to your face.\u00a0 You’ll need to pre-focus the camera so your images will be sharp.<\/p>\n
The other variation is to actually hold the camera in your hand, down by your side (usually with a wrist strap).\u00a0 I’ve done this before but the images usually suck.\u00a0 You need to practice quite a bit to know how to hold your camera, you may think you’re pointing it one direction but when you review your shots you’ll find that you may have cut the subjects heads off unintentionally.<\/p>\n
You’ll take more photographs this way and yield less good results.\u00a0 This is my least favorite technique for Street Photography, my advice would be to skip this technique and just own the fact that you’ll make people uncomfortable from time to time.<\/p>\n
K<\/span>now Your Camera And Be Fast<\/h3>\nHow fast can you lift your camera to your eye, focus, and take a photograph?\u00a0 This technique involves only lifting the camera to your eye when you know you want to take the shot.\u00a0 This does not mean lifting the camera to your eye and walking\/standing around with it attached to your face like the Borg from Star Trek (shame on you if you don’t get that reference).<\/p>\n
This is where the name DecisiveShot came from, it’s a play on the Decisive Moment.\u00a0 The Decisive Moment was coined by Henry-Cartier Bresson to describe that split second where something happens to make a photograph interesting.\u00a0 You’ve got to see the moment coming and be fast enough to lift the camera and capture the shot.<\/p>\n
For this technique it helps to pre-focus the camera (sometimes called zone focusing) and know what distance your subject needs to be at to achieve a sharp image.\u00a0 Try using a narrower aperture (f\/5.6ish) and more of your image will be in focus.<\/p>\n
T<\/span>he Fake Set Up<\/h3>\nSet your camera up on a tripod or stand in a position where subjects will pass in front of your camera, preferably in front of an interesting background.\u00a0 You can pretend as if you’re adjusting your camera and when a subject passes in front of your camera you can snap the shot and steal their soul<\/del>.\u00a0 This is a great approach if you’re still worried about upsetting subjects.<\/p>\n2<\/span>0 Degree Rule<\/h3>\nI never knew the name for this approach until I recently watched a video by John Free, he coined it the 20 degree rule.\u00a0 This is where you approach your subject from an angle (about 20 degrees) so it looks like you aren’t taking their photograph and then re-frame so they are in the shot.\u00a0 This is another great approach if you are afraid of confrontation with a subject.<\/p>\n
![\"1014_untitled_116\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/decisiveshot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1014_untitled_116.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAnother version of this is where you look through your subject…\u00a0 Approach a subject but pretend like you are more interested in what is right behind them.\u00a0 Act as if your more upset about them being in the frame than they are.\u00a0 Dang tourists!<\/p>\n
S<\/span>hoot Their Back<\/h3>\nThere is no shame in photographing a subject from behind.\u00a0 There are some really great shots where all you see is the back of the person’s head or body.\u00a0 This is a great way to start to build your courage to approach subjects from the front.<\/p>\n
How fast can you lift your camera to your eye, focus, and take a photograph?\u00a0 This technique involves only lifting the camera to your eye when you know you want to take the shot.\u00a0 This does not mean lifting the camera to your eye and walking\/standing around with it attached to your face like the Borg from Star Trek (shame on you if you don’t get that reference).<\/p>\n
This is where the name DecisiveShot came from, it’s a play on the Decisive Moment.\u00a0 The Decisive Moment was coined by Henry-Cartier Bresson to describe that split second where something happens to make a photograph interesting.\u00a0 You’ve got to see the moment coming and be fast enough to lift the camera and capture the shot.<\/p>\n
For this technique it helps to pre-focus the camera (sometimes called zone focusing) and know what distance your subject needs to be at to achieve a sharp image.\u00a0 Try using a narrower aperture (f\/5.6ish) and more of your image will be in focus.<\/p>\n
T<\/span>he Fake Set Up<\/h3>\nSet your camera up on a tripod or stand in a position where subjects will pass in front of your camera, preferably in front of an interesting background.\u00a0 You can pretend as if you’re adjusting your camera and when a subject passes in front of your camera you can snap the shot and steal their soul<\/del>.\u00a0 This is a great approach if you’re still worried about upsetting subjects.<\/p>\n2<\/span>0 Degree Rule<\/h3>\nI never knew the name for this approach until I recently watched a video by John Free, he coined it the 20 degree rule.\u00a0 This is where you approach your subject from an angle (about 20 degrees) so it looks like you aren’t taking their photograph and then re-frame so they are in the shot.\u00a0 This is another great approach if you are afraid of confrontation with a subject.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nAnother version of this is where you look through your subject…\u00a0 Approach a subject but pretend like you are more interested in what is right behind them.\u00a0 Act as if your more upset about them being in the frame than they are.\u00a0 Dang tourists!<\/p>\n
S<\/span>hoot Their Back<\/h3>\nThere is no shame in photographing a subject from behind.\u00a0 There are some really great shots where all you see is the back of the person’s head or body.\u00a0 This is a great way to start to build your courage to approach subjects from the front.<\/p>\n
2<\/span>0 Degree Rule<\/h3>\nI never knew the name for this approach until I recently watched a video by John Free, he coined it the 20 degree rule.\u00a0 This is where you approach your subject from an angle (about 20 degrees) so it looks like you aren’t taking their photograph and then re-frame so they are in the shot.\u00a0 This is another great approach if you are afraid of confrontation with a subject.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nAnother version of this is where you look through your subject…\u00a0 Approach a subject but pretend like you are more interested in what is right behind them.\u00a0 Act as if your more upset about them being in the frame than they are.\u00a0 Dang tourists!<\/p>\n
S<\/span>hoot Their Back<\/h3>\nThere is no shame in photographing a subject from behind.\u00a0 There are some really great shots where all you see is the back of the person’s head or body.\u00a0 This is a great way to start to build your courage to approach subjects from the front.<\/p>\n
![\"1014_untitled_116\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/decisiveshot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1014_untitled_116.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAnother version of this is where you look through your subject…\u00a0 Approach a subject but pretend like you are more interested in what is right behind them.\u00a0 Act as if your more upset about them being in the frame than they are.\u00a0 Dang tourists!<\/p>\n