The initial hurdle you must jump over is getting over your apprehension about photographing strangers. How can you stand a few feet away from your subject, put the camera to your eye, focus, and click the shutter without getting nervous? Telephoto lenses are not typically utilized in street photography. An excellent street photographer is cautious at first (a sign of sensitivity) and reluctant to do anything that might alter the subject's behavior.
You can get over your fear of taking photos of strangers and improve your ability to capture natural expressions with experience. Beware, though; it has the potential to become addicting. Once a street photographer has been there for a time, he or she will know which side of the street to stand on or which table has the finest view.
THE ETHICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCERNS
The first step is to recognize that you are violating the personal space of your topic. You could be well-intentioned, but if you point a camera at someone without their consent, you are entering their personal space. What you just saw was a perfect example of a candid street photograph. It's crucial to examine your own motivations before diving into the specific physical procedures that can simplify your work. As a general rule, when you come upon something cool, you want to tell everyone about it. It might be amusing, unusual, mysterious, have an interesting design, or have any other quality that you think is worth photographing. Yet you feel anxious about clicking the shutter. The situation is typical. When you're first getting started as a photographer, you should ask yourself if you would actually shoot the picture if you weren't worried about what others might think. This may seem severe, but suppose that this is your last day on earth and that nothing else matters but taking this shot. Relax and prepare to get to work by studying the numerous methods outlined below.
WHOSE CAMERA IS IT, ANYWAY?
A good street camera has the following characteristics: a quiet shutter, interchangeable lenses, fast lenses (F-Stop of F2.0 or lower), no shutter lag, RAW capture mode, the ability to focus well in dark places, usable high ASA, a good viewfinder and lightweight enough to take with you wherever you go. To my knowledge, there is no digital point-and-shoot camera that fulfills all of these requirements. All or nearly all of these requirements can be satisfied with a digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR). For instance, the Canon 40D isn't any heavier than a Leica M, yet fast lenses are considerably more substantial in size. While these capabilities can be found in high-end point-and-shoot cameras (sometimes known as "digicams"), their lenses are not removable and their zoom lenses often aren't any faster than F2.8 at the wide end.
Newer models of DSLRs incorporate several improvements that are necessary for use as street cameras.
All right, let's get down to business. You should silence any digital camera beeping. Also, switch off the immediate playback on the LCD. Find out the maximum ASA you can utilize without experiencing too much digital noise by conducting some experiments. Once again, DSLRs excel in this situation. You may use an ASA of 3200 or even higher with a camera like the Canon Mark II without significantly increasing the amount of digital noise in the final product. Many consumer-level digital cameras can produce perfectly usable photos with an ISO of 200 or higher.
Digital sigma art lens reflex cameras typically use a focal-point matrix in the shape of a tic-tac-toe board. Only the primary focus should be on; all others should be turned off.
With a digital camera that uses a cropped sensor, a 30mm F1.4 is a great all-around lens. The Sigma f/1.4 30mm is a great choice (although keep in mind that it is not compatible with a full-frame sensor). To get the most out of a full-frame sensor, pair a 35mm f/1.4 lens with a 50mm f/1.4. In order to get a decent image at F1.4, you need a lens that can do so. And just because a lens opens to F1.4 doesn't indicate that it's good at that F-Stop, so pick this lens wisely. In the Canon line, the 50mm F1.4 which is for a full sensor, and which works with a cropped sensor as well, is one of their best lenses and compared to their other F1.4 lenses is affordable.
A digital single-lens reflex camera's exposure can be separated from the lens's focus using a standard procedure. Consider doing this, since it will prove beneficial. The Canon 40D and in fact practically all Canon SLRs (going back to the film days) contain this capability. A half-press of the shutter button will lock exposure, and a button on the camera's rear will lock focus. This is something I want to emphasize because you should get used to pressing the button on the back of the camera to pre-focus before bringing it close to your eye and framing the photo. I don't see why it would make sense to have the camera base its exposure on the subject. If you're going to be using the meter, it's usually best to focus first, then let it take a reading of the entire frame.
ASA 800 is a safe bet whether the sky is clear or cloudy. In most situations, a faster shutter speed is preferable. It's not the proper camera if shots taken at ASA 800 are extremely noisy.
Never put a cap on your lens. Never, ever, under any circumstances. A UV filter, which protects the lens and makes it simple to take a rapid shot, should never be removed from the camera's lens. As a rule of thumb, if a photographer is employing a lens cap, they are inexperienced.
Act the Part
It is recommended that you adopt the garb of a traveler for your outing. No, I'm not joking. Even if you've lived in the same city for half a century, you should pretend you're a visitor by picking up a map and donning western garb. This is something you'll have to work out for yourself.
Go to a popular landmark and you'll notice that nearly everyone there is also carrying a camera. Make like a regular tourist and blend in. Get familiar with your tourist map. Join the crowd and take a look at the landmark. And be on the lookout for engaging material.
After taking the shot, keep your gaze fixed on the camera
Get your feet wet by doing what everyone else does. Snap some shots of the famous site. Now that you know how to keep the camera up to your eye, you may look for intriguing things to photograph in the crowd. Do not take your eye off the camera until you are sure you have the perfect shot. Keep making it like you're taking images by pointing and moving the camera around. Snapping the camera away from your eye after taking a picture is a dead giveaway that you just snapped a photo of someone.
Even if you don't end up finding anyone to kill, this is a simple way to begin your shooting career. It shouldn't be too terrifying, and you'll discover that you can get pretty near to your subjects while still taking photos without drawing any unwanted attention to yourself. The same methods can be used at parades and other public events. Any venue that attracts a lot of tourists is a great place to hone your skills.
Hold on to something, turn off the screen, and read with both eyes open
Remember to keep your non-shooting eye open. Even with the camera up to your eye, you should be able to scan around for potential topics. The LCD screen on the back of most DSLR cameras allows for the rear viewing of captured photographs. Always disable this feature.
When the camera is up to your eye, you obviously don't want the LCD to turn on. It's distracting and obvious, even in low light, that you've fired a shot. Also, if the LCD is off, and you hold the camera a bit in front of your face, you can see the reflection of what's going on behind you.
In a busy street, it's helpful to be aware of what's occurring behind you so that you can anticipate how far away your subject will be when you turn around and set up your camera accordingly. You'll have to estimate their walking speed and the point at which you'll turn around and strike. Keep the camera at eye level when you turn to give the impression that you are merely glancing around. When your subjects are within around five feet of you, snapping photos of them without them noticing is surprisingly simple.
HIP-SHOOTING AS OPPOSED TO PRESSING THE CAMERA TO YOUR EYE
When taking photos on the street, it's best to hold the camera up to your eye to get the best results. There's a whole subgenre of photography called "shoot from the hip," and you can give it a try if you like, but you won't get nearly as good results as you would by putting the camera up to your eye. (This is purely my opinion and can be debated.) There will be occasions when you can't put the camera up to your eye, therefore learning to shoot with your hip is important. That said, I don't believe it's a great way to kick things off.
You'll have to make some choices regarding the depth of field. When shooting on the street, hyper-focal distance is a typical method used. With sufficient light and a wide-angle lens in the 30–35mm range, you can focus at 10 feet and know that everything from about 6–15 feet away will be in the hyperfocal distance. I don't think this is as required with today's auto-focus cameras, but it's interesting to know. (Since I'm not looking through a lens at the moment, the distance and f-stop I've listed may not be accurate, and hyperfocal scales are uncommon in modern autofocus lenses. In contrast, this is a tried-and-true method for older cameras that feature a hyperfocal scale on the lens. I just haven't found it to be required with newer auto-focus cameras.
PRE-FOCUS
For instance, in Canon and Nikon DSLRs, you can set the shutter button to activate focus lock and another button to control exposure. You've locked focus on your intended target since you know you'll soon be taking their photo, but you're not quite ready to press the shutter release just yet. While keeping your finger on the shutter's release button, you have the option of switching to manual focus on your lens. Then you can relax, knowing that focus won't shift when you let off of the button. Make sure to toggle autofocus back on after you're done using it, or else your subsequent images will be blurry.
Current-day cameras typically feature a grid of focus points. They are an essential selling feature. On the other hand, they are not ideal for candid street shots. You should disable all of them except the one in the middle, which will serve as your pre-focus point. Having the camera pick its own focal point is a notion I strongly oppose.
Let's say you're strolling through New York and notice a group of people leaning on the wall of a building to your right. You know that you are going to turn and face them at take your picture and then walk on. The same rule applies to the distance to any building on your right. Before you get to your subjects, you lock your concentration on a building to the right. As you get closer to your subjects, you may simply point your camera in a rightward direction and fire away without worrying about focusing.