7 Stupid Things That Street Photographers Do
Credit: Craig Boehman
Street photographers, like any photography enthusiast, do stupid things occasionally. And I’m not above it all; I’ve ticked most of the boxes on this list. The point is to learn and grow as street photographers and not repeat the same mistakes that hold us back.
I compiled the ‘7 Stupid Things That Street Photographers Do’ list based on my past mistakes and those of photographers I’ve explored the streets with over the past eight years in India and worldwide. They should remind us that we all have blind spots in our street photography routines and some of these habits need to go. The sooner, the better.
Let’s take a look at some of these stupid things, in no particular order.
Shoot in Burst Mode — All the Time
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It doesn’t get any stupider than this. Have you ever seen a street photographer photographing a subject who’s standing absolutely still and not even blinking? And you hear the camera buzzing like a machine gunner found a case of Red Bull and has a day of target practice ahead? Well then…
Let’s not do this anymore. There are several reasons not to use burst mode unnecessarily.
Subjects standing still, just like statues, aren’t going anywhere - take one shot at a time.
You’ll burn your battery up faster
You’ll fill your memory card up faster
You’ll be culling through hundreds if not thousands of unnecessary files
Veteran photographers will think you’re an idiot (or that you need improvement if they’re nice)
The bottom line, learn when bust mode is appropriate. There are plenty of YouTube videos and articles about the topic online.
2. Shoot Everything at Eye Level
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The sun doesn’t orbit around us. Nor should our subjects. This is how I like to think about the problem of shooting at eye level or from one constant perspective.
We should orbit around our subjects.
This doesn’t mean that we simply consider front, back, sides, etc. We should be trying different angles.
Now, there are plenty of subjects where eye level is perfectly fine. Some genres of photography rely on it. Think about headshots. The vast majority of them are taken roughly at eye level with some variation, depending on the photographer’s style. But in street photography, our subjects can appear above us, below us, and anywhere in between.
At best, shooting at eye level too frequently is a sign of an amateur. At worst, it’s a sign of sheer laziness and mediocrity. Avoid doing it. Let the subject dictate how we take our pictures. If eye level is best, fine. If that was the only option to take a great shot, perfect. But if you have the chance, try different angles.
Once again, there are plenty of YouTube tutorials and articles out there about composition and how to frame subjects in all genres of photography. I personally find expert landscape photographers to be great sources of knowledge when it comes to composition; Art Wolfe comes to mind (an all-around photographer and fine art shooter). Be sure to check out photographers who know their way around the frame, regardless of genre.
3.YouTube Guru Syndrome (YGS)
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YouTube Guru Syndrome might need some explanation. It’s when a street photographer follows one or more street photographers on YouTube and conflates their good information with the bad. I’m differentiating here a little bit between opinions and facts, conjecture, and time-proven methods. The problem comes into play when a YouTube street photographer starts preaching too many absolutes. And we as followers start regurgitating and preaching the all-mighty gospel to others like it’s the one true way.
Examples:
Street photography is only X, Y, Z. There’s a strict definition and everything else that claims to be street simply isn’t
Phrases like “image quality doesn’t matter” and “gear doesn’t matter” crop up
“I don’t believe in editing.”
“Too much editing isn’t street photography.”
The frame (the image straight out of camera) is truth
Never crop!
You have to get permission to take somebody’s picture (here’s a release form!)
Always pay your subjects something for their time
Don’t take pictures of homeless people
You may agree with some of these things but that’s not the point. If you have YGS then you’re less likely to listen to other photographers when your methodologies are questioned and your images critiqued. You’re less likely to grow beyond a certain point and extremely resistant to change. This isn’t good.
Every street photographer will develop very strong opinions once they’ve been doing it for some time. It’s a natural progression. But keep your mind open to others’ input and ways of doing things. We’re all students of this wonderful genre. Let’s keep learning.
4. Not Getting Close Enough
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If you’re having a problem falling in love with some of your best photos, it may be because you’re not close enough to your subjects. There’s plenty of room for caveats here, but the thing to realize is that closeness creates drama and tension.
Take the above picture, for example. You may think it’s a “nice” image at first glance. Maybe it belongs at the beginning or near the end of a series of images. Maybe it’s part of the narrative. But on its own, it’s a very blah type of image. The horizon is nearly straight down the middle, which is rarely a good thing. Personally, it’s not my kind of image. I don’t feel anything when I look at it.
Too many beginners in street photography stand too far back. They use telephoto lenses to zoom in because they’re either afraid to get close or just don’t know any better. While it may take a lot of time and practice to overcome nerves when it comes to photographing strangers in close proximity, the photography gods will eventually bless you with beautiful, impactful images once you begin your journey of getting up close and personal.
Tip
If it’s just a matter of nerves, I have a suggestion that may help you. Dedicate an entire session or a partial one to getting up close. Don’t worry if the pictures aren’t any good. Just walk through a crowd of people with your camera raised at about chest level and take pictures. Bonus points if you switch to manual focus and use zone focusing. Basically, get used to walking among people and taking pictures.
What you’ll likely find is that people generally don’t care because they think you’re shooting video — which psychologically for some reason isn’t as scary as someone taking pictures.
Places to try this:
Crosswalks & intersections
Train & bus stations
Crowded markets
Events & holidays
Airports
Any busy public space where people gather
You’ll probably surprise yourself with how quickly you get used to it. It takes practice but the anxiety will lessen in time.
5. Wear the Wrong Clothing for a Street Photography Session
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Wearing the wrong clothing for a street photography outing can be a showstopper. At the very least, it can be an inconvenience. At worst, it can be potentially damaging to your health and a safety concern. This seems like a no-brainer to avoid but you’d be surprised how many people underestimate a location or simply don’t research it.
Common mistakes:
No rain gear or protection for camera & accessories
Clothing doesn’t protect from the heat (think hats, light-colored clothing, light fabrics)
Clothing doesn’t protect from the cold
Wrong shoes
If I had to choose the most important thing to get correct on the list, that would be shoes. It’s such an important thing to get right that I mention it in my workshop descriptions because I don’t want people wearing open-toe sandals when they walk with me in Mumbai workshops.
Baden-Powell coined the phrase, “Be prepared”, for the Boy Scouts of America back in 1908. Take it from a soldier, being prepared is Rule No. 1. Even among my grandfather’s WWII stories (he was a Marines CB sharpshooter), he once said that they learned in basic training to always change their socks when it came to water crossings. It sounds like another no-brainer but you only need to be in that situation once to realize the pitfalls of such a situation, especially if you have a lot of hiking to do in rugged terrain.
And I can’t count the number of times when I wished I had brought appropriate rain gear during Mumbai’s monsoon season.
Moral of the story: be prepared. Look at the weather forecast. Dress appropriately. Wear the right kind of shoes. If there’s a chance of rain, pack for it even if the rain chances are low. Research the location. Ask someone if you don’t know. Be prepared.
6. Not Enough Batteries / Memory Card Space
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This situation happens too frequently during my photography workshops. Not enough batteries. Not enough space left on memory cards. And another thing that can happen to photographers who use their phones for video — didn’t bring a charger and/or the proper cords (my specialty). The ‘be prepared’ motto rights true once more.
Do these things without fail prior to a street photography outing:
Charge every battery to 100 percent, even the battery in your camera
The memory cards should be empty and plentiful, especially if you haven’t been cured of trigger finger
Phone should have a full battery and charger in tow. If you’re from out of the country, make sure to bring adapters and converters if necessary
Also, be aware of what and how you’re shooting. If you’re doing action shots, bring more batteries and cards. Always carry more than what you think you’ll need. Don’t expect other photographers to bail you out: they’re not preparing their sessions for your stupid mistakes. Or mine.
7. Pay to Take Street Photography Pictures
This is one of my pet peeves. I see it happen a lot in India: unseasoned tourists reaching into their deep pockets to make inconveniences go away or to tip for things they don’t need to tip for. Worst still, paying people on the streets to take their pictures — because for some reason, that’s the right thing to do. I call bullshit.
Whoever came up with this scheme is one ought to open up a recognized charity or an NGO. Or stop giving stupid advice.
I have two reasons why I don’t get my wallet out when I’m in the streets (apart from thinking it’s stupid):
I’m a professional photographer. I don’t pay to use my camera; it’s the other way around.
It’s a safety risk
I frequent many of the same locales in Mumbai. If I opened up my wallet every time because I had no sense of self, no sense of my job, then I may as well go to an ATM, withdraw a bag of notes, and pass them out as I go. How many other professions or activities out there oblige someone to pay someone to participate? The answer is far fewer than the number of people that I see in a single photo I take at Sassoon Docks in Mumbai. But here’s the gist of it. Psychologically, you set yourself up to become a perpetual tollbooth if you start paying people without hesitation anytime someone asks or whenever you feel guilty for not doing so. Don’t get on that train.
If you’re coming across this opinion for the first time, consider this. There is no moral or ethical obligation to pay someone to take their photo, especially if you’re not getting paid yourself. Paying someone to take their photo doesn’t make you a moral person just as not paying someone doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you inexperienced at best, in my book.
The most important reason though, is safety. You never know who’s watching from the crowd, from the shadows. If the Wrong Someone sees that you’re loaded, then you may be in for a world of hurt just around the corner. I strongly advise that if you’re traveling overseas or in the big city that you don’t take out your wallet unnecessarily. Ever. What you may not realize is that you may be jeopardizing others’ safety too by your actions.
Exceptions
The world is full of exceptions and grey areas. One that I make is when I actually have a paying client and I need a subject to work with us to get shots. For example, the other day I hired a rickshawala for an impromptu photo shoot. He was already working so I didn’t want to take clients away from him by burning up his time, which we did for over half an hour. And in the end, we got our shots and the rickshaw driver got a lot more than his usual fare for his time.
I recommend considering my two points if you’re a street photographer who spends a lot of time in public. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to justify not paying someone for their photos. There’s not a law, rule, or sacred passage written down in any published book. You are not obligated to pay anyone. Instead, gain experience and then decide what exceptions work for you. They can be completely different reasons and polar opposite opinions from my own — it doesn’t matter. My little rules work for me. Make exceptions that work for you while keeping yourself and anyone else in your party safe. That’s the best outcome to aspire to.
Parting Words
Credit: Craig Boehman
My intent for this article was to create a small list of guidelines that I hope will help a lot of street photographers who are just starting. It’s not a formalized document that’s meant to be written in stone for everyone. I find that these little rules work for me and have given me a framework to keep doing what I do with the least resistance from those I encounter in public spaces.
For me, it’s about longevity. I want to continue doing street photography for many years to come and I want it to be some of the best experiences of my life. And I wish the same for those who walk with me or stumble across me online.
