The quintessence of street photography is about documenting everyday life on the streets. The best thing about it is that you don’t necessarily need to travel far to capture great shots, just pack your camera and take a walk to an area of your city; be it a familiar one or the road you’ve never taken before.

Here are 8 interesting subjects to experiment with while you’re out on the street with your beloved camera:

High and Low Vantage Points

Always consider to shoot from a from high above, down low, from the side, from the back, from far away or very close up, rather than just shooting from eye level. Try a different perspective or vantage point to make things interesting.

Reflections

Window reflections can create dreamy and abstract effect in your images. Get your camera ready when you’re out window shopping or find tall glass building and capture the clouds reflected on the windows.

Lights and Shadows

The stark contrast created by lights and shadows will add a little bit of mystery and suspense to your image and capture the your viewer’s imagination. For longer and more dramatic shadows, shoot around the golden hour (you have 30-40 minutes time frame after the sunrise or until the sunset)

Public Transportation

Whenever I travel to a new city, I love to check the train/metro/subway stations because the people and activities inside can provide for some great setting and story. Tip: Use a wide angle lens because the space tends to be narrow.

Alleyways

Everytime you take a walk on a busy street, keep an eye to the little alleyways on your left and right. Most of them owns a special characteristics that adds a story to the city.

Local Markets

Wake up early and visit the neighborhood markets. Here is where you often find the most local and lively part of the city, with shopkeepers opening up their stalls, goods being delivered, cooks preparing their food that would result in picturesque and colorful images.

Frame within a frame

This is my favorite composition! Don’t be afraid to let something get in the way. Use foreground and background creatively to frame your subject.

Bad Weather

Rainy days are best to take street photos! Just make sure your camera is tucked away dry inside your rain jacket. Take a walk and experiment with the water puddles, colorful umbrellas and raindrops on glass windows.

Symmetry

A symmetrical composition is the “safe” composition. It can be effectively used to create a sense of harmony, balance and proportion. It soothes the eyes and mind of the viewer, and it always works for a most-liked instagram picture 😉

Find more Photography Tips & Guides here. Do you have any other suggestions for great subjects to shoot in the city?

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4 comments

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Do a street photography need to ask permission to someone/group we took?

Reply

dear kak nicol thank you for sharing your experience with us about photography tips.

Reply

Sama2 sayang 🙂

Reply

I adore every single of your shots, kak nicole (especially the Japan series)! The color tone is so beautiful!! I’m so grateful that this blog exists thankyou for sharing this and the other photography tips kak(・∀・)

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