People & Street Photos
Find a few good settings for “ethical” street photography techniques. To begin, try to use settings where you feel comfortable around the “people” –this could be a college town or college sports event, or even the campus green, a small town, or a park. The goal is to get candid photos of people in a natural state of activity.
One main task is how to approach people and ask permission (before if they see you, maybe after if they dont see you or are farther away)
In street photography, often the fear of rejection is worse than the rejection itself, so practice asking, and practice dealing with rejection. To build your confidence, try the “5 yes, 5 no” challenge. Approach some people and ask for permission to make their portrait. (Also offer to send them a copy of the photo & given then your contact info). You have to keep asking until you get 5 people to say “yes” and 5 people to say “no.” You will discover it is harder to get a “no” than a “yes”. If you’ve got all 5 “yes’s” but not 5 “no’s” — you need to purposefully go out and look for the scariest people you think will say “no.”
Also try to frame your photos in different ways–POV, angle, subject (just feet or hands?). Try to vary your techniques. Bring all photos to class for review/discussion. Take risks, don’t be afraid to create unusual or even ‘bad’ photos in an attempt to learn something or be creative. Your task is not perfection, but experimentation & learning.
Basic Camera Settings:
- Mode: Aperture priority–then select aperture to either blur background or get everything in sharper detail
- Aperture f/5.6 to blur the background (typical portrait); or f/22+ if you need to capture the setting behind the person
- Shutter speed: 1/125sec or faster (this will be automatic in A mode)
- ISO 100-400 outdoors
- Lens 50-90 is ideal for portraits; wide angle is better for groups or scenes
- Drive mode Single (or Continuous if you want to capture a fast series of images–great with children to capture just the right moment)
- White balance Auto
Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to help you consider ethical concerns and develop courage and empathy. In life, photography, and everything else — we are slaves of fear. This will help you face your fear head-on and yet act ethically. This is not just a skill but a personal power to hone and develop that helps your craft.
Create a slideshow with large images settings as in image, with 4-6 of your best photos. Include title, aperture & shutter speed. Use titles as a short form storytelling–be creative.
