Street Photography

So I've been trying a bit of Street Photography around Wellington with the compact digi. I mean proper Street Photography, not just urban-landscape-with-distant-people-in-it.

I find it is a lot harder than it looks!

Below are my (self-developed) rules so far:

1. Underexpose slightly - better to have slightly grainy shadows when you pull it up, then blown highlights
2. Use Raw. In fact this goes for all photography that you intend to post-process
3. Be discreet but not covert
4. Avoid photographing children
5. If you are male, be very careful about photographing women. Particularly young or attractive ones
6. Photograph people DOING things, and preferably interacting with others. People walking past buildings is not Street Photography!
7. You don't need a 35mm rangefinder, but if using a compact digi, plan and compose for the infinite depth-of-field
8. Cloudy days are better
9. Slow down, look around. need to feel the vibe of the place not race from point A to point B.
10. 50mm!
11. Any candid photograph is ten times better if the subject establishes eye contact with the camera. But not if they've established eye contact as a prelude to an angry "don't photograph me!" expression. Grab the shot right at the moment of eye contact!
12. Shooting from the hip is damned hard.
13. Street Photography with a (D)SLR is like using a blowtorch to light a cigarette.
    

That's for starters. I'll add more as I go.

The Search for Meaning, Manners Mall, Wellington 2010