Finding the Frame: A Beginners Guide to Detailed Street Photography
Street photography is so wide open and diverse, the things you see on the street are unpredictable, fast and emotional. If you do it right you could be telling a story from your lens that no one else gets to tell.
Whether you are wondering though New York City like I was in this series, or exploring my home town of Nashville, street photography is about seeing the moments before they disappear.
Street Photography is Not for Just People
When most people think of street photography they think of pictures of strangers, homeless with signs, busy side walk. While that might work for some things, I personally love a little bit of detail, things that can be overlooked. Personally in NYC it was so cold it was hard to even pull out the camera and shoot.
Personally I am drawn to more quieter moments:
The way a building looked against the sky
Reflections in windows
In NYC Especially i loved seeing all the dogs, in the snow
Street photography can just as easily be about texture, shape, and atmosphere as it is about human interaction.
Step 1: Learn to See the Small Things
In a city like New York, it is so easy to get overwhelmed by the scale of everything,crows, constant moments, and even the sky scrapers.
But if you pause and wait some time and look differently you can see something way different. Repeating windows forming patterns, shadows cutting across brick walls, unexpected symmetry in architecture. The magic in this is choosing what most people look past.
Step 2: Mix Street Photography with Architecture
I do not want this article to sound like you should just take architecture shots and say it is street photography because there is a little cross over between the two. How can we blend them so they work together?
Using buildings as your main subject
Letting people/ cars become your secondary (Smaller figures in a larger scene)
Focus on lines, curves, and structure instead of faces.
Step 3: Emotion With Out Faces
I think you do not need a person to create a story or feeling. Emotions can come from anywhere.
A worn staircase
A titled street sign
Contrast between old and new
The sign the homeless man was using, that was left on the ground next to an empty cup.
Having people in street photography is great, but I have always felt awkward about taking strangers pictures without asking, so I opt for the details, the stuff I think tells a story just in a different way.
Final Thoughts:
Street photography does not have rules, it has perspective. If you are more drawn to details than people, lean into that, I certainly did. The way a building or small moment can tell a story often goes unnoticed. Remember we are building a strong competition, and telling a story all at once. Remember buildings can’t talk, and sometimes the loudest stories are the quiet ones.
