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for more informationPhotograph by Bruce Usher, copyright 2019.LIght Work
didn’t have to wait too long for
it to arrive. There were at least
another four or five interesting
images that came from this
particular location.Tricks Of The Trade
“Street photography has always
been there with its harder, more
elusive character – not dissimilar
to the ocean – always moving,”
says Bruce. “It requires vast
doses of sensitivity, patience,
drive and edginess. My initial
forays were fleeting and
accidental, so you have to be
both observant and open to
what’s going on around you.
I’ve used all my autofocus
lenses for street photography
at one time or another, but an
old mid-1980s vintage manual
focus Nikkor 35mm f1.4 wide-
angle prime has been a particular
favourite because of its depth-
of-field. Using depth-of-field is
often integral to telling the story;
sometimes you want as much
as you can get, and sometimes
as little, to be more selective
with your focusing. However,
with street photography
the environment is often an
important part of the story too.”Degree Of Difficulty
(Out of 10)
The significant contrast range
presented plenty of challenges
with exposure and, of course,
timing was everything in terms
of having the pedestrians
positioned to give a balanced
exposure... something over
which the photographer had
no control. It may all look
deceptively easy, but there’s a
‘10’ for effort here.Can You Try This
At Home?
If you can find a street, you can
start getting a feel for streeta regular contributor to our sister
publication ProPhoto, profiling
the life and work of other
professional photographers.
The Equipment
Nikon D700 D-SLR fitted with an
85mm f1.8 lens. This photograph
was taken at f7.1 with a shutter
speed of 1/400^ second and the
sensitivity set to ISO 1000.
Camera hand-held, using
available light.How It Was Done
“I was looking for someone for
interact with the unique shadows
and the almost gunmetal grey
background,” Bruce explains.
“I wanted minimal colour, but Iphotography. Start out by simply
watching what’s going on around
you (maybe even leave the
camera at home initially), to see
how the various elements of a
scene are interacting. Look at
the play of light and shade,
street signs, and how people
are moving around. Decide
how you want to involved...
being closer gives a better feeling
of involvement for the viewer,
but candid views taken with
a longer lens to give a tighter
framing can be powerful too. It
won’t take you long to appreciate
why street photography has
fascinating photographers ever
since the camera became
sufficiently portable.