90 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
CORE SKILLS MASTER
YOUR CAMERA SETTINGS
When you’re looking for reflections, as soon as you
step foot onto the pavement, a million possibilities
will open themselves up to you. Street photography
is accessible to everyone, which helps to explain
why it’s one of the most enduring genres of the art.
Countless photographers over the years have taken
advantage of the ever-changing visual buffet of the
street, so for this module of Camera School, we’re
going to show you how to follow in their footsteps
for a stunning reflection street shot of your own.
By paying close attention to your surroundings
and setting your camera up for success, you can
transform a local town tableau into a high-impact
documentary photo.
Find a suitable location
For this reflection technique, the location you choose
wi ll be vitally important, so decide carefully. We
wantyouto taketo thestreets.You’llneedto finda
reflectivesurfaceto mirroryoursubject,so lookfor
largeshopwindows.Therearetwomaintechniques
youcantryforthisproject.Thefirstis to standat the
endof thestorefront’swindow,facingthedoorof the
shop,thenwaitforsomeoneto walkin or outof the
door,capturingboththeirformandtheirreflection
in theglass.Thesecondis to finda long,reflective
surfaceandpositionyourselfat theend,thenwaitfor
a su itablesubjectto walkalongsidethewindowso
youcantakeyourshot.
Whenselectingyourlocation,youshouldconsider
th e lightin yourscene.Choosea bright,sunnydayfor
yourshoot.Notonlywill thishelpyouachievea fast
shutterspeedwithoutpushingyourISOup toohigh,
butit will alsoprovidethestrongestreflection.Forthe
bestresults,finda reflectivesurfacethat’sthrowninto
shadow,butwhichcastslighton yoursubject.This
willproducethestrongestreflectionforyourstreet
photographyimage.
Setup yourcamera
Shutterspeedis a vitalpartof thistechnique,as
you’llneedto freezeyoursubjectmid-actionto avoid
motionblur.Workin manualmode,as thiswill give
youultimatecontroloveryoursettings.Setshutter
speedto 1/250secto beginwith,butbe awarethat
theminimumshutterspeedneededto avoidblurwill
beaffectedby howfastyoursubjectis movingand
howcloseyouareto them.If youthinkyourshots
aren’tsharpenough,increaseshutterspeedfurther.
Whendecidingwhichapertureto use,followtheold
streetphotographyadage‘f/8andbe there’.This
mid-rangedepth-of-fieldwill be moreforgivingon
yourfocusthana wideraperture,butit doesmean
youmayhaveto pushup yourISOto retaina fast
shutterspeed.Thisis whya bright,sunnydaywill be
idealforthisshoot,as youwon’thaveto pushyour
ISOup toohighandriskaffectingimagequality.
3.1
Above Make sure
your shutter speed
doesn’t dip below
1/250sec to avoid
motion blur.
HOW TO GET
THE CORRECT
SHUTTER SPEED
Achieving the right shutter speed
is vital for this technique, so pay
close attention to your settings
and adjust them accordingly asyou
sh oot for the best results. Startoff
wi th 1/250sec and then inspectyour
sh ots carefully to see whetherthere’s
any motion blur evident. If thereis,
in crease the shutter speed untilit
di sappears. If there isn’t, you can
ke ep shooting at 1/250sec.
TIP
SHOOT
INJPEG
Tosubmityourhomework,
it will needto be sentto us in
theJPEGformat.Setyour
camerato shootin JPEG
andyouwon’tneed
toconvertit.
n 1/250sec
Your subject’s limbs and
body should be crisp and
nYou’ll notice your subject’s limbs are 1/60sec free from motion blur.
blurred when they’re walking in the frame.
n 1/20sec
This slow
shutter speed
will cause
evidence
of camera
shake
throughout
your image.
