AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY + DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 2015 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 51
ABOVE
Businessmen wait for their ride home
in Sydney CBD. I wanted to capture a
sense of motion so setting the camera
on a tripod I was able to blur passing
traffic. Canon 5D Mk II, Canon 17-
40mm @ 39mm, 0.5s @ f/4.5, ISO 400,
tripod. Curves, contrast, saturation and
sharpness in Photoshop CS5.OPPOSITE
Bustling market in Hoi An, Vietnam,
in the afternoon golden hour. Working
in the afternoon light made for an
atmospheric image full of life.
My favourite time to be shooting.
Canon 5D Mk II, 35mm @ f/4.5,
1/1600s, ISO 250, handheld.
Curves, contrast, colour balance and
sharpening in Photoshop CS5.Breakout head
Breakout body noindent xxxx xxx.
Breakout body xxxx xxx.a poor composition, bad light or your picture does not tell a story.
Remember, focus on what’s important because that’s essentially
what makes a great street image.
10
Have fun!
Like all genres of photography it’s important to enjoy
what you do and do what you enjoy. If shooting on the street
doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, chances are you’ll probably
be making ordinary images. Creativity f lows from where the
passion lives, so do what makes you happy, not what other people
expect to see from you. I love shooting the street because it
gets me out and about, meeting interesting people and seeing
everyday life from a fresh perspective. That’s what inspires me to
do what I do, and that f lows into my creative output.
11
Just do it!
Street photography is a discipline you force upon
yourself and you do it for the little joys you derive from it.
I’d argue this style of picture taking is really the most
challenging genre in our craft. It requires practice, and the
more you get out there, the more your photographic ‘eye’ will
develop and your confidence will grow. The basic approach to
this style of image-making is much simpler than some other
genres. In this field I believe manipulation should be kept to
the minimum, with hardly any post-processing. The only post
production I tend to do with my street photography is through
my camera viewfinder when I compose my shot. Perception
and intuition are really the most important factors in making
more creative ‘street’ images. Perception requires a great eye for
detail and a high attention level. Intuition, on the other hand,
is immediate and isn’t duty bound to any attentive thinking.
When you’re in the right groove, these two factors can combine
to create Cartier-Bresson’s famous ‘decisive moment’. It’s an
amazing process and it can take your images to the next level.
I believe the best street photos come from powerful ideas
and emotions captured in a simple way. Street photography
comes down to perception, and forcing yourself out and about
with your camera in search of the decisive moments which
will inevitably unfold in front of you. But street photos aren’t
ultimately made in the mind, they’re made in streets – so go
out, take photos, and love it! ❂