LydFtos

30/11/2021

Street Photography of People You Know
A thought:

If you shoot a street photograph of someone you know, is it still ‘street photography‘? I think so!

Anti-purism
In street photography I am the black sheep and the black swan. Or I prefer .. black eagle.
My personal ambition:

To expand, evolve, and drive forward/upwards the culture of photography and street photography.

30/11/2021

HOW STREET PHOTOGRAPHY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
If street photography is all about loving other people, regardless of their background, race, socio-economic class, etc … then perhaps street photography is the answer to promote more love, tolerance, and mutual understanding all around the globe.
“How to Shoot Street Photography” is a new free ebook which will give you all the information how to start shooting street photography.

I have included a PDF and .ePub format.

The benefit of download the .ePub format is that you can increase the text size, decrease the text size, and easily read it on your iPhone, Android device, iPad, or even computer:

Download (PDF/4.6MB)

Archive.org
Google Drive
Download (.ePub/4.6MB)

Archive.org
Google Drive
Download (.txt)

Archive.org
Google Docs
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Download iBooks Author File for PDF (to edit, remix, translate)

Archive.org
Google Drive
Download iBooks Author File for .ePub (to edit, remix, translate)

Archive.org
Google Drive
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The book is open source, which is free to download, share, distribute, remix, and translate.

More downloads available on Archive.org

Chapter 1: What is street photography?
If you are a beginner in street photography, all you need is this guide to get started. I was quite frustrated when I started street photography. I had no idea what camera to use, what settings to use, what to look for, how to approach strangers, and most of all– how to overcome my fear of shooting in the streets.

All of the information in this guide are my opinion and isn’t the only “right” way to shoot street photography. But I hope it is a good starting point. Take everything with a pinch of salt– take what you want, and leave the rest.

The first question you might be thinking is: “What is street photography?”
Simply put, street photography is about documenting everyday life and society. I personally don’t think street photography needs to be shot in the street. You can shoot at the airport, at the mall, at the beach, at the park, in the bus or subway, in the doctor’s office, in the grocery store, or in any other public places.

Furthermore, street photography is generally done candidly (without permission and without knowledge of your subjects). However I personally don’t think that street photography has to be candid. You can ask for permission when taking a photograph of a stranger. I don’t think just because a photo is candid makes it any better than a photo with permission. The most important thing in street photography is to capture emotion, humanity, and soul.

Therefore if you are drawn to taking photos in public (of mostly people) you are probably interested in street photography. Also as a side-note, I don’t think that street photography has to include people in it (although the best ones generally do have people in it).

So don’t worry so much about what “street photography” is and isn’t. The most important thing at the end of the day is creating powerful, compelling, and emotional images.

Always, Eric

Chapter 2: What is the best camera for street photography?
The most beautiful thing about street photography is that you don’t need a specific camera to shoot with. You can shoot street photography on any camera. In-fact, I know many talented street photographers who only shoot with smartphones.

What camera do I need to shoot with in street photography?
Generally I prefer smaller cameras when it comes to street photography. Larger DSLR’s tend to be big, awkward, obtrusive, loud, and annoying to carry around with you everywhere you go. The most important rule in street photography is: always have your camera with you. The best street photography opportunities always come when you least expect it.

However having said that– it doesn’t mean you can’t shoot street photography with a DSLR. In the guide below, I will give some general tips and guidance in terms of shooting street photography (with whatever camera you own).

There is no “ideal” camera in street photography. There are all pros and cons with each camera. The tip is finding the camera which best suits your personal needs.

30/11/2021

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST GUIDE
When it comes to street photography contests, there certainly is no shortage of options to choose from. It seems like each passing week brings yet another contest to the table. In this article, I take a look at some of my top choices and evaluate them in terms of pros and cons. It should be noted, up front, that we (both streetphotography.com and myself) have no financial affiliation with any of these contests.

So, before I dig into the list, let me explain a few factors that will be considered when evaluating each of the options. I look at the price, prestige, ease of entering, past winners, judges and juries, potential exposure, as well as prizes and winnings. Other factors may come into play with certain organizations but these are the constants. Finally, it should be noted that I am a past or present judge with a couple of the organizations on the list. I have been a winner at a couple of others over the years. However, as stated earlier, I am in no position to benefit financially from promoting any of these contests. I am bringing them to you because I believe they are good places to submit work. It’s that simple. Now, let’s dig in!

dotART Urban Photo Awards – These awards are a good all around choice for a number of reasons. First, the prices, while higher than some, are a good value in my opinion. The winner’s prize package is valued at more than 1500 euros and the organization has a ton of media partners, which provides good exposure for the winner’s work. Also, there is good exposure and lesser prize packages for various runners-up. The jury is usually rather solid (I have sat on this jury in a number of years). Some big names always appear and there is good representation from around the globe. They also maintain a good virtual gallery and host a live event each year. This year Bruce Gilden will be president of the jury. Cons: There are not really a lot of cons with this one, except that the organization is a large one (indeed, they are international in scope) and they attract a high volume of entries. This means you will be up against a lot of good competition. The stakes are high, but so are the winnings.

Black and White Magazine – I mention Black and White magazine because they have been a constant in the photo content world for a long time. Of course, they only deal with black and white photography, but if that’s your thing then you are right at home with them. They run several different contests each year (be warned, a lot of lead time is necessary) a single image spotlight contest, a portfolio contest, as well as others like the “smartphone” contest, which is currently accepting images. Their contests are usually considered low cost, the current smartphone contest charges $20 to enter 4 photos. The potential gain with Black and White is enormous, as their magazine is print-based, widely subscribed and distributed, and printed at a stunning quality. You could do a lot worse than a B&W magazine prize! Cons: The only one that really comes to mind is the sometimes clumsy photo requirements, although they seem to have relaxed these guidelines lately.
F-Stop Magazine – Rather than a contest per se, F-Stop regularly puts out calls for submissions for their superb bimonthly online magazine. What I like about F-Stop is that it offers good exposure for winners and runners-up without any costs or photo requirement hassles. It’s a solid magazine with more than 100 back issues and they just let you submit easily. The submission process can seem intimidating at first glance, but it really is simple enough and it’s free! There are many opportunities with this magazine. You can place in a group exhibition or be a “featured” artist etc. F-Stop is a solid place to keep on your submissions list.

Life Framer – Life Framer is a solid choice for a few reasons. Perhaps the thing I like most about them is their subscription-based service. For about $100US per year, one can enter 12 monthly contests (many photos in each) and also develop a profile on their site, which they will host for you. The great thing about subscribing to the twelve monthly themed contests is that this will force you to not only submit regularly throughout the year but it will also force you to diversify what you submit. The jury at Life Framer is quite impressive with some of the past jurors being Martin Parr, Roger Ballen, Bruce Gilden, Steve McCurry and Philip-Lorca diCorcia. There is a 2000$ monthly prize, opportunities for exhibitions (if these still happen in the covid-era) in Paris, London, and Milan. I think Life Framer provides a lot of good exposure for the winners and runners-up. In this way, I don’t mind saying that it is good value for the money, despite the 3-digit price tag (remember this is an annual subscription). Cons: The only con I really have noticed about Life Framer is that some of their winning photos have been aesthetically suspect. In other words, I don’t feel they always select the best work. This is obviously subjective, so go and take a look-see for yourself.

All-About-Photo.com – All About Photo runs a solo online exhibition contest. Each month one winner is selected to have a “solo exhibition” on their site. I have to say, their site is stunningly beautiful and will do justice to any work selected to exhibit there. The contest is $45 to enter between 6 & 14 images. As far as online solo exhibits go (and keep in mind they will likely be here to stay) I think this one is quite legit. The potential exposure is enormous if their promo material is to be believed. I have no real hands-on exposure to this one, so keep that in mind. I simply think it is an attractive proposition at an affordable price. Getting to list a solo exhibition on your resume is a huge thing – virtual or not. Cons: Hands down the big con for this one is the jury. I could not find much information about who will actually be judging this work. Only one (unknown) name came up when I searched. They would do well to attract some better-known talent, as this does matter.

Kujaja – World-Street-Photography – WSP can be a great place to enter your photography. It is another one that is free. This organization is quite democratic in that they actively promote and support photography and photographers from all over the globe – literally. I was on the jury here for many years and the quantity of photography they receive is enormous. The talent and quality of the entries is all over the place from professionals to grandmothers with cell phones. WSP publishes an annual book, which is quite widely distributed. Exposure here is good. There are no cash prizes because there are no fees. Just enter and cross your fingers. No limit on the number of contests or photos you can enter either. Cons: The guy behind the operation has a day job and can only attend to this hobby so much. As a result, some things are not as polished as they could be. For a free contest, however, I think it is a solid operation. What do you have to lose?

Paid street photography contests have become a big business. As a result, things don’t run as fairly, smoothly, or simply as well as they did in bygone eras. Great work, alone, is, these days, a guarantee of nothing. Politics, money, and ego have blocked a lot of good photography from receiving its due. Additionally, given the sheer number of people who submit to online street photography contests, your entry will always be a kind of raffle ticket – your winning always bound up with a stroke of luck. That said, I think the above selection of places provide a great opportunity for most beginning street photographers to work at getting their photography noticed. I have some kind of connection to all of them and can honestly say I support their missions. Winning a photo contest won’t be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. Break a leg!

30/11/2021

30/11/2021