Street Photography with your Nikon DSLR

Shooting candid moments on the street requires fast reactions, confidence, and full control of your camera and your equipment

- Mark Higgins

 

Street photography is an all-encompassing term for candid pictures taken in public places. These pictures often, but not always, feature people, most of whom are going about their daily business. Unlike reportage, images from this genre do not have to be newsworthy, and the photographer is under no obligation to cover specific events. For street photographers small, everyday actions make for ideal lens fodder – dog walkers, shoppers standing in front of advertising billboards, buskers performing, and the like. Real life, in all its guises, is the star of the show.

This form of photography has been around for more than a century, and many experts consider Paul Martin (1864-1944) one of its greatest pioneers. Martin used a hidden camera (disguised as a paper parcel) to shoot porters working in London’s busy street markets. The images are wonderfully unselfconscious, but many of Martin’s contemporaries struggled to appreciate their artistry. These individuals considered everyday activities unworthy of the effort required to expose and process a glass plate negative. More recent practitioners include Henri Cartier- Bresson, Walker Evans, Garry Winogrand, and Tony Ray-Jones. Studying the work of these artists, and their talented peers, is a great way to determine what makes a successful street picture.