Street photography has existed ever since cameras have been portable enough to carry around easily. According to Photographers in Abu Dhabi, street photography encompasses an expansive variety of styles. Loosely defined, street photography involves non-staged images taken in public. Most people consider New York street photography between 1960 and 1980 as representative – fast paced shots taken right in people’s faces often taken quickly with fast shutter speeds. However like all forms it has grown over time.
Serious street Photographers in Abu Dhabi distinguish themselves in an age where everyone carries around a smartphone by the quality and creativity of their camera-shot images. While following traditional forms, each photographer takes his or her own approach to street photography.
Andres McNeill of Glasgow in Scotland has attained widespread popularity due to his captivating images depicting Scotland’s cities through an architectural lens. For him, buildings come first before people.
Tips for shooting in the street
Discover an image style that speaks to you; embrace creative perspectives; use weather as an ally; be polite when using street photography kitbag; and observe life around you.
Andres takes an unusual approach to street photography. He likes to respond intuitively to what he sees rather than plan ahead for each shoot. Yet has an idea of what he wants. My interest lies more with creating scale; for instance I like shooting massive buildings alongside people in the foreground to show contrast.
Andres will explore locations until he finds one he believes will create a powerful composition, before setting up his camera and waiting. “I usually find a nice building as my background,” says Andres, while people crossing in front are secondary. Often what makes an ideal subject is visual repetition or coincidence such as seeing someone wearing green top standing next to a billboard with pictures of people wearing green tops etc.
When photographing people in an environment, it’s essential to have a focal point in mind – whether that’s the eyes of your main subject, a central figure in a crowd, or someone racing along the streets.
Find a style that resonates with you
Cinema is an integral component of Andres’ work; his images often resemble scenes found in films.
Andres points out that no single approach fits all when it comes to street photography today, yet what really grabs his eye are the shapes and patterns of buildings, from Victorian Victorian houses to the occasional Brutalist structure found around Glasgow streets. He likes using leading lines, where buildings lead your eyes towards subjects within their frames; sometimes shooting with two buildings on either side and then placing someone or perhaps a taxi coming towards me makes for striking photos.
Engage creative perspectives
To create visually striking photographs, shoot from an unconventional angle or viewpoint. Andres loves Glasgow because its hilly terrain allows him to frame multiple layers at once; additionally, its elevated positions allow him to capture stunning sunset shots.
Exploring reflections in windows or other shiny surfaces is another useful technique, while you could also experiment with creating interesting compositions using puddles or rivers as sources of reflections.
When photographing street images consider what makes your own city special and use that knowledge to make the images more captivating and distinct.
Make your advantage
Andres doesn’t mind; in fact he looks forward to the prospect of rain – something his friends and family often hate him for! “They hate me!” he laughs.
“Using EOS R System cameras with their high resolutions allows me to see every droplet of rain,” he notes.