Street Manual

A field guide for street photographers.

by Luke Carey

Techniques2 hours

Backgrounds First

Before you look for subjects, look for backgrounds. Strong graphic elements, bold colours, interesting light, text, architecture. Anything that would make a picture on its own.

Then position yourself so that background is behind whatever walks past. You're not chasing subjects. You're setting a trap.

Watch for: background clutter that competes with your subject. The simpler and stronger the background, the harder it is to take a bad picture when someone walks through it.

The point: the photographers who always seem lucky aren't. They've found a good wall and they're standing in front of it.

Camera Settings

Any.

The Assignment

Spend a full session finding five strong backgrounds. Photograph each one until something interesting walks into frame.

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