Street Manual

A field guide for street photographers.

by Luke Carey

Settings Reference2 hours

Flash Settings — Manual, Direct

Starting points. Adjust from here.

Daylight flash (fill / Parr-style):

Power 1/8 | Aperture f/8 to f/11 | ISO 400 | Shutter 1/180 (sync speed) | Distance 1 to 2 metres

Night flash:

Power 1/16 to 1/8 | Aperture f/5.6 to f/8 | ISO 800 to 1600 | Shutter 1/180 | Distance 1 to 2 metres

Shutter drag / slow sync (night):

Power 1/8 to 1/4 | Aperture f/5.6 | ISO 400 | Shutter 1/15 to 1/4 | Distance 1 to 2 metres

Adjust power first. If faces are blown out, drop power one stop. If background goes too dark, open aperture one stop. Don't exceed your sync speed.

Camera Settings

Daylight: 1/8 power | f/8–f/11 | ISO 400 | 1/180. Night: 1/16–1/8 power | f/5.6–f/8 | ISO 800–1600 | 1/180. Drag: 1/8–1/4 power | f/5.6 | ISO 400 | 1/15–1/4

The Assignment

Run through all three flash modes in one session to understand the differences.