Street Manual

A field guide for street photographers.

by Luke Carey

Projects2–3 hours

Genteel Rituals

Affluent English suburbia runs on gentle, earnest rituals: cricket on the common, crown green bowls, the farmers' market, the village fete, the church summer fair, the Saturday parkrun. They are ordinary, quietly absurd and deeply English — Martin Parr built a career on precisely this territory, photographed with affection rather than contempt.

Look for: the seriousness with which small pleasures are taken — the deckchair, the tea urn, the whites on the green, the committee table with its float and its raffle. Shoot warm, not mocking; the humour should like its subjects.

Best time: weekends and event days. Check local listings and the parish noticeboard.

Camera Settings

Any. Colour suits the Englishness. Get close and be friendly.

The Assignment

Photograph one local ritual. Find the moment where earnestness tips into gentle comedy.

Free Course