Street Manual

A field guide for street photographers.

by Luke Carey

Projects1–2 hours

Launderettes

Waiting and watching.

The launderette is a disappearing social space - one of the few places where people from different backgrounds sit in the same room and wait together.

How to shoot it: Ask, then settle in, because the launderette rewards waiting as much as its customers do. Shoot the rows of machines, the figures mid-wait, the light through the steamed window, the small community of strangers in one room. A wide lens holds the space, a tighter one finds the face. It is a vanishing institution, so treat each one you find as a record worth keeping.

The output: A series about waiting, community, and a vanishing institution.

Camera Settings

High ISO. Available light.

The Assignment

Find a working launderette. Go in with your washing. Photograph while you wait.

Free Course