15 TIPS to improve your street photography (on film) // A REALISTIC STREET SESSION
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- čas přidán 2. 10. 2022
- Street photography is hard and a combination of skill, persistence, and luck - especially when shooting film. But most of the time we do only get to see the end results, all the best shoots and only rarely we get to see the whole picture with missed opportunities. Therefore, in this video I am trying to give a realistic perspective how a typical street photography session looks like for me: the good, the bad, and the ugly. As I go I will share 15 tips that helped me to improve my street photography - which will hopefully also help you to improve yours.
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Karin is really out here going hard for our sake. People don't understand how difficult it is to do street photography, while having a camera man on you blowing your cover and while talking competently about multiple subjects. Bravo Karin! 🤘
Thanks for your encouraging comment Alex, I appreciate it a lot! :) Yes, my (awesome!) camera man with the big a$$ gimbal behind me was definitely not part of my regular street routine and also did not help to stay undercover haha.
I was just about to comment the same, how natural she feels DESPITE having a camera man following her and also… KARIN, YOU ARE INSANELY FAST! loved it.
@@guillermocadizp Perfect comment, I couldn't agree more. Andy
I was about to say the same thing. I have her 15 tips with me all the time when I go out and shoot. Karin is a great photographer and a good teacher! 🎉
The camera man was used as a distraction a couple of times. Bravo!
My street photography is totally different. First, I'm as stationary as it can get. I'm sitting in my wheelchair and actually put a large format camera (5x7) on a tripod beside me and either ask people to be portrayed, and more often than not I'm approached and asked what this is all about and they want to get portrayed after I explained it. On my lap I have a camera with a waist level finder set on hyperfocal distance, and just look down onto its viewfinder when something interesting approaches me and take pictures, when it's the right distance. Since I'm sitting in a wheelchair, people tend to look at me, so many shots are people directly looking into the camera.
In any busy street there is absolutely no need to walk around, because people are crowded everywhere and everywhere is more than enough opportunity for interesting situations to take pictures of. Being stationary allows you to select a photogenic background and foreground and only play with the middle ground, where the motif walks into as the single variable for nice compositions.
The one disadvantage of this method is, that I don't go home with hundreds or even thousands (digital allows for that) of pictures to select from but usually less than 50 or so, since I not only work analog, but also with large and medium format, what is a bit costly and slow. But this also makes me select motifs more consciously and more selective than machine gunning digitally or being generous on film with 35mm.
Sounds really interesting, where can I see your shots?
@@saiday I live and work analog. I don't show my pictures on the Internet - yet.
As a relatively new hobbyist who is trying to learn techniques for street photography, this was a gold mine of information. Thank you for taking the time to do this. You definitely get a like and a sub! 😊
Thanks so much for your comment, I appreciate it! ☺️
I love it when street photographers capture a moment that tells a story . Or when the human subjects are positioned artfully with the architecture and light and shadows
Walking around at high speed clicking away fast is expensive on film and you often end up with lots of mainstream photos
This might be the best fifteen minutes a newbie street photographer can spend. I've been doing this for more than fifty years and I also found some helpful advice. I am a fisher, not a hunter, and finding a good vantage spot with interesting backgrounds or shapes is my favorite technique. I also often shoot from a lower than eye level viewpoint, and if I'm using a camera with an eye level viewfinder (I also like waist level finders a lot), I put a small bubble level in my hot shoe to keep my camera level and plumb. As always, your videos entertain and inform. Well done! Andy
I love your channel! This was a particularly inspiring video full of solid advice. Thank you!
Very cool video and nice shots! It's always fun to see other photographers techniques and hear about their philosophy. My wife and I just got back from New Orleans over the weekend and I take street photos as discreetly as I can most of the time. To me the images it creates is a true "day in the life" feeling which I dig.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! :) And I agree, that's how it feels like for me as well!
Great video as always! Thanks for taking us with you to the streets, that was really inspiring. 😊
Thanks for your kind comment! :)
Love these videos, Karin - and thanks for the Portraitmode recommendation.
So much good info in this one, thank you! Great work.
AWESOME VIDEO! So lovely to hear your insights and thought process behind your camera settings and how you zone focus. Thank you for this.
Great tips. I do the same zone focus thing. Fast film, f11 and use an incident meter before I start shooting. I take a sunny reading and a shady reading, remember them and then just toggle back and forth between the two as needed. On my 28mm lens f8 can give me a 1.5m to infinty reasonable focus range and I then basically have a point and shoot camera. I like your two zone suggestion, going to have to try that.
Thanks for your comment! :) Exactly, that's what I do often times as well. Often times I take a meter reading from the back of my hand in the light and in the shade to get a rather "neutral" referencing point.
Lucky me, found your channel which inspires. You’re a good photographer and teacher!
This one could be my ‘warm up’ or go-to video before my daily Street Photography assignments. Thx Karin. 🎉
I love your content. What an amazing video packed with so much information. Thanks
Thanks for your comment :)
Just started and have watched so many videos that I found quite personal. By far this has been the most practical video while not pushing the ideas down your throat.
Karin, never get tired of your presentations and warm smile. You have a wonderful way of presenting your themes and suggestions for better film photography. I will always enjoy your videos and film photography in general. The industry’s move to digital was about programming the public to buy something new and make more money. Film takes a little more patience and skill, which is what true artists should seek to do. Bravo, Karin. Keep shooing and smiling.
Thank you for your comment, I appreciate the kind words! :)
Amazing work Karin. Wish street photography is that easy for me as it is with you. I find it inspiring to see that you can take so many close shots amid the chaos n busy environment. Thanks for sharing your tips and your great work.
Thank you so much for your comment! :)
I’ve just found you on YT and just wanted to say how much I enjoy your videos and your photography. Thanks for sharing your approach and thoughts on street photography. 😎
Welcome to the channel ✌🏻 Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it a lot! :)
Great advice. You have inspired me to give street photography a try.
If you are beginner in street photo THIS are real tips…forget all other video from youtube! Bravo
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! :) I am sure there are never too many videos you can watch about street photography approaches haha :)
Really enjoyed watching this video Karin. Admire the focus and multitasking between filming and capturing photos. Portraitmode is a rad idea, I'm checking it out asap. Keep it up!
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! Hope you will enjoy PortraitMode. :)
Great video, Karin. Great watching you work and very informative.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! :)
Love this!!!
Great work Karin, thanks for the video. Nice vibes in Berlin, good to see people out again. Keep shooting.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! :)
Thanks Karin. Excellent tips. Appreciate also your point about being satisfied with only one or two good shots per roll.
Thank you, I appreciate your comment! Glad you feel the same about the amount of "good" shots on a roll.
I'm interested in street photography just about month ago and this video help me understand a lot. Thank you Miss Karin!
Really nice Karin, I’m moving from M8 digital to M5 film and am excited for the experience ❤ your video was very good at explaining the points of Street photography, thank you
Wonderful video. Really helpful to learn the art of street photography
Very good video! To be you walking through Berlin in the summer with a Leica!! Continue the great work.
Thanks for your kind comment :)
I have to say I’m really impressed with this video. Like there arent any tricks i haven’t heard before but usually in these tips videos there are some stupid or weird ones but here i just have to agree on everything 100% and it basically describes my approach as well. And I’m glad I’m not the only one who prefers going out at noon with the harshest possible light.
So yeah, probably the most concise and best street photography tips video I have seen yet, good job
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! :) For more advanced shooter some of the tips might be redundant, but I hoped that they might be helpful for beginners in particular.
Nice tips, Karin! I know how difficult it is to do street photography especially in Germany. You‘re inspiring me to go back to the world of street photography once again! 😊
thanks this helped me a lot for some reason I understand you much easier than most channels for photographers, I don't know why
Great video, Karin. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! :)
This is one of the best video presentations I have ever seen on the topic of street photography. Keep up the great work, and thank you so much 😊
Thanks for your comment :)
Harsh light...thank you, make images during the day....midday...perfect
Thoroughly enjoyed your video and street photography tips.
Anyone who’s starting street photography needs to watch this 👍🏻
Thanks Ivan ✌🏻
props for keeping the love for film alive.
Awesome video! This was extremely helpful, great technique and very impressive how quick you shoot, now I feel like I take way too long adjusting focus to take the shot lol.
I have a old early 1950's Ikonta 35mm camera,everything is manual, no light meter, no focusing. So you have to use the zone system and when you do get to use it, you get some great photo's. The lens on this camera is top class. You are the best youtuber I have seen explaining the principles of street photography so far.
That sounds like a neat little set up as well! Thanks for your comment :)
Ich mag deine lockere Art und einfach drauf los.
Weiter so, macht Spaß dir zuzusehen.
🎉
Great tutorial, perfectly presented and also very inspiring. It is always a pleasure to watch your videos when you explain your philosophy and your techniques. Also, your voice makes watching your videos a real joy..at least for me. Calm and clear unlike some other YT videos from other photographers. I like :)
Thank you for your great work and being an inspiration for many, many photographers ! Keep it up !
Thank you for the heartwarming comment, I appreciate it a lot! Glad you enjoyed the video :) P.S.: Great username!
@@KarinMajoka Thank you, Karin !
I watched your Video about Brutalism. Very interessting and also: great pictures. Please keep it up 🙏
Many commenters express my gratitude better than I am able to. Thanks! You make it look so easy. And we realize the opposite is true.
You look like you’ve got super comfortable going for it on the streets. Great video and thanks for the tips.
Thanks so much for the comment! :)
Karin, you make street photography look easy! Brilliant video! Thank you so much for sharing this ❤️ 👍
Thanks so much for your heartwarming comment! :)
Great tips on street photography and some very memorable images too. I think you should be very pleased that you got so many keepers on a single roll of film. I also admire your bravery for doing this type of street photography. I don't know how you deal with confrontations! I have done a little bit of street photography and like you, I prefer to keep my shutter speed fast and my aperture small and prefocus. Though the difference was that I was standing in one spot and waiting for people to walk past (while I was shooting from the hip.)
Great video! I love your approach. Keep up the great work. I will be back to watch you grow and change. Thanks for the street photography website. I will definitely take a look
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! :)
Just discovered you amongst a host of Leica and Street Togs. Love you approach in your videos and your eye with photography. Bravo, Karin.
It's interesting to see a different school of thought and approach to street photography. This style is definitely something outside of my comfort zone, but it's still worth learning to understand the approach.
That intersecting people to shoot analogous to knots is very elegant to think about! Like tangling earphone cables in a pocket, or more abstractly the Geiger-Marsden experiment. The natural randomness is essential and preferred.
Thanks for your comment! Those examples really resonate with me, I think they also describe very well what I wanted to describe here, thanks! :)
Loved this!
Hallo Karin, super tutorial. Everything you said was right and i agree to all. Simple, but always true. Greetings from HL.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it a lot! :)
I really liked watching you work! Thanks!
Thanks so much for your comment! :)
i’ve heard a variation on this, “F8 and be there.” how i interpret that is be present, think about pictures, make pictures. don’t fool with the camera. which is good advice i think.
Fantastic video Karin! Love your street photography videos - and your hip shooting is on point! I really need to try that 400 Apx looks a nice film for street shooting
Thanks so much, I appreciate it! :)
Absolutely gorgeous
More of this, please. Great, great video.
Thanks for your comment :)
Learnt some gems. Thanks so much
Hi Karin, I haven't commented for a while,...... but I have been watching you (creep moment)!!! You inspired me to do two things over the last two years. During covid you made me dig out my very expensive film camera and start shooting film again, and more recently you inspired me to shoot B&W on the street. I'm still mixing film with digital though, and have found live view of great use in my street composing, which is odd because I hate it for landscapes! I'm also a camper rather than a mover (fisher rather than hunter) because it makes me slow down and think, and I like thinking...lots! Thank you for inspiring the new challenges in my picture taking.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment, I appreciate it a lot! Comments like this one always make me so happy when I hear about other people's photographic journey. Glad and proud to hear my videos were part of that journey too! :)
Harsh light or no light street photography is every moment out there searching for those captures we strive for. Cool video Karin. That leica M6 is flashy :)
Exactly, "bad light" should not be an excuse to not go out. Thanks for your comment! :)
It's great work you're doing
Really great tips. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment! :)
I’m so jealous of how discreet you can be even in front of people. I’m a brown dude covered in tattoos (I look like a cholo) I’ve learnt if i plaster a big stupid smile on my face I can get around people thinking I have bad intentions.
Na, das war nix. Das hab ich schon gefühlt. Always interesting in what situations our mother tongue breaks through. Probably when something happens that is unexpected or we fail our goals.
A very nice and helpful episode from the huntress Karin. The f-stop rock & roll. Well done!
Haha, absolutely! It was fun to see that for me too, since I usually don't really talk when shooting. Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! :)
Very smart... and very good tips...
De casualidad he llegado a tu canal y me esta pareciendo muy interesante.
Es muy auténtico y sincero!
Saludos!
I live in berlin and walk around this area a lot and it's always difficult to point the camera at people . Your tips are awesome
Thanks for your comment. :)
Yep, that pretty much sums it up - lots of shots, but only a few grains of gold at the end! I am definitely more in the hunter category than fisher, I like to keep moving along. Well done for the good video!
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! ✌🏻
I’m experimenting with street photography, but my favourite combo is my 75mm lens on an aps c body, which means I’m at a healthy distance… your confidence at being that close to people is giving me anxiety…but also is really inspiring
Thanks for sharing your approach! :) I think everybody has different preferences and different comfort zones. For me, shooting with such a tele lens and being far away would feel more like I am an observer and not so engaged in the situation, which is why I prefer wider lenses and being closer.
@@KarinMajoka I am gonna give it a try, I tried doing a normal length (50mm on full frame) the other day but I got quite nervous and kept my distance…will try on a day when I’m feeling more chill
Thanks for the tips.
So good !!
Great photos! I'm not sure I'll do much with street photography ever since my anxiety is just too wild when I try, but ... it's fun and fascinating! Thank you for the tips, too.
I think street photography in Texas is a different challenge given how little people walk in that state. 🙂
@@toulcaz31 Haha, a little too true!
Thanks for your comment! :) I think it's totally okay to do whatever type of photography suits one's personality and needs best. And I can totally see why street photography might not be for everyone, it makes me anxious from time to time as well.
@@KarinMajoka You're welcome! :) I am definitely a firm believer of pushing oneself out of comfort zones (within reason) ... so I'll never say never. :)
A roll with Karin. I look forward to the next one.
Thanks ☺️
Richtig cooles Video mit tollen Bildern. Hat mir sehr gefallen! Wenn du weiter solche Videos drehst fände ich es cool, wenn du vielleicht im Nachhinein etwas zu den Bildern sagst, deine Favoriten zeigst und auch sagst wieso es deine liebsten sind. Glaube das hilft anderen extrem weiter bei ihren Fotos und deine Gedanken während dem shooten besser zu verstehen
Bravo!...the most experience-based, pragmatic and considered series of street photography tips I've yet come across. One reads of how self-conscience the German public are when it comes to a camera being pointed at them...but your speed and nonchalance wins out. Own an M10, but tired of ephemeral nature of digital...really lusting after M6 or M7 at the moment...
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! I am sure you will love the M6 or M7 if you already enjoy your M10. You should keep in mind that only the M6 is a mechanical camera while the M7 is electronic. :)
I learned a lot watching your technique
Thanks, Karin.
Beautiful video and beautiful shots.
Thank you, I appreciate it! :)
your audio really clean while hovering around crowd, nice video
Hi Karin, great to see your strategy, learned a lot! I am a fisher! :)
Now this is street photography!👏
✌🏻
That was awesome!
Thanks!
Great video! I find street photography is more difficult for introvert photographers. You seem to have no trouble at all joining the crowds - I dislike these situations, and this already affects negatively my photography. It is one reason why street photography never made it as style for me to use. Other reason is that even when I took appealing street scenes with people, I hardly ever looked back to these photos later - because I had no connection to people in my street photos. I would never print and hang these photos somewhere in my place - I guess it is something where photographers simply differ in their styles. This doesn't mean that I can't appreciate your style for example and the way you shoot on the street - I actually admire it since it is a style which doesn't work for me personally even I also mostly shoot with a M6. Funny, you said that you want to move all the time - I am the opposite and always take my time, be patient and scope out photos well before taking the shot. But this makes photography so appealing - different styles and ways to shoot! As you might have guessed already, I am much more proficient in fine arts photography focusing on architecture, macro, landscape, still life etc.
Great tips. The game changer for me, was to use slower shutter speeds to show a city in motion. Olga Karlovac does that brilliantly. Isolating subjects in a busy scene is also a challenge. Steven Tanno is very good at that. However I'd never use Agfa APX 400. I've tried it too, the results are kinda underwhelming compared to Tri-X or my favorite: Pan F Plus.
Interesting approach! I have not tried it too often, but it sounds like something fun I would love to test out in the future. That's true, APX 400 is also not my favourite film, especially compared to something like HP5. But it has the advantage that it's available in drug stores in Germany, so once you run out of film it's very easy to find.
I really enjoyed this video and getting Karin commentary. She does cover a lot of topics that go through my mind. I enjoy street photography I to shoot primarily on a digital camera, but it is a little more exciting when I use my film cameras because I don't know if I got the shot or not. I still have some film that I've not developed soon and it is killing me to find out what treasures are there. I'm assuming she's shooting with a 28 millimeter. I see she gets really close to the subjects. That can be a bit intimidating. I switch it up depending on the situation. I'll go anywhere from a focal length of 28 up to an 85 millimeter. Ideally, I prefer 50 millimeter to 85 millimeter. I also use manual lens which make me slow down….. I am more of a camper when it comes to St photography. I love people watching.
Very helpful. I remember seeing a video with a street photographer whose only advice was "F8 and wait".
Haha, short and to the point - might work for some people, for me this would be too boring after 2 minutes 😂
Very cool video, thanks for the tips! I recently bought a Canon QL17 to try my hand at street photography and this video definitely will help guide me. Subscribed :)
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it a lot :) Have fun with your new camera! ✌🏻
@@KarinMajoka 🙂📷 thanks!
Loved the quoting of the good, the bad and the ugly, especialy by someone as young as you are... and i recognized several of my own habits ,watching you doing street photography. the way to wrap the sling around the arm, looking unsuscpiciously in the opposite direction, the instant you took a picture, going backwards and almost in the way of guys on bikes.... i once managed to stumble into one of the water-pools by the pyramid of the louvre, while i had my ey on the viewfinder, looking in the other direction... it was november and resulted in a major flu and a nice little tale. what i would like to know is how you deal with people yelling or even agressing you, wanting to get the film (even so they may not even have been photographed in the first place)
Excellent video, as usual. Thank you for the useful tips. Do you always shoot box speed and do you ever use exposure compensation?
Since I shoot film on a completely manual camera, exposure compensation is not really a thing. But I don't always shoot my film at box speed. I like to shoot HP5 pushed to 1600 or shoot Tmax P3200 at ISO 800 for example. But it really depends on the situation :)
Great video. In a big city one can blend in as there are always tourists shooting photos.
Thanks for your comment! Exactly, you are not perceived as an alien when walking with a camera in your hands haha
Good tips.
dont worry, a lot of those shots were keepers. loved the video. you are lucky to be a woman in those situations with children involved, speaking as a man i am paranoid of being misunderstood, actualy to the point of deleting shots and being careful where i point the camera. Do you ever get angry subjects and how do you placate them ?
It's a really interesting discussion point, thanks for bringing this up! I can understand why men might be even more careful with this topic and I think everybody should be sensitive when taking photos of children. To be honest I avoid taking photos of children often times as well, unless they are in a bigger group or I get the parents verbal or nonverbal approval. So far I only had one encounter where somebody reacted verbally aggressive towards me a couple of years ago. All the other situations where people noticed that I took a photo of them ended in nice and interesting conversations so far :)
It is not only the man who shots children. Sometimes when I just _point_ my camera in the direction of a group of young men to shoot a building or something completely different, I sometimes get an unfriendly „Digger, hast du n Foto gemacht??? Lösch des oder ich ruf die Cops !!!“
It helps to answer in a foreign language like Finnish: „Minäkin pidän sinusta“ = „Ich kann Dich auch gut leiden“ and just walk away..🙂
Well done!
Street photography really is difficult! And yesss, SO MANY REGRETTED MISSED OPPORTUNITIESS
10:50 That's so true... Harsh light is perfect for B&W photography!
Word!
Love your approach of a realistic session and I didn't know about PortraitMode yet. Now I have another social media site to maintain😅
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! :) Hope you will enjoy PortraitMode as much as I do ☺️
OMG you shoot just like me... Fast, f11-f8, and keep moving… Actually I'm more of an opportunist street shooter. This means I carry my camera everyday, and everywhere I go. If I get one good shot at the end of the day, I'm happy. Thanks for keeping the idea of streetphotography real. Subbed.
Glad you can resonate with my style of shooting! :) I love the term of the "opportunist street shooter". Actually I feel so as well, because I don't always have the time to do dedicated street sessions, so I just make sure that I have a camera with me on every situation I am outside.
In start, several (or many?) years ago I shoot everything on the streets. And I discovered I am good at Candids, but I am terrible at posed people, when it comes to human subjects that is.
Over the years my style of street photography changed, I still see moments, emotions, but instead of being trigger happy now, I try to find something meaningful, a story, emotion with purpose. And yes I do go trigger-happy too often.
I am also working on posing people now, and talking with them before or after taking their candids. So yes I explored and practiced different methods and put them together or switch (mentally) according to the situtation.
Thanks for sharing your approach! I think one's shooting style can be fluent, it's a process with which we learn, grow and change. I think also like to talk to people from time to time and pose them in their environment - a mixture is always great :)
You're a very down to earth photographer, which is very rare and likeable. No snob-talking or bullshit like that, just a very nice attitude
Thanks so much, I appreciate it! Comments like this mean a lot to me. :)
Ach, schönes Berlin im Sommer! Von November 2022 bis Januar 2023 werde ich wieder in Berlin leben und an der Humboldt-Universität arbeiten. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, wieder hier zu sein! Es wird nicht so sonnig sein, aber es gibt viele Möglichkeiten für die Straßenfotografie! Danke für das tolle Video. Grüße aus Kap Stadt!
Berlin ist wirklich eine tolle Stadt zum Fotografieren, ich bin mir sicher, dass es auch in den Wintermonaten reichlich Motive geben wird. Viel Spaß und eine gute Zeit dir! :)
Thanks! 😉👍