So you just picked up your first camera and you’re ready to become the next Henri Cartier-Bresson? Perhaps you’re planning to leave the world of still photography and follow in Lee Friedlander’s footsteps?
Before taking the plunge, you might want to watch Digital Rev TV’s take on street photography expectations vs reality.
Many people think that street photography is as easy as grabbing a camera and walking outside, the rest will just happen.
The fact that this misconception is so widespread is what makes the video funny, but it can also be used to prepare you for what’s ahead.
While you might think that your people skills are excellent and that you’re a walking, talking chunk of confidence, street photography will put these skills to the test.
Going old-school and shooting using manual focus is another thing first-timers perceive as being cool, until they try and see that it usually isn’t all that great in most cases.
Finding the right subjects and capturing the decisive moments also prove to be harder than one initially expects. Some people are lucky enough to walk outside and stumble upon the perfect images, but many plan ahead for specific types of shots or at least choose locations that are more likely to yield good opportunities.
By no means am I posting this video to discourage you from having a go at this form of photography, it’s more of a heads up that it’s not always as easy as one might expect.
Watch it, learn from it, and most importantly – cover that crack!
For more ‘expectation vs reality’ humor, check out this clever ad about photography gear acquisitions.
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