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This street photography experiment gives unsuspecting New Yorkers a surprise photo of themselves

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This is an interesting take on street photography. A social experiment of sorts. Normally, when we do street photography and people are included, or even the subject, of the images we shoot, those people almost never get to see the images we shoot or even know we shot them. Photographer and YouTuber, Josh Katz decided to try something a little different, as he wandered the streets of New York City recently.

Armed with only his Polaroid, Josh photographed people around NYC as normal, but instead of disappearing and moving onto the next subject, he handed over the picture for the subject to keep and started conversations with them as the prints developed.

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Why every photographer should try an instant camera

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When I was a kid, I dreamed of having that “magical camera that makes photos immediately.” Of course, I’m talking about an instant camera. Nowadays, it seems they are being resurrected. You can buy all kinds of these, or even make them yourself. Photographer and vlogger Josh Katz shares his thoughts on why every photographer should experiment with instant cameras. Even if you otherwise shoot digital, you can learn something new and apply the knowledge to your digital photography. And here’s how instant cameras helped Josh improve his work.

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This beginner’s guide will have you shooting great landscapes in no time

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Landscape photography means different things to different people. For some it’s about recording a memory of where they’ve been. For others it’s about discovery, and documenting the places they find. And then there’s those that turn up at the same location at 4am every morning for six months waiting for that perfect sunrise.

Whatever extremes to which you ultimately wish to take your landscape photography, we all start at the beginning. And in this extensive video, YouTuber Josh Katz offers a complete introduction to landscape photography for beginners. Everything from location scouting to settings guidelines to post processing tips.

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Pan with your camera to capture movement and make your photos more dynamic

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The usual advice is to keep the camera as steady as possible when we attempt to make a photograph. But sometimes adding movement can create great and interesting effects. One such technique for that is to pan with your subject. Whether you shoot action photography or not, learning to pan with your subject is a valuable skill to learn. It can make your shots feel very dynamic and exciting.

This video from YouTuber Josh Katz offers an introduction to panning photography in plain English. It’s aimed at those just starting to try panning photography for the first time. He even includes some suggestions for shooting them with your iPhone. But the video also includes some great tips to help troubleshoot your shots if you’ve already given it a try.

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Shoot for the stars – The beginner’s guide to astrophotography

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I’m not really a big astrophotographer, the skies are just too bright around here most of the time. I’ve dabbled with it here and there, but never anything serious. Recently, though, I’ve found myself in possession of the Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens (review coming soon). With a lens this wide (field of view) and this wide (aperture), it was made for astrophotography. So I’ve been experimenting again.

So, this video from YouTuber Josh Katz has come along at just the right time for me. He too, says he’s no expert in photographing the night sky, but he knows enough to explain the basics and get you started. Also like myself, Josh lives in an area where there’s a constant struggle to find a sky dark enough to actually be worth shooting. But he offers a few tips for that, too.

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