Catch Up On The Coolest Links In Photography

By Toad Hollow Photography

The exciting world of photography never seems to rest, and here we find that Toad Hollow Photography has been looking in all known corners of the internet for links to tutorials, special features and great photography to share with everyone. This weeks list is composed of a wide diversity of subjects and features, from some of the best writers and artists working in the field today. We really hope you enjoy checking out all these links as much as the Toad did himself in bringing this weeks list to you.

Tutorials

How to Master Low Light Landscape Photography – this is the best guide on low light landscape photography I have read during my career. This article, posted right here on Light Stalking, covers all the key points to help you get the most out of your shots under some pretty challenging conditions. The post covers technique and gear and also includes some awesome shots to inspire you.

 

moremilu

Tips on Travel Photography from National Geographic Photographer Bob Holmes – Bob Holmes shares a great set of tips from a seasoned pro for those who love to capture great shots while travelling. This video feature is just over 6 minutes long and is full of great insights that can only be shared by someone who has been actively working in the field over the course of a storied career.
Get to grips with lighting for stunning portraits – for many of us getting started with artificial light begins with the first daunting step. With so many options, and resulting finished looks, the entire artificial light landscape can be overwhelming. This article sheds some light on this topic by covering the various types of lights available and their applications.

schwarzwaldhase

A Beginner's Guide to Controlling Light With Grids – when it comes to large light sources, controlling the direction and spill of light can be a key factor in getting great shots. This short video presentation shows us how a grid can change the directionality of light and allow you to take full control.
How To Photograph Airplanes – many of us love moving machines, and love to photograph them. This in-depth article talks about airplane photography specifically, with some awesome tips and tricks on how to get the most out of this genre. The shots included illustrating the article are well worth the time on their own.

MatteoBergamo

Street Photography – this article leads to a series of articles that cover many different key aspects of street photography. Sample shots are included along the way to show us how to apply the tips in a way that helps you express your own vision and style.

How Emotions Mold the Art We Create – art is always a personal expression of many different factors and facets of our own experiences over the course of our lives, and this can have a powerful effect on how we see the world and how we engage with it. This article takes a profound look at how mood and emotion can impact our work. Ultimately the article as a whole serves as an inspiration for us all to get out there and make the art we honestly feel.

Special Features

10 Amazing Examples of Black & White Cameraphone Photography – our ever-present smartphones are becoming increasingly common in the field of photography as a great tool that can be used to capture stunning shots. This collection of black-and-white images showcases how these simple cameras can create compelling images that are every bit as good as ones taken with a DSLR setup.

marcianofab

Rare footage of eagles bathing captured by Vancouver photographer – nature is truly amazing and sometimes photographers are lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time to capture amazing things, like this video taken on the west coast of Canada that features a large gathering of eagles bathing in a shallow pool of water. Being able to see such a large group close-up like this is rare as these private and elusive birds are not always easily seen.
Andreas Urscheler: Minimalist Mountain Scenes in Monochrome – the use of monochrome in photography is a perfect way of capturing minimalistic, and frequently abstract, images that shine with artistic tension. This series of shots were captured in the snow-covered mountains and their surroundings and shows us a great example of this style.

Capri23auto

Joe McNally's Tips for Learning Lighting & Facing Failure – as I travel an endless path of obsession towards learning how to take control of light to create engaging images I always return to the inspirational words of one of our generations leading photographers, Joe McNally. This short video discusses the power of seeing and shaping light and is well worth the time invested to watch it.
Obscura: Beautifully Puzzling Imagery of Surrealist Simon Hjortek – prepare to embrace the utterly sublime in this photo series of a commonly themed collection of images carefully staged and created to tell a story. One of the best parts of a surreal study like this is when the artist includes no contextual information around the collection, as we see here, allowing us to interpret the presentation on our own.

Hans

This Photographer Put a Full Wet Plate Photography Darkroom on a Tricycle – one of the best parts of the art form of photography is the limitless ways photographers can create and present their work. This article shares a mobile wet plate setup that is transported on a tricycle adding a whole new fresh dimension to a portable studio.
The Streets Are Ours – it is often said that truth is far stranger than fiction, and this article gives us a great example of this idiom. This post features the work of a photographer who captures the community of deer that live in the streets of a Japanese city during the day, only to retreat to the surrounding forests at night.

Tama66

Vintage Photos Show Rare Look at New York City When It’s Empty and Quiet – shot in the mid-‘60’s this series of black-and-white photographs depicts the city in a far different state than we find it today. This collection of vintage photographs reveals empty buildings and streets, providing a stark contrast to contemporary times.
Interview: One Photographer’s Love Letter to the Land and People of Kyrgyzstan – this post features a great interview and catalogue of photos, reminiscent of a National Geographic spread, featuring sights and observations from Kyrgyzstan. The varied subjects covered in the images paint a picture of this region that most of us would not have the opportunity to see.

Great Photography

either way – the light is dramatic and exquisite in this black-and-white shot from Benny bulke featuring a wide-angle perspective taken inside an ancient corridor. The architectural features create strong leading lines and the deep contrasts in the shadows deliver a lot of drama.

Alexas_Fotos

Brown Bear Reflections – Ron Niebrugge is well known for his work in Alaska shooting the beautiful landscapes and wildlife that inhabits the area. With this shot we find a large brown bear searching for nibblies amongst the mudflats and a thin covering of water creates a terrific reflection of this awesome animal.
Photo – this long exposure piece from Richard Beresford Harris was taken in Norway during what looks to be the blue hour. Red houses on piers create great colorful anchors and context in the shot as the silky waters that they sit on add a touch of the surreal.

Couleur

Banff Hoodoos – Town of Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta – the thing about the Canadian Rockies is that their natural beauty is only surpassed by the sheer size of the park. This great shot from Len Saltiel reveals a landscape that is peppered by majestic mountains and lush green trees that carpet the entire park.
Autumn at Bow Bridge, Central Park, New York – a cast-iron bridge crossing a pond serves as both a great leading line into the frame, as well as a touch of juxtaposition against the vibrant colors of the leaves from the autumn season. The pond itself casts a muted reflection back into the picture, and in the distance, a dramatic building rises above the treeline for added interest.

rottonara

Blue Boxing Ring, USA – I can never really reconcile the scenes that we find in many urbex themed shoots as they focus on buildings and places that were once bustling with activity and yet today they are slowly decaying back into the ground they stand on. This great set of shots focuses on a storied and historic location that has a once-famous boxing ring in it. Today the match bell is quiet and according to the article that accompanies the shots the location is under consideration for razing with a parking lot in the plans to take over the space.
Autumn symphony… – here we find another autumn themed shot, with this one taken in Slovenia overlooking the rolling hills that are covered in falls vibrant colors. If you spend some time carefully going over the photograph, you will also find that Krzysztof Browko has included some wonderful character buildings in the composition.

pen_ash

Gloucester County Courthouse – a classic colonial courthouse is the main focus of Mark Summerfield’s post. This old brick building is in incredible condition and is an important part of the region's history.
Fog Wave – this is a brilliant example of how still photography can capture unusual natural phenomenon as Kilian Schönberger finds a scene that features a moving fog that looks like a river flowing over the landscape. Beautiful colors in the sky create the perfect finishing touch for this almost abstract looking landscape picture.

analogicus

Malaga Sunset – on a visit to Spain with an eye towards photography Edith Levy captures this great sunset shot from a rooftop overlooking the town below. The old architecture of the ancient town is perfectly accented here by the rich colors from the sunset’s palette.
Pebble Beach – once again we find that the famous Slot Canyons in the United States can create ethereal scenes that are almost too good to be true. This shot comes to us from Danilo Faria and features light play off the stone walls, great textures in the silky waters from the long exposure and a ladder that leads down to the shallow pool of water for an anchor.

AdinaVoicu

Creepy Lee – the effects of years of decay and neglect are seen in every corner of this dramatic frame from Michael Criswell taken inside a long-abandoned building in Detroit. This building has gone through several iterations of use before it was finally abandoned in the 1990s, and what remains now is a reminder of a bygone time in this famous city.
Dresden at Sunset – this tack-sharp image of the city of Dresden taken looking over the river is punctuated by a vibrant sunset adding a great color palette to the composition. Claudio de Sat finds the perfect time and conditions to capture this breathtaking image, sharing a perspective of the city that features its heritage architecture.

Alexas_Fotos

Doe and Fawn Evening Drink, Minnesota – Mark Paulson shares a heartwarming shot of a mother doe and her fawn as they take a drink from a water source late in the day. This photograph gives the strong impression of the pair enjoying a moment together in their natural setting as the day draws to a close.
Niedzica Castle – a majestic castle built around 700 years ago sits perched on a hilltop overlooking a winding river in Poland. The dramatic sky overhead adds great texture to the shot that showcases a look at an ancient building in this historic region.

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How to make a DIY Ground Pod

By: Elliot Hook

I’ve written previously about the importance of getting down to eye level when photographing wildlife.  When eye-level means ground level, it can be awkward to support your camera whilst also supporting yourself and trying to keep your gear clean.
Most tripods allow you to get quite low by opening the legs out as wide as possible, many actually opening out fully so that the tripod sits flush to the ground.  Whilst this is very functional, it can be pretty awkward to handle, especially if trying to pan with your subject or if you have to move to follow your subject around.
One option to overcome this is what is known as a ground pod.  It is a plate/tray with upturned edges, that you attach your camera to, or for more flexibility, screw your tripod head to.  It supports your camera just a few inches from the ground, thus offering some protection from water splashes or sand/mud, whilst allowing easy movement in all directions.

Completed ground pod. You can see I'm using a ball head to mound my camera to the frying pan.

The commercially available options are pretty expensive (approx £80/$100 US) so I decided to try and make my own.  I in no way claim to be the first person to do this, but thought I would share how it is done to illustrate how easy it is to make your own low-level camera support.
You will need:

1. A cheap frying pan – approx 10-12” diameter.  You can chose whatever diameter frying pan suits you, but a wider pan will offer more support, especially for bulky telephoto lenses.  It is a good idea for the pan to be approx 1-1.5” deep – any deeper makes adjusting your tripod head more awkward, any shallower offers less protection from water splashes, mud or sand.
2. A 3/8” socket head bolt, approx ½” in length.  A ‘round’ headed or ‘truss’ headed bolt is preferable.  If the pan is thick enough, a counter sunk head would be ideal, however cheap pans are normally too thin to make this practical.  Imperial sized bolts are difficult to come by in UK hardware stores, so this might involve some internet searching.
3. A tripod head.  This is technically optional, but preferable and I am writing this post with the use of a tripod head in mind.  A cheap ball head can be found on eBay, and will be a good compromise between size and flexibility.  You don’t want anything too tall (defeats the point of trying to get so low) or anything with levers that are too wide (may be an awkward fit inside the pan).  If you don’t have a tripod head to use, you could try using a couple of blocks of wood to act as a riser to ensure the lens clears the edge of the pan)
4. A power drill to make a hole large enough for the 3/8” bolt.
5. A hex key/Allen key of the same size as the socket in the hex bolt.
6. A wing nut to screw onto the bolt when the pan is not in use so you do not lost the bolt.  Any kind of nut would work, but a wind nut is large enough to be difficult to lose, and easy to use with cold hands!

Left: Frying pan with handle removed, showing the riveted bracket. Left: A 3/8" hex bolt.

The construction of the ground pod is very simple:

1. First of all, remove the handle from the frying pan.  It should be easily unscrewed from the pan, and removing it will make the pan a less awkward shape to store.  You may well be left with a small, riveted bracket that the handle was screwed to, however this makes a convenient little place to hook the frying pan onto your camera bag using a carabiner, to save you having to carry it by hand.
2. Turn the pan upside down, and use the power drill to make a hole in the centre of the pan.  Don’t apply too much downward force when drilling; otherwise you will end up deforming the centre of the pan, meaning your tripod head will not fit flush to the pan base.
3. Once the hole is drilled, turn the pan back around, and use the hex key to screw the bolt through the pan and into your tripod head.

And that is it!  Simple.
You will want to ensure that the pan actually supports your camera and lens without toppling over before putting it to use.  If you chose a wide enough pan, this should not be a problem.
When out on a beach or in a field you will find that using a ground pod for support makes getting down low a lot easier whilst having some confidence that your camera gear will remain free from sand, mud and water.  The pan is a good deal lighter than most tripods too, meaning you can carry less weight when out on your next wildlife shoot.
If you already own a suitable tripod head, this project shouldn’t cost much more than the price of a cheap frying pan and is a great way of supporting your camera at ground level for those powerful and intimate wildlife portraits.
(Thanks to Rob Cain for taking the picture of my gear on the completed ground pod, above)

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B-Grip Camera Holster Review

 By: Neil Creek

The B-Grip (short for “belt grip”) is a way to carry your camera on a belt, rather than around your neck. The camera is carried around in the holster with a quick release plate that’s easily accessed when you’re ready to shoot. It’s best paired with the hand strap also available, and it is this pair which I was sent for review by a local reseller. I tested this grip out on the busy weekend of an anime convention which I attend every year and usually take about 1000 photos a day for each of the two days. For Saturday I used the B-Grip. For Sunday I switched back to my preferred strap, a Sun Sniper strap. This way I was able to get a good comparison of the two.

Pros

• It looks damn sexy! I posted the product photo to my facebook page when I got the holster for review and the most common comment was how cool/badass/sexy it looked. For a photographer who needs to look cool, this will not harm your image one bit.
• This will save your neck and shoulders, as the weight of the camera and lens is moved to your hips, which can carry that weight far more easily. The advertising says “carry your camera comfortably”, and it is comfortable!
• When holstered, the camera is very secure. I was concerned at first but after putting it all together I could see there was no way the camera would come loose. It’s probably more secure than a standard strap, since it doesn’t swing about.
• The experience of going hands-free without worrying where a dangling camera might go if you bend over or turn around is a liberating one.

Cons

• The major problem I faced with the holster is the necessity for a strap you slip your hand into before you can remove it from the holster. The alternative is no strap which means your own hand’s grip is the only thing stopping the camera from hitting the ground. I think that’s too risky, especially when trying to holster/unholster your camera.
• The strap is a thick, flexible, slightly grippy rubber. It’s a little tricky to adjust to the right size, and can be quite difficult to put your hand into when you’re even a little bit sweaty.
• The event I was shooting had me stopping to take photos every couple of minutes, so I was constantly holstering/unholstering my camera. I started leaving my hand in the grip all the time, and then I just stopped holstering it altogether, so I ended up always holding the camera in my hand and as a result my arm became tired.
• Not only did this make my arm tired, but it also meant my hand wasn’t free. It took a few seconds to lift my shirt (which naturally fell over the holster), holster the camera and take my hand out of the grip in order to get my hand free. Long enough to be awkward when offered a hand to shake.
• There’s an optional extra attachment for the grip on the camera that allows you to mate the plate for the holster onto a tripod mount. This is a solution for photographers who want to swap between handheld and tripod, but the adapter is plastic and I prefer metal for tripod plates.
• Also, the grip is not compatible with my panorama head. This may not be a problem for many photographers (although stills/video shooters may have a similar issue), but the attachment is slow and fiddly enough – with some small plastic nuts used which could easily be dropped and lost – that I’d rather never have to remove the B-Grip from my camera.
• Every time I wanted to sit down I had to slide the camera and belt around to my side, which then got in the way a bit.

Thoughts

• I really like the concept of the holster mount, and the benefits are very nice indeed, however for the types of photography I do and the relatively burdensome process of adding and removing the B-Grip from the camera, I don’t think it’s suited to me.
• I can imagine this being a great tool for a street photographer for example. You could walk around for hours, the camera securely stashed out of the way and not swinging about, then slip your hand in the grip when you come across a photo opportunity. Once you’re done, holster the camera again and go on your way.
• It’s very true that you need the right tool for the right job, and there are many jobs which demand many different tools. The B-Grip is not a tool for the jobs I do however.

• I find it hard to do a fair review of this holster, as I feel that it simply wasn’t a tool that benefited me, yet for another photographer it could be exactly what they need.
• There are some annoyances, such as the finicky wrist strap and a slower process to add/remove the camera attachment than I’d rather.
• The parts that did work for me – the weight of the camera being supported on my hips, being completely hands free and not worrying about a camera swinging around on a strap – were truly a liberating feeling.
• For the right photographer, this could be a dream come true. But not for me. I’ll be sticking with my Sun Sniper.
• To keep all of my reviews consistent I’ll still give the B-Grip a score, but please interpret it in the context of what I said above: 6/10

If you regularly find yourself in a situation where you carry your camera with you and stop for occasional shots, or have to have your camera secure without the possibility of it swinging around, the B-grip is a great solution. You can pick one up at Protog.
If you’d like to see early impressions and photos from other camera gear that I’m reviewing, pop over to Facebook and like my page. I post that kind of thing regularly!

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The 5 Most Overused Photography Techniques [video]

By: Caz Nowaczyk

1. Water photos using Long Exposures

James points out that photographers who always use long exposures whenever there is water around could be missing out on telling the true story of the scene. They could be missing out on the ripples, textures, etc. that are available in the true scene.
He also states how he likes to imagine himself within a scene, and finds that some of these long exposures all feel too unreal. He knows he could never experience that in real life.
What are your thoughts on that?

2. Panoramas

James loves panoramas and has done many of them himself. The problem he has with them is that he thinks some people who shoot them can’t decide on what their focus point should be so they just try and capture it all.
Do you agree with that?
He believes good photos are all about subtraction and taking things out of the shot to make the message stronger. So to shoot a good panorama, everything you are capturing needs to be of interest. Or else, you need to change perspective and your composition to get a better photo.
Also, they aren’t great for viewing on digital media.

3. Adding foreground interest

James states that always trying to have a point of interest in the foreground isn’t necessary and that sometimes it can dilute what is already an interesting photograph.

4. Golden hour

Jaymes isn’t a fan of shooting during Golden Hour as he believes the color overpowers the subject matter. The light becomes the story rather than the place. The light steals the show. Photos can also become quite similar because it becomes about light and not composition or story.
Shooting at other times of the day improves your composition skills.

5. Sky replacements

Jaymes isn’t a fan of sky replacements. They are becoming too obvious, and they look fake. He thinks it is outdated and disingenuous.
What do you think? Are there other techniques you think are overused in photography? Share with us in the comments below.

Are you Switching to a Mirrorless Camera?

By: Darlene Hildebrandt

With the increase in popularity of the smaller, more portable Mirrorless Four Thirds cameras I’m curious to see where you stand on this discussion. Personally I’m ready to jump on and get myself an Olympus OM-D EM-5, only thing holding me back as of now is justifying the cost of having a second camera.
I’m in the “I’m not ditching my full sized DSLR just yet” camp as I still use it for teaching and doing portraits. However the more travelling and photography tours I do, the more appealing the Olympus becomes. One of the guys on my Cuba tour had one and it took great images, and video as well! I was really impressed.
We could have this debate all day but some of the pros and cons generally tossed about include:

PROS of Mirrorless cameras (as understood by myself who does not own one yet):

• small and lightweight (that’s a given)
• you can pack more lenses in a small bag for travel
• less intimidating to people you photograph, especially when doing street photography
• ability to accept and use adaptors to fit just about any lens, including those from your DSLR
• the sensors in many of them rival DSLR APS-C sensors, and in the case of the Sony A7R they might even have the edge

CONS of Mirrorless cameras (as understood by myself who does not own one yet):

• they are some that are less expensive than the full sized DSLRs, but in some cases they are more expensive. You pay for compactness
• they CAN be slower to focus, so shooting moving subjects is more challenging
• the electronic viewfinder – this is a bane of many DSLR owners who are used to seeing through an optical one
• because of the point above, they can be battery hogs

So – you tell me, where do you sit on this issue?

Are your feet firmly planted one side of the fence or the other? Or are you still on the fence, as yet undecided like our little friends here?

By KENNETH BARKER

By hehaden

By MALC

Have you invested in a Mirrorless or 4/3s camera yet?

• Yes I am or have replaced my DSLR with it (11%, 5,666 Votes)
• Yes I am or have replaced my point and shoot camera with it (5%, 2,509 Votes)
• Yes I bought one in addition to my DSLR (14%, 7,050 Votes)
• Yes I bought on in addition to my Point and Shoot camera (3%, 1,710 Votes)
• Yes it is my first digital camera (3%, 1,699 Votes)
• I'm still on the fence as a solid "maybe" (15%, 7,286 Votes)
• No way, they are still lacking something in my opinion (21%, 10,683 Votes)
• What's "mirrorless"? (27%, 13,336 Votes)

Total Voters: 49,937

Are there greener pastures on the other side?

Is this where the future is taking us? Are full frame cameras obsolete? Who knows – but maybe I’ll see you over there!

By Stefan Tan

By Caroline

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Post-Processing for Still Life Photography

» Download Your Free Guide Now

Digital photography is really a two-part process. Isn’t it?
You put a lot of energy into creating the photograph.
If you don’t follow through with the second step… You are REALLY doing your images a disservice.
This is true even if you don’t like a lot of photo manipulation or special effects.
Digital photography needs that little “push” to become the best it can be!
Stacey Hill has written us a three-part series on how to produce professional level still life photography.
So far, you should have studied the “basic principles of setting up a still life photograph,” and, secondly, “how to light a still life photograph.”
In this third and final installment, she will guide you through the post-processing of your still life photographs.
In this eBook she will cover...

• Image file formats
• The basic edits for any digital still life photo
• How to get creative, save time, and produce a variety of finished products using Lightroom presets
• Adding the “Wow Factor” to a still life photograph by applying textures, text, and brush effects
• Special finishing touches that will make your image standout

Why settle for the BLAND image on the left?
When you can read this FREE eBook and then produce the stylish image on the right!
Photo Credit: Stacey Hill

» Download Your Free Guide Now

23 Stunning Still Life Photographs That Will Inspire

By Angie

Still life is a wonderful genre. It traditionally depicts inanimate objects such as flowers, fruit, vases and books in a visually appealing way. While it can look straightforward, still life is a genre that will engage many of your photography skills. Of course, composition is key – you'll need to nail your subject, story and mood; the background; your elements in your still life and their layout. Then of course there is lighting – ensuring that your composition pops.
One of the objects most associated with beautiful still lifes is flowers. To capture flowers in all their glory, take a look at Leanne Cleavely's guide Photographing Fabulous Flowers. It will take your flower photography from ordinary to exceptional.

To inspire you on your still life photography journey, we've collated 23 stunning images for your enjoyment.

Anastasiia

Jill Wellington

Eneida Nieves

Aphiwat chuangchoem

Valeria Boltneva

Daria Shevtsova

Kim van Vuuren

Marta Dzedyshko

Лариса Мозговая

Wendy Corniquet

Free eBooks To Get You Started

Ritesh Saini has chosen 3 fantastic and free ebooks that cover everything you need to start with still life photography. Read what Ritesh has to say about these ebooks in the article – 3 Free E-Books on Still Life Photography That Will Help You Master the Craft, and I've also linked them here if you want to go straight to these great guides:

• Beginners Guide To Still Life Photography
• Lighting For Still Life Photography
• Post-Processing For Still Life Photography

Photographing Fabulous Flowers – The Next Level

Of course, if you want to take your flower photography to the next level please take a look at photographer Leanne Cleavely's phenomenal guide Photographing Fabulous Flowers.

Lubos Houska

Султан Малахмедов

Jill Wellington

Rebekka D

Anelka

Artisme

Larisa Koshkina

Jill Wellington

Lubos Houska

Günther Schneider

Oldiefan

Jill Wellington

Chris Barbalis

We hope you've enjoyed this gallery of still life images which feature flowers.

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8 Advanced Street Photography Tips to Get You to the Next Level 

By: James Maher

In photography, teaching and learning can only get you so far. At some point, you will get to a skill level where it’s up to you to put in the time and effort to continue improving. However, dedication and self-learning aside, here are some advanced street photography tips that I think can help you significantly improve your skill level in this area.

1. Use your eyes instead of the viewfinder

When photographing, it is very common for people to look straight into the viewfinder and forget about the world around them, but this can make street photography tougher. Your vision through the viewfinder is hindered significantly, and that can hurt your ability to capture spontaneous moments. You need to see everything that is happening around you. This will help you to anticipate the special moments that are about to occur in front of your camera.
Your eyes are the real viewfinder, and you will be able to notice much more if you use them. Scan the area and look for subjects that are both near and far. Wait until you notice something with your eyes, then put your viewfinder to your eye to capture the moment. If you start with your head in the viewfinder, by the time the moment happens, your ability to notice it will be a half-second too slow.

2. Embrace spontaneity

This was one of the early tips that Garry Winogrand received in his photography education that set him on a path to become one of the most renowned photographers of all time. You should certainly spend a lot of time thinking about your work and what you like to shoot, but when you are out there going through the motions, embrace your gut feelings. Instead of worrying about every little detail and thinking about if you are doing a good job or not, put that all aside and have fun.
There is no need to worry about what other people will think. If you feel like there might be a chance for a good photograph, then go for it, no matter how weird the image may be. Don’t let your brain talk you out of it. That gut feeling exists for a reason, so use it to your advantage. If you use your instincts and shoot confidently, that will show in your photographs. They will feel more real and more you. Of course, you will probably take more bad photographs as well, but the good ones will be that much better. Trust your gut.
Keep in mind that some people may take this suggestion too far and machine-gun fire their camera every time they have an inkling that there’s a good photograph. That’s taking this tip too far. Turn off continuous shooting and make sure that you are able to recognize and capture tha moment with a shot or two.

3. Think about how your photos are going to age

It is important to think about your work in a historical context. Think about classic photographs and what makes them special. Simple old photographs of window displays and fashions look incredible, but those photographs might have seemed very ordinary back then. If you could go back in time to photograph, what you might see as interesting then would probably be much different than what most photographers were shooting at that time.
What about your life and area is going to be interesting in the future? What is going to change? Are people still going to be staring at their cell phones every second with huge headphones on and completely disconnected from reality? Who knows, maybe?
Try not to take anything for granted, and if you notice yourself disregarding something, then think about why you feel that way. Occasionally, these situations can make the best photographs.

4. Create themes and consistency in your photography

The more you shoot, the more you will notice that you are attracted to certain types of photographs. Find these consistencies when you are editing and embrace them. Over time, these ideas can blossom into full-fledged projects and books.
Group these images together into collections, and think about the type of photographs that you would like to add to them. Then the next time you come across a moment that fits into that category, you will be quick to notice and capture it. Each individual photograph is a piece of art, but a collection of photographs is its own work of art. Play with the order of your photographs and the meaning that comes out with different sequences of them.
Consistency does not mean that you can’t photograph different types of subject matter or in both color and black and white. You can be very diverse in how you shoot, and you can change and evolve as you go along, but you can still group these consistencies into projects that fit well together.

5. Repetition

The real key to improving your photography is through repetition. It is necessary to photograph frequently to keep your eyes sharp and your hand-eye coordination ready. Your instincts will improve. The more often you do it, the better you will be. Keep the rust away. Even the best photographers need to continually photograph to keep their skills up.
The more you learn to enjoy the act of photographing, the easier it will be to walk out the door to shoot more. Photography shouldn’t be about feeling inspired or uninspired. You do not need to feel inspired to photograph if you enjoy the act of walking. Create a plan for how often you will photograph, just like the gym, and stick to it. Over time, it will become routine and your enjoyment for it will continue to grow.
There is no need to worry about coming back with good photographs. That is going to happen, and you shouldn’t feel sad if you didn’t get anything good in a session. The good photographs will come, but if you feel frustrated too often, then that will affect how you photograph. Just enjoy the process of being out in the world doing something you love. The more you enjoy that, the better you will be.

6. Photograph where you live

No matter where you live, whether it’s in the middle of a big city or in a small suburb, use that as a backdrop for a project. That is the area that you frequent the most, and know the best. Go to places that you think would be incredibly boring for photographs and figure out how to get a good photograph there. Don’t take things for granted. Absolutely anything can make a good and beautiful photograph. All it takes is dedication.

7. Emotion and gesture

As photographers, our job is to pass on an idea or an emotion to the viewers of our work. How you do that is something for you to figure out. Search for feeling and emotion when you are shooting. Aim to create evocative photographs.
If you are photographing people, it is important to capture them when they are portraying an emotion. This can be shown in a facial expression, what they are doing, or the gesture of their body. Sometimes, you will capture a unique looking person with no emotion or gesture and that will ruin the photograph. Other times, you will capture someone that you did not think would be a good subject, but the emotion shown on their face make the entire photograph. When you photograph people, this emotion is vital to focus on.

8. Zone focusing

Zone focusing is the toughest technical skill to learn in street photography, but it is very important to learn. At first, you will screw up a lot of photographs, but over time it becomes a more accurate way of obtaining sharp photographs.
Zone focusing works particularly well in busy areas, but it can be used any time once you get good at it. I tend to zone focus 60% of the time and autofocus the rest. If your subject isn’t moving and you have time to autofocus, it is always good to do that as it will guarantee perfect focus. But the rest of the time zone focusing can be the way to go.

What is zone focusing and how is it done?

This strategy of zone focusing is basically just using manual focus your camera and guessing the distance to subjects. Because of this, you will need a distance meter on either your lens or in your camera. You then want to turn your camera (or lens) to manual focus. Set the focus at a certain distance away from the camera. I prefer 8-10 feet, although I will do a smaller distance if I’m in a really busy area where people are closer together. Next, figure out how far that distance is away from your camera, and now you know that everything at that distance away from you will be sharp.
Zone focusing can be done well at very large apertures, even f/2, but it becomes much more difficult to do well. This focusing strategy works much better with apertures of f/16, f/11, and f/8 and a wide-angle lens such as 35mm. That will ensure there is a large depth of field in your image (make sure to also raise your ISO to achieve this and still keep an adequately fast shutter speed). Thus, there will be a significant area both in front and behind of the spot that you are focused on that will all be in sharp focus. This helps for situations where you miscalculate the distance when the perfect moment happens and it’s not exactly where are focused, and when you have multiple subjects at different distances that you want to be relatively sharp.
This is why it is always good to start off zone focusing in bright sunlight with a wide-angle lens. This will allow you to shoot at f/11 or f/16 so that a lot of your image will be sharp and you will barely have to worry. Set your focus to 8 or 10 feet away and pay attention to your subjects more than your focusing. It is a very freeing feeling, and the extra time you save not having to focus will aid you in catching those spontaneous and instantaneous moments that appear before you.

If you want even more street photography tips, check out: The Ultimate Guide to Street Photography (you can even download it as a PDF).
What things to you practice to up your street photography game? Please share your comments and images in the section below.

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If you’d like to learn more about Street Photography, then please check out my ebook The Essentials of Street Photography.