Street photography is one of those unique genres of photography that is rather loosely defined. Some people take portraits on the street and call it street photography, some capture candid moments of strangers as they pass them on the street and call that street photography, and there are an infinite number of other variations on what it is considered to be.
But regardless of what your interpretation is, most agree that street photography is simultaneously one of the simplest genres of photography to take part it, and one of the hardest from which to achieve worthwhile results.
The crew over at VSCO Academy recently featured street photography in one of their month videos, and within the 3.5-minute lesson some great tips are shared on capturing some great moments on the street — using just your smartphone. (Though nothing would stop you from utilizing these techniques with a real camera).
One of the first tips they bring up is to look for interesting compositions and reflections in the window glass along the street. It can make for some really interesting shots as anonymous individuals walk by, unaware of you capturing their morning commute.
Another technique the pair tried was — gasp — stopping people and asking them if they would mind having their portrait taken. It is a funny thing, people get so anxious to ask people to take their picture these days, but really, it’s the quickest and simplest way to do so if you are wanting to shoot standard-posed portraits.
If you want to engage with the VSCO Academy crew all you need to do is upload your images to VSCO with the hashtag #Academy — it’s as simple as that.
