Many people have asked me what type of photography I enjoy doing. I always answer, “Everything but portriat!” Of course that leaves landscape, buildings, macro and more. One is street photography, and I don’t feel as comfortable with this as I do macro, etc.
Part of the problem is that I’m not fast enough to catch the moment. I also fail to see the opportunity. I think I can do better with some training and experience. So, I jumped on the chance to walk along the Embarcarado in San Francisco. This fun day was sponsored by the Exploring Photography Meetup group. We started at 8:30 a.m., taking the ferry from Vallejo to San Francisco. We were to walk and take photos along the way and meet back to catch the ferryferry at 4 p.m.
We were told to take small sized gear so we wouldn’t be conspicuous. So I took my D3100, my 50 mm lens and shot on aperture priority. But, how can you be conspicuous with a bunch of tourists snapping pictures! At least the D3100 was lighter than the D7100.
It was also good experience using the 50 mm prime lens. I stopped trying to twist the barrel after a while! It was a fun day as I looked for people their stories. I took so many pictures that this will be a two-part post.
So get your walking shoes on and follow along!
Slow Shutter Speed 
Nice work Anne.
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Thank you David.
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A nice series, Anne. See you can do street photography.
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Thanks Tim. I did throw away a lot of pictures. I’ve learned that when you see a small child dancing and eating, the camera can’t capture it as you saw it. This was a great experience.
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Anne, I’m pleased that you enjoyed the experience. When I do street photography I shoot from the hip. This method can give you a new perspective and allows for more candid images of your subjects. Eric Kim has an excellent article on how to shoot from the hip. Here is the link http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2010/09/18/how-to-shoot-from-the-hip-street-photography/ A fellow photographer who was reluctant to do street photography took a workshop from Eric and as a result has produced some excellent images. The nice think about street photography is that you can do it almost anywhere there are people. I hope you continue doing. Who knows, portrait work may be next.
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Hi Tim, This is in response to your shoot from the hip suggestion. I tried it. I think you’re taller than I am!! But, after reading the tutorial you suggested and watching the video, I think using a wide angle lens and shooting up would help. But, it does help to be taller than 5’1″! I’ll let you know how the next experiement works out.
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I’m like you… I love every kind of photography, except portraits and street photography. I’m so bad taking photos of other people!!! I think that’s because I’m too shy and I’m also very bad at the other side of the camera…. so I don’t like putting people in my position, hehehe.
But hey, you did a great job here!!! There are some really good photos here! I specially like the girl with the red hair… That smile is gorgeous! 🙂
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Thanks Mercedes. I really like street photography which comes from my journalism background. And that little girl. I didn’t hesitate to ask for permission. She just captured my attention. She reminded me of my granddaughter who is always ready to smile and show off for a picture.
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Love, love, love these! Every picture tells a small story………GREAT JOB!
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Thanks you so much Donna.
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Fun trip, for sure! One thing I really like when I do street is to use an 85mm f1.8 at the widest aperture and auto focus. Subject can be tack-sharp but the other parts of the images blur out and become less distracting.
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Thanks -N- I’ll try that the next time. However, it will be with my 50 mm. I became more comfortable with it during this trip. My goal is to go back, but to the financial district and do some street photography during the week. This would be a more difficult task!
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