HOW TO…take it to the streets

LESTER V. LEDESMA waxes photographically about snapping the downtown

Few other photography subjects are as accessible as the streets right outside our doors. We may not realise it, but we spend a great deal of time on these strips of concrete or dirt – and we do much, much more than just travel over them. Such a lot of everyday life spills out onto our roadways. They are, in fact, a reflection of the communities they surround, and whatever happens on or around them can often provide a snapshot of a neighbourhood’s character. Needless to say, they can provide some truly outstanding subjects for photography.

All you need in order to capture it all is a photographer’s keen eye and an urban dweller’s sense of what’s really going on.

Tip 1: Keep an eye out

That bustling mass of concrete and humanity in front of you might look like a chaotic jumble of activity at first glance. Observe for a few minutes though and little stories will begin to show: a sea of pedestrians chasing a blinking stop light; a vendor patiently awaiting customers on a busy street; an old man lost in thought in a quiet back alley. There’s also the many street-side details that tell a tale all by themselves; a sign on a wall, a building’s sunlit colonial facade, or a colourful front door. Try to isolate each one with your mind, and then your camera, and you’ll soon realise there’s a whole town, village or city out there bursting with activity.

Tip 2: Keep it simple

Street photography is all about capturing interesting bursts of activity – and these tend to happen quickly, so you’d best be prepared. I often carry just the bare essentials with my photo gear: a small camera (I prefer rangefinders which are easy to operate, or P/S digicams with quick autofocus), an extra battery and a memory card (or rolls of film). These help ensure I can react quickly when I see a photo-op coming – and that I don’t get caught fiddling with camera functions. Travelling light also makes me less conspicuous – if you look too professional, with a bulging bag and a monster camera, you might end up intimidating those you want to shoot.

Tip 3: Make Contact

It might seem like a hard ask to get up close and personal with strangers, but a simple smile and a friendly demeanour is often enough to break the ice. When walking around the streets of Phnom Penh, I came across a lone vendor resting on a sidewalk. The kid was shy at first, so I stuck my tongue out to get him to loosen up. Afterwards, he just stared at me with amusement and I got my shot.

Tip 4: Stay your distance

When a private moment occurs on the street, the worst thing a photographer can do is walk over and ruin it by taking pictures up close. In this case, a telephoto lens (or the telephoto setting of your zoom lens) comes in handy. No, you don’t just stand there with the camera on your eyes – that can brand you as an intrusive photographer. Instead, stand casually with the camera around your neck, and bring it up to your eyes only when you intend to take a shot. If you have a digicam with a moveable LCD, angle it so you can watch the scene at waist-level. That way, you can shoot your subjects without disturbing them. Just make sure you don’t capture them in a demeaning situation.

LESTER V. LEDESMA is happiest out in the field, photographing travel features for an array of publications throughout Asia. His stunning imagery earned him the 2007 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award as well as a host of others. He is currently a photo editor at Ink Publishing in Singapore and a field editor for Asian Geographic magazine.