On The Streets of Flagstaff: Architecture and Street Photography 101

During my last few weeks of my Black and White Location Photography class, my professor - Amy Horn - took us on several walking field trips downtown to capture architecture and street images in order to practice our skills in preparation for our final project.

I wouldn't call me an architecture or street photography expert by any means, but I would like to share with you a little of what I learned over the course of this semester!

Defined:

For those of you who don't know...

Architecture photography

"Architectural photography is commonly described as the form of photography that uses buildings and other structures as subjects." (Retrieved from "Architecture Photography 101 ")

Street photography

"A genre that records everyday life in a public place. The very publicness of the setting enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without their knowledge. Street photographers do not necessarily have a social purpose in mind, but they prefer to isolate and capture moments which might otherwise go unnoticed." (Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica)

Tips:

Here are some helpful tips for photographers looking into capturing these types of photographs in your own town.

Architecture

Use a wide-angle lens
Shoot inside/through windows
Tell a story
Clouds can make or break a photo
Find a unique angle
Contrast is key - look for shadows and texture

Street (courtesy of Amy Horn)

Shoot fast - use Aperture Priority
Take the shot, don't wait for permission
Get close
Shoot from the hip
Let the subject come to you
Think outside the box
Stake out a scene
Go alone or with 1 other person

I personally was not great at shooting close and violating people's personal bubbles so I chose to go with the "Stake out a scene" then wait... and then wait some more... approach! Which is why you'll see a lot of far away or full-body shots within my street photos. I guess I'm just not cut out to be a street photographer - go figure!