Lessons
Lesson Info
Street Photography Gear
Alright, so we will hit the streets today. This is my set up that I usually kind of go with. I travel really light, I don't really like to have that many things to weigh me down. A couple of reasons is, one, I just don't wanna have that much stuff in my hands, I want my hands to be free as possible. Two, I think that it's kind of weird to walk around with a lot of expensive gear and merchandise with you. So I try to be very tactful with these situations. When you're traveling around and especially when it comes to street photography, be very aware of how much stuff that you're actually bringing with you. So, that's why I travel with these couple of items. So this is my fanny pack, definitely need this. Don't judge me but this is very, very important to me. I'm able to fit my camera, my lens, my Mophie, and my Nintendo Switch into this little fanny pack. So no matter which one you get, sure it's big enough so you can put your stuff inside of it. My favorite camera to use right now is a ...
A7 RIII. This is my everyday camera. Also, on the bottom of it is this leather kind of protective thingy that I got off of Amazon. It was fairly, pretty moderately priced, but it's really important because I put my camera in my bag or if I put my camera in my fanny pack, I don't wanna destroy the bottom of my camera, so this is pretty cool to have on there and I can take my battery out. The reason why I went to go with the Sony cameras, in general, is just because the main thing is the weight and the compatibility, it's just really easy to carry around it's really lightweight. Even though the eighty five is a little bit heavier than the other lenses, this camera is just something that I can walk around with for three to four hours in the day and not feel too weighed down, um so the Sony model was still full framed, it's mirrorless and it's just super fast. It works really well in low light situations and everything that I shoot for, even though that I'm not super technical, it's perfect for that so, that's why I really stick with the Sony A7R3. I used the Sony A72 for a long time and that was my go to camera so, and that one is excellent as well too. But just anything in the alpha family, those are definitely my go to cameras. The lens that I tend to use every single day is the 85 1. This is one of my favorite lenses because it does everything that I really need it to do. If I want to do something a little bit more intimate, the 85 is tight enough so I can be pretty close. If I wanted to do something a little bit further away, I could just step back and still have a really tight, composed shot. My 85 is my go to, but the 25 is great because you know, even though the 85 is a really great lens, it's really tight and I don't want to uh, sometimes you just don't want everything to be such a tight shot so the 25 F2 is a decent enough kind of focal lens, so that I can have something a little bit wider and I'd be able to capture something that's like way more intimate like interior shot or something that's more of a building, architecture, you know just have a little bit different flavor. But 25 is another really tight lens to go to. I have this one lens theory that I don't like having to many products with me, I like to focus on one lens because it kinda just lets me focus on the day and I have to change to the situation and not focus on changing my lenses too much. I try to stick with that as much as possible. But in situations where I'm traveling or I'm out of town or just if I'm trying to do something a little bit different, I would bring one other lens with me. Usually I like to have something that's tighter and wide. So the tight lens would be the 85 that I would usually go with and something wider I would choose the 25. This is my baby. My Nintendo Switch, so the Nintendo Switch is something that helps me pass my time, for photo shoots or if I'm waiting for one person to walk into their particular spot, I will play Mario Tennis or like Dead Cells for a little bit, but yeah this is definitely one of the things that helps me pass time and my go to, my savior on the road, my Nintendo Switch. And, what everybody needs in the social media age is a Mophie, this is specifically an anchor, and this helps me charge my camera actually which is really cool about the Sony cameras that you can charge them with a mini USB. The Mophie helps me with that, and charges my phone and you know, it just makes sure that I can actually talk to people and not have dead phone products. It is my essential. This camera strap has been with me now for damn near like three years now. People actually call me out on the street for seeing this camera strap now. Having a really sturdy camera strap is really important. I'm just gonna end up probably just switching to my bag because it is very sensitive and then I put my Mophie in the bag and since I'm gonna shoot with my 85 today I will just keep the 25 in my bag for the time being. This is how you properly equip the fanny pack. Fasten this puppy and then I'm really good to go.
Ratings and Reviews
Gary Hook
Steve is an engaging and 'real' sincere individual. I enjoyed his tips and having them highlighted on the screen was effective. Might be nice to detail them out and offer it up as a download. Some of the best take-aways for myself was the angles and reflections in the puddles. Hadn't thought of that before and see some great potential. Did n't really talk about lighting and time of day and his thoughts on what each situation offers. Overall enjoyed the course
Judith Frost
Absolutely terrific class! Steve is so relatable as a human being, and his approach to street photography reflects that. I took another street photography course that was good in many respects but focused a lot on the big stories a million miles away. Steve's philosophy and approach to small things happening in my own backyard are both inspiring and helpful. Bravo!
MikeD
Feel the people, feel the scene, feel the vibe of your location; now, frame the image you feel in your camera and take the shot. Also, be happy, have fun. Steve takes a bit over an hour to say this and provides a lot of video of him trying to do it. It's an interesting watch, some good advice and a few tips on how to push through when things are tough.