If at that time I dedicated an article to telling you everything you need to know about street photography, why am I writing one specifically for mobile photography today?, you’ve more than likely wondered this if you’re reading the text above. , there are two reasons.
The first reason is that carrying a mobile phone is almost as “natural” as wearing clothes, isn’t it?Street photography feeds on what happens spontaneously, from those vague and fleeting moments before your eyes when you least expect it. As much as your SLR camera (or similar) is a friend and companion, I bet you don’t use it half the time you use your phone, as a result, your smartphone here becomes a great ally for being there when you need it.
- A second reason is your discretion.
- For the same reason we talked about in the previous paragraph.
- Which everyone goes mobile.
- No one will be surprised if you’re wearing it.
- You can take the photos you want without the protagonists getting confused or found out.
- Try to do the same with an SLR.
- It may happen that the scene loses its naturalness or that they do not look at you with good face if they discover you.
The benefits I told you more or less in the introduction but here are:
It wasn’t just about benefits, was it?
Now yes, we go further in the matter, I will give you some tips to make your next street photography with your mobile a success, as you will see, most of them are based on composition, since this is the tool that you can use. to fill the camera gaps on your mobile device.
Your best ally, with the composition, will undoubtedly be light, you can use it as a co-star of the image, enjoy the backlights, the drawings of light, the different shades or the type of light (hard or soft) offered by the city. you depending on the time of day, here I leave you no less than 31 resources to master it.
And speaking of light? We cannot forget the shadows, their strength and their beauty. Shadow and light games are often very attractive, team up with high contrast, take care of the composition and you will see how surprised you (you and the rest?).
Cities talk all the time, everything that happens there can be picked up by your camera, but why not look at it from another angle?Don’t you think it can be more shocking to the other person’s eyes than what they’re continually doing?
Although we sometimes seek strong emotions in our lives, we tend to seek a certain balance. The same goes for photographs. Sometimes they can ask for an imbalance, a negative space, etc. , to convey a certain message or emotion, however, it is normal to seek a balance in the image to make it more pleasant to the viewer. Think that an image is not working at all, you may need some balance, here’s how to get there.
Framing the subject of the image with an element of the same scene, focuses interest in it and gives it greater importance, you can use any element of the frame, windows, doors, frames, other lines or even shadows that can surround your subject. .
Puddles, crystals, mirrors or any other shiny surface can help you understand what’s going on from a more interesting point of view. But they also serve you to make mirrors?Careful, these are not boring !?.
Lines are an important composition resource that can help you compose your photograph, the escape points, vertical, horizontal or curved lines will be used to guide the look or convey a message, the interesting thing in this case is that these lines are a complement to what is happening at that time because, although they may be protagonists in their own right , are we talking about street photography ?.
Although street photography is a type of photography in which black and white abounds (just look at the shared examples so far), we can neither deny color nor forget it, the city is full of colors and elements that interact with them, right?Do I miss them?
Don’t let bad weather stop you, it can leave you some amazing shots, here’s an example of a catch in the rain. If you’re interested in the topic, you can take a look at these tips for photographing the rain.
When you’re on the street or on public transport (unless you’re reading something really interesting), keep looking, and when I say look, I mean watching, seeing, feeling what’s going on around you. You will miss many moments worthy of immortalizing. Watch, detect, find the best frame and shoot it. If you keep your eyes peeled and are patient, will you be able to capture those fleeting moments, the moments that will give meaning to your image, a gesture, a subject that bursts into the stage with a message, several elements that for a second seems strategically placed?They’re waiting to be immortalized.
As you may have noticed, perspective also plays an important role here.
Do you capture the movement of the streets, your life, your turmoil?Although your smartphone doesn’t have the option of prolonged exposure, there are several apps to do this, if you need it, stabilize your camera (with a better tripod) and take the photo.
I gave you a hint of the drawbacks, but I’ll detail them a little more now, even if you have the zoom option, your smartphone lens is fixed, so the zoom only makes an magnification with the consequent loss of quality (even more they will look great in thumbnail, but try to see them great and you will see You want an example?
The infinite editing programs for your smartphone that you have are of great help, that does not mean that you can abuse it, a too retouched photo will lose its naturalness, which must be closely related to street photography. If you go too far with saturation, HDR, or unnecessary vignetting, the magic of the moment can fade in edit mode.
Your device has as many limitations as opportunities. If you know him well, you’ll know how far he can go, where he’ll do his best, or where he’ll fail you. Know all your options thoroughly and try them in different circumstances to learn how to make the most of them.
In your hands you have a powerful tool, even if it is not a reflection, it also has a magical power, that of emotion, it is photography, whatever the camera, it gives you the opportunity to awaken feelings in the viewer, to awaken different emotions, just know how to look and feel (these tricks can also help you).
Finally, remember that the soul of street photography captures the stories that happen in the street, all the advice I gave you in the previous points of nothing serves if they have no clear purpose, excite or tell a story (or both). These tips or resources are the tools with which to tell the story, make sense of it and capture the public’s attention.
If the viewer isn’t tickled, woowed, let them reflect or contemplate the image for more than a second, you won’t have made it, make sure your image isn’t empty, count or broadcast. don’t forget to observe, feel and put a lot of passion into what you do, photograph life, live it.
Before I say goodbye, I would like to thank the people who kindly lent me their photos to illustrate this article: @joseluisbarcia, @soldatdeplom, @murcielaguillo, @ele_delola, xopet1969 and @luison_street.
Don’t forget to visit their galleries!
Nothing I’ve told you will do you any good if you don’t shoot, if you don’t put it into practice. Mobile photography is also photography, try it. You have the tools, you want them, what are you waiting for?One minute! Before you run, if you liked the article, share it on your favorite social network Thank you!