The 5 Essential Street Photography Shots

Street photography captures the soul of a city, from strangers on the sidewalk to the towering skyline above. And just a few street photography tips can help beginners get top-quality results. Here, five pros share five must-know shots for aspiring street photographers—abstractions, vanishing points, the lookup, the portrait, and the stride-by—and offer advice on when and how to integrate them into your work.

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STREET PHOTOGRAPHY SHOTS QUICK JUMP MENU

00:00 Introduction
00:09 Shot #1: The Lookup, with Trashhand
00:49 Aperture and Shutter Speed Notes
01:00 Same Shot, Different Stories
01:27 Shot #2: The Portrait, with Zun Lee
02:15 Shooting in Various Formats
03:01 Shot #3: Abstractions, with Craig Whitehead
03:30 Reference Points
04:25 Shot #4: Vanishing Points, with Steve Sweatpants
05:07 Eying Your Symmetry
05:32 Shot #5: The Stride-By, with Jamal Burger
06:26 Patience and Street Photography
07:04 Find Photography Courses on Skillshare

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JOIN THESE TEACHERS IN CLASS

Join trashhand, one of Skillshare’s most popular photography teachers, as he shares some of his favorite street photography techniques in Street Photography: Capture the Life of Your City, a Skillshare Original. While weaving through the streets of his native Chicago, trashhand covers four main topics as they relate to street photography: capturing authentic candids, utilizing blur to convey motion, finding compelling angles for “look-up” shots, and trying these techniques at night. Check out the full class here: https://skl.sh/3cT6cGr

Get out on the street and capture its energy. In Portrait Photography on the Street: Connecting with Strangers, a Skillshare Original, photographer Zun Lee explores Harlem in New York City and shares his secrets for capturing the essence of a place and its people. This is the perfect class to inspire both the novice photographer and the expert to get out and shoot. Will you capture your own neighborhood, or explore a new one? This class is certain to help you see a place with new eyes—and a new lens: https://skl.sh/3gFecwV

Discover the beauty of the world around you with a fresh, accessible approach to street photography. Join photographer Craig Whitehead for Street Photography: Unlock the Secrets of Composition, Color & Confidence, a Skillshare Original, to learn how to shoot and edit unforgettable street scenes wherever you live. Designed for anyone with curiosity and a camera, each hands-on lesson builds on the last to help you develop the mindset and eye of a street photographer: https://skl.sh/3vJJHdu

Street photographer and Street Dreams Magazine co-founder Steve Sweatpants is hosting a photo scavenger hunt through New York City—and you’re invited. Street Shots: Photographing Scale, Light, and Colors, a 30-minute Skillshare Original, goes behind the scenes to show the hustle, play, and compositional style he brings to every project, complete with tips on how you can bring that fun into your own work: https://skl.sh/2TUuwAQ

In Cityscape Photography: Shooting with Symmetry and Perspective, join Toronto-based cityscape photographer Jamal Burger (aka @jayscale) for a 20-minute class as he walks us through his process of shooting three specific compositions: Symmetry, the Lookup, and the Stride-By. You’ll learn Jamal’s techniques for composing your shot, taking advantage of natural light, and capturing interesting characters juxtaposed with beautiful architecture: https://skl.sh/3vEZytL

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ABOUT SKILLSHARE

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MORE PHOTOGRAPHY RESOURCES

Get to know your camera and learn to add intimacy to your photos with the help of photographer Andre D. Wagner, who shares storytelling tips and more in Street & Documentary Photography: The Ongoing Moment, a Skillshare Staff Pick: https://skl.sh/35EP1nR

You don’t need a DSLR camera to start capturing compelling photographs. in Dale McManus’s Skillshare Staff Pick, iPhone Photography: How to Take Pro Photos On Your iPhone, learn how to use the phone in your pocket to get photos that stand out: https://skl.sh/3iYoLNo