7 Cool Tutorials On Street Photography

Street photography tutorials serve as valuable resources for both beginners and experienced photographers, enabling them to develop their craft, find inspiration, and contribute to the art form through their unique vision and storytelling.

Such tutorials can also help you improve your observational skills, decisive moment and overcome various challenges in shooting a good street photograph! Street photography books are also great resources to help capture interesting photographs of people and interesting things in the street.

Check out our list of 7 useful tutorials that cover street photography tips and will bring your street photography to the next level.

Mastering Street Photography Composition

Street photographer Eric Kim made a comprehensive list of 17 composition lessons along with a couple of additional hints and tips.

You will learn about essential compositional techniques specific to street photography, such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, and negative space. This tutorial will help you create compelling and visually impactful images on the streets.

shadow street photography — Photo by Rene Bohmer

Capturing Emotion In Street Portraits

This is a long video tutorial (around 90 minutes), and professional photographer Kenneth Hines goes in depth when it comes to explaining the importance of emotions in street photography.

Street photography isn't just about candid street photos of people; it can also include street portraiture that capture the emotions and stories of the subjects. This tutorial will guide street photographers on how to approach and interact with strangers on the streets to create powerful and emotionally charged street portraits.

old man buying oranges — Photo by Bannon Morrissy

Understanding Light In Street Photography

Diane Wehr is a street photographer who focuses on different lighting conditions in street photography that many street photographers seem to ignore and she gives you insightful tips on handling various conditions, such as diffused light, backlight, bright sunlight, and so on.

This tutorial will also teach you how to add drama and mood to your images.

man crossing the street — Photo by Lerone Pieters

The Art of Layering In Street Photography

Ever heard of layering in street photography? If it sparks your interest, check out this great tutorial by street photographer John Level.

Layering in street photography involves incorporating multiple elements and subjects in a single frame to create depth and complexity. This tutorial will demonstrate how to identify and capture scenes with interesting layers, making your images bolder.

layering street photography — Photo by Tom Podmore

Storytelling Through Candid Moments

This video (7 minutes) focuses on the stunning black-and-white photographs taken by German photojournalist Peter Bock-Schroeder, who was particularly skillful at conveying everyday life of people through strong narratives in his pictures. This is also seen in photographs of famous street photographers.

Street photography often involves candid moments that tell stories about people, interesting subjects and their surroundings. This tutorial will help you develop the skills to anticipate and capture those fleeting moments that convey a narrative in a single frame.

man with an accordion candid — Photo by Marcos Gallardo

Editing And Post-Processing For Street Photography

This is a step-by-step tutorial on editing street photography in Lightroom, and it can be particularly useful for beginners. The editing workflow described in this tutorial is pretty complete, and it includes working with:

Exposure
White Balance
Contrast
Clarity
Cropping
Vignetting
Creative Filters

The editing process plays a crucial role in enhancing and refining your street photographs and is also one of the most beneficial street photography skills. You'll learn how to use post-processing tools and techniques to fine-tune your images and bring out the best in your street captures! Most street photographers prefer black and white images over colour for street images.

tram at night orange lights — Photo by Benjamin Suter

Nighttime Street Photography Techniques

This video (19 minutes) on the StreetSnappers YT channel covers various tips and techniques for shooting good street photography at night. Brian Lloyd Duckett, a UK-based documentary and a good street photographer, talks about topics and camera settings such as ISO, shutter speed, manual focusing, finding the best lighting, and so on needed to shoot street photos.

Nighttime street photography offers a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. This tutorial will also guide you on how to work with low light, long exposures, and artificial lighting to create stunning night scenes.

Note: Fast prime lenses will help to shoot street photography at night with great ease.

Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind:

Use the right focal length for street photography based on your interests.
Use a faster shutter speed to avoid motion blur, but there are times when this can act as an effective compositional tool.
Aperture priority mode can be a great one for street photography. Use a good aperture value to get a sharp shot and the camera will make adjustments to shutter speed and iso.
The camera is just a tool for street photography. There is a lot that goes into capturing life of people as interesting photographs against an interesting background.
Some street photographers like to shoot from the hip in order to be discreet.

Remember, street photography is about capturing the essence of life in public spaces while respecting the privacy and rights of the subjects. Remember when you photograph strangers, always be mindful of the local laws and cultural norms while shooting in public areas also giving importance to peoples' personal space. Happy shooting!