Street Focus 02: Q&A and Silhouette Street Challenge

Welcome to episode two of Street Focus!

A silhouette by Valerie Jardin

Street Focus is the newest addition to the This Week in Photo family! This is my first “question and answer (Q&A;)” episode, I’ll be doing these types of shows regularly — you know, to break things up a bit, and keep it interesting!

If you’d like to submit a question to be answered on a future Q&A; episode of Street Focus, just head over to ThisWeekinPhoto.com/contact-us to send us an audio question (if you’d like to hear your voice on the air), or if you’re shy, just send your question as text.

In this episode I answer questions about how best to do street photography when visiting foreign countries, as well as some personal revelations about what street photography means to me.

For those technical folks out there I also discuss my black and white conversion tool and processes of choice. And there’s also a Pick of the Week section where I recommend something street photography related for you to check out.

Street Challenge: Silhouettes!

As I mentioned, in this episode, we’re also launching the very first Street Challenge! Just listen to the episode for details, then simply submit your entry for consideration using the comment area on this blog post. I will pick my favorite before the next Q&A; episode - and I’ll post the image on the show notes that week.

So get creative! Go out and shoot some silhouettes over the next couple of weeks. Surprise me!

A few tips for successful silhouettes in street photography

Your subject has to be easily recognizable. Think of elements that make strong silhouettes (umbrellas, bicycle, couple holding hands, people with hats, etc.) Keep the area around your subject as clutter-free as possible.

Your subject will be backlit, so don’t meter on your subject or your camera will try to expose it properly! Expose for the bright spot, press the shutter half way while pointing to the brightest spot then recompose.

You can also use spot metering if it’s easy to access on your menu or exposure compensation to trick your camera by stopping down 2/3 of a stop. Don’t be afraid to blow out your highlights for a more dramatic effect!

Here are a few samples for inspiration:

The Passionate Photographer by Steve simon