Dyanna Dawson - Street Fashion Photography: Taking Stylish Pictures on the Concrete Runway

Copyright 2013 by Dyanna Dawson and J.T. Tran.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN: 978-1-4521-1537-5

Designed by River Jukes-Hudson

Chronicle Books LLC

680 Second Street

San Francisco, California 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Street style photography is an enjoyable and rewarding field. All it takes is a camera and some motivation. If you absorb the knowledge in this book and apply it well, youll be taking stunning photos before you know it. Lets get started, shall we?

So weve established that you will need a camera. To help you figure out which camera is best for you, were going to break it down to basics. There are countless brands and varieties on the market, in addition to a plethora of camera lenses, flash units, and other accessories. With so many options, selecting the right camera at the right price point for you can feel overwhelming. Dont worry, weve got it covered. (If you want even more detail, cnet.com is an excellent source of information.)

Think about what you are able and willing to carry on your person every day. An important part of being a street style photographer is being able to capture the subjects around you at a moments noticeespecially if you plan to take candid shots. Youve got to have a camera with you at all times, because you never know when youll cross paths with someone fabulous. Understandably, larger cameras with multiple lenses are rather burdensome and inhibiting to carry with you at all times, so you may want to find a compromise. Fortunately, technology is advancing rapidly, and there are many smaller, lightweight cameras that produce excellent results.

Skinny jeans have enjoyed enormous popularity in the last decade or so, making a lady in wide-leg trousers or bell-bottoms a beautiful rarity.

There are several things for you to consider when you are selecting a camera, including price range, purpose, and size.

1. Price range. How much would you like to spend on the camera? This will determine which cameras are available to you. It is not necessary to spend an enormous amount on your first camera, but you should keep in mind that the price of a camera and equipment often dictates its level of quality components and design. As the saying goes: You get what you pay for.

2. Purpose. Youre going to be using your camera for street style photography, obviously! Thinking about how youll use it will narrow down your choices. Where do you plan to go? Will you be photographing during the day or at night or both? Will you be in crowded areas? Do you intend to use the camera for other purposes as well?

3. Size. The best camera is the one you have with you. Street style photography will require you to lug the camera around with you as much as possible, and for long hours. A heavy or cumbersome camera and accessories may not be the best choice to carry on your person all day, every day.

Of these three considerations, the very first question to ask yourself is What is my price range? Cameras and photography equipment can be very expensive, so once you determine the amount you are willing to initially invest, you can start to research options in your price range. Well explore the different options in this section.

In the $100 and under bracket, you will likely be limited to point-and-shoot compact cameras. Point-and-shoot cameras are the starting point and what most people seem to have already. They are affordable, light and compact, and easy to use. A few of the more expensive models can produce some surprisingly high-quality images. Even if you are willing to invest a lot of money in a high-end prosumer cameraperhaps you should learn to drive a Camry before you roll off the lot in a Ferrari. One word of warning about point-and-shoot cameras is that technology is advancing faster and faster, and the gap between cell phone cameras and point-and-shoot cameras narrows every day. Like any electronics, the lowest priced items are usually the older models and thus the first to become obsolete.

These are very similar to what you probably already have on your cell phone, but include advanced features and a marked increase in image quality. They are named for their ease of use; one simply points the camera and presses the shutter button. This is the type of camera with which we started our own blog, theSFStyle.com. Theres nothing wrong with these cameras. They will limit overall photo quality and the lighting situations you will be able to photograph in, but if youre just starting out, these cameras force you to develop your skills. After youve gotten used to composing a good shot and spotting the right time and place for decent lighting, you can upgrade your camera. Even if you eventually opt for a better camera, a small pocket variety can still be useful to have handy at all times and for situations where you might not want to bring along a cumbersome and expensive piece of equipment (such as a rowdy night out at a club or bar).

There was a lot of foot traffic and actual car traffic in this photo, which was easily cropped out in post production. Thats why it is important to stand back far enough to have room to crop your photo down if needed.

You might find yourself inclined to use your cell phones onboard camera as an alternative at times when youre caught without your street style camera. (Hey, we understand; weve been there too.) Youll kick yourself later if you dont take the picture, and a cell phone camera is usually better than no camera at all. If you do plan to use your camera phone in a pinch, we recommend using a device that has at least a 5 megapixel resolution and be sure to temper your expectations on image quality. Cell phone cameras are best used only in an emergency.

In the $200 to $500 range, you will be able to get a higher quality point-and-shoot. We consider this to be a waste of money considering what you can get for just a little bit more.

Which leads us to the next tier...

Micro four-thirds cameras are in between full-fledged dSLRs and point-and-shoots. Technology is heading in this direction, making cameras smaller and lighter, while allowing them to use the interchangeable lenses and high-end sensors of dSLRs. Micro four-thirds cameras get their name from their 4:3 aspect ratio. What that means to you is that the images from theses cameras will be more of a boxy square shape than those from other cameras that have a 3:2 aspect ratio and produce the rectangular shape youre probably familiar with. The aspect ratio is not a major issue for street style photography, because you can crop images to any format you wish during the editing process. Micro four-thirds cameras are relatively new and will be changing rapidly compared to point-and-shoot compact cameras and dSLRs. This doesnt mean that you shouldnt consider onesome of the photos in this book were taken using this type of camera. Its manageable size makes it easy to carry in your bag every day, and it gives you the best quality possible in its price range.