So I’m going to Paris in a few weeks, and I will be bringing my new 70-200mm f4 for the trip.
However, i have this thought in my head that I don’t really know what to photograph. I usually take pictures of people and situations with people in them, as those are memories I want to hang on to.
When I see a lot of street photographers on YouTube etc, I feel like they take some well framed and pretty, but also irrelevant images. Would they ever go back to an image of a busdriver they snapped at an intersection?
I’m not putting those people down, but I personally have a hard time seeing the real value in that. I guess that simply making a nice shot is a great feeling. And a really nice shot might o ly happen once every 1000 images.
But what makes a nice image to you? Can the image stand alone? Or does it have to be part of a series with a certain theme to it?
I’m looking for some fresh perspectives on street photography that will get me excited for my trip :)
70mm is too narrow.
50mm is the longest I’d recommend for street, but the real sweet spot is either 27mm-35mm. This allows you to get immersed in the action, without feeling as disconnected as a long lens would.
Noooo. I’ve gotten some of my best candid street shots at 200 mm. The subjects are more natural and you can take advantage of the compressed DOF to good effect.
Sometimes the disconnection is what you are going for. Flattening the perspective is another reason for using a long lens.