Creating Your Own Luck on the Street

Street photography is both exhilarating and nerve-inducing in equal measure.

Capturing real people, as unpredictable and varied as they are, can offer huge challenges and wonderful rewards. As demonstrated in our article Photography on the Streets of Tulum finding the right shot at the right moment can leave you with an image you cherish forever.

Many feel that street photography has an element of luck about it though, which helps you to get the right shot at just the right time. Even in the scientific age, a feature on the history of luck on Gala Bingo highlights how people still believe firmly in luck as our predecessors did, but is there such a thing as luck in photography these days? Or can you create your own luck simply by planning, prepping and being patient? There are those who believe all photography involves an element of luck, but if you follow these handy tips, you might find yourself a little luckier than most.

Set a Stage

Many consider street photography to be a simple case of heading into the street and looking for people. To a degree, that is true, real people are the actors in your shots, but they need a stage on which to perform. The staging of your shot is important, and a great trick is to find the stage and wait for an actor to enter. In other words, find a great backdrop you know makes a good shot and return there a couple of times if need be, to see if your luck brings the subject the backdrop deserves.

Know Your Equipment

The trick to all good photography is understanding your equipment, but with street photography, you do not just need to know how it works, but how it looks. If you are laden with bags and tripods, you are less likely to capture a candid image. Photography Life believes you should be invisible to other people, which means a discreet, small camera is perfect for the job.

Be Patient

Being patient means staying out longer, waiting for the perfect moment. There is no luck in grabbing the perfect image 10 minutes before you were due to pack up if you choose to stay out an hour longer anyway. That is making your own luck, playing the odds. By staying out for five hours instead of four, you raise your chances of getting that great shot by 25%. Do not be put off if the perfect image does not arrive immediately, but do have the patience to remain on the street for as long as you can.

Be Unique

Being unique is about seeing the opportunities that others do not. Understand that great street photography is not always about popular sights or attractions. Think of it this way – if everyone else is pointing their camera at the façade of Grand Central Station, then you need to point your camera away from it. Often, the seemingly inane or innocuous provide the best images, rather than the obvious and apparent.

Take Risks

Finally, street photography can be frightening, and you may feel the risk does not quite match up to the reward. Thinking like that will never see you ‘get lucky’ with a shot. Playwright Neil Simon once said; “If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine Chapel floor.” That plays wonderfully into the final point. If you want to get lucky, truly lucky, then be prepared to take a risk with a shot, whether it is the subject, the setting or even the time of night you choose to be out. Go where others dare not, shoot what others do not and you might just find yourself with a little slice of homemade luck to feast upon.

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