Exploring a city on foot with a smartphone camera is a great way to enjoy life.
Next time you are travelling through a city, instead of following a well known path to your destination, take an hour or two off schedule and explore on foot. Let the spur of the moment take you left and right and bring out your smartphone to capture what makes this day and place special.
You don’t need an expensive camera. You don’t need to travel to a faraway destination. You don’t need a certificate or expensive exam. Begin where you live. Bring the camera you have. Start today.
Here are my tips for capturing street life with your smartphone camera when you do.
Look around
Look up. Look behind you. A great photo can be anywhere.
A decorated doorway. Your shadow across a cobblestone pattern. Pastel colours of facades in the fading light of day. A playful juggler practicing in the park. A worn street sign truncated to bring a new message.
Look for hidden gems. A great street photo tells a story or shows unusual beauty in the mundane.
Move around
Once an object or a backdrop captures your attention, move around to find the best place for the shot. Close or far. A little more to the left. From below or up there from that hill.
This is where you create the composition. Think foreground, middle and distance to build depth. Think rule of thirds for where to place your motive. Think triangles for capturing the eye of the viewer.
What happens when you twist the camera?
Triangles standing on one edge make a calm picture. So do triangles balancing on a corner. While highly irregular and unbalanced triangles make for a dynamic composition. What works for this shot?
Move around until you have a good composition.
Wait for it
People on bikes, swans in lakes, delivery trucks. All move around too. Sometimes you want them in your shot, sometimes not. Wait for the moment to press the release.
The sun moves around too. If you wait for a minute that shadow on the wall may be exactly where you want it. Or come back in the morning and the ripple patterns on the wall will stand out in beautiful contrast.
Shoot and check
Take the shot. Or two or three. Then check immediately when you have the opportunity to correct. I usually magic wand adjust the picture to make colours and contrast sing, then trim the size to get a clean cut at the edges.
The editor shows grid lines for thirds, very convenient to check horizontal and vertical lines and to place objects of interest in the golden corners.
Don’t overdo it. You can edit and trim infinitely. Don’t aim for perfection. A great picture can break any of the guidelines so let your artist eye be the final judgement of done.
Let it go
Not every idea works out. That’s ok. Maybe the sun isn’t right. Maybe an ugly delivery truck is parked right in front of that scenic building. Or you don’t have the time or the camera to make the picture work. Such is life. Let it go.
Some things can only be experienced live. Capture the moment in your soul instead.
Share and enjoy
The joy of playful exploration is a reward in itself. Or you can share your shots with friends and relatives for a smile or a reflection. I'm sharing my best shots on this blog.
I hope you enjoyed this little guide. I wish you happy city exploration!