focus on street photograpy

[batmax]

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I'm tryng to do some street photograpy with my leica m7 with 28mm f 2 asph and

kodak tri-x 400 .

Any suggestion to do the focus in the right way since all the picture are taken as snap shots?

[HouTexDavid]

Stop down your lens as much as possible, set your focus distance on approximate distance you expect your prey to be when you plan to shot (say, six feet away), and let the depth of field do the work. If you take time to focus each shot, you'll end up frustrated and you will have a lot of your subjects look away, hold up their hands in protest, challenge you, etc.

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[batmax]

thanks ! I'll try

[Guest noah_addis]

You should have plenty of light and therefore lots of depth of field to play with if you're shooting tri-x in daylight or even open shade or near sunset.

 

I use different techniques depending on the situation. Sometimes I guess the focus distance, sometimes I set a hyperfocal distance and mostly I just focus fast, (but probably not that carefully since it's not that critical when stopped down). Obviously you don't need to take as much care in focusing at f/8 outside as you do at F/2 for an available light portrait in the dark.

 

Sometimes if you want to photography a person fast without affecting their expression, you can focus on something else at a similar distance, then recompose and shoot quickly.

 

Mostly, though, it's practice and experience, and shooting often. Have fun, it doesn't matter if every frame is sharp!

[bill]

Good advice so far. The other point I would make may sound counter-intuitive, but makes sense if you think about it.

 

Switch your M7 to manual exposure.

In a fast-moving street environment you want to be controlling exposure, not the camera. I use non-metered Leicas for my street photography - a IIIc, a IID and an M2 - and I generally rely on Sunny-16 to set exposure, occasionally "grounding" myself with a reading from a small hand-held meter. It's then a simple matter to open up or close down a stop or two to compensate for direct sunlight or deep shade.

 

As to focussing, you have already been given some good advice. Prefocus and rely on depth of focus. Only focus "directly" if you have time - after the first or second shot. With the 28 you will have plenty of DOF to play with; your challenge will actually be to fill the frame. Get as close as you are comfortable to, then take a step closer!

 

Above all, have fun.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[glenerrolrd]

while there are no rules for street photography...some things seem to just work and you are started in the right direction with the leica and the 28/2. You can go wider down to 21 which still gives a pretty distortion free FOV. Three key thoughts ....(1) get closer ..for a 28 inside 6 ft but not farther than 12 (2) look for a "stage" spot with a nice background,good light ...and position yourself so that when the moment occurs you are ready (3) get low ...try to get the camera about waist level . Go to the MAGNUM website and look at the portfolios of the best. Keep in mind that not all street photography is NY style put the camera in someone face. I would predict that you next set of questions will be how do you get close and approach people.

[treeplanter]

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I do a lot of street photography during the summer and can offer a few, hopefully helpful, tips. I use an MP and always pre-focus and pre-meter. I "scope out" an area before taking pictures to find a spot that sees a lot of foot traffic and to find the best place to stand. Once there, I take shots as they happen and as they catch my eye. I mostly shoot with the camera held up to my eye (I'm 6' 4" or 193 cm tall) as well as also shoot from the hip if I want a lower vantage point. I personally prefer the 50mm focal length to a 28mm and usually shoot wide-open or close to it. 99% of my shooting is on B&W film, mostly slow ISO stuff like Efke 25. I was visiting family last weekend in the Detroit, Michigan USA area and stopped by an "electronic music festival" downtown. Took some really good pictures using this technique of some truly outrageous looking kids. Lot of fun too.

 

Jim B.

[kenneth]

As always, a valuable source of information and as Bill says a hand held light meter is worth using if you have one because it saves bringing the camera up to your eye to check light levels. Armed with your camera on manual and a separate light meter you are in point and shoot mode- I hope this helps

[leitz_not_leica]

"...if you want to photography a person fast without affecting their expression, you can focus on something else at a similar distance, then recompose and shoot quickly."

 

That's what I do. The subjects quickly lose interest in my focusing on a nearby object. Using a 35 or wider helps, they have no Idea they are just outside the frame. I used to set f8 and 1/250 (100 ISO) on my meterless M, but now tend to use f4 at 1/1000 or just AE and let the camera either "cap" at 1/1000 or less (M7), because I've improved my focusing and want less DOF, sometimes.