Street Photography – Let The Pictures Come To You

A long time ago, when photography was just a hobby for me, I’d spend hours walking around my hometown of Lausanne, Switzerland, looking for pictures. But I was making a basic “rookie” mistake. I was chasing the action, running all over the place, and as a result very often came up empty handed.

The two best things to happen with regard to my photography education were the internet and learning english. There is a wealth of information online, and the key thing I learned about street photography is to pick my spot and let the action come to me.

Older gentleman walking in front of a very colourful wall in Edinburgh, Scotland — Colour is an important element of design I look for when I’m walking around with a camera. This wall immediately attracted my attention.

So when I saw this colourful wall surrounding a construction site close to where I live, I thought it would make for a great photo background. But at first, the street was pretty much deserted. A while back, I would have moved on looking for another picture opportunity. But having learned some of the secrets of street photography, I decided to stand across the street and wait. And sure enough, after a while, a number of people walked by and I was able to capture a number of frames that I like.

Gentleman with an iPod or other mp3 player walking in front of a colourful wall in Edinburgh, Scotland — On a different day when the sun was out, I was able to capture more people walking in front of that colourful wall.

Now, if I find a great spot for a photo but it is missing people in it to make better, I just stick around for a while. Chances are, I’m going to get a good photo opportunity sooner or later.