Understanding Street Photography

Discover the secrets to mastering street photography—from city streets to country roads and the alleyways in between—from an acclaimed international photographer, teacher, and bestselling author. Street photography offers treasured moments at almost every turn, if you know where to look. In Understanding Street Photography, readers will learn the techniques for capturing brilliant scenes, including images taken around the globe, from the vibrant streets of Varanasi, India, to the crowded walkways of the Charles Bridge in Prague, and so many other corners of the world. In this master class, street photography is defined as images that convey evidence of human interaction, whether that’s a striking cityscape, an image of rush-hour foot traffic, the remains of a half-eaten sandwich, or a pedestrian portrait. Along the way, Bryan Peterson shares 120 “mini diaries”: the story behind each image; the thought process; the arrangement of the composition; the psychology of the colors; and the lens, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO for readers to replicate his work. Professional and aspiring photographers alike will learn how to produce posed and candid compositions, capture light and movement, work with shadows, weather, and architecture, and hone your craft. Through lessons, exercises, and anecdotes, Peterson shares his best tips for capturing the unpredictable world of urban life in motion.

In this book, the authors explore and discuss the development of one of the most interesting and dynamic of photographic genres. Hailed as a landmark work when it was first published in 1994, Bystander is widely regarded by street photographers as the "bible" of street photography. It covers an incredible array of talent, from the unknowns of the late 19th century to the acknowledged masters of the 20th, such as Atget, Stieglitz, Strand, Cartier-Bresson, Brassai, Kertesz, Frank, Arbus, Winogrand, and Levitt to name just a few. In this new and fully revised edition, the story of street photography is brought up to date with a re-evaluation of some historical material, the inclusion of more contemporary photographers, and a discussion of the ongoing rise of digital photography.

Everything you need to know in one take-anywhere field guide! This all-in-one guide from renowned photographer, instructor, and author Bryan Peterson will help you take better photos anytime, anywhere–with any camera. Want to finally understand exposure? Interested in learning to "see" and composing your images more creatively? Ready to master the magic of light? It’s all here, the techniques every amateur photographer needs to take better nature, landscape, people, and close-up photos. You’ll even get creative techniques, like making "rain" and capturing "ghosts," and practical advice on gear, equipment, and postprocessing software. Filled with Bryan’s inspirational photographs, this is the one essential guide for every camera bag.

Capture the perfect portrait--even if it's with a selfie--in this updated edition of a trusted classic, now with all-new photography. Great portraits go beyond a mere record of a face. They reveal one of the millions of intimate human moments that make up a life. In Understanding Portrait Photography, renowned photographer Bryan Peterson shows how to spot those "aha!" moments and capture them forever. Rather than relying on pure luck and chance to catch those moments, Peterson's approach explains what makes a photo memorable, how to spot the universal themes that everyone can identify with, and how to use lighting, setting, and exposure to reveal the wonder and joy of everyday moments. This updated edition includes new sections on capturing the perfect selfie, how to photograph in foreign territory while being sensitive to cultures and customs, how to master portraiture on an iPhone, and the role of Photoshop in portraiture. Now with brand-new photography, Understanding Portrait Photography makes it easy to create indelible memories with light and shadow.

With both training and preparation, a street photographer needs to make rapid decisions; there may only be a fraction of a second to immortalize a moment in time that has never happened before and will never happen again. This is where Street Photography: Creative Vision Behind the Lens comes in. Follow Valérie Jardin on an inspiring photo walk around the world. After an overview of the practical and technical aspects of street photography, Valérie takes you along on a personal photographic journey as she hits the streets of her favorite urban haunts. She shows you the art of storytelling through her photographs, from envisioning the image to actually capturing it in the camera. Learn about the technical and compositional choices she makes and the thought process that spurred the click of the shutter. Perfect for both the new photographer excited to capture the world around them and for the experienced street photographer wishing to improve their techniques and images, Street Photography requires no special equipment, just a passion for seeing and capturing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

'Never does that old maxim "the harder I practice, the luckier I get" ring truer.' - Matt Stuart Street photography may look like luck, but you have to get out there and hone your craft if you want to shake up those luck vibes. Matt Stuart never goes out without his trusty Leica and, in a career spanning twenty years, has taken some of the most accomplished, witty and well-known photographs of the streets. From understanding how to be invisible on a busy street, to anticipating a great image in the chaos of a crowd, Matt Stuart reveals in over 20 chapters the hard-won skills and secrets that have led to his greatest shots. He explains his purist and uniquely playful approach to street photography leaving the reader full of ideas to use in their own photography. Illustrated throughout with 100 of Stuart's images, this is a unique opportunity to learn from one of the finest street photographers around.

Learn to “see” more compelling images with this on-the-go field guide from Bryan Peterson! What makes an image amazing? Believe it or not, it is not about the content. What makes a photo compelling is the arrangement of that content—in other words, its composition. The right composition gives your images impact and emotion; the wrong one leaves them flat. In this handy, take-anywhere guide, renowned photographer, instructor, and bestselling author Bryan Peterson frees amateur photographers from the prejudices of what is “beautiful” or “ugly” so that they can instead focus on color, line, light, and pattern. Get the tools you need to show your distinct voice and point of view in every image you shoot. With this guide in your camera bag, you’ll be equipped not only to “see” beautiful images but to successfully shoot them each and every time. Also available as an ebook

Learn to train your eye and improve your timing in order to capture the decisive moment!

Whether it’s due to social media or the introduction of great rangefinder-style digital cameras over a decade ago, street photography has experienced a remarkable resurgence in recent years. You can be roaming the streets of a classic urban environment (New York, Paris, Tokyo) or on a simple photo walk around a quiet neighborhood—it has never been more popular to pursue the art of capturing those candid, fleeting moments that happen throughout the day, of freezing a moment in time and transforming the ordinary into an extraordinary photograph.

But learning to see light and moment, to make quick decisions, and to nail a photographic composition are all crucial skills you must master in order to become a good street photographer. Photographer, instructor, and author Valerie Jardin has been teaching photographers how to take better photographs for years, and in Street Photography Assignments: 75 Reasons to Hit the Streets and Learn, she provides dozens of prompts for you to practice in order to refine and improve your craft.

These activities focus on themes such as:

 • Street portraits
 • Gesture
 • Shadows
 • Silhouettes
 • Rim light
 • Humor
 • Abstract
 • Tension
 • Motion
 • Reflections
 • Leading lines
 • Creative framing
 • Juxtapositions
 • Double exposures
 • And much, much more!

Each assignment includes a description of the technique, various tips and tricks to practice, technical and compositional considerations, and an example photo that Jardin has captured when practicing the same exercise. Whether you have 30 minutes or 3 hours, each assignment is an opportunity for you to take your camera and hit the streets. No more excuses!