Four advanced skills of documentary photography

Lead: One of the main venues for documentary photography is the street. How can I capture the picture I want on the busy street? Let's have a look.

Tip 1: shoot at a fixed point

As long as you stand at the subway exit, the preset parameters of the camera ensure the minimum safety shutter or slow door effect, and then cast a net for people entering and leaving the station. Although the rejection rate may be high, the output rate will be better if the flip screen is used, and it will be more difficult if it is through the LCD screen. Suitable for daytime shooting.

Subway entrance

Similar attractions:

intersection

People waiting for traffic lights at intersections will have natural eyes and movements, and it is easy to take unexpected pictures, which will be more dramatic and have a high proportion of emergencies. Therefore, people who have passed the traffic lights can generally wait a few more times to see if there are any pictures worth shooting, depending on whether there are stories in the background. Due to the high moving speed of passers-by, try to focus on the center point to ensure the accurate determination of the picture. Suitable shooting time: you can shoot at night or during the day.

At the bus stop, when people waiting for the bus play with their mobile phones or when the car starts, the face in the window is a good embodiment of human nature. At this time, you can selectively choose the right focus to sketch the story. Suitable shooting time: suitable for daytime shooting.

Bus stop

Newsstand, people coming and going from newsstand is also a special group. Everyone who stops may have a story and can focus selectively. Suitable shooting time: you can shoot at night or during the day.

Long-distance bus station or railway station square: the people dragging suitcases are also a special group, which will be revitalized and the story of holidays will be stronger. The homesickness or melancholy feeling of lighting cigarettes is rare in cities, and the focus can be based on the needs of the scene.

Suitable shooting time: you can shoot at night or during the day.

Tip 2: Shoot while moving.

Simply put, people in the background of the picture are free to shoot while walking or following. You can shoot when you see what you want (of course, whether there is a story or not is different for everyone, and you should be satisfied in principle). In order to ensure the stability of the picture, even if blind shot is used, it is best to put it on the chest or on the dining table or advertising light box. You can preset parameters for the roads you know in advance. When a suitable subject appears, you can quickly adjust the focal length and shoot with a camera.

Blind shooting in motion

In order to improve the success rate of blind shot, try to open the full aperture, otherwise you will regret not pressing the shutter. So whether the mode should use M file, AV file or P file, I want to say it is convenient for you. Personally, it is not recommended to move the blind shot with the M file, because sometimes the time for the subject to come and shoot is really between 1-2 seconds. When you set the parameter to focus, the subject may have left. I think other AV, TV and P can be used properly. At any time, the camera is just a shooting tool. Don't let it affect your mind. Flexible use. All settings are mainly based on taking pictures, not shooting large movies. Where did you get so many big movies to shoot for you?

Suitable for scenic spots: all road conditions, all weather, unlimited time.

Tip 3: Sorry.

If it is shot by two people, one person can attract others' attention, and the other person can shoot the subject in the middle or distant scene through the hair, bag and legs of the foreground person, which often receives unexpected results. This composition will be rare, special and imitative.

Tip 4: shoot low.

That is, put the camera on the ground and preset the parameters of the slow door, which can simulate some explosions or special effects. Of course, the choice of viewfinder or blind shot depends on the venue and your understanding of composition.

Share experiences:

1, pay attention to details, pay attention to life, and see the big from the small!

2. Only stick to the RAW format, and you will get twice the result with half the effort in the future.

3. Mass shooting is indispensable, and you can't reach the same movie level as others through one or two pictures.

A large aperture is necessary, and it is fully open below 1.8, and it can be lowered above 1.8 depending on the environment 1 to level 2. Whether it is fully open or not is uncertain.

Don't look back at the screen effect immediately after shooting, others will mistakenly think that you are shooting TA. After filming, you can go directly to the next scenic spot or sit down and watch a movie when you are free.

Borrow as many places as possible, such as light boxes, trash cans, street lamps, cement piers, bags, dining tables and three bottles of mineral water.

5. Don't shoot too many people together, and try not to shoot more than three.

6. Before shooting, it is best to step on the place where you want to shoot a few times and get familiar with where there are street lights and windows on this road section.

7. If you miss the person you want to shoot, you can follow it for a while, and sometimes you will encounter better pictures, such as sanitation workers.

8, don't be afraid of failure, don't be afraid of losing focus, in fact, I also picked out tens of thousands of out-of-focus films.

9. If you are not sure about the environment and parameters, you can take several copies of continuous shooting to ensure the film quality to the greatest extent.

Sweeping the street doesn't have to feel the same as walking on the road, sitting in the car, shooting out of the window in the subway or coffee shop, but the effect will be very different.

10, don't think about what you shoot mainly and what you won't shoot secondly before you contact photography. It's a waste of time to think about it, let alone decide what equipment to buy. 100% people don't ask themselves which street they will take until they learn to drive.

1 1. Almost all the beautiful photos on the Internet, including the excellent photos in the forum, are carefully produced in the later stage, and there is absolutely no direct effect of the original picture. A certain later stage is the respect and re-creation of works, which is also an indispensable part of photography.

12, there is definitely a later period, only the difference between more and less, and a certain later period is respect for the work and many good secondary creations.

13, many people will ask you that the photo is too p, but it is actually just a simple curve tone. From a professional point of view, it's not called P, because in a SLR digital camera, you can adjust the contrast, brightness, color temperature and so on. In fact, these are the same as the tone adjustment level of the later drawing curve!

14, participating in various shooting activities can certainly improve the level quickly, but it can't further improve the level. Photography is a lonely art, whether it is portrait or landscape, only by independent thinking can we have a unique style of work that satisfies us. Therefore, in my opinion, if you want to make more friends, you should take part in more activities. If you want to improve your photography skills, try to practice alone. It's fun to learn by yourself.

15, since you play photography, you don't have to follow too many dogmas. You can immerse yourself in self-satisfaction first, and then slowly accept other people's opinions and suggestions. After all, photography is a subjective art, and of course being recognized by more people is an addictive enjoyment. I mean, you don't have to take other people's comments too seriously. No one knows your own photography pursuit better than yourself.