How to shoot street shots of dispatched personnel?

Photography is actually to better reflect and record life. Every theme is the best way to experience life, especially the documentary theme. In this issue, photographer Yu Zhe will lead Xiaobai to sweep the street together, and at the same time teach everyone how to shoot street photography works that impress others.

(Note: This article is an original online article by Jiayou. The pictures are provided by photographer Yu Zhe, and cannot be reproduced without permission. )

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 35 aperture: 2 shutter:11000.

Correct understanding of street sweeping

The first step is to understand the significance of sweeping the street. There are many subjects to be photographed in sweeping the street, such as passers-by, scenery and the dynamics captured in the street. Different from documentary photography, documentary photography reflects a relationship by capturing the realistic essence of the character's state and emphasizes authenticity.

Equipment: EOS M6 focal length: 24 aperture: 8 shutter:11250

Some people say there is a difference between street photography and documentary photography. Personally, I don't think there is much difference. Street shooting mostly captures wonderful moments and single street shooting, and the shooting form is wider. And some documentary photography will carry out a series of long-term creative projects according to personal thoughts and purposes. Both are documentaries. I think it's enough to understand this-both are timely, because it won't affect whether you take a good photo or not.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 35 aperture: 2 shutter:1100.

There is still a misunderstanding, but when it comes to photography related to humanities, many people will think of going to Tibet and the countryside! The more extreme, the poorer, the worse and the more movies. In fact, the worse the photos, the better. You don't have to come here to make a good film. Taking to the streets, life is everywhere, and the five flavors of life need to be felt, discovered and recorded by themselves. Having said that, I just hope that everyone has a correct understanding of street photography and documentary photography, and don't blindly fall into misunderstanding. Next, we will teach you in two other parts: first, preparation; Second, the actual shooting skills.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 35 aperture: 2 shutter: 1/20.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 24 aperture: 2 shutter: 1/2000.

Equipment, choose your most convenient.

In most cases, when sweeping the streets during the day, the requirements for the fuselage are not particularly high. Some people say to focus quickly and capture easily! In fact, as long as you are familiar with your machine, these are not necessary. Some people say that you must use a small machine, which is light and not tired, and it is not easy to be found by others. Again, the key is to be comfortable. For example, every time I go out on the street, I take two bodies, a compact and convenient EOS M6, a touch flip screen and a full-pixel dual-core CMOS AF. With the help of the DIGIC 7 digital image processor, I have very good high-speed focusing performance. At the same time, rich lens groups can also be used through the adapter ring.

Another EOS 6D2, some people will wonder, why do I still carry a SLR when sweeping the street? The theme of street sweeping is actually very wide. Even during the day, it doesn't mean that you won't go to some dark environment. Compared with micro-single, Quan Huafu SLR still has obvious advantages in image quality, high sense and many other aspects. When dealing with some complex environments, do it when you should. Moreover, EOS 6D2, as the lightest Quan Huafu SLR, even if it is scanned all day, it will not be a great burden for people.

The first choice of lens is fixed focus lens. Why? Because the fixed-focus lens usually has a larger aperture, it can provide a higher shutter speed, which is more helpful for us to capture the moment clearly for our street sweeping. And if it gets dark at night, the advantage of large aperture is more prominent, which can not only bring better atmosphere, but also bring better imaging.

So how to choose a fixed-focus lens? Personally, I suggest using a lens with a focal length of 24 mm-50 mm and a wide focal length of 24-28mm, which can adapt to more environments with a wide field of vision, but it may be difficult to control at first compared with novices. The road to revolution is still far away, and comrades still need to work hard to shoot more!

Equipment: EOS M6 focal length: 24 aperture: 8 shutter: 1/500

Needless to say, the 35mm focal section is recognized as the focal section of human nature documentary, which is necessary for street sweeping. It has a wider visual angle than the naked eye and can better explain the background and environment.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 35 aperture: 2 shutter: 1/800.

The 50mm focal length close to the human eye angle is also the first choice for street sweeping. It can be said that it is an offensive and retractable focal length, which can meet the needs of most shooting scenes.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 50 aperture: 5.6 shutter: 1/80.

Does that mean other focal segments can't be used? Actually, it's not like this. As I said before, equipment is the most important thing, and different equipment is used at different stages. If you are a shy newcomer, and you are not too afraid to get too close to others, you can also choose a focal length of 85mm, which can bring you a "psychological safety distance". At the same time, it has a viewing angle close to 30, which makes the picture more concise and the main body more prominent.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 85 aperture: 1.4 shutter:1160.

Operation setting

Shooting mode: M file or AV file. I prefer using M-file. When I'm familiar with my camera, it's actually no trouble to use M file, because the parameters used to sweep the street usually don't change much.

Shutter speed: at least from 1/200s, many moments are actually sudden. How to capture this "decisive moment" at the right time and place, besides your own foresight, the shutter speed must be able to keep up, so as not to miss a good picture.

Aperture: between F/5.6-F/ 1 1, sweeping the street usually does not need to use too large aperture, because the depth of field is shallow and it is easy to lose focus. A small aperture can explain more environments while ensuring clear pictures.

White balance: Normally, I don't choose automatic white balance. Automatic white balance is due to the change of the perception of the picture content by the environmental metering system, resulting in a small automatic white balance adjustment. But its automatic adjustment is not accurate in all lighting conditions, so I often choose ambient light conditions manually in advance, for example, during the day, I will choose "daylight".

Reduce the contrast: reduce the contrast, reduce the contrast, and appropriately increase the first saturation, which is my setting habit before shooting. The lower contrast intensity is more convenient for me to adjust later.

Street sweeping shooting skills

Street sweeping shooting skills, making good use of light and shadow

Trying to shoot from different shooting angles is also the art of playing with light and shadow. Sometimes we don't have to present the subject intuitively, pay more attention to the surrounding light and shadow, and try different shooting angles, so that the picture looks more spatial and interesting.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 50 aperture: 2.8 shutter: 1/40.

Equipment: EOS M6 focal length: 24 aperture: 5.6 shutter: 1/25

Get as close to your topic as possible.

Every photographer has his own shooting style. Robert capa, a famous Hungarian-American war correspondent, has a classic saying: "If you don't shoot well enough, it's because you're not close enough". This really makes sense, so when shooting, you don't have to be afraid to get close to the object you want to shoot. Of course, we must be polite and kind, and don't offend others. You will find that close-up photography has a unique impact.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 50 aperture: 5.6 shutter:1125.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 50 aperture: 5.6 shutter: 1/640.

Look for contradictions in comparison

Sweeping the streets all the way is actually very interesting. If you look around carefully, you will meet some contrasting pictures. This contrast can be people or things, light, cold, warm colors and so on. For example, in the picture below, there is a big red letter on the wall and an old bicycle with a strange parking posture.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 85 aperture: 1.4 shutter:1160.

Be patient:

You must be patient when sweeping the street. At an intersection, there may be a passerby missing, or more precisely, a passerby wearing gorgeous clothes. At this time, you need to wait patiently, because someone will always pass by your camera. This process can also cultivate your better observation ability, not only the characters, but also the lighting conditions.

Equipment: EOS 5D Mark IV focal length: 50 aperture: 8 shutter: 1/320.

Equipment: EOS 6D Mark II focal length: 35 aperture: 2.8 shutter: 1/250.

Sweeping the street requires rote memorization and disorganized composition skills. It is more like a portrayal of your heart, and you try your best to find and feel the embodiment of life. The above are the shooting methods commonly used by photographer Yu Zhe in this issue when sweeping the street. Of course, you still need to pick up the camera, go out and shoot more, and then you can gradually find the feeling.