In 2018, I began photographing in the New York City subway on my commutes to distract my mind from the difficulties I was going through at the time, not knowing this would lead my photography in a new direction, towards becoming a street photographer.
Several years later, I’m now working on my third street photography project, have gallery representation, a solo exhibition, experience as a photojournalist for the New York Post, and have led countless workshops. Through this ongoing journey, I’ve learned a vast amount through trial and error. I’d like to share five tips that have significantly improved my street photography.
1. Use a Prime Lens
The versatility of a zoom lens is without a doubt the ideal lens for landscape, sport, event, and wedding photographers. For street photographers, prime lenses are ideal and let’s discuss why.
Using a prime lens will improve your composition, by training your eye to see the world through that specific millimeter you chose. Over time you will become faster at composing and seeing photos on the street. To capture what Henri Cartier- Bresson called “The decisive moment”, everything must align in a fraction of a second, focus, exposure, and composition. With a zoom lens, you will waste precious time figuring out the right focal length. With a prime, you instinctively know where to stand and how your composition will look in that chosen focal length.
Prime lenses also offer faster apertures, allowing you to shoot in low-light situations such as night time street photography. The difference between a lens that has a starting aperture of f/4 vs f/1.2 is massive in terms of light-gathering abilities, opening up an entirely new world of possibilities.
The three primes I recommend for street photography are the 50mm, 35mm, and 28mm. Let’s break down those choices so you can pick the right prime lens for you.
50mm
Pros
The 50mm, also known as the nifty-fifty for its affordability as an entry level prime. The major camera manufacturers all offer a sub $300 option, making it a great way to get into primes. The 50mm is compact, light weight, and offers a closer to the eye’s field of view. It’s great for portraitures. and gives you some distance from your subject as you build confidence in getting closer to your subjects.
Cons
For street photography, the 50mm can feel constrained. You also have a higher chance of missing focus when shooting quickly. After many years of using the 50mm, I found the field of view limiting, it doesn’t isolate and pop subjects like an 85mm for portraits, nor does it provide the contextual storytelling afforded by a 35mm or wider lens.
35mm
Pros
The 35mm is the most versatile prime lens with a large field of view that we see naturally without distortion. This lens is my personal favorite for street, documentary, travel, and environmental portrait photography. The 35mm is great to capture subjects in contexts which allows you to tell a stronger story more easily.
Cons
35mm at first feels familiar, but there is a learning curve.. You’ll need to learn how to dance with this lens, how close you can get to the subject before distorting the subject. If you are coming from a 50mm you will need to be more aware of the edges of your frame when composing.
28mm
Pros
The 28mm, a wide angle lens allows you to capture an entire scene with a deep depth of field allowing for layered storytelling. With both foreground and background in focus and with its wider angle, this lens is ideal for shooting from the hip. You can capture truly dynamic compositions that neither the 50mm nor the 35mm can achieve. If you thought the depth of field was better with 35mm then 28mm is even easier to render the entire scene in front of your lens in sharp focus enabling even easier zone focusing. You can also get more subject separation between various elements within the frame.
Cons
You will need to get very close to your subject to fill the frame. Wide angle distortion can be a distraction from the story you’re trying to tell your viewers. Composing clean/minimalist street photos will be difficult with such a large field of view and everything being in focus.
2. Photograph More
Think of photography as a language, the more that you use the language the more fluent you will become. Get in the habit of bringing your camera with you every time you step out the door. Have it on you, not in your bag. As soon as you are outside, take an exposure reading and set your setting so when you see something you want to photograph your exposure is already set. When you notice the light change, adjust your exposure accordingly for the next moment.
The more you use your camera it will start to become second nature to you. Over time you will become faster at taking photos allowing you to focus on your surroundings, subjects, and compositions.
3. Slow Down
To quote Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Slowing down and looking around will reveal more opportunities to capture. In street photography, the action unfolds not in front of you but to the left and right of you, in doorways, windows, side streets, and street corners.
Meandering through the streets will bring a kind of meditative state. A state where you are not thinking about bills, work, relationships, or other life issues, but focused on the moment and the light and how to frame it. By being relaxed and enjoying the moment will bring lucidity to your photography.
4. Immerse Yourself in the Area
When you take a photo in an area that interests you, don’t move on immediately, explore that area thoroughly. Cross the street and look back from where you took the photo; if it’s an intersection, visit all four corners. If there’s a café or bar nearby, go in, sit by the window or outside, observe how the light changes, and talk to the people who live there. The more you understand the area you’re photographing, the more insight you gain into capturing images that tell a deeper story.
5. Find Common Threads in Your Street Photos
As photographers, we are creatures of habit. Subconsciously, we gravitate to specific things, quiet threads that weave our work together. The more time you spend on the streets, the more these patterns begin to emerge themselves.
After a few months and a hundred images, you’ll notice ten of them feature street performers from different corners of the city or you keep finding yourself pulled toward the color blue from neon signs, painted doors, clothing, reflections. These recurring elements aren’t accidents; they’re signals of your emerging visual voice.
By recognizing these threads, you can lean into them. Let them guide you. Use them as parameters for your next outing, seek more of what resonates with you, or push yourself to explore that theme from new angles.
This process of discovery is how your visual voice begins to take shape, and how your work evolves into stories only you can explore and tell.