Street Photography for the Novice

When I was younger street photography was not a problem, even if people didn’t like having their pictures taken there was rarely a problem just a poor shot. These days everyone thinks they have rights, even though in a public space they don’t, which means try pointing your camera at people in the street and you will get some trouble. This article By Kimberly Gauthier on the Digital Photo School site is actually full of good suggestions.

“Street photography is a fantastic idea in theory, but when I first took a crack at taking pictures on the streets of Downtown Seattle, I got nothing. I walked around for an hour, spotting great photo ops, holding my camera tight against my chest, waiting for someone to either yell at me for taking their picture or steal my camera. It took a couple of years to get up the nerve to start taking pictures and now I always take my camera into the city. Here are 10 tips that helped me get over my street photography shyness.” ….more

Here are some images from the greatest street photographer

What the Dutch Masters Can Teach Us About Photography: The Center of Interest Click Here: Light Stalking » What the Dutch Masters Can Teach Us About Photography: The Center of Interest

Those clever people at Lighstalking have come up with another great tutorial

The Dutch golden age of painting in the 17th century produced some of the most incredible art the world has ever seen. These masters of light drew on a rich heritage spanning hundreds (and arguably thousands) of years and are still revered for their knowledge and mastery of composition and colour. But what can they really teach us about the modern art of photography? As it turns out, plenty. So much, in fact, that entire books could be written. So in the interests of brevity we’re going to briefly cover a single element of composition that the Dutch masters were brilliant at.

You will notice that in each case your eye is drawn to a specific area of the painting. The woman in the first painting, the peasants on the left of the second painting and the riders and man in the red jacket in the last. In painting this is known as a center of interest and it’s something that can be used to great effect in photography too. But how?....more

50 Images from National Geographic`s 2010 Photo Contest

You may not be able to enter the 2010 contest but there is always 2011 and 2012. Here are some of the entries, the standard is high, the imagery varied and the subject matter vast. Do have a look at these there are some real gems, go here for more