Some street photographers use flash to capture a moment with the contrast of its penetrating light.
I don’t use a flash. This is my personal choice and the only restriction I impose for my work in candid street photography.
There are practical reasons for this restriction. A flash’s light distorts reality and directly impacts the person in the picture. If you worry about confrontation from taking pictures of people, then using flash greatly increases the chance your subject will be upset.
Night scenes require the highest ISO setting that can be used for reasonable image quality. When people are moving it’s impossible to use low shutter speed unless motion blur is your goal.
I try to create a composition that does not depend on details. The mood of the situation, the strong contrast of light emitted by lamps, cars, and advertisements are more important for the photograph.
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Why is the candid photography unique?
Candid street photography in Morocco is exciting and challenging. In preparation for this trip, I decided to take my new Pentax K-5 with my favorite street photography lens – Pentax 21 mm f/3.2. I picked up a Pentax 70mm f/2.4 in the unlikely case I needed extra reach along with a Pentax K20D for backup. In fact, for most of my pictures I used a K-5 with 21mm, except for the few shots in a Fez tannery with a 70mm.
Morocco is a wonderful country. Unfortunately for photographers, the general attitude towards being photographed is very negative.Street performers and water sellers (nobody buys anything from them any more) are very happy to pose…for a fee. Since I’m only interested in candid photography, I used extreme discretion.
On narrow streets you are almost always close to your subject. Wide angle lenses are probably the only right tools for this situation. All pictures that involve people are taken without using the viewfinder by shooting from the hip. I kept the camera in my hand with a wrist strap for assurance.
Portrait oriented pictures are taken with my hand straight down at my right side.
To make the landscape oriented shots I had to raise my hand just below my chest.
Framing is not the only challenge. Bright sun, narrow streets, and covered souks make very high contrast scenes.
In retrospect, I think that my choice of a 21mm lens was ideal for my shooting style, even though I regretted not having a 14mm lens with me. The relatively quiet operation of a Pentax K-5 definitely helps, at least psychologically, for taking candid pictures in close range.
I will be back in Morocco, “Insha’Allah” (God willing).
For more pictures go to Morocco 2010
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Why is the candid photography unique?
Pentax 14mm f/2.8 for Candid Street Photography
Rules and myths of candid photography: To ask permission or to invade privacy
It was the first cold day of the year. My fingers froze, holding the camera. I walked through famous streets and nothing grabbed my attention enough to even take a practice shot. I approached the empty Daley Plaza and could see pigeons congregating near the inextinguishable flame. A girl smoked on the bench nearby. Frigid air enveloped the heat seeking pigeons along with the lonely girl, sucking on her own burning cigarette. I started sensing the scene and tried to express it in the picture. It was difficult to get the right frame of the girl and the pigeons. I took some shots but nothing that I was pleased with. Eventually, the girl noticed me and asked what picture I would like to take. “I am interested in these unusual pigeons.” I lied, and took the required shot. We made small talk about the place. She told me it was her favorite, and in good weather it is full of children. I gave her the address of my blog and asked permission to take her picture. It is not necessary for a picture to be candid in order to be interesting.
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Every Face Tells A Story
Rules and myths of candid photography: To ask permission or to invade privacy
Candid Street Photo 