Capture street art
Learn how to show off an urban artist’s work with Alistair Campbell
Photography is just one medium in a plethora of ways to express ourselves. Quite often artforms cross over to become something else. We’ll often see photographs become illustrations, or still images being used in a moving video. This way round isn’t too difficult: all you are doing is documenting someone else’s incredible talent.
I spotted this fantastic portrait by Brooklyn street artist Tristan Eaton in a large 12 x 7ft mural, on the corner of Mulberry and Broome in New York. It was sandwiched between a small Italian diner and a pastry shop (yum).
Whenever I’m visiting a place that’s new to me, I’ll carry a mid-range zoom lens (in this case the Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8): the main reason is that it provides you with some versatility. It might not provide super-silky blurred backgrounds, but it’s good enough. If I was feeling particularly brave, I’d pop a 35mm on and throw caution to the wind.
When I’m on the move, I’ll typically leave my aperture wide open, raise my ISO to something I know is manageable with noise (anything up to ISO 1,600), and let the shutter speed take care of itself – often with street photography, you’re moving in and out of highly fluctuating exposures. Then I just treated this shot the same as any other portrait. Click, done. Art by Tristan Eaton, www.tristaneaton.com
Shooting a wide range of subjects for both editorial and advertising purposes, I have worked in photography studios for the last five years. I cover a variety of subject matters from musicians and actors to automobiles and trainers. Each client I work with requires adjusting my style of photography, adapting my lighting, and altering my editing process to fit their brief. Simple yet versatile setups are an effective tool when you’re working in a variety of locations and under time pressures. They are a great starting point to build on, to create more elaborate lighting arrangements to fit your brief. For this portrait of model Meghan, I went back to basics using just one flash (a Profoto B2 and D4 power pack) and a plain backdrop. www.prbphotography.co.uk Instagram: @prb_photography_