TECHNIQUE ASSESSMENT
Colin showed Cassidy how to set up her camera to maximise her chances of capturing eye-catching street shots
MANUAL MODE
Colin says… I shoot in Manual mode unless I’m using a point-and-shoot camera as I need to be able to rely on my settings. Street photographers have to act quickly, and although automatic functions work well most of the time, you need to ensure the camera doesn’t deliver any surprises.
STAY SINGLE
Colin says… I use the Single Shot drive mode unless I have to capture something particular while on assignment. Long sequences take ages to filter through in post, making it more likely that you’ll miss that winning shot. Taking single shots force you to be more deliberate and disciplined.
CAMERA SETTINGS
Colin says… We started at ISO200, which was ideal as we were outside with plenty of light. I often use lower f-stops to create a shallower depth of field and pull the subject from the background. I’ll shoot above 1/125 sec to avoid lots of motion blur, or below 1/100 sec if I want to make blur a feature.
Stokes Croft is a magnet for street photographers in Bristol. The comparatively tiny area encapsulates the cultural diversity, and love of art and music the city in the south-west of England is known for. Independent businesses line the streets, many adorned with towering murals and colourful displays of graffiti – including Banksy’s infamous Mild Mild West. The architecture harks back to the area’s industrial roots, and you don’t have to look far to find evidence of its ongoing efforts to defy gentrification.
Colin Moody has photographed Stokes Croft for years and is an active member of the local arts community. “Every photographer has a way of seeing the universe and that’s what we’re going to explore today,” he told Cassidy as she chained up her bicycle and pulled her Nikon Z 6 from her camera bag. “It isn’t just taking pictures, it’s finding stories… being nosy,” said the pro as Cassidy laughed. “You could walk the streets around here thousands of times and you’d still come across something different.” Cassidy’s first question was what file format Colin used. “I shoot raw for clients and JPEG at protests as I get trigger happy,” he replied. “I need to make sure I don’t run out of space, and the smaller files are much easier to transfer and handle. Let’s go with JPEG + Raw today. That gives you the best of both worlds. The magazine will appreciate the large files, and the JPEGs will allow you to quickly assess the images on your computer.”
Focusing was next, and Colin set the Z 6 to Wide Area AF combined with single-servo AF. “I like to focus and reframe,” explained the pro. “Click OK to centre the AF points, lock focus on the subject, refine your framing and take the shot. Cassidy explained that she was set to Matrix metering and Colin agreed it was the best choice.
The final step was to set the camera’s white balance to Natural Light Auto. “It’s about setting yourself up so you can react as quickly as possible,” said Colin.
“My aim is to get everything right in-camera. I might adjust the contrast a bit in post, and black-and-white images obviously need processing, but I keep the editing to a minimum.”
STREET MEETS
With the settings sorted the pair began wandering around Bristol’s backstreets. Cassidy looked through the EVF of her Z 6 for reference and laughed: “I should probably take my lens cap off…”
“That’s the number one rule!” said Colin with a chuckle. “Seriously though, as soon as your camera is ready the lens cap comes off and doesn’t go back on until you’ve finished. Street photographers need to be ready at a moment’s notice.” He pulled
a lens from his kit bag. “The cap on this one doesn’t even fit any more. It melted slightly when I got too close to a burning vehicle during a protest.”
As the pair passed by a cafe called El Jefe José Cubanos, Colin struck up a conversation with the proprietor. “Forming relationships in your local area is essential,” he said as they moved on. “That man said we’re always welcome to go behind the counter and shoot from within the shop. You’d be surprised where you can put yourself and your camera if you just ask. Now it’s your turn…”
Colin nodded towards a man who was sweeping the pavement by the backdoor of his cafe. A patch of yellow graffiti complemented the building’s blue wall and the man’s top was the same shade of yellow. Cassidy dashed across the road, but not before the man disappeared back inside. “Knock on the door,” shrugged Colin. For the first time Cassidy looked slightly nervous. “Go on,” said the pro, and the Apprentice knocked on the door. “I didn’t think she’d do it,” chuckled Colin, “I don’t think I’ve ever done that before myself.”
The man introduced himself as David and was all too happy to have his photograph taken. Colin encouraged Cassidy to frame the yellow graffiti in the foreground, while focusing on her portrait subject. They bid farewell to
David and continued around the corner and onto the main street. “I think I like the front of Cafe Cuba more. Do you think he will come out again?” Cassidy wasted no time in knocking on the front door and sure enough, David was only too happy to indulge the photographers once more.
“I take a mixture of posed and candid photographs,” said Colin. “Let’s direct David a little. He’s a powerful-looking man, so let’s crouch down and shoot up at him to amplify his strong stance.”
The pro mimicked holding the man’s brush in the centre of his body and gazed into the distance, which David copied. Cassidy now had two great Hot Shot #1 images to choose from.
As the pair said goodbye for the second time, David invited them to return for margaritas at the end of the shoot. “See,” said Colin, “you approached someone, captured two great shots and now we’ve
got margaritas waiting for us when we finish…”
POSE AND CONS
Only a few paces down the road a magazine vendor called Glenn offered to pose for a photo and flamboyantly held his arms out in jest. Colin noted Glenn’s striking blue eyes and medical mask, which the man pulled over his nose. “Now you can really focus on his eyes, which complement the blue mask and the blue walls of the pub behind.
“Notice how he initially performed in front of the camera?” said the pro as they continued walking. “We’re so used to being filmed and photographed nowadays, it’s almost instinctive, but cheesy smiles are for social media. By chatting to Glenn he eventually broke character and relaxed. And that’s what you really want to be photographing. I call it the invisible camera moment.”
The pair decided to try another portrait, but this time to capture a passerby walking through the frame. A suitable subject was leaning on a graffiti-covered wall listening to music. The man agreed to have his photograph taken, but made no attempt to pose. This allowed Cassidy to focus on her composition and settings, while her subject acted naturally.
“He’s standing very still so we can get away with a slow shutter speed of 1/25 sec,” said Colin. “Using a steady hand you’ll capture the subject sharp and blur anyone walking through the frame to convey a sense of motion.” After several goes Cassidy nailed Super Shot #2. She timed it perfectly – the passerby didn’t obscure the subject – and the exposure was long enough to blur the motion without compromising the figure’s shape.
CRACK SHOT
The walk took the photographers through a construction site where Cassidy practised candid shots and a couple of group shots. When they were back on a main road, Colin suggested they tried using the panning technique to capture a moving vehicle.
Cassidy instinctively switched the Z 6’s drive mode to Continuous High, but Colin asked her to switch back to Single Shot mode. “I want the shots you take to be a conscious decision,” he said.
“You’ll surprise yourself at how accurate you can be. It also takes a long time to filter through hundreds of burst sequences, and the more you have to filter through the more likely you’ll miss that really special moment.”
Colin’s instructions were to set the shutter speed to 1/6 sec and leave the focus mode on AF-S. This would give Cassidy precious few moments to lock focus and only one or two chances to shoot the subject. The aim of panning is to track the subject and match its speed before firing the shutter. When this is done correctly the subject is rendered much sharper than the background, which is creatively motion-blurred.
Cassidy practised on a few cars and cyclists, but the shot that would be picked for Hot Shot #3 was of two people riding e-scooters. The slow shutter speed produced plenty of motion blur, and the equally spaced subjects added depth to the image and were sharp enough to be easily made out, while still retaining a strong sense of motion. “This is a topical subject too,” said Colin, since the vehicles are currently being trialled in Bristol.
The pair hit the streets once
again. This time Cassidy was able to try her hand at photographing a trio of dogs, and captured a series of documentary-style images of a friendly mechanic who was busy welding in his garage’s yard. Colin suggested they finish the day by heading into a nearby residential area to practise taking some architectural photos and hopefully capture the final Hot Shot in the process.
Cassidy was immediately drawn to a block of high-rise flats, and Colin noted the juxtaposition of a two-way traffic sign in the frame: “The fact that high-rise flats have a constant flow of people moving up and down – like the arrows on the sign – makes this an interesting shot.” The photographers then noticed a family who were waving from their balcony. “They’re too far away,” said Cassidy as she waved back. “Be quick then,” said Colin as he pointed to a nearby embankment.
Cassidy dashed up the hill as the family continued to wave merrily and laugh as they became the subject of Super Shot #4. “I still couldn’t get that close, my 18-35mm just didn’t have the reach,” said Cassidy. But Colin wasn’t fazed: “You don’t always have to get close. Yes, the family is a key part of the image, but it would work well as a large print.”
The day was drawing to an end, and as the pair walked back through Stokes Croft they talked about the many photos they’d taken and the people they’d met. “I still can’t believe you knocked on David’s door, twice,” said Colin, “which reminds me. We’ve got some margaritas waiting for us back at Cafe Cuba!”
CASSIDY’S COMMENT
Bristol seems like a big place but it’s so interconnected, which makes it very interesting to photograph. Colin’s photographs make you see the extraordinary in the mundane, and my biggest takeaway was that you can’t always just sit back and let photo opportunities happen. You have to meet people, take an interest in the area you’re shooting and actively pursue extraordinary moments.
COLIN’S VERDICT
The great myth about street photography is that you’re telling truths, but you’re actually shooting the city the way you see it, and that’s what I wanted to encourage Cassidy to explore today. She was proactive in finding subjects and had the confidence to put her camera where it needs to be, and that’s definitely the hardest challenge to conquer.