need street photography tips?

[xsjado man]

never done this before altho iv been doing photography for about two years now and i though id like to atlest have ago at it so my questions are.

what lens is best to use out of 18-55mm kit lens, 50 mm prime lens, 70-300 zoom lens?

im using a canon 400D what sort of setting should i be looking to use?

thanks.

 

[fhotoace]

If you visit any of the photo galleries that exhibit "street" photography and talk to the artists there, you will get some excellent ideas.

One thing you will notice is that they use small 35 mm rangefinder cameras, usually with a 35 mm lens attached.

Tri-X has seemed to be the film of choice here in the Southwestern US, due to its "grit", the slight graininess of Tri-X. You will notice too, that most "street" photography is shot from the hip, not with the camera held to the eye

Your big 400D may intimidate some of those you really want to capture in-situ. The lens you will want to use to capture similar scenes as you would see in the exhibits would be close to a 20 mm prime lens. The exposures would be based upon the "sunny 16 rule" and adjusted for the shady side of the street as necessary.

 

[Jim]

Choice of lenses is not really what is important here. Depends on what you want to shoot. What is the subject? People, buldings, ...? Usually, we want a greater depth of field for street shots, so f/16 is good. Because you are using such a small aperture, set ISO to a high value (800?). Street shots are often impromptu, so don't bring a tripod. Brace yourself against something in the environment to ensure a sharp photo. As for the lenses, try them all. Have you ever tried "Lensbabies"? They are relatively cheap and offer great artistic potential.
P.S. Try your street shots right after a morning rain. Wet pavement adds contrast and interesting reflections.